Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Nation's voice highly anticipated at Davos 08:24, January 15, 2024 By Cao Desheng ( Chinadaily.com.cn Against the backdrop of a protracted period of low growth, international anticipation is high about China's proposals for reviving the economy as Premier Li Qiang joins the global elite for the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, which will be held from Monday to Friday in Davos, Switzerland. Li arrived in the Swiss city of Zurich on Sunday. During his first overseas trip of the year that runs until Wednesday, Li will make official visits to Switzerland and Ireland. He is expected to deliver a special address on Tuesday at the opening of the Davos meeting, which will be attended by more than 2,800 delegates from businesses, governments, international organizations and civil society from around the world, including more than 60 heads of state and government, to discuss the world's most pressing issues and set priorities for the year ahead. The meeting comes amid increasing division and uncertainty that continue to destabilize the world. Multiple international organizations, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations, predict that the global economy will slow down further in 2024. A tight financial environment and weak consumer demand will slow down economic growth. Furthermore, geopolitical tensions will not only affect involved countries but also exacerbate the fragmentation of the global economy, observers said. "There are high expectations from Premier Li's attendance at the annual meeting, to hear his outlook on China's economy," said Chen Liming, chair of the Greater China of the World Economic Forum, in an exclusive interview with China Daily. Since the Chinese delegation participated in the Davos Symposium for the first time in 1979, China has never been absent from the annual event, Chen said. China's GDP, which accounted for only about 2 percent of the global total in 1979, now accounts for nearly 20 percent of the global total. "Clearly, China plays a significant role when it comes to dealing with issues related to geopolitics, economy, innovation or climate change. In every aspect, China has an indispensable role to play," Chen said. "In this sense, we eagerly hope that the Chinese delegation will send messages to the world about China's ongoing and future development priorities." President Xi Jinping voiced his confidence in the nation's high-quality development in his New Year message to ring in 2024, saying that the year 2023 saw China's economy weather the storm and become "more resilient and dynamic than before". In 2024, the fundamental outlook of the Chinese economy, which has long been positive, remains unchanged, according to Chen. As the world's second-largest economy, China will continue to contribute around one-third of global economic growth and remain one of the most critical engines for global economic recovery, he said. "Although the Chinese economy faces certain difficulties and challenges, the implementation of a series of policies, including those promoting the development of the private sector, encouraging foreign investment and implementing financial policies, is eagerly anticipated for their potential positive effect on the country's growth." This year's Davos meeting is themed "Rebuilding Trust". Chen said the theme is of crucial importance in today's world, because, in the past few years, the world has been divided and has faced conflicts. "In a fractured world, how can trust be rebuilt? Trust is the foundation of cooperation. Without trust, it is difficult to talk about cooperation. Without cooperation, it is difficult to address the various challenges we face globally, whether it is economic recovery, climate change, energy transformation, or governance over high-tech development," he said. While acknowledging globalization is facing challenges at the moment, Chen said that it is highly unlikely that comprehensive and long-term de-globalization will occur. "We hear many new terms such as de-globalization, decoupling and de-risking. However, I personally believe that a comprehensive and long-term decoupling or de-globalization would make the world less efficient," he said. "It is unnecessary to make a fuss about short-term or partial decoupling in certain areas. In the long run, the world still requires better cooperation and coordination to address both long-term and short-term challenges we face." (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) A local home suffered second-floor damage following a weekend fire. >>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Firefighters respond to house fire in Dayton Dayton firefighters were dispatched Saturday morning at 2:40 a.m. to the 200 block of Middle Street on initial reports of a house fire. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found fire showing from the second floor of the house. They made entry, controlled the fire, and searched the house for any victims, Dayton Fire Captain Brad French told News Center 7. No injuries were reported. The initial damage estimate is at $1,500. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) Over 30 people were displaced during a fire at a senior assisted living community in Holland, according to the public safety department. Just before 1 p.m. Sunday, firefighters with the Holland Department of Public safety were called to Addington Place of Lakeside Vista on W. 40th Street near Fountain View Circle in Holland on reports of a fire in the kitchen that involved cooking equipment. Crews arrived to find smoke in the living areas and a contained fire in the kitchen of Building 1. Firefighters were able to put out the fire and then ventilated smoke from the building. During that time, 30 residents and 9 staff members were evacuated, firefighters said. No one was injured. This embedded content is not available in your region. Residents were relocated to an unaffected part of the building, with help from both firefighters and American Medical Response. The Graafschap Fire Department also assisted. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will be in Utah this week visiting a Salt Lake City school as well as fundraising events for President Joe Bidens 2024 campaign in Park City, according to a White House press release. The First Lady is expected to land at the Salt Lake International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 16. During her visit, she will be visiting an undisclosed Salt Lake City school to celebrate educators and highlight the importance of educator wellness overall. Utahs First Lady Abby Cox as well as U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will join Dr. Biden during her school visit. According to her White House bio, Dr. Biden was a classroom teacher for over 30 years. She has long been an advocate for increased educational opportunities for students, teacher recruitment and retention. As First Lady, Dr. Biden continues her work to promote quality education for everyone. Fire destroys restaurant and ticketing office at Nordic Valley resort Later that evening, Dr. Biden will then go to two political fundraisers in Park City to help raise campaign funds for President Joe Bidens 2024 reelection campaign. After the events, Biden will leave the state and make way for California to continue her trip. Dr. Biden last visited Utah in May 2021 during a three-state tour through the West. During her visit, the First Lady spoke at Glendale Middle School, thanking teachers and educators for their dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her visit also included a trip to a vaccination clinic where she met with first responders and medical personnel. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Iowa caucus voters will be the first in the nation to decide who they want to be the next Republican nominee for president. While former President Donald Trump is expected to be the clear winner there is certainly a lot at stake in the race for second place. The results in Iowa could determine if the Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis campaigns can generate enough momentum to take on Trump in future primary states. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley stopped in a Des Moines diner to make a list minute pitch. We tune out the noise of the politicians, and we raise the voices of Americans that say we want a better day, she said. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged his supporters to bundle up against the sub-zero temperatures and caucus for him. I think people are anticipating less turnout, he said. Even Donald Trump seems not to be taking his position as front runner for granted he too is urging his supporters to brave the cold. You cant sit home. If youre sick as a dog, you say Darling, I gotta make it. Even if you vote and then pass away, its worth it, said Trump. The latest polling has Trump leading 48%, with Haley and DeSantis battling for a distant second place. Iowans will gather at more than 1600 local caucus sites across the state unless historic frigid weather conditions keep people at home. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Several firefighters have responded to a house fire in Dayton early Monday morning. >>Woman hospitalized, arrested in connection to Dayton house fire Dayton firefighters and medics were dispatched around 12:18 a.m. to the 100 block of Parkwood Drive on initial reports of a house fire. Montgomery County Regional Dispatch told News Center 7 that firefighters were seeing flames coming out of a bedroom window when they arrived at the scene. AES Ohio and CenterPoint Energy have been requested to the scene. We will continue to provide updates on this developing story. I'm a travel reporter who has spent 150 hours on long-haul flights. I've taken far-away trips ranging from three days to three weeks long. I've found that trips under two weeks aren't worth enduring the long-haul flights they require. I've spent 150 hours on 22 long-haul flights, starting when I was a kid. Since I was five, I've been flying to Guam to visit my family for two to three weeks at a time every few years. It takes three long-haul flights and roughly 24 total hours of travel to get there from my home in NYC. Then, three years ago, my international adventures expanded when I became a travel reporter at Business Insider. In that time, I've taken multiple eight-hour flights to Europe to visit countries including Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. Only one of these trips was two weeks long. The others were much shorter between just three and seven days long. After taking so many international trips of varying lengths, I realized I don't want to take one again if my trip will be less than two weeks. I just don't think enduring so much time in the air for so little time on the ground is worth it. Long-haul flights are difficult on my body. I need at least two weeks of recovery time to feel worth it A hotel room in Paris where the author spent a full day in bed in 2023. Joey Hadden/Business Insider I've always found long-haul flights to be incredibly taxing. As someone who is prone to motion sickness, I often feel queasy for one to three days after these journeys before I can enjoy myself, depending on how many hours were spent in-flight. For me, recovering often means I'm bedridden and unable to keep food down. It's incredibly unpleasant. But when I'm in Guam for weeks at a time, a couple of days in bed is a small fraction of my stay, so I don't feel like I've wasted too much time. My most recent trip to Europe in November 2023 was another story. After a seven-and-a-half-hour flight to Paris, I spent one of three total days on the continent cooped up in my hotel room feeling sick and needing rest. I was only in Paris for one night of the trip, and it felt like a missed opportunity to be unable to see more sights or explore the streets surrounding the hotel. If I fly long distances, I want more time to explore far-away places The author hikes with her family in Guam in 2019. Joey Hadden/Insider Factoring in recovery time also leaves more room in my itinerary to actually experience the destination I traveled so far to see. Having three weeks in Guam, for example, gives me plenty of time to get well and enjoy time with family snorkeling, exploring the Pacific island's tropical jungles, and eating all the local Guamanian food I can stomach. However, when I took a seven-hour flight to Barcelona for a seven-day Mediterranean cruise in August 2023, I headed straight for the cruise terminal the morning after I arrived, and right back to the airport after the voyage. I barely got to see Barcelona, a city I'd never been to previously, and it felt so disappointing to simply use it as a transfer point. I spent my long flight home wishing I had booked a few more days in Barcelona on either end, and stayed longer than the week just for the cruise. Longer trips are more sustainable than shorter ones The author's flight home from Europe in November 2023. Joey Hadden/Business Insider As a traveler who is interested in sustainability, every time I take a long-haul flight, I consider the fact that air travel accounted for 8% of transportation carbon emissions in 2021, per the US Environmental Protection Agency . With this in mind, it's easy to see why sustainable travel experts say shorter, more frequent trips are more harmful to the environment than fewer, longer trips, according to a previous BI article. For example, when I think about my 2023 travels, I regret taking two, shorter trips to Europe of only TK days each instead of combining them into one longer visit. Doing so would have necessitated fewer flights and therefore, fewer carbon emissions. All that to say, in 2024, I'll make sure my long-haul trips are at least two weeks long so I know they're worth enduring before booking. Read the original article on Business Insider When I asked the European ambassador to talk to me about Americas deepening partisan divide, I expected a polite brushoff at best. Foreign diplomats are usually loath to discuss domestic U.S. politics. Instead, the ambassador unloaded for an hour, warning that Americas poisonous politics are hurting its security, its economy, its friends and its standing as a pillar of democracy and global stability. The U.S. is a fat buffalo trying to take a nap as hungry wolves approach, the envoy mused. I can hear those Champagne bottle corks popping in Moscow like its Christmas every fucking day. As voters cast ballots in the Iowa caucuses Monday, many in the United States see this years presidential election as a test of American democracy. But, in a series of conversations with a dozen current and former diplomats, I sensed that to many of our friends abroad, the U.S. is already failing that test. The diplomats are aghast that so many U.S. leaders let their zeal for partisan politics prevent the basic functions of government. Its a major topic of conversations at their private dinners and gatherings. Many of those I talked to were granted anonymity to be as candid with me as they are with each other. For example, one former Arab ambassador who was posted in the U.S. during both Republican and Democratic administrations told me American politics have become so unhealthy that hed turn down a chance to return. I dont know if in the coming years people will be looking at the United States as a model for democracy, a second Arab diplomat warned. Many of these conversations wouldnt have happened a few months ago. There are rules, traditions and pragmatic concerns that discourage foreign diplomats from commenting on the internal politics of another country, even as they closely watch events such as the Iowa caucuses. (One rare exception: some spoke out on Americas astonishing 2016 election.) But the contours of this years presidential campaign, a Congress that can barely choose a House speaker or keep the government open, and, perhaps above all, the U.S. debate on military aid for Ukraine have led some diplomats to drop their inhibitions. And while they were often hesitant to name one party as the bigger culprit, many of the examples they pointed to involved Republican members of Congress. As they vented their frustrations, I felt as if I was hearing from a group of people wishing they could stage an intervention for a friend hitting rock bottom. Their concerns dont stem from mere altruism; theyre worried because Americas state of being affects their countries, too. When the United States voice is not as strong, is not as balanced, is not as fair as it should be, then a problem is created for the world, said Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbudas longtime ambassador in Washington. Donald Trumps name came up in my conversations, but not as often as youd think. Yes, I was told, a Trump win in 2024 would accelerate Americas polarization but a Trump loss is unlikely to significantly slow or reverse the structural forces leading many of its politicians to treat compromise as a sin. The likelihood of a closely split House and Senate following the 2024 vote adds to the worries. The diplomats focused much of their alarm on the U.S. debate over military aid to Ukraine I was taken aback by how even some whose nations had little connection to Russias war raised the topic. In particular, they criticized the decision to connect the issue of Ukrainian aid and Israeli aid to U.S. border security. Not only did the move tangle a foreign policy issue with a largely domestic one, but border security and immigration also are topics about which the partisan fever runs unusually high, making it harder to get a deal. Immigration issues in particular are a problem many U.S. lawmakers have little incentive to actually solve because it robs them of a rallying cry on the campaign trail. So now, Ukraine might not get aid, Israel might not get aid, because of pure polarization politics, said Francisco Santos Calderon, a former Colombian ambassador to the United States. Diplomats from many European countries are especially unhappy. They remember how, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many Republicans downplayed concerns about the far-right fringe in their party that questioned what was then solid, bipartisan support. Now, as the debate over the aid unfolds, it seems the far-right is calling the shots. Theres a growing sense among foreign diplomats that moral or national security arguments about defending a country unjustly invaded, deterring Russia, preventing a bigger war in Europe and safeguarding democracy dont work on the American far-right. Instead, some are stressing to U.S. lawmakers that funds for Ukraine are largely spent inside the United States, creating jobs and helping rebuild Americas defense industrial base (while having the side benefit of degrading the military of a major U.S. foe). If this doesnt make sense to the politicians, then what will? the European ambassador asked. A former Eastern European ambassador to D.C. worried about how some GOP war criticscast the Ukraine crisis as President Joe Bidens war when in reality, the consideration should be to the national interests of the United States. Foreign diplomats also are watching in alarm as polarizing abortion politics have delayed the promotions of U.S. military officers and threaten to damage PEPFAR, an anti-AIDS program that has saved millions of lives in Africa. That there are questions about Americas commitment to NATO dumbfounds the diplomats I talked to. Then, there are the lengthy delays in Senate confirmations of U.S. ambassadors and other officials a trend exacerbated by lawmakers from both parties. There was always a certain courtesy that the other party gave to let the president appoint a Cabinet. What if these courtesies dont hold as they dont seem to hold now? a former Asian ambassador said. It is very concerning. When Republicans and Democrats strike deals, they love to say it shows the system works. But simply having a fractious, lengthy and seemingly unnecessary debate about a topic of global security can damage the perception of the U.S. as a reliable partner. It is right that countries debate their foreign policy stances, but if all foreign policy issues become domestic political theater, it becomes increasingly challenging for America to effectively play its global role on issues that need long-term commitment and U.S. political capital such as climate change, Chinese authoritarianism, peace in the Middle East and containing Russian gangsterism, a third European diplomat warned. The current and former diplomats said their countries are more reluctant to sign deals with Washington because of the partisan divide. Theres worry that a new administration will abandon past agreements purely to appease rowdy electoral bases and not for legitimate national security reasons. The fate of the Iran nuclear deal was one example some mentioned. Foreign relations is very much based on trust, and when you know that the person that is in front of you may not be there or might be followed by somebody that feels exactly the opposite way, what is your incentive to do long-term deals? a former Latin American diplomat asked. Still, theres no ambassadorial movement to band together and draw up a petition or a letter urging greater U.S. unity or focus. The diplomats countries dont always have the same interests. Some have plenty of polarizing politics themselves. In other words, there will be no intervention. Some of the diplomats stressed they admire America some attended college here. They acknowledged they dont have some magical solution to the forces deepening its political polarization, from gerrymandered congressional districts to a fractured media landscape. They know the U.S. has had polarized moments in the past, from the mid-1800s to the Vietnam War, that affected its foreign policy. But theyre worried todays U.S. political divisions could have lasting impact on an increasingly interconnected world. The world does not have time for the U.S. to rebound back, the former Asian ambassador said. Weve gone from a unipolar world that were familiar with from the 1990s into a multipolar world, but the key pole is still the United States. And if that key pole is not playing the role that we want the U.S. to do, youll see alternative forces coming up. Russias diplomats, meanwhile, are among those delighting in the U.S. chaos (and fanning it). The Eastern European ambassador said the Russians had long warned their counterparts not to trust or rely on Washington. And now what do they say? We told you so. So the worlds envoys are reconsidering how their governments can deal with this America for many years and presidents to come. Some predicted that a Republican win in November would mean their countries would have to become more transactional in their relationship with the United States instead of counting on it as a partner wholl be there no matter what. Embassies already are beefing up their contacts among Republicans in case they win back the White House. Most countries will be in defensive positions, because the asymmetry of power between them and the United States is such that theres little proactively or offensively that you can do to impact that, said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. When I asked diplomats what advice theyd offer Americas politicians if they were free to do so, several said the same thing: Find a way to overcome your divisions, at least when it comes to issues that reverberate beyond U.S. borders. Please create a consensus and a long-term foreign policy, said Santos, the former Colombian ambassador. When you have consensus, you dont let the internal issues create an international foreign policy crisis. Mary Lou Retton celebrates after receiving the gold medal for winning the all-around competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton spoke out last week on NBCs "Today" show about what she said was a rare pneumonia that almost killed her and resulted in an expensive, monthlong hospital stay. It was a shocking reveal. One key comment jumped out for people who follow health policy: Retton said she was uninsured, blaming that lack of coverage on 30 orthopedic surgeries that count as "preexisting conditions," a divorce and her poor finances. "I just couldnt afford it," Retton told host Hoda Kotb, who did not challenge the assertion. Retton, who after winning the gold medal in 1984 became a well-known figure "Americas sweetheart," appearing on Wheaties boxes and claiming a variety of other endorsements did not provide details of her income, the illness, the hospital where she was treated or the type of insurance she was seeking, so its hard to nail down specifics. Nonetheless, her situation can be informative because the reasons she cited for not buying coverage preexisting conditions and cost are among the things the Affordable Care Act directly addresses. Under the law, which has offered coverage through state and federal marketplaces since 2014, insurers are barred from rejecting people with preexisting conditions and cannot charge higher premiums for them, either. This is one of the laws most popular provisions, according to opinion surveys. The Affordable Care Act also includes subsidies that offset all or part of the premium costs for the majority of low- to moderate-income people who seek to buy their own insurance. An estimated "four out of five people can find a plan for $10 or less a month after subsidies on HealthCare.gov," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement when kicking off the annual open enrollment period in November. Subsidies are set on a sliding scale based on household income, with a sizable portion going to those who make less than twice the federal poverty level, which this year is $29,160 for an individual or $60,000 for a family of four. Premium costs for consumers are capped at 8.5% of household income. Still, "we know from surveys and other data that, even 10 years on, a lot of people are unaware there are premium subsidies available through ACA marketplaces," said Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reform at Georgetown University. Those subsidies are one of the reasons cited for record enrollment in 2024 plans, with more than 20 million people signing up so far. To be sure, there are also many Americans whose share of the premium cost is still a stretch, especially those who might be higher on the sliding subsidy scale. Looking at the KFF subsidy calculator, a 60-year-old with a $100,000 income, for example, would get a $300 monthly subsidy but still have to pay $708 a month toward the premium, on average, nationally. Without a subsidy, the monthly cost would be $1,013. And even with insurance, many U.S. residents struggle to afford the deductibles, copayments, or out-of-network fees included in some Affordable Care Act or job-based insurance plans. The act does offer subsidies to offset deductible costs for people on the lower end of the income scale. For those with very low incomes, the law expanded eligibility for Medicaid, a state-federal program. However, 10 states, including Texas, where Retton lives, have chosen not to expand coverage, meaning some people in this category cannot get Medicaid or Affordable Care Act subsidies. "If her income was below poverty, she could have been caught in the coverage gap," said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF. Attempts to reach a representative for Retton were not immediately successful. One last point Affordable Care Act enrollment generally must occur during the annual open enrollment, which for 2024 plans opened Nov. 1 and will run until Tuesday in most states. But Retton provided no details on what kind of health insurance she shopped for or when. And there are types of plans and coverage that fall outside of the acts rules. Those include short-term plans, which offer temporary coverage for people between jobs, for example. There are also coverage efforts dubbed "health care sharing ministries," in which people pool money and pay one anothers medical bills. Neither is considered comprehensive insurance because they generally offer limited benefits, and both can exclude people with preexisting conditions. If she was considering insurance during a time of year that wasnt during the open enrollment period, Retton might have still been able to sign up for an Affordable Care Act plan if she met requirements for a "special enrollment." Qualifying reasons include a residential move, loss of other coverage, marriage, divorce and other specific situations. Retton excelled in landing difficult moves as a gymnast, but she might have missed the bar when it came to buying insurance coverage. "You can be a very successful person in your other life and not understand American health care and get into a situation that maybe you could have prevented," said Joseph Antos, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Checking Mary Lou Retton's claim she can't afford health insurance Washington Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who was being eyed for a possible third-party bid for the White House, endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Sunday. "It's time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley," Hogan told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "I believe that Nikki Haley's the strongest chance for us to put forth our best possible candidate for November." Hogan, a moderate Republican who has been critical of former President Donald Trump, announced in March 2023 that he would not seek the party's nomination in 2024. Months later, Hogan told "Face the Nation" that he had "not closed the door" to running for president on a No Labels ticket. The political organization is seeking to put together a bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket. Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign event in Iowa City, Iowa on Jan. 13, 2024. / Credit: Alex Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images Hogan recently stepped down from No Labels' board, fueling speculation that he could be preparing a presidential run. "Nikki Haley has got all the momentum," Hogan told CNN. "I've been saying since last spring, when I made the decision not to run, that I really did not want to see a multi-car pile up that would just enable Donald Trump. I think we want to have the strongest possible nominee in November. Polls show that that is Nikki Haley, that she's 17 points ahead of Joe Biden, and it's a toss-up with Trump and Biden, and DeSantis is losing [against Biden]." Hogan's endorsement comes just one day before Republicans in Iowa will hold their caucuses, the first nominating contest on the 2024 season. Though Trump is expected to lead by a substantial margin in Iowa, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a moderate Republican who also endorsed Haley in recent weeks, expressed confidence on Sunday that Haley has a chance to win in New Hampshire, before going on to beat Trump in her home state of South Carolina. Sununu said the dynamic "breaks down" the assumption that the race is Trump's "to be had." "So by doing that, you kind of hit a reset, if you will, in the entire campaign narrative and put Nikki right at the top of the heap," Sununu said on "Face the Nation." Haley holds a bigger lead over President Biden than any other candidate in a head-to-head matchup, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday. But Trump maintains a significant lead over Haley and the other presidential hopefuls, with his support among national Republican primary voters rising to its highest level measured, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday. Cristina Corujo contributed reporting. Neurosurgeon pioneers Alzheimer's, addiction treatments using ultrasound | 60 Minutes Reaching the heights of professional cliff diving Pee-cycling: Turning human urine into fertilizer A former speechwriter for the late Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday said the civil rights leader would describe former President Trump as a moral fraud. I think he would go back to basics and say that he didnt believe that any sinner was beyond redemption. And that would include Donald Trump, Clarence Jones told host Jonathan Capehart on MSNBCs The Sunday Show. Having said that, he would call him out for what he is. I dont want to put words in Dr. Kings mouth, but having been close to him and been one of his advisers, I think the word he would probably use that would be most comfortable with him would be fraud,' he continued. I think he would use the words, He is a moral fraud.' Jones, who served as Kings speechwriter and counsel, added that King would describe Trumps policies as Opportunist. Without anchor. His politics are whats in it for me first?' he said. Jones also said that King would likely warn President Biden when going into the upcoming election. I think he would say, Mr. President, be very careful. You have a very treacherous snake. And you have to be on guard 24/7. And this snake has the ability regrettably of being able to hide his true characteristics and appeal to some people,' Jones said. Recent Iowa polls have shown Trump holding a wide lead against his GOP competitors ahead of Mondays caucuses, with Trump leading former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley by an average of 35 points in the state, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ. She leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 3 points in the Hawkeye State. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An officer directs people to a courtroom, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in an immigration court in Miami. Immigration courts are buckling under an unprecedented 3 million pending cases, most of them newly arrived asylum-seekers. The number of migrants trying to fight their deportation in front of a US judge has grown by 50% in less than a year. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) MIAMI (AP) Eight months after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States, a couple in their 20s sat in an immigration court in Miami with their three young children. Through an interpreter, they asked a judge to give them more time to find an attorney to file for asylum and not be deported back to Honduras, where gangs threatened them. Judge Christina Martyak agreed to a three-month extension, referred Aaron Rodriguez and Cindy Baneza to free legal aid provided by the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami in the same courthouse and their case remains one of the unprecedented 3 million currently pending in immigration courts around the United States. Fueled by record-breaking increases in migrants who seek asylum after being apprehended for crossing the border illegally, the court backlog has grown by more than 1 million over the last fiscal year and its now triple what it was in 2019, according to government data compiled by Syracuse Universitys Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Judges, attorneys and migrant advocates worry thats rendering an already strained system unworkable, as it often takes several years to grant asylum-seekers a new stable life and to deport those with no right to remain in the country. Sometimes hope already sinks, said Mayra Cruz after her case was also granted an extension by Martyak because the Peruvian migrant doesnt have an attorney. But here Ive felt a bit safer, added Cruz, who said she had to flee with only the clothes on her back with her partner and their children after repeated threats from gangs. About 261,000 cases of migrants placed in removal proceedings are pending in the Miami court the largest docket in the country. Thats about the same as were pending nationwide a dozen years ago, said Syracuse University professor Austin Kocher. The backlog includes migrants who have been in the United States for decades and were apprehended on unrelated charges, but most are new asylum seekers who declare a fear of persecution if they are sent back, he added. Backlogged courts, administered by the Justice Department, often get little attention in immigration debates, including in current Senate negotiations over the Biden administrations $110 billion proposal that links aid for Ukraine and Israel to asylum and other border policy changes. When migrants are apprehended by U.S. authorities at the border, many are released with a record of their detention and instructions to appear in court in the city where they are headed. That information is passed on from the Department of Homeland Security to the Justice Department, whose Executive Office for Immigration Review runs the courts, so that an initial hearing can be scheduled. Theyre just being released without any idea of what comes next, said Randy McGrorty, executive director of Catholic Legal Services for the Archdiocese of Miami, which has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants join its diaspora communities. So many migrants go to them for advice that, in the last couple of years, theyve largely switched to teaching how to self-petition and represent themselves before judges. We help them understand what judges want, and we help judges with efficiency and preserving fundamental rights, said Miguel Mora, a Catholic Legal Services supervising attorney in Miami. Advocates say that most migrants ask for individual legal representation, something thats becoming increasingly rare given the huge numbers, and how to get work permits, which migrants can apply for 150 days after filing their asylum application. Its a vicious cycle without regular work, most cant afford even a low-cost lawyer, so their cases can take even longer. We dont have the money, Rodriguez, 23, told Judge Martyak, who had already granted him an extension for having no attorney at a previous hearing, as his partner rocked the stroller where their U.S.-born baby slept. They fled Honduras after the gang that had killed the father of Baneza's oldest child threatened further violence unless they started paying from the meager profits of their tortilla shop. We were left with no other option than get out of the country, Rodriguez told The Associated Press. Weve already had three court appearances. Time is helping. Were getting a little bit oriented. But the slow-moving process also means it takes years for asylum-seekers to be able to reunite with families they left behind and integrate fully in American society, said Karen Musalo, an attorney and professor who leads the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies at the University of California in San Francisco. Time also doesnt help with the backlog, even though government records show judges completed far more cases in the last year than ever before, because their dockets keep growing so fast. Their average caseload is now 5,000 per judge, said Mimi Tsankov, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges. She cited estimates that doubling the current number of judges to about 1,400 might solve the current backlog by 2032. In the new budget request, the Executive Office for Immigration Review is requesting funds from Congress to hire 150 new judges and support staff, said its press secretary, Kathryn Mattingly. Experts like retired judge Paul Schmidt, who also served as government immigration counsel while the last major reform was enacted nearly forty years ago, say the broken system can only be fixed with major policy changes. An example would be allowing most asylum cases to be solved administratively or through streamlined processes instead of litigated in courts. The situation has gotten progressively worse since the Obama administration, when it really started getting out of hand, said Schmidt, who in 2016, his last year on the bench, was scheduling cases seven years out. In the mid-2010s, families and children from Central America seeking asylum became the majority of illegal crossers at the U.S. southern border. In response, the Obama administration as well as the Trump and Biden administrations started prioritizing some categories of cases they want solved faster to reflect enforcement priorities. But courts are ineffective deterrents to people desperate to flee their countries, and judges say shuffling cases around only adds to the chaos as they wade through dozens if not hundreds of cases a day. At the courthouse in Miami last week, one judge went looking for a Haitian family who hadnt shown up, then granted an order of deportation in absentia, just as she had for a Colombian family who also failed to appear at their hearing immediately before. Another judge found that a Cuban mother, then a Venezuelan man had applied for other forms of protection special to their countries and dismissed their cases, telling them they were done with the court. The woman broke into grateful tears. The man, who had come more than 200 miles for the minutes-long hearing, mumbled God bless you in Spanish. And a steady stream of migrants went to find Catholic Legal Services one couple directed there by the judge to figure out how to present in court their video of the gang murder that had forced them to flee. ___ Associated Press reporter Elliot Spagat contributed from San Diego, California. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Sunday defended her team, including Nathan Wade, in her first public comments after scrutiny over an alleged affair with the special prosecutor. Speaking to the congregation at Atlantas Big Bethel A.M.E Church Sunday, Willis said shed assembled a diverse team that can accomplish extraordinary things, and questioned those who attacked this lawyer of impeccable credentials, alluding to allegations made by one of Donald Trumps co-defendants in the Georgia election case that Willis improperly hired a romantic partner to help prosecute the case and has financially benefitted from Wades appointment. Noting Wades credentials, Willis said all three special counselors she appointed are superstars but asked, Is it that some will never see a Black man as qualified no matter his achievements? What more can one achieve? The other two have never been judges, but no one questions their credentials. Willis also responded to those she says would accuse her of making an argument solely based on race. Isnt it them playing the race card, when they constantly think I need someone from some other jurisdiction in some other state to tell me how to do a job Ive been doing almost thirty years? Willis asked to the applause of the congregation. CNN previously reported that, in a bid to get the sprawling racketeering case dismissed, attorneys for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman claimed in a court filing that Willis had a clandestine relationship with Wade. The filing doesnt include direct evidence of an improper relationship between Willis and Wade. The attorneys say in the filing that unnamed sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney have confirmed they had an ongoing, personal relationship. Pallavi Bailey, a spokesperson for Willis, told CNN at the time that their office will respond to Romans allegations through appropriate court filings. CNN reached out to Wade for comment at the time. Willis has received a subpoena to appear for a deposition in Wades divorce case later this month, CNN previously reported. The situation has created a political firestorm for Willis, with Trump and his co-defendant arguing Wade, Willis and the entire district attorneys office should be taken off the case. The allegations, if true, may not derail the prosecution, but multiple lawyers tell CNN that the appearance of a conflict of interest could hurt Willis chances of securing a conviction before a jury. The judge overseeing the case said earlier this month that he planned to hold a hearing on the allegations in early February. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Banks County deputies arrested a man they say broke into a convenience store and stole money. On Dec. 24, 2022, deputies responded to a robbery at the Homer Golden Pantry. Deputies discovered that the suspect kicked in the glass front door of the convenience store and stole money from the cash register. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] He then quickly ran away. Investigators were able to use evidence left at the scene to identify Jarrid Diontae Carter, 38, of Baldwin as the suspect. Carter was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 4 by the Banks County Sheriffs Office. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A community center in downtown Wilkes-Barre is expanding thanks to the help of a leadership northeast project group. 28/22 News Reporter Iyee Jagne stopped by the center to talk to the In This To-Gather Leadership Group about the project and what the community can expect. Leadership North East partnered with the Gather Community Center in Wilkes-Barre to help them renovate a basement space on the campus of First Presbyterian Church on South Franklin Street, which was being used for storage. It means so much to us honestly like were all very much enjoying the program and learning a lot of stuff about our about ourselves and how we work together and things you want to get involved with and so as a group we picked this project because we wanted to create some thing a sustainable for the community, said In This To-Gather Leadership Northeast Core Member Maegan Zielinski. This space is expected to be done in April and will serve as a community space where different events will be held. Currently, they are in phase one of the renovation. So right now we are painting were putting up some dry lock right now to help with any moisture that could be in the walls and then well go through with a nice fresh coat of paint, Zielinski stated. The next step will be adding some color to the space. Snow squall warning ended for NEPA counties After painting, we are actually going to have a local artist come in and do a mural for us. We are going to furnish this space as well through some donations, Zielinski added. This expansion comes after the Gather Community Space gain some notoriety in the community. We have become more popular and we have a lot of people using our space so we needed to overflow room, said Gather Community Space Board Member Anita Frank. They offer a number of programs and classes for the community We have English as a second language classes we have tai chi, yoga, meditation is starting, dance classes so we need a place that if two groups or three groups or more want to meet in one night we can place them, Frank said. The space is also open to all, so if anyone or a group needs a space to host a class or a community event Gather community welcomes it. Youre a program in downtown Wilkes-Barre, but its not just downtown Wilkes-Barre residence or groups that use the space, said Gather Community Space Vice President Samantha Harris. Those interested in Leadership Northeast In This To-Gather Project and the Gather Community Center can more information online. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. One hundred days ago, Hamas, the organization governing Gaza, launched a sophisticated, well-planned sneak attack against Israel. In all, some 1,200 Israelis were killed -- though its not clear whether friendly fire played a significant role in the bloodshed. What is clear is the horror thats unfolded since then. Israeli armed forces have killed more than 20,000 Palestinian civilians, most of them women and children. Hospitals, schools and refugee camps have been bombed. Survivors fled to southern Gaza, supposedly a safe zone, but those areas were bombed, too. In addition, Israel cut off water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel to Gaza after the October 7th Hamas attack. Aid organizations report a humanitarian catastrophe as a result -- with rampant starvation and disease. The situation in Gaza led South Africa to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice in The Hague -- charging Israel with genocide. Last week, both sides presented arguments to the 15-judge panel. South Africas immediate goal is to secure an injunction against further Israeli military action. Norman Finkelstein, PhD is keeping an eye on the ICJ proceedings. Finkelstein, a political scientist, authored what is considered by some as a definitive account of the Palestinians plight. Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom, has risen to the top of The New York Times bestseller list of books about the Middle East. South Africa made a strong case, Finkelstein said. And the job of the Israelis was not actually to disprove South Africa. Their job was to sow enough confusion as to cause doubt in the minds of the justices. Finkelstein believes ICJ decisions pass through three layers of consideration -- the least important of which is the facts and the law. The next layer takes into account how a decision will be received. If they render an opinion that public opinion considers outrageous... then the court loses all credibility, he said. And finally, and most importantly, Finkelstein said, there is politics. These are judges, nominated by their countries, and they have to go back home one day, he said. (ICJ justices serve a nine-year term.) Lets take the case of Australia, Finkelstein said. Australia has a very powerful Jewish community. If the judge rules Israel is committing genocide, unless that judge plans not to return to Australia, but instead goes to Hawaii, that will be a career killer. Finkelstein said something like this happened about 15 years ago, when Richard Goldstone, a South African member of the ICJ issued what Finkelstein called a scathing document accusing Israel of numerous war crimes. Some two years later, Goldstone, under intense pressure from the Jewish community back home, retracted his report -- fatally damaging his credibility. For his part, Finkelstein believes Israel IS guilty of genocide in its latest campaign against the Palestinians. In order to show genocide you have to prove intent, he said. So heres a simple question: if you deny a civilian population all food, all water, electricity and fuel, I think the intent can be easily inferred. And Finkelstein charged that Israel committing war crimes is nothing new. Periodically, you could say every two years, Israel launches a high-tech massacre on Gaza -- what they call mowing the lawn, he said. They destroy thousands of homes, kill hundreds of children, and kill thousands of others. Finkelsteins expectation on the ICJ decision: a watered down affirmation of South Africas claim -- with minimal expectations put on Israel to change its operation in Gaza. In other words, he said, a slap on the wrist. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Georgina Hale, who has died aged 80, was a British stage and screen actress whose ready, slinky sensuality might have made her a star in other countries. Her diminutive, smoky-eyed presence and Betty Boop-like voice were most memorably deployed by Ken Russell in his run of 1970s provocations, notably The Devils (1971) and Mahler (1974), for which she won a Bafta. To the maelstrom of The Devils, she added a wounded tenderness as Philippe, the local girl who is impregnated, then abandoned, by Oliver Reeds gallivanting Father Grandier, helping to kick-start both narrative calamity and the controversy that the X-rated film generated upon first release. Thereafter, she was central to Russells arrestingly fleshy cinematic vision. In The Boy Friend (1971), Russells mischievous rethink of Sandy Wilsons backstage musical, she sang while writhing on a park bench in stockings. Mahler opened with Georgina Hale, as the composers wife Alma, cocooned naked on a rocky shore, while a later dream sequence had Robert Powells protagonist imagining his muse stripping for a Nazi lover. Georgina Hale in Ken Russell's film The Devils (1971) - Everett/Alamy She was phlegmatic about such nudity: I dont mind having to take my clothes off. Its a slice of life, after all. But I dont really enjoy it. Nevertheless, her full-bodied commitment helped secure the Bafta for Most Promising Newcomer at the 1975 awards, beating Cleavon Little (Blazing Saddles) and Sissy Spacek (Badlands). Russell described her as an actress of such sensitivity she can make the hair rise on your arms. Their further collaborations included Lisztomania (1975), Valentino (1977) and a gender-flipped TV version of Treasure Island (1995). Yet her performance as Alma Mahler now seems prophetic of what was to come: Georgina Hale playing second fiddle to better-known men. She was born Georgina Hole on August 4 1943 to an Ilford landlord, George Hole, and Elsie (nee Fordham). It was an itinerant childhood, her education disrupted by the familys relocation from pub to pub: I couldnt write, spell or read. There was a real shame in it, and you were the dunce of the class, always getting whacked around the head. She was training as a hairdresser in Knightsbridge when a friend passed her tickets for a production of West Side Story. Inspired, she signed up at the new Chelsea Actors Workshop behind Harrods, studying four nights a week. Someone came down and said, Can you read a script? I thought, God, I can hardly read, and I certainly didnt know what a script was. Having tweaked her name to Hale, she successfully auditioned for Rada (I just learnt the shortest bit of Juliet from a book of speeches and stood there like a petrified beetroot), graduating in 1965. She made her RSC debut that year in The Comedy of Errors; by 1967, she was playing Juliet at the Liverpool Playhouse. Her West End debut came with a 1976 production of The Seagull, alongside Alan Bates. Beyond her work with Russell, Georgina Hale applied herself steadily doing episodes of Budgie (1971-72, as Adam Faiths wife), Upstairs Downstairs (1975) and Minder (1980) without improving her onscreen status. She was the typist fending off Keith Barron in Dennis Potters Play for Today entry Only Make Believe (1973); she was a salty switchboard girl in the TV spin-off Sweeney 2 (1978); and she made breakfast for Roger Daltreys eponymous career criminal in McVicar (1980), clad only in an apron. With Adam Faith in Budgie - ITV/Shutterstock She enjoyed a notable stage hit in 1981 with Nell Dunns sauna-set Steaming, earning an Olivier Award nomination, only to see her role recast for the 1985 film adaptation. She returned to the boards in 1982 to play Mussolinis mistress Clara Petacci alongside Glenda Jacksons Eva Braun in Robert David MacDonalds Summit Conference; and worked with her again on a 1984 production of Phaedra. More prominent screen work followed. In The Happiness Patrol, a Doctor Who three-parter of 1988, Georgina Hales Daisy K repainted the Tardis as pink as her wig. She gained a younger fanbase upon replacing Elizabeth Estensen as the witchy lead in the CITV series T-Bag; while Love and Death, a seaside-set 1990 episode of One Foot in the Grave, reunited her with her Rada classmate Richard Wilson. Wilson-level celebrity eluded Georgina Hale, however; she even had to spend two years washing dishes to make ends meet. Entering middle age unabashed, she signed up for the sex comedy Preaching to the Perverted (1997) and went topless as a Lithuanian princess in the British indie AKA (2002); she returned to TV with episodes of Casualty (2000), The Bill (2002) and the crime drama The Commander (2007), for which the critic Nancy Banks-Smith noted Hale was able to do wonders with a mere sliver of a scene. In The Women, Old Vic, 1986, with, l-r, Maria Aitken, Patti Love and Susannah York - Alastair Muir/Shutterstock In later life, she guested on Emmerdale (2006) and Hollyoaks (2011-12), and teamed up with Richard Briers as veterans battling the undead in the lively B-movie Cockneys vs Zombies (2012). Her final role came with a 2016 episode of Holby City. In 2010, Georgina Hale was listed as one of the 10 greatest British character actors by The Guardian, recognition for a career that mostly unspooled far from the limelight. Once I reached 51, my life drastically changed, she said. The parts arent there, the people youve worked for have retired or died I tried to change my agent, and 11 agents turned me down. One told me they didnt take actresses over 45 because it was too depressing to talk to them on the telephone. You felt as though youd never been an actor. I had periods where I wondered if Id actually done all these things, or whether it was somebody else. In 1964 she married the actor John Forgeham; the marriage was dissolved in 1969. Georgina Hale, born August 4 1943, died January 4 2024 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Constanze Spiess, linguist at Philipps University Marburg and jury spokesperson, presents the term "remigration" on a tablet. The "Unword of the Year" 2023 in Germany is "Remigration". onday. Nadine Weigel/dpa A group of German linguists has declared "remigration" the German language's "Unword of the Year" for 2023, a critical award that highlights German terms deemed problematic. The term has gained usage by far-right extremists as a euphemism for forced expulsion and mass deportations, the jury announced on Monday. Linguists and other academics make up the jury that selects the annual "Unword of the Year," a designation often widely covered in German media. The term "remigration" has been in the news in recent days after the investigative media outlet Correctiv reported that prominent far-right extremists had met in a Potsdam villa with leaders from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as well as some politicians from the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU). The former head of the far-right extremist Identitarian movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, confirmed to dpa that he had spoken at the meeting about "remigration." When right-wing extremists use the term "remigration," they usually mean that a large number of people of foreign origin - as well as the descendants of immigrants - should be forced to leave the country. The "Unword of the Year" jury criticized the use of the word because in the past year it has been used as a "right-wing fighting term, euphemistic camouflage vocabulary and an expression that obscures the actual intentions." Words that the critics determine are euphemistic, obfuscatory, misleading or discriminate against social groups are eligible for the designation. The 2022 award went to the term "Klimaterrorist" (climate terrorist), a term used by some politicians to describe radical climate protesters such as the Last Generation activist group. EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) Area supermarkets and hardware stores are raising money in support of Detective Kyle Gilmartin, who was shot and seriously injured early Thursday morning. As of Monday, January 15, all 10 Gerritys The Fresh Grocer locations and all five Gerritys Ace Hardware stores, located in Scranton, Carbondale, Peckville, Clarks Summit, and Shavertown are accepting donations at their registers and on the Gerritys website. Several Lackawanna County businesses raise money for wounded officer Courtesy: Pennsylvania State Police Our family, managers, and the staff at Gerritys are saddened by these events, and our deepest sympathy goes out to Detective Gilmartin and his family. This hits especially close to home for us because we have a store in West Scranton, and my son, Joe, and his family live in West Scranton. We also want the Scranton Police Department and all law enforcement in our local communities to know that our family stands with you in this difficult time. Joyce Mom Fasula, President of Gerritys. Detective Gilmartin suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting early Thursday morning in West Scranton while pursuing suspects who were charged with the early morning drive-by shootings on Harrison and Prospect Avenues. Gerritys Supermarket, originally from Scranton, stated that they will be raising money to support Detective Gilmartin, and will match the first $5,000 donated. 100 percent of the money raised will go to the Gilmartin family, and Gerritys will match the first $5,000 collected. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. More than a hundred volunteers from across Jacksonville came together Monday to give back to the community. It was all done in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior; on the day we all recognize the iconic civil rights leader. Action News Jax caught up with an organization thats putting some beautiful touches on an Arlington school. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< City Year Jacksonville is celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Junior Day by beautifying the Woodland Acres Elementary School. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The campus of Woodland Acres Elementary in Arlington is getting its first makeover in over in 15 years. City Year Jacksonville is focusing on the beautification of both the schools interior and exterior. We have the courtyard thats being beautified. We have a bunch of murals that we are painting. We have a lot of landscaping projects happening, Senior Impact Director of City Year Quintin Griffin said. The main office, we have the bulletin board thats being revitalized. In front of the school, we have paw prints and quotes being put down for students to see every day. City Year selects different schools to offer its services to every MLK Day. Organizers said there was a special need for this elementary school. City Year of Jacksonville celebrated MLK Day by beautifying Acres Elementary School. Griffin said, The Arlington community has been overlooked for too long. This is our first year serving the Woodland Acres Campus. We want to revamp this campus because it meant a lot to us. The schools principal, Shawn Platts, wants his students to understand the true meaning of beautification efforts like this all done in the spirit of the Dr. Martin Luther Kind Jr., whose life was committed to equality and public service. I want them to know about the purpose of this. I dont want them to get caught up in whats happening. But looking at the people taking time out their day to give back to students they probably will never meet, Principal of Woodland Acres Elementary School Shawn Platts said. So, this is a big opportunity for our students to see how important it is to give back to a community even if they dont live in it. It is magical. We wont be here, but we know the impact that we are making, Executive Director of local programs of CISV Reggie Agulto said. City Year of Jacksonville celebrated MLK Day by beautifying Acres Elementary School. This project is expected to be done on Tuesday. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] City Year of Jacksonville has been celebrating MLK Day with hours of service in their communities for ten years now.` Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. The News 2024 will be defined by elections. With so many votes around the world, it can be hard to keep track of them at all. Thats why were assembling the top election stories from around the globe into a weekly list. Informed by in-depth polling, international reporting, and local expertise, well alert you to the big trends and the coming surprises in this unstable new global politics. Know More 1. US Freezing in Iowa, game on in New Hampshire Semafor/Al Lucca The exit of Chris Christie ratchets up the stakes in New Hampshire, where Nikki Haley looks to make a strong play against Trump. After Haleys recent surge in primary polls, a Christie withdrawal seemed to be the final piece of the puzzle for an anti-Trump upset. That outlook will now be put to the test, giving the former governor her best path yet to a breakthrough even as blizzarding Iowa seems set for a Trump win. 2. South Korea Primary loser attempts political shake-up Semafor/Al Lucca Lee Nak-yon, runner-up in the last presidential primary for the opposition Democratic Party, announced a new splinter movement prior to upcoming legislative elections. Lee served as prime minister from 2017-2020, and has made corruption the focus of his criticism towards his former party. 44% [of Democratic Party legislators] are ex-convicts, Lee said in a recent interview. With the incumbent president and his People Power Party facing steep disapproval ratings, the Democrats are favorites to retain control of Congress this year. 3. Italy EU vote frames government coalition dynamics Semafor/Al Lucca For Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, this years European Parliament vote could be the key to cementing her power while her rival, Matteo Salvini, struggles to hang on. Towards the end of December, online newspaper Today reported that Meloni sought total hegemony over the Italian right through the vote, targeting a psychological threshold of 30%. Meanwhile, Salvini, the leader of the far-right Lega party, could be dislodged from his position with a result below 10%. That could spur the party to return to its roots of northern Italian regionalism. 4. Bhutan Wife guy returns to power Semafor/Al Lucca Bhutans new prime minister, returning to office after five years out of power, is what might be termed a wife guy. Tshering Tobgay, leader of the liberal Peoples Democratic Party, has drawn attention on social media over the years for posting about his marriage. One viral photo from 2019 features Tobgays wife, Tashi, pulling his ears; another sees him carrying his wife across mucky terrain. For Tobgay, last weeks election results mark a political reversal, after his party was shut out from parliament in 2018. 5. Kenya Raila the 6th Semafor/Al Lucca Major political voices are calling for opposition stalwart Raila Odinga to run for president for a sixth time in 2027. The calls follow former Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, a one-time ally of Odinga, announcing his own presidential ambitions. Our leader Raila must vie again in 2027. He is the only one we know. He is not going anywhere, the governor of Mombasa declared in response to suggestions that it might be time for another candidate to take over. Odinga turned 79 years old this month, and will be 82 by the time of the next presidential election. 6. Jamaica Power shift Semafor/Al Lucca After nearly a decade in office, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness could face an uphill battle to remain in power next year. His Jamaica Labour Party, which led all independent polls prior to the 2020 general election, now finds itself behind the opposition in at least one recent survey. Next month, the country will get an early indication of political headwinds when Jamaicans go to vote in local elections, which have not been held since 2016 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 7. Denmark Far-right flameout Semafor/Al Lucca A Danish far-right party that polled in the double digits just three years ago is dissolving, citing a proliferation of parties in its lane. The New Right reached over 11% at the height of its support. Recent years have seen the emergence of multiple nationalist parties in many European countries, with many adopting conflicting styles and approaches. In the Netherlands, for example, the JA21 party surged to a record of 8% just a year ago, and is now projected for less than 1% in the last polls. 8. Tasmania Political disruption Semafor/Al Lucca Tasmanian political firebrand Jacqui Lambie could break into the states legislature next year, as a new poll put her partys support at 20%. Lambie has been described in Australian media as famously unpredictable, with rhetoric supposedly aimed at working-class Australians that has also been criticized for leaning into right-wing culture war issues. Her partys current level of support is by far the highest it has seen, and raises the specter that she could be competitive in the 2025 election. 9. Turkey Rising Islamist party Semafor/Al Lucca In Turkey, a new poll showed that an extremist Islamist party nearly doubled its support since last years parliamentary election. The New Welfare Party (YRP) entered parliament having won just 2.8% of the votes, but has gradually pushed the upper limits of its support. While the 5% projected for the party in the last Yoneylem poll may not seem like much, thats now on par with other established parties in Turkey. Erdogan invited YRP into his Peoples Alliance for the legislative elections last year, along with the Kurdish Islamist party Huda Par. Now What? Taiwans ruling DPP was re-elected to a third term in office, with Vice President Lai Ching-te taking office in May. Read more about the outcome here. Notable Germanys AfD hit a new polling record of 24% in the latest YouGov poll. Support for the U.K. monarchy fell below 50% in a poll for the first time. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) was mocked on social media Sunday after he told Republicans that Donald Trump would give you the shirt off his back. They dont understand that Trump will stand for you in a time of need, the retired Navy SEAL said in Indianola, Iowa, ahead of the Iowa caucuses. The former president will literally give you the shirt off his back, he continued. And he loves his country and his family more than youll ever know. Former MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan summed up many peoples feelings about the comment, writing simply on X (formerly Twitter): Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Trump is hardly famed for his benevolence unless it serves to profit him. The four-times-indicted ex-POTUS is actually offering supporters pieces of the suit he wore while being arrested on election subversion charges in Georgia last year, but only if they buy 47 of his latest trading cards at $99 each. Trump-endorsed Van Orden has previously garnered bad press for screaming at Senate pages, and over a passage in his 2015 book which detailed shocking two women with a lieutenants swollen genitals. Cue that clip of Trump not holding the umbrella for Melania in the downpour. Brian Guest (@brguest20) January 14, 2024 Trump wouldnt piss on you if you were on fire https://t.co/buJZHZkCei Brad Batt for TN State Sanity (@bradbatt) January 14, 2024 Donald Trump has never stood for anyone else in their time of need. He will stab you in the back & take your wallet while youre fawning over his nonexistent selflessness & generosity. He hates his country & his family & has no capacity to love anything or anyone but himself. https://t.co/4Jeyb6iBgX AndrewAuthor of America Rises On SubstackWortman (@AmoneyResists) January 14, 2024 People are merely props to elevate his self-importance, illusion of toughness, or quest for wealth/power. Hed sell us out, burn the Constitution, and laugh the entire time if it made him money. He barely cares about his own children. The man who called humans vermin. https://t.co/KEPXAQAfeE Shannon (@shay3322) January 14, 2024 And over here on Earth 1, Trump does and will do none of this. https://t.co/qCR196pguy Sally Canfield (@TheLifeofSally) January 14, 2024 Wait is he talking about the same guy that just yesterday said he hopes the market collapses because its better for his election chances? Chris Coble (@ChrisCoble) January 14, 2024 How the holy hell did these people create a fantasy world so profoundly at odds with the reality of a con man who spent his entire career stiffing working men and women. https://t.co/0tEd6NhWXL Michael Freeman (@michaelpfreeman) January 14, 2024 This guy is really laying it on thick. Trump will send you a shirt made in China if you sign up for generous monthly recurring donations. He will also give you a piece of his suit he was arrested in if you spend $5K on his NFTs. https://t.co/Kber53QqH9 Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 14, 2024 LOL Trump wouldnt even give you the bonus fry at the bottom of a McDonalds bag! https://t.co/iw2fh7jpgS Glenn Craven (@GlennCraven) January 14, 2024 Related... Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Sunday said she disagreed with former President Donald Trumps comments calling people who have been convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot as hostages but said it would be within his prerogative to pardon them if he wins another term in the White House this November. During a rally in Iowa earlier this month, one day ahead of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters, the former president lamented the legal consequences facing the rioters. You have the hostages, the J6 hostages I call them, he said. Nobodys been treated ever in history so badly as those people. In an interview with NBCs Meet the Press, Ernst, who earlier this month led a congressional delegation to push for the release of Israeli hostages, said Trumps words bother her. There is no comparison, Ernst said. Ernst, whose delegation to the Middle East, in coordination with the families of those taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, cited the six Americans who remain in custody. An estimated 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage, 100 of which have yet to be released. The Oct. 7 attack sparked the current brutal conflict in Gaza, which has left nearly 24,000 Palestinians dead, according to officials in the Palestinian territory. Our Americans that are being held overseas, they are innocent, she said. They were celebrating the high Jewish holiday and were taken by these horrible terrorists. So there is no equal term. The hostages are hostages. There is a very clear difference, she continued. Yet Ernst said it would be within Trumps right to choose to pardon those convicted of crimes related to their participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection. I am not opposed to that, she told NBCs Kristen Welker. That is a presidents prerogative. And so if former President Donald Trump is elected as our next president, he does have the right to do that. Ernst had previously referred to the rioters as criminals. There can be no doubt that the violent mob who lawlessly breached the Capitol in hopes of intimidating elected officials and disrupting our constitutional duties are criminals, she wrote in an op-ed for the Des Moines Register on Jan. 11, 2021. Blood was shed and lives were lost because of their heinous actions. They should all be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Ernst, who has so far not endorsed any candidate in the race, said she remained open to supporting Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary if he wins her states caucus, as expected, but also praised former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as a great candidate. Overall, if you look at national security, protecting our borders, and pushing back against our adversaries worldwide, Nikki Haley does have the experience there and shes really spoke to that to the Iowa voters, she said. So, that may be one of the tipping points that resonate with so many different voters. Though Haley appears to be ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa, Trump maintains a comfortable lead of over 52%, according to FiveThirtyEight, and is considered the front-runner. FILE - Augusta University will receive $5 million in Gov. Brian's Kemp proposed 2024 state budget to renovate its interdisciplinary research building. Editor's note: This story has been updated to note that the Augusta Transitional Center is owned by CoreCivic and operated by the Georgia Department of Corrections. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp released his proposal for the states 2025 budget this week, which could include big investments in education, criminal justice, and healthcare in the Augusta area. The budget proposal, released last week at the end of the governors State of the State address, will now be sent to the state Legislature for approval. Passing the state budget is the only thing the General Assembly is constitutionally required to accomplish during the legislative session. Kemps proposals for this year includes sweeping one-time salary raises for teachers and other state employees, allocations to community and behavioral health programs, and a wide variety of funds for law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Instead of expanding the size and scope of government, were putting state dollars to work in targeted, efficient ways to recruit, retain, and thank employees in vital roles from corrections officers to caseworkers, Kemp said in his State of the State address on Thursday. By doing so, were continuing our efforts to wisely use every penny taxpayers send us, from state agency personnel, to our schools, public safety, and the healthcare marketplace." The proposal spans more than 400 pages and includes several items that will directly benefit Augusta. Here's a closer look at what Kemp's budget includes: State of the State: Kemp emphasizes education, public safety, tax cuts in 2024 address Criminal Justice The first item on the amended budget for fiscal year 2024 is a $4.6 million grant to purchase the Augusta Transitional Center, a minimum-security prison that can house up to 230 men. The facility is currently owned by the private, for-profit prison company CoreCivic, and operated by the Georgia Department of Corrections. Augusta, Eastman, Macon, and Muscogee County will also receive a total of $104,000 to create music studios at their Youth Development Campuses, which provide education, counseling and other services to children in Georgias juvenile justice system. Healthcare Serenity Behavioral Health Systems, a mental health clinic that serves Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes counties, will receive $1.2 million to cover operating costs in fiscal year 2025. FILE - Medical College of Georgia full-time, benefits eligible employees will receive a one-time salary supplement of $1,000, thanks to a $458,000 grant in the state's 2024 budget proposal. Education Several Augusta-area educational institutions would receive a one-time boost under Kemps proposal: Augusta University will receive $5 million to renovate its interdisciplinary research building. Over at the universitys Medical College of Georgia, full-time, benefits eligible employees will receive a one-time salary supplement of $1,000, thanks to a $458,000 grant in this years budget proposal. Clinics and hospitals at the Medical College of Georgia will also receive $1.3 million to provide staff with a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for employees. Augusta Technical College will also receive more than $5.5 million to design and construct a new commercial drivers license pad. Veterans Services State employees who work in veterans services can also expect a raise. The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, a 192-bed nursing care facility in Augusta, will receive nearly $272,000 for a 4% cost-of-living adjustment for employees. The funds will also go towards the facilitys Teachers Retirement System and health insurance benefits. The proposal will now go to the state House of Representatives, who will use its recommendations to draft their appropriations bill. Once the bill passes in the House, it will go to the state Senate, who will modify it and send it back to the House for approval. After the revised bill passes in the House, it will go to the governors desk, and must be signed into law within 40 days. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Budget: Here's what Gov. Kemp has in store for Augusta As Congress works to avoid a partial government shutdown this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is warning of serious consequences if lawmakers veer off course. Some kids would lose Head Start benefits, NASA research would go on pause and many drinking water inspections would stop, among other problems, the New York Democrat said Sunday. For the most part, both parties Democrats and Republicans agree we dont want a shutdown. Instead, we want to work together, Schumer said in a statement. He plans to bring legislation keeping the government open to the Senate floor on Tuesday. It would fund federal programs at current spending levels until early March. That would give lawmakers time to finalize a $1.66 trillion deal for fiscal year 2024 that Schumer reportedly reached last week with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). The senator took a shot at hardline conservatives who have urged Johnson to go back to the drawing board amid threats to force a shutdown. There are those on the hard right over in the House who think they can bully their colleagues and the House and the country into a shutdown, Schumer stated. Amazingly, this band of hard right extremists actually say a shutdown would be a good thing but we know it is not. We have seen this movie before, and its not a good one. The latest round of budget drama has brought a new twist to what has become a Washington ritual of veering close to a government shutdown on many occasions that Congress has to vote on paying the feds bills. When lawmakers cant reach a timely agreement on the annual budget, which consists of 12 bills, they often deploy a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution to keep the government running. This time around, Johnson split up the spending measures, with four of them on track to expire this Friday and the other eight on Feb. 2. Funding set to end soonest covers energy and water, agriculture, transportation and housing programs, military construction and veterans affairs, USA Today noted 20% of the government. The other swath of spending covers the Defense and State departments, among other areas. If Congress fails to act this week, the partial shutdown would mean the feds couldnt do low-risk food safety inspections, process new small business loan applications or carry out a host of other functions, Schumer said. How would it be good for the country to furlough food inspectors that ensure the groceries we buy dont make us sick? Or delay new applications for military retirement benefits? These are just a few of the things that will happen if we shut down this Friday, he stated. Last year, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthys deal to avoid a government shutdown cost the California Republican his job. The prospect of another GOP rebellion looms as Johnson occupies the hot seat. On Friday, he indicated he was rejecting calls from some members of his party for steep cuts. We are getting our next steps together, and we are working towards a robust appropriations process. So stay tuned for all of that, Johnson told reporters. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not the best that Georgia's 14th Congressional District could offer. (Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images) The 118th Congress who is responsible for this train wreck of a legislative body? Is it them or is it us? Because to quote Erykah Badu, I think we made a wrong turn back there somewhere. How is it possible that the same caucus that drove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) out of office is thinking of a sequel because their hand-picked replacement in the speakers chair, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), is daring to try to govern? Its as if they expected him to just obstruct until November, while the nations business ground to a halt. No compromise might be a powerful slogan on the campaign trail, but democracy by definition is compromise. Yet here we are, with the far-right fringe of the House GOP back to shut down the government if thats what it takes to get everything they want. Even after weve all seen what happens when the Matt Gaetzes actually get what they want. So really. Who is responsible for this Congress? Read more: Granderson: What Nikki Haley and Ricky Gervais have in common Think about it: The same day the MAGA wing fired McCarthy, Hunter Biden was in a federal court in Delaware pleading not guilty to gun charges. Yet because Gaetz, the Republican representative from Florida, and company chose to lead an uprising that day, the only thing anyone talked about was the historic firing of McCarthy. Gaetz took focus away from the presidents son and placed it squarely on himself. Narcissism aside, that was just painfully shortsighted. He didnt even have the foresight to wait 24 hours to throw his tantrum. The same political squandering happened again Tuesday as members of the House were considering holding Hunter Biden in contempt for refusing to testify behind closed doors. Read more: Granderson: DeSantis sacrifices trans teens for political points. That tells you enough about him Suddenly, the president's son walks in. And what happens? Egos, meltdowns, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) declaring shes not an expert on porn. It was clear from the moment Hunter Biden appeared that the MAGA wing hadnt even considered the possibility that he would show up to the contempt hearing. This despite him already showing a more aggressive strategy a month ago, when he held an unexpected press conference outside of the Capitol in defiance of their subpoena. Hunter Biden's confrontational approach is what inspired these lawmakers to gather Tuesday, yet, apparently, no one in that brain trust was prepared for him to try to pull anything similar. And this is the caucus the 118th Congress is allowing to cause all of the ruckus? Who is responsible for this? Read more: Granderson: The costs of climate change are falling on states that can't afford them Do we blame the George Santoses of the world for manipulating voters, or the Republicans who support his ilk just for parroting Trump? Since 2001, the approval rating of Congress has steadily fallen . Its an anemic 15% now. After what weve witnessed this week, Im surprised its that high. The countrys military involvement in the Middle East is escalating, child care is unaffordable, the climate is in chaos you name it, theres plenty of work to be done. Yet Greene is talking about pornography. Why? Because she brought nude pictures of Hunter Biden to the Capitol. And the reason she was able to do that is that Georgians in District 14 believe shes the best person for the job. So, who is responsible for the ineptitude of the 118th Congress? We are. District 1, down in Florida thats a political mastermind you got there in Gaetz. If he or one of his colleagues gets antsy for attention, theyre likely to go after Johnson and then go through the roster looking for the next politician foolish enough to take on that thankless speaker job. Im no fan of Johnsons policies, but I can appreciate his political nimbleness. The revered House speakers of the past all demonstrated an ability to work across the aisle and negotiate deals. "Compromise" was not always a toxic word. In fact, its how we forge a way to live together. Who is responsible for this Congress? Its tempting to point at them, but the answer is always us. The reason the approval rating of Congress is so low is simply this: For decades now, weve been sending our anger and fears to Washington. We need to get back to sending thoughtfulness, maybe even compassion. Some strategic thinking certainly couldn't hurt. In the meantime, whatever Congress is doing, or not doing, is what we voted for. Of course we dont approve. The collective ugliness we see at the Capitol is a reflection of our worst impulses. @LZGranderson If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Grant Shapps sets out his future vision for the defence of the UK at a speech at Lancaster House - ANNA GORDON/REUTERS Grant Shapps has defended cuts to troop numbers as he said soldiers have a can-do attitude. The Defence Secretary insisted the British Army remained capable of being deployed at short notice and fulfilling its role of defending the nation, regardless of its dwindling numbers. In 2021, the Ministry of Defence announced it would cut troop numbers from 82,000 to 73,000 by 2025, its smallest size since the Napoleonic era. In a speech at Lancaster House on Monday, where Mr Shapps set out his future vision for the defence of the UK and its allies, he said: I often find, actually, especially just having conversations about the military, what people confuse and conflate are the precise number of troops, specifically for the Army, with how well you are defended as a nation. Mr Shapps added: There are so many different elements to our deterrent and to our military assets which go way beyond just pure numbers. I find our military is incredibly capable. They are very much can-do in attitude. We are getting the funding that they need to do the job. Army has never been smaller However, Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, told the Telegraph that while there was no doubt serving personnel had a can-do attitude, it did not make up for the fact the British Army has never been smaller. The bottom line is numbers do matter, he said. It is a fact that at 73,000 the British Army has never been smaller and the Government has to accept there is a risk having an army that small. What happens in future if British forces are committed on the ground, can we sustain the operation for six months to 18 months? Mr Shapps added that in the five months since having been made Defence Secretary, there had not been a single deployment he was not able to supply British personnel for when asked by Nato. He cited a recent peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, providing more support to Ukraine and sending the warship HMS Trent to Guyana at the end of last year as examples of when the Armed Forces were able to react when tasked by Nato. He also referenced Britains role in the Red Sea last week, where RAF Typhoon jets successfully launched Paveway IV laser-guided bombs at two Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, as a further example of the nations strength. Tobias Ellwood, the former chairman of the defence select committee, said: However personnel numbers are interpreted, as we rightly step up to challenge an ever-contested world, we are placing ever-increasing demands on all three services that are increasingly overstretched. Upgrading our defence posture must therefore be addressed in the forthcoming budget. Last week, Mr Shapps reiterated at a press conference in London his position that defence spending should rise from 2.5 per cent of GDP to 3 per cent. Peace dividend is over During his speech on Monday, Mr Shapps said that for the very first time this government is spending more than 50 billion a year on defence in cash terms, more than ever before. He added: We made the critical decision to set out our aspiration to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, and as we stabilise and grow this economy well continue to strive to reach that as soon as possible. He called on all allied and democratic nations across the world to increase their defence spend, because the era of the peace dividend is over. In five years time we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, he said. Ask yourself, looking at todays conflicts across the world, is it more likely that that number grows or reduces? I suspect we all know the answer. Its likely to grow. 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. UK detachment will be the largest deployment of land forces to Nato since the height of the Cold War in 1984 - British Army/Sgt Hart The Defence Secretary is set to pledge to send 20,000 British military personnel to a major Nato exercise in eastern Europe as he warns the post-Cold War peace dividend is at an end. Grant Shapps will warn that battle lines are being redrawn as he announces the deployment of Army, Navy and RAF members to the drill on Russias borders in a speech in London. It will be the largest deployment of British land forces to Nato since the height of the Cold War in 1984, a year before Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet leader. This comes after Rishi Sunak announced that Britains military funding to Ukraine would be increased to 2.5 billion in the coming year and the Foreign Secretary warned of the growing threat from Iran, which is funding terrorists such as Hamas and the Houthis who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea. The peace dividend refers to the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union when Western countries were able to reduce spending on defence. Warning his audience that this period of history was over, Mr Shapps will say: We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation whenever the call comes. Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being redrawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraines lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads. Grant Shapps will warn that battle lines are being redrawn as he announces the deployment of UK personnel to the drill on Russias borders - MoD/Rosie Hallam Mr Shapps words come at a time when the size of the British Armed Forces has fallen to a record low. Figures from last month show there were 184,865 service personnel in October, including just 75,983 regular soldiers. Both these totals were down 4 per cent on the previous year. Last week, it emerged that the Royal Navy has so few sailors it has had to decommission two warships to staff a new class of frigates. Lord Cameron said it was hard to think of a time when there had been so much insecurity in the world and said the UK would strike again in Yemen if necessary. The lights are absolutely flashing red on the global dashboard, he said. At his Lancaster House speech, Mr Shapps will say that Britains contribution to the Steadfast Defender exercise will provide vital reassurance against the Putin menace. The war games come after ministers announced a further 2.5 billion support package to Ukraine and the RAF air strikes with the US on the Houthis in Yemen. Mr Shapps will set out his vision for how the UK will deter threats, as allies remain concerned about the threat posed by Mr Putin as his war approaches its second year. I can announce today that the UK will be sending some 20,000 personnel to take part in one of Natos largest deployments since the end of the Cold War, exercise Steadfast Defender, he will say. It will see our military joining forces with counterparts from 30 Nato countries, plus Sweden, providing vital reassurance against the Putin menace. Sir Richard Dearlove says the situation in Yemen is linked to the war between Israel and Hamas - GoffPhotos.com Some 16,000 troops with tanks, artillery and helicopters will be deployed from the British Army across eastern Europe starting next month as part of the exercise. The drills will take place in Poland, the Baltic states and Germany. The Royal Navy will deploy more than 2,000 sailors across eight warships and submarines, while more than 400 Royal Marines Commandos will be sent to the Arctic Circle. The RAF will use F-35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft. Defence sources said that the exercise will prepare for the invasion of a member state by any aggressor, with the main threats being considered to be from Russia and from terrorism. It comes as Rishi Sunak is set to make a statement to Parliament about the limited and necessary military action in Yemen and what further steps the UK will take. British and US fighter jets dropped bombs on terrorist targets on Thursday night after the Houthis attacked a Royal Navy warship in the region. Lord Cameron said: Take a step back from this, it is hard to think of a time when there has been so much danger and insecurity and instability in the world. The lights are absolutely flashing red as it were on the global dashboard and what we need at that time is strong leadership and a clear plan, that is what we have with the Prime Minister and the team in place. If you dont act against the Houthis in the Red Sea, you are going to see more attacks, they are effectively terrorist attacks, you will see more of that. The Foreign Secretary added: Theres no doubt that the malign actor in the region who is behind these proxy groups is Iran. Iran backs Hamas, they back the Houthis. Making a connection His remarks came as Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, said the situation in Yemen was linked to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Ministers have tried to downplay suggestions that the situation in Gaza was responsible for increased attacks by Houthi rebels against Red Sea shipping. But Sir Richard, who headed up the spy service from 1999-2004, said: The problem is in the Middle East, in the Arab world, making that separation, particularly on the Arab street, is extremely difficult. But if ones being rational in analysis I agree with David Cameron that freedom of navigation is a different issue from Gaza, but the Arab street doesnt think that. He added: Inevitably theres a connection. Theyre going to have an impact across the whole area. 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. Washington lawmakers are considering a new proposal to prohibit weapons, including firearms, in more public spaces in the state. Under the legislation, public libraries, zoos, aquariums, parks, transit stations and state or local public buildings would be added to the list of designated areas where weapons are prohibited. Senate Bill 5444 is sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, and co-sponsored by five other Senate Democrats. Valdez noted that he introduced the bill because he wanted to continue the work in the Legislature to keep communities as safe as possible and to reduce gun violence. Weve made progress over the years such as prohibiting weapons in schools, government buildings, airports, polling locations, (and) courthouses, but we know we have so much work to do, Valdez told committee members. Our public needs to know that we are taking every step we can to keep them safe from gun violence. The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Law and Justice Committee Monday, with 17 people signed in to testify in opposition to the bill, and nine people signed in to testify in support. However, more than 1,000 people signed in opposed to the legislation on Monday, but did not testify, while more than 800 people signed in to support the legislation, but did not testify. Walla Walla County Sheriff Mark Crider testified against the legislation with several concerns. For one, he said, the law would be nearly impossible to enforce. Additionally, Crider said that most of the prohibitions would affect places where firearms are already prohibited, such as courthouses. Crider said the bill does not address those who are carrying lawfully concealed weapons, including those who are carrying under the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act and not carrying under Washington concealed carry laws. The Sheriff added that the prohibition on knives is tricky too. Being on the eastern portion of the state, almost everybody in my community carries a knife for daily use, Crider said. Others spoke in favor, including Neal Black, a council member for the city of Kirkland. He said that one of his fundamental duties as a council member is to maintain a comprehensive system of public safety. I take that duty seriously, and believe me, so do my constituents, Black said. He said he was appreciative of previous safety efforts by the Legislature, which allow him as a council member to respond when certain safety improvements are needed. We can take all these measures to create a bubble of reasonable safety around a park, school or playground and that bubble can be pierced in an instant by someone walking up with a handgun or rifle, with no law against it, Black said. Quite literally I can keep cars out of places where kids play, but not guns. Black also argued that the bill does not implicate the state or national constitutions, both of which, he said, recognize reasonable limitations on time, place and manner. In Washington, it is currently a gross misdemeanor for knowing possession of a weapon in designated areas such as courtrooms, or areas used for court proceedings, bars, and restricted access areas of public health facilities and commercial service airports. Violators of the newest proposal would be subject to a misdemeanor, which carries the possibility of up to 364 days in jail and a fine up to $5,000. The bill defines weapons as any firearm, explosive, or any weapon usually known as a slingshot, sand club, or metal knuckles; or any knife, dagger, dirk, or other similar weapon capable of causing death or bodily injury and is commonly used with the intent to cause death or bodily injury. Those with concealed carry permits are exempt. If passed by both chambers of the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, the bill would go into effect 90 days after the adjournment of session. The state legislative session adjourns on March 7. Russian bombardments have damaged about half of high-rise buildings in the city of Kherson. Source: Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, the head of the press office of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, at a briefing at the Ukraine-Ukrinform media centre Quote: "22,000 partially damaged or destroyed facilities in Kherson Oblast. As for the city of Kherson itself, presumably, 50% of high-rise buildings are damaged." Details: He said that since the liberation of Kherson (in November 2022 ed.), 464 people, including 11 children, have been killed by Russian attacks in the liberated part of Kherson Oblast. A total of 1,981 people, including 85 children, have been injured over this period of time. Tolokonnikov also noted that in the left-bank (eastern) part of Kherson Oblast, Russian occupation authorities began collecting signatures from citizens in support of Vladimir Putin. In addition, he said that the Russians were planning to call up citizens born in 2007 in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast. Quote: "There are reports that [Volodymyr] Saldo, the main collaborator of the left-bank Kherson Oblast, announced that mobilisation lists should be formed by 15 April to call up men born in 2007 as well. Medical commissions and enlistment offices are already being set up to have all the lists and start mobilisation by 15 April. This is their plan." Support UP or become our patron! Parents of Noa Argamani, 26, who was filmed as she was being abducted during the deadly October 7 attack, in Tel Aviv Parents of Noa Argamani, 26, who was filmed as she was being abducted during the deadly October 7 attack, in Tel Aviv By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Hamas aired video on Sunday showing three Israeli hostages it is holding in Gaza in which they urged their government to stop the offensive against the Palestinian Islamist group and bring about their release, as both sides marked the 100th day of the war. The undated 37-second video of Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, ended with the chyron: "Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate." Hamas said earlier on Sunday it had lost contact with some hostages as Israeli forces shelled Gaza, noting that they might have been killed in the process. At the outset of the war, it also threatened to execute hostages in retaliation for Israeli military strikes. Israeli officials have generally declined to respond to Hamas' public messaging on the hostages, casting it as psychological warfare. Hagar Mizrahi, a forensic official with Israel's Health Ministry, told local TV on Dec. 31 that autopsies of slain hostages who had been recovered found causes of death inconsistent with Hamas' account they had died in air strikes. But Israel has also made clear it is aware of the risks to hostages from its offensive, and is taking precautions. "The military operation takes time. It obligates us to be precise, and we are adapting it in accordance with the threats and the hostages who are in the field," chief armed forces spokesperson Rear-Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Sunday. Of some 240 people seized by Hamas in an Oct. 7 cross-border killing spree that sparked the war, around half were released in a November truce. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza and that 25 of them have died in captivity. The hostage crisis has riveted Israelis reeling from the worst attack in their history. Some hostages' relatives have called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enter another truce or even call off the war. He has vowed to fight on until Hamas is destroyed, which he argued would enable the hostages' release. Last month, Netanyahu said in parliament he had asked Beijing to help free Argamani, whose mother Liora is Chinese. Suffering from a terminal illness, Liora Argamani has appealed to be reunited with her daughter before she dies. (Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Richard Chang) Hamas claimed responsibility for a multi-vehicle ramming attack in the city of Raanana on Monday, which left one woman dead and injured 17 others. Israeli police said the unusual attack was carried out by two suspects who stole several vehicles before using them to run down Israelis at three different locations. Hamas said the assault was launched by heroes of the Palestinian people in response to Israels war in the Gaza Strip. It all happened in a second, one witness, Eden Arzi, told Israels Army Radio. We heard the noise of a crash, like a car bumping into another car. We saw the driver go to stab a woman and she ran away, [the driver] went and stabbed a 60-year-old man while there were a bunch of screams in the background, until he fell on the ground, they added. Israeli police said the unusual attack was carried out by two suspects - JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Another witness told Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper: I saw someone stab three people next to the mall, steal a car and run people over with it. The attack unfolded in Raanana, an affluent city in central Israel near Tel Aviv, which counts Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli prime minister, among its residents. The first suspect was quickly arrested by Israeli police, with the second apprehended a short time later. The two attackers were named in Israeli media reports as Ahmed Zidat, 25, and Mahmoud Zidad, 44, two relatives from the Hebron area of the southern West Bank. Both men were known to the Israeli security services for repeatedly crossing into Israel illegally, according to the Shin Bet security agency, which was still interrogating the pair as of Monday evening. A 16-year-old boy was seriously injured in the attack and was due to go into surgery for head trauma. Six other children, aged between 10 and 16, were also injured in the attack but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Multi-staged event An Israeli police spokesman described the attack as a multi-staged event in which the suspects switched vehicles three times. Central district police officers are sweeping the attack scenes and its surroundings to ensure no further threats, they added. Car-ramming attacks are common in Israel and are usually carried out by members, or supporters, of the Islamist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. After the attack in Raanana, Israeli troops launched a rare daytime raid on Hebron, possibly in search of other suspects. The Palestinian health ministry said a 22-year-old was killed during the raid in the city of Dura, near Hebron, and that 10 other people were injured. It comes after Hamas launched a shooting attack on a busy Jerusalem bus stop in December, which killed three Israelis. Two women, 24 and 65, and a man, 72, were shot dead, when the attackers, two brothers from East Jerusalem, got out of their car and opened fire, using an assault rifle and a handgun. 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. In this image from body camera video during the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel, a Hamas fighter holds a Russian-designed 9M32 Strela anti-aircraft missile. An Associated Press analysis of more than 150 videos and photos taken in the three months of combat since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel shows the militant group has amassed a diverse patchwork arsenal of weapons from around the world much of it smuggled past a 17-year blockade that was aimed at stopping just such a military buildup. (South First Responders via AP) Iranian sniper rifles. AK-47 assault rifles from China and Russia. North Korean- and Bulgarian-built rocket-propelled grenades. Anti-tank rockets secretly cobbled together in Gaza. An Associated Press analysis of more than 150 videos and photos taken in the three months of combat since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel shows the militant group has amassed a diverse patchwork arsenal of weapons from around the world much of it smuggled past a 17-year blockade that was aimed at stopping just such a military buildup. Those weapons have proved deadly during weeks of intense urban warfare in Gaza, where Hamas fighters are typically armed only with what they can carry and employ hit-and-run tactics against lopsided Israeli advantages in arms and technology. Hamas propaganda videos posted over the past few weeks appear to show the shootings of Israeli soldiers recorded through the scopes of sniper rifles. We are searching everywhere for weapons, for political support, for money, Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad recently said in an interview with the AP, declining to discuss specifically who has been providing its weapons or how they were snuck into Gaza. Experts who reviewed the images for AP were able to identify distinguishing features and markings that show where many of the weapons wielded by Hamas fighters were manufactured. But such an analysis does not provide evidence of whether they were provided by the governments of those countries or purchased in a thriving Middle East black market, with weapons and components listed for sale on social media in such war-torn countries as Iraq, Libya and Syria. What is clear, however, is that many of the images show Hamas militants toting weapons that appear to be relatively new, evidence the group has found ways of getting arms past the air-and-sea blockade of the Gaza Strip possibly by boat, through tunnels or concealed in shipments of food and other goods. The majority of their arms are of Russian, Chinese or Iranian origin, but North Korean weapons and those produced in former Warsaw Pact countries are also present in the arsenal, said N.R. Jenzen-Jones, an expert in military arms who is director of the Australian-based Armament Research Services. Despite the buildup, Israel maintains a massive advantage, with a powerful array of modern tanks, artillery, helicopter gunships and an air force of U.S.-made fighter jets. Israels military says it has killed more than 7,000 Hamas militants, compared to the deaths of at least 510 of its own soldiers, more than 330 of whom were killed in Hamas initial attack. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says more than 23,000 Palestinians have died in the fighting, though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Imagery reviewed by the AP showed a Hamas arsenal featuring weapons ranging from small arms and machine guns to shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and craft-produced anti-tank projectiles. Among the most distinctive is the oversized AM-50 Sayyad (Arabic for hunter), an Iranian-made a sniper rifle that fires a .50- caliber round powerful enough to punch through up to an inch of steel. It has previously been spotted on battlefields in Yemen, Syria, and in the hands of Shia militias in Iraq. Hamas fighters have also been seen carrying an array of Soviet-era weapons that have been copied and manufactured in Iran and China. They include variants of the Russian-designed 9M32 Strela, a portable heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile system. Jenzen-Jones said a grip stock on one of the missile launchers a fighter was seen holding is distinctive to a variant manufactured in China and used by the Iranian military and its allies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, a group closely aligned with Hamas. Weapons recovered from Hamas fighters by the Israel Defense Forces include what appear to be Italian-designed TC/6 anti-tank mines. However, Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordinance disposal expert, said it too had been copied by Irans arms industry. The Israel Defense Forces and U.S. officials have long accused Iran of supplying money, training and weapons to Hamas and allied militants in Gaza, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Iranian representatives at the United Nations did not respond to emails from the AP about whether their government supplied weapons to Hamas, including AM-50 Sayyad sniper rifles. However, a week after AP sought comment, Hamas posted a video purporting to show militants in Gaza using machining equipment to make their own copies of the rifle. Master gunsmith Don Fraley reviewed that Dec. 20 video and said it would be nearly impossible for Hamas to manufacture a safe and accurate .50-caliber sniper rifle with the rudimentary equipment shown. Youre going to have to be a rock star at machine shop work. And I didnt see any of that," said Fraley, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and sniper for the Kentucky State Police. "These folks are just trying to cover their tracks. An Israeli military official familiar with Hamas arsenal said the group uses a combination of smuggled off-the-shelf weaponry, including AK-47s, RPGs and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as a large collection of home-grown weapons often made with easily accessible civilian materials. For instance, the official said, the group uses lathes to shape metal into rockets and mortars, and fits them with explosives manufactured from fertilizers. Other home-made weapons include a launcher capable of firing 14 rockets simultaneously and the Zuwari drone, an explosives-laden aircraft that was used to strike Israeli observation towers and knock out cameras on Oct. 7. There is a huge military/defense industry inside the Gaza Strip, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules. The official said most of the smuggled weapons are believed to have been brought in through Egypt and are generally easy to purchase and did not need to be supplied by the country of origin. One such weapon seen in the hands of Hamas fighters is a version of Chinese machine guns known as the Type 80, a model that has also been copied by the Iranians and renamed as the PKM-T80. Jonathan Ferguson, the curator of firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum in England, said from what he could see from the photos and videos, versions of the gun made in China and Iran were so similar as to be indistinguishable. Ferguson was also able to identify a rocket-propelled grenade with marks showing it was made in Bulgaria. AP previously reported Hamas used RPGs with a distinctive red stripe indicating they were made in North Korea. Among the more sophisticated Hamas home-grown weapons is a copy of a Russian anti-tank rocket called the PG-7VR, which is specifically designed to defeat reactive-armor systems like those used on Israels Merkava Mark VI main battle tanks. Such tanks are covered with explosive-filed plates that explode outwards to disrupt incoming projectiles. In propaganda videos posted in October, masked militants are seen assembling a version of the Russian rocket that Hamas has renamed the Al-Yasin 105, in honor of the groups founder killed in an Israeli air strike in 2004. While the original Russian version can melt through up to two feet of steel armor, experts say its not clear whether the home-brewed explosives in the Hamas knock-off are as potent. Hamas has posted multiple videos of fighters firing the rockets at Israeli tanks and armored personal carriers. Those videos are typically cut off after the warhead explodes, making it impossible to independently verify whether the target was destroyed. Also, in a tactic borrowed from the battlefields of Ukraine, Hamas appears to have obtained or copied Iranian-designed drones that pack warheads that explode when crashed into their targets. Off- the-shelf, Chinese-made quadcopter drones have also been adapted to drop explosives on tanks and troops. The availability of commercial off-the-shelf unmanned aerial vehicles, these light consumer drones, has radically changed warfare in recent years, Jenzen-Jones said. Weve seen them, obviously, in Syria, in Yemen, in Iraq, in Ukraine, and now in Gaza. ___ Biesecker reported from Washington. AP writer Josef Federman contributed from Jerusalem. ___ Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/ HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) Hampton City Schools elected their chairman and vice chairman during their annual organization meeting on Wednesday. The Hampton City School Board voted on Wednesday, Jan. 10 to elect Dr. Richard Mason to serve his third term as chairman and Dr. Tina Banks-Gray to serve her second term as vide chairman. Mason currently works as an assistant provost at Hampton University, licensed professional counselor and certified clinical mental health councilor. He received his bachelors and masters degree from Hampton University, an education specialist degree from the College of William and Mary and his Ph.D. from Regent University. I am honored to receive the nomination and confidence of this board to be selected to serve another term as chairman, said Mason. I look forward to continuing the great work we are doing here in the city of Hampton surrounding public education. Dr. Richard Mason (Courtesy: Hampton City Schools) Banks-Gray currently works as the Neighborhood Centers manager for the city of Hampton. She received her BA in marketing management and MBA Project Management from Bellevue University, and received her Doctorate of Education with a concentration in leadership and administration from Bradley University. Dr. Tina Banks-Gray (Courtesy: Hampton City Schools) Keep up to date with the latest news on WAVY.com. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Facing stagnant funds, inflated costs and the expiration of millions in COVID relief, Hartford Public Schools warned community members at a virtual forum that the district will need to make drastic cuts to services in order to balance the budget next school year. District leaders said Thursday that without mitigation measures, Hartford public schools will face a $77.7 million deficit in 2024-2025. HPS leadership said it would take $504.3 million to cycle 2023-2024 services into the next school year, but with a projected revenue of $426.6 million, the district must decide which programs will get the boot. Were forced to make some really difficult decisions when it comes to our budget, HPS Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said. We now have less room to move. The recent budget forum was the first of three opportunities for HPS parents and stakeholders to weigh in on the districts financial priorities. Torres-Rodriguez said she expects that the budget will be ready for adoption by the Board of Education on April 16. The superintendent said Hartfords financial outlook is complicated by growing fixed costs. The states school choice system, which requires home districts to cover the tuition of resident students who attend magnet or open choice programs in other districts, cost Hartford $95 million in 2021-2022 22% of the overall budget. Torres-Rodriguez said this financial burden will only grow under the 2022 Sheff vs. ONeill settlement, which has the potential to add 2,737 open choice seats for Hartford students by the 2028-29 school year. Over the next 10 years, that could cost us an additional $44 million in tuition, Torres-Rodriguez said. HPS spends $62 million, or 17% of the budget, on special education services, another cost that Torres-Rodriguez expects will increase. In comparison, the average district in Connecticut spends 6% on special education, according to Hartfords analysis of data from the state Department of Education. Deputy Superintendent Paul Foster said tuition and special education expenses, combined with transportation, clinic costs and utility fees, are projected to total $221.9 million in fixed costs next year, leaving less than half of the $426.6 million revenue up for discretionary spending. Last March the Hartford Board of Education approved a $429 million budget for 2023-2024 school year. Foster said that in 2024-2025, these same offerings would cost HPS $504.3 million. Theres a big difference between the money we have to spend, and what it would cost us to provide the same level of service, Foster said. We literally do not have the money to do everything weve always done, or at least not in the way weve always done it. The bulk of the $77.7 million shortfall is driven by rising mandatory costs and a 13% fiscal cliff from the expiration of COVID-19 aid from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. While the ESSER money may be gone, Torres-Rodriguez said the needs exacerbated by the pandemic have not disappeared. This is multiple, multiple years of (recovery) work that we would have to do. And were seeing it, Torres-Rodriguez said. Were seeing it now. Despite these challenges, Torres-Rodriguez said the loss of ESSER funding could result in a possible upside: a reduction in staff vacancies in the district. We believe that other districts are not going to get millions of dollars to continue to pay for the added staff. And so we know that there are gonna be more staff available looking for jobs, Torres Rodriguez said. ESSER funding added 230 staff positions to HPS and expanded extracurricular offerings, learning programs and professional training opportunities, among other initiatives. Foster said HPS will likely not discontinue all of these programs, but the district must determine what it can and cannot afford. We are thinking about what is most important. Were also thinking about how we (can) get creative to do things in new and different ways that are potentially more efficient, or less dollars, Foster said. In virtual breakout rooms at Thursdays forum, district facilitators asked the public what to keep, what to cut, and to weigh whether rigorous instruction or student connection to school is most important to them. At the end of the day, how do you choose one over the other? One Hartford grandmother said. The woman said she is worried about how proposed cuts would impact the services that students, including her granddaughter, rely on. To have her come home and say, Hey Grams, as of today we will no longer have this because of X, Y, Z it takes a toll on the kids, she said. Kiera Steele, a program director at ConnectiKids, a program that provides enrichment services and educational support to four Hartford schools, said nonprofit partnerships benefit students and the community. Partners are doing home visits, theyre part of attendance meetings, theyre not just after school programs. Theyre not just people who are there after school with the kids. They do actually support the schools in many ways where if those partners werent there, then the teachers might not have that time to do that or it would be just on the [The Family & Community Support Service Provider] to do that. Steele also asked HPS to try to maintain some field trips and enrichment style programs that are often the first to go in budget cuts. It seems like they are extra, but it really makes a difference in the students learning and the passion of them wanting to learn, Steele said. Give the carrying needs and programs across the district, Steele and others encouraged HPS to take an individualized approach to cuts at each school. A graduate student at Harvard University was crowned Miss America on Sunday night, becoming the first active-duty Air Force officer to win the annual competition. Madison Marsh, who was previously named Miss Colorado, emerged victorious in the national Miss America pageant, which featured 50 other contestants from each state and Washington D.C. Marsh graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2023 with a degree in physics and is now a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School, The Crimson reported. After her mother passed from pancreatic cancer in 2018, Madison launched the Whitney Marsh Foundation with her family, according to her official Miss Colorado biography. Madison is a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force and is also a graduate intern at Harvard Medical School, where she is studying ways to utilize artificial intelligence to detect pancreatic cancer. She is pursuing her Masters degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School with her national Truman Scholarship. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Bacteria can move from the your teeth to your respiratory tract and into your lungs - yodiyim/iStockphoto You might not think that a spot of tooth decay could end up costing you your life, but dentists around the UK are reporting increasing cases of blood-borne infections or sepsis, which are linked to poor mouth hygiene. One of my good friends ended up in intensive care and almost died because he avoided getting some work done that I told him needed doing a year ago, says Paul Woodhouse, a dentist in Stockton-on-Tees and British Dental Association board member. He ended up losing three teeth and a good chunk of his jaw. Hes tremendously embarrassed about the fact he didnt come in sooner. Life got in the way, as it always does, but in this case it almost killed him. With Labour announcing plans to introduce supervised toothbrushing at every primary school, the state of the nations teeth look set to be a key battleground ahead of the next general election. But it isnt just children who need guidance. Research is increasingly showing that poor mouth hygiene has dangerous consequences over time, leading to a whole range of acute and chronic illnesses. Heart disease Population studies have shown that people with gum disease, caused by an accumulation of bacteria in the gums and supporting structures around the teeth, have two or three times the risk of having serious cardiovascular problems such as a heart attack or stroke. Scientists are just beginning to understand why. One example is a bacteria called porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) which is known to release inflammatory toxins into the bloodstream, which can actually drive stiffening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. These inflammatory processes may even be capable of damaging the heart itself. Its not just the teeth, but the whole system, says Dr Neesha Patel, a periodontist at the London-based Pure Periodontics clinic. The mouth is kind of a gateway to the whole body. Woodhouse says that people who already have pre-existing cardiac issues, or have previously undergone open-heart surgery, are at a greater risk of incurring damage from gum bacteria if they have poor mouth hygiene. There is some evidence that if bacteria themselves get into the bloodstream, they can attach to repaired heart valves [and cause inflammation known as endocarditis] and things like that, he says. The mouth is a gateway to the whole body - including the heart - SCIEPRO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Greater risk of pneumonia Within just minutes of brushing your teeth, sticky films of bacteria known as dental plaque begin to reform on your teeth. If this is not cleared within 24 hours, it will begin to harden, which is why it is so important to brush your teeth at least twice per day. Research has shown that lingering plaque is capable of triggering or worsening the progression of pneumonia, because bacteria can swiftly relocate from the teeth into the respiratory tract. From here, they can move down into the lungs. In particular, patients who are already susceptible are more at risk of acute infection, says Patel. So immunocompromised patients with severe asthma; patients who are waiting for lung transplants. We have to be really careful about getting on top of any existing gum disease. Diabetes This may seem like an odd link at first. How can poor mouth hygiene be connected to a disease that is driven by a malfunctioning pancreas? However, studies have found a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and gum disease. Poor blood sugar control can stimulate an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the mouth, while chronic infections from untreated periodontal problems can induce surges of inflammation in the bloodstream, causing rising blood sugar levels and making the condition harder to manage. If the bacteria in your mouth hang around for any length of time, they start producing this stuff called endotoxins, says Woodhouse. The body reacts to them and floods the area with inflammatory products, and all those nasty chemicals and toxins floating in your bloodstream go on to mess up lots and lots of bodily systems. Diabetes and periodontal disease: its a bit of a chicken and egg scenario. They both exacerbate each other. One study showed that those with chronic gum disease were more likely to develop Alzheimers - Matthias Kulka/Getty Dementia Could regular flossing be the key to preserving your mental faculties in later life? The link between oral bacteria and the brain is one of the most compelling new frontiers in dementia research. One study of 28,000 patients in Taiwan found that those with chronic gum disease for more than a decade were 1.7 times more likely to be at risk of developing Alzheimers disease. Scientists have even found evidence of toxins secreted by P. gingivalis in the brains of deceased Alzheimers patients. It is thought that these toxins may be capable of passing from the blood into the brain where they cause structural damage over time. There are more of these enzymes in the regions that we know are more damaged in Alzheimers disease, and less elsewhere, says Dr Tomas Welsh, medical director of the Research Institute for the Care of Older People. Drug companies have even attempted to develop therapeutics to block the activity of these toxins and prevent them reaching the brain, although so far this approach has had limited success. Having rheumatoid arthritis can worsen your oral health - and vice versa - sbk_20d pictures Painful joints Just like diabetes, having rheumatoid arthritis can worsen your oral health, while poor mouth hygiene can exacerbate this painful condition which causes swelling in the joints. The more inflammatory chemicals there are in your bloodstream, the more likely you are to have inflammatory problems, says Woodhouse. And if you have gum problems, your joint problems will be much worse. 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. Close-up of sign at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr Way and Ashby Avenue, with road sign featuring portrait of Martin Luther King Jr, two of the main streets in Berkeley, California, October 6, 2017. Credit - Smith Collection/GadoGetty Images The Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday is always on the third Monday in January, but many Americans see the civil rights leaders name year-round on street corners. There are more than 1,000 streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. around the world, according to estimates by Derek Alderman, a professor of Geography at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. According to his 2018 article for The Conversation, he reported that there are at least 955 streets named after King in the U.S. in 41 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. He has counted as many as 128 Martin Luther King Jr. thoroughfares in Georgia and found just one example in Wyoming and Alaska. Streets increasingly started being named for King after his assassination in 1968, and even more examples could be seen after the establishment of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday in 1983. Alderman believes Chicago may be the first city to name a street named after the activist. In naming South Park Way after Kinga road that runs through the predominantly Black South Side of ChicagoMayor Richard Daley was trying to bolster the citys reputation and perhaps court Black voters in the run-up to the 1968 Democratic National Convention, according to American Pharaoh by Adam Cohen and Elizabeth Taylor. While researching this topic over the last 25 years, Alderman found that streets named after King tend to be in cities where Black Americans make up at least a third of the population. These thoroughfares tend to be home to churches, government offices, schools, beauty parlors, and barber shopsspots ripe for community organizing and mutual aid. Martin Luther King drives, boulevards, and avenues are often important centers of African American identity, activity, and community, Alderman wrote in a 2014 Social Education article co-authored by Jerry Mitchell. While in some cities there are major roads named after Kinglike Austin, Albuquerque, and TampaAlderman found many examples on smaller streets confined to majority African American neighborhoods. Occasionally, Alderman notes, some white business owners have voiced concerns about King streets stigmatizing the area. Alderman cites one early 1980s example of a white real estate developer in Chattanooga, Tenn., fearing that he wouldnt be able to rent office space in a building on a street named after King because it would create racial overtones. Overall, naming streets after King can not only start conversations about whether the activists dreams are realized today, but also solidify his place in the pantheon of American leaders. As Alderman put it in the 2014 journal article, The commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. through street (re)naming is part of a larger movement to redress the exclusion of African American experiences and achievements from the national historical consciousness. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com. Editors Note: This story contains a disturbing image. A public memorial in Philadelphia dedicated to educating visitors about the atrocities of the Holocaust was defaced early Sunday morning with an image of a large swastika, police and the memorials executive director told CNN. The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation called the incident a disgusting act of antisemitism, one that comes amid what experts say is a staggering increase of antisemitic incidents across the US in the months since Hamas October 7 attack on Israel and the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza was defaced at roughly 1:30 a.m. Sunday with an image of a large swastika, Eszter Kutas, the executive director of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, told CNN. The plaza, which was completed in 2018, is about a five-minute walk from Philadelphia City Hall. The incident was captured on video by a security camera. The perpetrator was wearing a ski mask, so his face is hard to see, Kutas said. However, his clothes may be recognized by the general public. The Philadelphia Police Department said officers responded just after 2 p.m. Sunday to a report of a swastika symbol spray-painted on the wall and immediately launched an investigation. Police said the suspect is an unknown male wearing a black mask and a dark jacket (possibly brown) with a stripe across the chest and down the arms. The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation said the swastika will be removed "in short order." - Horwitz-Wasserman Memorial In a Facebook post, the foundation said the swastika would be removed in short order and called out a spike in acts of anti-Jewish hatred across Philadelphia and the nation. In the three months since the October 7 attack by Hamas, antisemitic events in the US skyrocketed, reaching 3,283 incidents by January 7, the Anti-Defamation League said in a news release earlier this month. That number represented roughly a 360% increase in reported antisemitic incidents compared to the same time frame a year earlier, the ADL said. The reported incidents included more than 1,300 rallies with antisemitic rhetoric, more than 1,300 incidents of verbal or written harassment, more than 550 cases of vandalism and 60 incidents of physical assault, the ADL said. Its unclear whether rallies were tracked last year. Anyone with information about the perpetrator in the Philadelphia memorial plaza incident is urged to contact Philadelphia police, the memorial director said. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Holocaust memorial in Philadelphia has been vandalised with a swastika as acts of antisemitism continue to rise across the country. The Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza said in a post that earlier this weekend, an unidentified figure vandalised a wall of the plaza, drawing a large swastika. The memorials post described it as a disgusting act of antisemitism that comes amid a staggering spike in anti-Jewish hatred across Philadelphia and the country more broadly. While the swastika graffiti has been removed from the wall, according to NBC, the organisation is asking anyone who may have any information about the vandalism to contact the Philadelphia Police Department. Disturbing surveillance footage caught the moment a figure dressed in dark clothing painted the swastika on the memorial that is dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. This is a reminder for our public that antisemitism is real in our communities, Eszter Kutas, the executive director of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, said to CBS. The vandal was caught on CCTV (Courtesy of the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation) We need the publics help in making sure these incidents are lessening in our communities. Ms Kutas told ABC that the incident happened around 1.30am on Sunday. Police were called to the scene just after 2pm and were quickly covered by emergency crews, according to the local outlet. Police have described the suspect as an unknown male wearing a black mask and a dark-coloured jacket, possibly brown, with a stripe across the chest and down the arms, local media said. The bronze sculpture at the memorial located at 16th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia, was the first public monument in North America to honour Holocaust victims, according to their website. This vandalism comes days after the Anti-Defamation League released new data, which shows antisemitic incidents across the US have shot up to a staggering 360 per cent, compared to the same period last year, following the Israel-Hamas war that erupted on 7 October. "As people, we really need to come together to fight all forms of hatred and bigotry together," Ms Kutas said to ABC. As the war reached its 100th day, life in many areas of Gaza has been obliterated and claims that more than 23,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Spikes in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias incidents have also been reported across the US, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. This is not the first antisemitism incident in Philadelphia after two swastikas were also spray painted on a wall near a senior apartment complex that is home to several Jewish people last month, CBSreported. DAYTONA BEACH After decades of catastrophic flooding in the city's historic core, a major flood study aimed at looking for solutions is poised to kick off next month. On Wednesday night, Daytona Beach city commissioners will vote on a proposed agreement to partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a two-year, $3 million feasibility study that will be fully funded by the federal government. The six-page agreement outlines the roles and responsibilities of the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the long-awaited flood control study that is hoped, but not guaranteed, to lead to a flood mitigation project that the federal government would largely fund. Estimates for the work needed in Daytona Beach "run in the hundreds of millions," Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry has said. "The city is excited about getting started," said Assistant City Manager Andrew Holmes. "Hopefully the study will provide answers and solutions. It's a problem that's very difficult to solve." After Tropical Storm Ian in 2022 was done thrashing Florida and pushed out into the Atlantic Ocean, Daytona Beach's Midtown neighborhood remained under water for days. Pictured is Nova Road looking north and the Midtown neighborhood to its east still swimming in floodwater surrounding the two-story Gardens of Daytona apartment buildings and one-story Caroline Village public housing units. The study area is bounded by Nova Road, Orange Avenue, Ridgewood Avenue and Beville Road. The low-lying, bowl-shaped topography of the area has made the southern end of the Midtown neighborhood and the Fairway Estates neighborhood vulnerable to water rising as high as three or four feet during especially heavy rainstorms and tropical storms. Many residents have been forced out of their homes for months, or in some cases for over a year after murky floodwater seeped inside and destroyed everything from their flooring to their furniture. The study, which will conclude in February of 2026, will be led by a team of city officials and an array of other experts. "A feasibility study is the first step toward a potential federally cost shared project that could be part of the city's overall, long-range flood resiliency strategy," states a portion of the Jan. 3 city manager newsletter. Whatever the team comes up with probably won't stop the flooding entirely, but the goal is to dramatically reduce it. Expert and experienced officials will contribute The city portion of the team will include Holmes and Utilities Department Director Shannon Ponitz, who has worked for the city for nearly 24 years. "Shannon understands the history of what's been looked at, and the history of drainage in this area," Holmes said. "We'll support (the Army Corps of Engineers) in every way." Both children and adults were rescued out of Daytona Beach's Midtown neighborhood and other badly flooded areas in the city after Tropical Storm Ian swept through central Florida Sept. 28 and 29 in 2022. An upcoming Army Corps of Engineers study will look for flood mitigation strategies. The study team will also be made up of 25 experts including planners, engineers, biologists, geologists, hydrologists, surveyors, archaeologists, economists, real estate specialists and others. Numerous state and federal agencies will be consulted. "They'll draw expertise from wherever it's available," Holmes said. Jim LaGrone, who's with the U.S. Army Corps' Jacksonville district office, will be the project manager. The Jacksonville district office is responsible for the area encompassing Florida and the Caribbean. Why isn't the Daytona flooding study area larger? The public will have a chance to weigh in at some point, but there are no scheduled meetings yet for that to happen, Holmes said. One question local residents have already had is why the study isn't looking at a larger area. Portions of the city to the north, west and east also flood, especially the Beach Street corridor which has been inundated again and again when the Halifax River tops its banks. When the city formally applied for federal assistance on the study about eight years ago, those were the boundaries submitted, Holmes said. That locked the city into those limits, and it can't be changed now, he said. After Tropical Storm Ian in 2022, Robert Brown had to move out of his house. He went there every day, though, to make repairs to his flood-damaged home in Daytona Beach's Midtown neighborhood. Brown hoped to eventually move back into the home. The good news for Daytona Beach's flood-weary residents is that the federal government agreeing to fund the study increases the odds that more money will flow from Washington, D.C., for a major flood mitigation project. It was in early March last year that it was announced Congress had approved spending $3 million to fully fund the study. Daytona Beach, state and federal leaders had been trying for 15 years to line up funding for an Army Corps of Engineers flood mitigation study. When Gov. Ron DeSantis represented Florida's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018, he got in the fight. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz took over the 6th congressional post right after DeSantis, and he battled to get the study funding lined up for years until he finally got a yes last year. The city made its first big push to tackle the flooding problem in 2009 when more than 20 inches of rain fell over a six-day period and 790 structures were damaged. A report recommended a regional solution with a total bill of $100 million. Unable to pull together money for a study much less $100 million, the city started asking Congress for help every year. The city was willing to put up $1.5 million for the $3 million study, and had made requests in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., for the other $1.5 million every year since 2009. Battling low elevation The Midtown and Fairway Estates neighborhoods east of Nova Road sit about five to six feet above sea level. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood elevation is around eight feet above sea level, and only buildings that sit at that eight-foot threshold or higher stayed dry inside during Tropical Storm Ian in 2022. Some people blame the Nova Canal for Midtown's flooding because the open ditch that runs along the neighborhood's western edge also tops its banks during heavy, unrelenting rain. The state-controlled Nova Canal runs from Ormond Beach south to Port Orange. It has offshoot pipes along its multi-city corridor that reach to the river and release water when the Halifax doesn't rise so much that it blocks that outflow. "The Nova Canal has capacity problems when the rainfall is so intense that it causes flooding in Midtown, but I don't know that it's causing the flooding," Holmes said last fall. "I think it (the canal) needs to be looked at, and it might be part of the solution, but I don't think it's the cause of all our flooding." Midtown's main flooding foe is simply low elevation, Holmes said. "In Midtown the land is very low and very flat, so the water tends to accumulate in the low areas," he said. Daytona neighborhood topography curse: Low elevation makes Daytona's Midtown vulnerable to chronic flooding Cynthia Slater has lived in Midtown all of her 66 years, and she's been flooded out of her home multiple times. She's cautiously optimistic about the Army Corps study. "It's good to hear and know it's moving forward with the Army Corps of Engineers," said Slater, longtime president of the Daytona Beach branch of the NAACP. "But it's a two-year study, so it's nothing that will get us prepared for the next storm. We need to take all precautions for storms for now." Nonetheless, she's still grateful for the study, and called it "long overdue." "At least we're moving in the right direction," Slater said. "It'll be good for the community to know it's happening." You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach to consider US Army Corps flooding study of Midtown Patients were told not to attend unless it was a 'life-threatening emergency' - ANDY RAIN/SHUTTERSTOCK A major hospital trust was forced to reroute ambulances after an IT system crash caused by a very dramatic power outage. University Hospitals Sussex Trust declared a critical incident on Sunday evening after its IT and phone systems were significantly affected by the cut. The trust said issues at the Royal Sussex County and Princess Royal hospitals had meant ambulances were diverted and patients were taken to alternative hospitals when necessary. In an update on Monday morning, the trust said it had made good progress in restoring systems and patients with planned appointments should turn up unless told otherwise. The trust added that patients should use A&E as normal but that all teams were under additional pressure. Patients told to avoid A&E Overnight, patients were told not to attend the two affected hospitals unless it was a life-threatening emergency. St Richards Hospital in Chichester and Worthing Hospital were also affected to a lesser degree, the trust said, and were working to help support other hospitals. Temporary maternity triage mobile phone numbers were given out for use by women who were in hospital to give birth and their families. The disruption is widespread and front-line teams are affected, the trust said. It will mean that anyone trying to contact the hospital by phone to reach a loved one or ward team will not be able to reach the two hospitals at this time. The incident was caused by a very dramatic power outage in an IT room at Princess Royal hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, according to the trusts chief medical officer. Professor Katie Urch told BBC Radio Sussex on Monday morning: We had to request help from our partner agencies in the region. We did divert ambulances but that is all stood down now. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. A fatal hot air balloon crash left four people dead, and one critically injured Sunday morning in Eloy. The crash occurred at approximately 7:50 a.m. in the desert area of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road in Eloy, about 65 miles south of Phoenix, according to the Eloy Police Department. Out of respect for the victims, Eloy police said they were withholding their names pending notification of next of kin. "The Eloy Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those involved in this heartbreaking incident," a statement from the department said. Police said the cause of the crash is currently unknown and informed the public they are working with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration to further investigate the event. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hot air balloon crash in Eloy leaves 4 dead, 1 injured The House Freedom Caucus railed against the latest short-term government funding bill, suggesting it is a surrender to the left as lawmakers seek to avert a government shutdown by the looming Friday deadline. The @HouseGOP is planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing Pelosi levels with Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies. This is what surrender looks like, the House Freedom Caucus wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Congressional leaders struck the deal last week, just days ahead of the Friday night shutdown deadline. The two-step plan, unveiled on Sunday night, would push the funding threat into early March and allow more time for spending talks past the Jan. 19 funding deadline. As a result, funding for some areas of the government would be extended through March 1 and for the rest of the agencies, through March 8. If approved in both chambers of Congress, it would be the third funding stopgap, known as a continuing resolution (CR), since the fiscal 2023 funding expired last September. Under the current two-step spending plan, the deadlines fall on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2. The current CR was favored by House GOP members at the time, who saw it as a way to avoid a massive single omnibus spending bill at the end of last year. The short-term CR would give Congress more time to hash out and approve the 12 full-year appropriations bills, to the ire of hard-line House Republicans who have typically opposed such legislation and advocated instead for long-term spending deals. House conservatives have long pushed for spending reductions, while some Republicans are insisting border policy changes must be attached to any funding measure. Such opposition from the right means Johnson will likely have to shore up Democratic votes to pass the CR in the lower chamber, further fueling the fury of the far right. House conservatives spent last week trying to get House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to pull out of the deal, but when Johnson floated the idea of a long-term CR to a group of moderate Republicans, nearly all lawmakers said no to the suggestion, one attendee told The Hill last week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) indicated earlier on Sunday he will send the funding bill to the Senate floor Tuesday, and called out members of the far right, who he claims are trying to bully their way into forcing a shutdown. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of House judiciary committee, says he and oversight committee chairman James Comer will issue new subpoenas to Hunter Biden in the coming months as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI Jan. 15 (UPI) -- House Republicans indicated over the weekend they will once again subpoena Hunter Biden after the president's son dropped his opposition to meeting with members of the judiciary and oversight committees in private. Oversight committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and judiciary committee chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a letter sent to Biden's lawyer on Sunday they will issue new subpoenas in the coming weeks. Hunter Biden has resisted the committees' earlier subpoenas demanding he testify in private amid the Republican majority's ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Biden, prompting the GOP lawmakers draw up a resolution holding him in contempt of Congress. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, had called demands for a deposition "invalid" because the House did not formally vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry until December. But on Friday, Hunter Biden reversed course. In a letter to the committees, Lowell said, "Now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition. We will accept such a subpoena on Mr. Biden's behalf." Hunter Biden has dropped his opposition to testifying to private to House committee members working on a possible impeachment of his father, President Joe Biden. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI "The Committees welcome Mr. Biden's newfound willingness to testify in a deposition setting under subpoena," Comer and Jordan responded on Sunday. "Although the Committee's subpoenas are lawful and remain legally enforceable, as an accommodation to Mr. Biden and at your request, we are prepared to issue subpoenas compelling Mr. Biden's appearance at a deposition on a new date in the coming weeks." House Republicans contend Biden's testimony is key to their impeachment investigation into his father for allegedly enriching himself during his years as vice president through his son's alleged overseas influence peddling. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre last week dismissed the impeachment process as "political games" and called for House Republicans to instead focus on passing a budget to keep the government open. "They're playing political stunts. There are baseless allegations here," she said. "We've been clear about that." Mike Johnson should have seen this coming. In October, the then backbencher became speaker of the House after far-right radicals ousted Kevin McCarthy for the crime of negotiating with the Biden administration to keep the government open. Now Johnson is on the verge of being deposed himselffor the crime of negotiating with Senate Democrats to keep the government open. More than a year into one of the least productive Congresses in American history, it is exceedingly clear that House Republicans both have no interest in governing and are themselves ungovernable. With the possible exception of Donald Trump, there is no one within the GOP who can keep its various factions in line. There is certainly no one within the current Republican House who has the political capital to strike a deal with Democrats to fulfill Congresss most basic responsibilitykeeping the government openwhile retaining the necessary support from GOP members. Given that this is an election year, shutting down the government and having another protracted period in which there is no speaker of the House (or both!) would be an exceptionally bad look for Republicans, who areagain, theoreticallymaking the case to voters this fall that they should be trusted to control both chambers of Congress and the White House. But there is a simple, elegant solution that would keep the government open and likely benefit Republicans in the long run: Hand control of the House over to Democrats. Consider Johnsons bind, which is the same one McCarthy faced. Republicans have an extraordinarily slim majority in the House; after George Santoss December ouster and McCarthys retirement at the end of the year, it sits at just three votes. On January 21, that margin will shrink to just two when Ohio Republican Bill Johnson retires. Because some within the GOP wont vote for any spending deal that doesnt contain draconian cuts, and because Democrats control the Senate and the White House, any agreement to keep the government open requires a bipartisan compromise. But compromise is anathema to many House Republicans. Rather than recognize realitythe absolute necessity of reaching across the aislethey have embraced a fantasy: that their leader, not their slim majority, is the cause of their legislative incompetence. Johnsons task is impossible: He has to keep the government open and keep his right flank happy. The problem is that he cant do both. Thus, it seems increasingly inevitable that before too long either the government will shut down or Johnson will lose the gavelor both. And whoever gets the gavel after Johnson will be in the same bind, probably with an even shorter leash. So the Republicans should unburden themselves of this responsibility, which they clearly cant uphold anyway, and just give up the gavel to Democrats and dare them to do better. No, I dont think the House GOP would ever do this, and yes, there are a few obvious caveats. Republicans have fewif anylegislative priorities, but they are dead set on using their slim majority to investigate Joe Bidens son Hunter in an attempt to deflect attention from Trumps numerous criminal and civil trials. A Democrat, particularly current party leader Hakeem Jeffries, taking the gavel would not only be seen as a profound failure but as practically treasonous by the right-wing press. And yet, its hard to argue that it wouldnt be preferable for House Republicans political goals to simply relinquish control. The government shutting down would be eminently bad for their chances of maintaining their narrow House majority; it would also likely damage Trumps presidential chances, given that it would serve as a glaring reminder of the recklessness and incompetence of the Republican Party. Giving up control of the House would allow them to at least plead powerlessness. They could return to a defensive posture, accusing Biden and the Democrats of reckless spending, and wash their hands of any deal that funds the government through the 2024 election. As for the Hunter Biden investigation, there is an argument that holding off would benefit them politically as well. They could continue to prosecute the case in the media, as they have for the last four years, arguing that Democrats are covering up a massive corruption scandaland promising once again to begin investigating the Biden Crime Family when they regain power. Holding off on the Hunter Biden investigation is beneficial in an additional way: They dont have the goods. Despite grandiose claims of President Biden raking in millions in bribes via his drug-addled son, they have produced no evidence. The investigation is a massive embarrassment, and continuing it will only reinforce how flimsy and politically motivated it is. It may even make voters sympathetic to the president. And when Trumps criminal and civil trials begin to heat up, it may ultimately backfire, presenting a contrast between a Republican presidential nominee who is guilty of multiple crimesfraud, sexual assault, insurrection, among othersand a Democratic presidential nominee who is the victim of a political witch hunt (a real one). If Jeffries is unpalatable to the handful of Republicans needed to make him speakerwhich is highly likelya compromise could be found, with the New York Democrat remaining party leader but someone else becoming speaker. Democrats could offer a centrist choice from their own ranks (someone like Virginias Abigail Spanberger) or pull a moderate with bipartisan appeal from outside the chamber. There is, after all, no requirement that the speaker of the House be a member of the House. A NeverTrump Republicanthink Liz Cheney or John Kasichwould be another option, though its hard to imagine such a politician being elected, given the likely defections from progressive Democrats and Republicans terrified of angering Trump and Fox News. Members of Congress could even get creative: Mark Cuban just sold the Dallas Mavericks and quit Shark Tank and presumably has a fair amount of time on his hands. Yes, my tongue is firmly in cheek at this point. But for a year now, House Republicans have been caught in a repetitive, self-destructive cycle. There is a seeming belief that if they only select a different speaker they will magically get a different outcome: a funding deal that keeps the government open while shrinking its size dramatically. They should face the facts: This simply will not happen. Theres only one way out of their current predicament, which is to acknowledge, at long last, that they have no business running the House of Representatives. Doing so may be the only way for them to hold onto their majority. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Sunday that Republicans will move forward with a vote to hold Hunter Biden in contempt, unless they reach a deal with his team for an interview. Scalises comments made during a call with the House GOP conference come after Bidens legal team made a U-turn on Friday and said that the presidents son would take part in a closed-door deposition if Republicans issued new subpoenas. A contempt vote is currently on the House schedule for Thursday. Both the Judiciary and Oversight Committees passed reports and resolutions last week recommending that Biden be held in contempt after he skipped a closed-door deposition last month. Hunter Biden and his legal team countered at the time that they wanted a public hearing, over concerns that his testimony would be selectively leaked. Republicans will need near unity in order to make a referral to the Justice Department that Biden be held in contempt of Congress. A swath of GOP lawmakers indicated last week that they hadnt yet made a decision on how they would vote and Republicans are dealing with absences. Scalise is working remotely until February as he undergoes treatment for blood cancer. And the Louisianan said during Sundays conference call that Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) will be absent as he recovers from a car crash, according to an individual on the call. That will give Republicans 218 seats the thinnest of majorities. Republicans have conditioned that they are moving forward with the contempt for now indicating that if they can reach a deal for a closed-door deposition that the floor vote will be canceled. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Hunter Bidens legal team on Sunday, saying that they will issue new subpoenas for Hunter Bidens closed-door testimony. Abbe Lowell, Hunter Bidens lawyer, had asked them to do so in his letter last week. The Committees welcome Mr. Bidens newfound willingness to testify in a deposition setting under subpoena. Although the Committees subpoenas are lawful and remain legally enforceable, as an accommodation to Mr. Biden and at your request, we are prepared to issue subpoenas compelling Mr. Bidens appearance at a deposition on a new date in the coming weeks, they wrote on Sunday . A handout photo made available by Houthi officials on Saturday shows a projectile being launched during a military exercise near the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border on Thursday. U.S. military officials said a U.S.-owned ship was attacked by Houthi forces in the Red Sea on Monday. Photo by Houthis Media Center/EPA-EFE Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A U.S.-owned and operated container ship sailing the Red Sea on Monday was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi forces, U.S. military officials said. U.S. Central Command said in a statement the containership M/V Gibraltar Eagle, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was hit by fire from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. "The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey," CENTCOM said, adding that it had also detected the failed launch of another anti-ship fired toward the Red Sea commercial shipping lanes earlier on Monday. The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said in a memorandum the attack occurred 95 nautical miles southeast of the coast of the Yemeni city of Aden. The agency said the missile hit the port, or left, side of the ship from above. Monday's incident in the Red Sea served to ratchet up regional tensions even further after U.S. fighter jets on Sunday intercepted an anti-ship cruise missile fired by Houthis at a U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea. No injuries or damage was reported in that incident. Shortly after the latest attack, Houthi spokesman Nasruldeen Amer declared the group is expanding its efforts to destabilize the vital shipping lanes by targeting American ships as means of supporting the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its war against Israel. The United States is "on the verge of losing its maritime security," he told Al Jazeera. The latest developments come after the United States and Britain last week conducted large-scale air strikes targeting the Houthi rebels in Yemen over their continued attacks on shipping vessels transiting the important trade route. The Houthis originally vowed to attack Israel-bound ships, however the latest attacks demonstrate they have apparently now expanded their targeting to include American vessels. Ali al-Qahoum, a top political leader of Yemen's Houthi movement, declared the United States had opened "the doors of the hell to itself" with its strikes on Yemen. In comments to Iran's official IRNA news agency on Monday, he said Yemen would turn into "the graveyard of the Americans." A man looks at a model of the Houthi-hijacked Israeli Galaxy Leader cargo ship, displayed during an exhibition held in solidarity with Palestinians on Jan. 03, 2024 in Sana'a, Yemen. Credit - Mohammed HamoudGetty Images A U.S. owned and operated container ship was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Monday. The strike took place around 4 p.m. local time and hit a vessel named M/V Gibraltar Eagle, which did not incur significant damage and continued its journey. Additionally, the statement said no casualties or injuries resulted from the attack. U.S. Central Command said that an anti-ship ballistic missile had been fired toward Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes earlier that day, at around 2 p.m. local time. The missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported, according to the statement. Reuters reported that three missiles were fired in total, with only one impacting the vessel. Eagle Bulk Shipping, the company that operates the ship, released a statement Monday saying: "As a result of the impact, the vessel suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area. It added that the vessel was carrying a cargo of steel products and confirmed that all staff on board were uninjured. The attack from the militia groupwho are closely aligned with Iran and control the nation's capital Sanaacomes in response to airstrikes carried out by the U.S. and U.K. on Thursday. The two nations targeted 60 sites across 16 locations. The Houthis called Thursdays attack barbaric and in a separate statement called the U.K. and the U.S. legitimate targets. Speaking of the strikes, U.S. President Joe Biden said they would not hesitate to take further action against the Houthis if needed. These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation, Biden said. On Friday, tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered in several cities to reaffirm their support for Gaza despite the strikes against their nation. Houthis have been targeting and intercepting commercial ships in the Red Sea using drones since Israel began its full-scale bombardment of Gaza in retaliation to Hamas surprise attack on Oct. 7. The group has targeted vessels with perceived links to Israel and its allies who have voted against a ceasefire in Gaza, where over 24,000 Palestinians have been killed. The efforts are an attempt to create economic pressure on these nations and disrupt global supply chains, as around 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea. As a result, some shipping lines have been forced to redirect vessels via longer routes but there have been no casualties as a result of the attacks. Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com. Houthi rebels in Yemen fired an anti-ship ballistic missile on Monday, hitting a U.S.-owned container ship, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. There were no injuries and no significant damage to the ship, the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, which is a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship, U.S. Central Command said. The attack is the latest in a series of clashes with the Iranian-backed militant group in Yemen. President Biden authorized strikes last week against the group, which has repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea, threatening global trade. The Houthi actions and the U.S. response have triggered worries about a wider Middle Eastern war as Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza continue. The U.S. Central Command said on Monday that U.S. forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile headed toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes, but the missile failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. No injuries or damage were reported from the incident. The latest escalation comes after the U.S. and allied nations conducted a coordinated attack against the rebel group last Thursday. The militant group claimed the U.S.-led attacks earlier Thursday killed at least five people and wounded six others. In response, the Houthis launched one of their largest attacks yet, firing a barrage of rockets and missiles at the U.S. and U.K. forces in the Red Sea. On Friday, the U.S. conducted a second round of strikes against a Houthi radar facility in Yemen and threatened further military actions unless the Houthis stopped attacking commercial ships. On Sunday, Houthi rebels similarly tried to target the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea, officials said, but a U.S. fighter aircraft shot it down near the coast of Hudayah, Yemen. There were no injuries or damage, the U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The Houthis claim the attacks, which began in late November, serve as a protest against Israels military offensive in Gaza. Many ships with no clear ties to Israel have been hit, however. Major shipping companies have been forced to avoid the Red Sea region, driving up oil prices and delaying delivery times. The U.S. launched Operation Prosperity Guardian last month to deter the attacks, which the U.S. Central Command said last week total at least 28 incidents since Nov. 29. Updated at 12:28 p.m. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Houthi rebels in Yemen have pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal - Sayed Hassan/Getty Images Houthi rebels said they would expand their targets to include US and British ships as they vowed to keep up attacks after coalition air strikes on their positions in Yemen. British and American ships had become legitimate targets, Nasruldeen Amer, a spokesman for the Houthis, told Al Jazeera on Monday evening. The ship doesnt necessarily have to be heading to Israel for us to target it, it is enough for it to be American, said Mr Amer. The United States is on the verge of losing its maritime security. The Houthis have previously said they would only target Israeli ships or those en route to Israel. It comes after the rebels hit a US-owned vessel in the Red Sea earlier on Monday as Rishi Sunak warned of more military strikes. The M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned and operated container ship, was struck by a missile near the coastal city of Aden in Yemen, causing a fire in the hold. No injuries were reported. Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said it assessed the attack to have targeted US interests in response to US military strikes on Houthi military positions in Yemen. It came as the Prime Minister told MPs that he would not hesitate to order further military action if necessary. The threats to shipping must cease, he said. Illegally detained vessels and crews must be released. And we remain prepared to back our words with actions. In a statement following last weeks strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen, Mr Sunak said Britain acted in self-defence and to uphold freedom of navigation, adding that there was no evidence of civilian casualties. It was limited, not escalatory, he said. It was a necessary and proportionate response to a direct threat to UK vessels and therefore to the UK itself. Facing questions Mr Sunak faced questions from Tory MPs over the reduction in the Armed Forces in recent years, with one saying the target of spending 2.5 per cent of national income on defence was not enough. On Sunday, Qatar, which supplies gas to Britain, suspended shipments through the Red Sea as Houthi attacks escalated. QatarEnergy, the worlds second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), halted tanker transits through the Bab el-Mandab strait and is considering rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope as the conflict deepens. The move will increase concerns that longer travel times could increase prices. The US military confirmed the latest attack, putting the blame on Yemens Houthi rebels. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey, a spokesman for US military central command said. A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said: Global energy markets are continuing to function as normal following the recent attacks in the Red Sea. The UK has one of the largest LNG import capacities in Europe, as well as a diverse range of natural gas sources, including our own domestic production. We do not expect to see any disruption to UK gas supply in light of this recent announcement. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Middle East waters, also reported that missile fire had struck a ship in the Gulf of Aden, about 110 miles south-east of the southern Yemen border. Facing questions from MPs, Mr Sunak said: I can tell the House today that our initial assessment is that all 13 planned targets were destroyed. We have seen no evidence thus far of civilian casualties, which we took great care to avoid. He added: I do not take decisions on the use of force lightly. That is why I stress that this action was taken in self-defence. It was limited, not escalatory. Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said his party backed the targeted action, but warned that any military operation must be underpinned by a clear strategy. In a move criticised by some opposition MPs, Mr Sunak announced the military action last week when Parliament was not sitting. Strikes bring risk Sir Keir has acknowledged that it is not always possible to hold a vote beforehand, but told Mr Sunak: Scrutiny is not the enemy of strategy. Because while we back the action taken last week these strikes still do bring risk, we must avoid escalation across the Middle East. Mr Sunak said that he remained committed to parliamentary convention and precedent, but told MPs that the need to maximise the security and effectiveness of the operation meant that it was not possible to bring this matter to the House in advance. But we took care to brief members before the strikes took place, including you of course, Mr Speaker, and the leader of the Opposition, and I have come to the House at the earliest possible opportunity. Sir Julian Lewis, Conservative chairman of Parliaments intelligence and security committee said: We certainly should not be reducing the numbers of frigates or destroyers and we certainly should not be mothballing or otherwise decommissioning our amphibious assault ships. Richard Drax, the Tory MP for South Dorset, said: While it is important how we spend defence money, it is vital and without doubt that defence needs a lot more money, more than 2.5 per cent and these arbitrary targets, if our brave men and women are going to fight a sustained conflict in the years ahead. US forces shot down a missile fired by Yemens Houthi rebels at an American warship on Sunday, in the first confirmed attack of its kind since allied strikes on the group last week. The anti-ship cruise missile was fired at the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea and downed off the port city of Hodeidah, on Yemens west coast, by a US fighter jet. No injuries or damage were sustained, the US militarys central command said. At the time, Chinese, German and Turkish merchant vessels were passing through the area, according to Ambrey, a British maritime security firm. The Houthis have framed their attacks as an act of solidarity with the people of Gaza - AP Earlier on Sunday, the Houthis complained that US aircraft were observed flying close to Yemeni airspace and coastal areas. The group is yet to comment on the incident involving the USS Laboon, a destroyer. The downing of the missile came after American and British forces began returning fire against the Houthis on Friday in response to the movements attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The Islamists had warned their response to the strikes in Yemen will be strong and effective. Houthi attacks in the region have snarled commercial shipping through the key waterway, which accounts for about 15 per cent of global sea trade. The Red Sea crisis has added to anxieties over a wider conflict in the Middle East beyond Gaza, where Israel is waging a campaign to annihilate the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which rules the strip and, like the Houthis, is backed by Tehran. The Houthis, which gained control over most of Yemen after years of civil war, have framed their attacks in the area as an act of solidarity with the people of Gaza targeted at Israeli-linked vessels. However, some of the ships they have attacked have no clear connection to Israel. It is unclear what impact the British and US strikes have had on the groups capabilities. Led by the secretive Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the Houthis have amassed significant firepower in less than a decade, Some experts believe they are now a formidable fighting force, backed by weapons and training supplied by Iran. The attacks in the Red Sea have led shipping companies to divert vessels away from the area, forcing them to take a longer route around southern Africa instead. Since Nov 19, the Houthis have carried out at least 27 strikes on cargo ships 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. Scientists in Iceland want to drill straight into an underground magma chamber. The project could offer clues about how volcanoes work, as well as create geothermal energy. The biggest hurdles are getting funding for the project, and figuring out how to drill into magma. Scientists in Iceland want to drill a hole into a magma chamber about a mile underground in an attempt to generate limitless energy. The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) aims to create the world's first research center above a magma chamber to monitor, sample, and test the molten rock in situ for the first time. The center, it hopes, could offer unprecedented insights into how volcanoes work and open new avenues for limitless geothermal energy. "Magma within the Earth is the last unexplored frontier," KMT's Hjalti Pall Ingolfsson, told Business Insider. Natural geothermal energy is seen in Hverir Namafjall, in the Krafla fissure, Iceland. Mika Mika An accidental discovery Research into magma chambers is crucial. These pools of molten rock, located in the Earth's crust, can create volcanoes if they find a way to reach the surface. But they are fiendishly difficult to locate with surface equipment and hard to track ahead of an eruption. "We don't have any direct knowledge of what magma chambers look like, which is crucial in understanding volcanoes of course," Paolo Papale at Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Pisa, who has written on the subject, told New Scientist. In 2009, scientists identified a potential candidate about 2.5 miles underground near the Krafla in Northern Iceland. So they started drilling. But about a mile into their descent, their drill got stuck. It's only later, when it came back up carrying shards of volcanic glass, that they realized what happened. They had accidentally poked their head into a magma chamber. The scientists managed to make a few measurements, but eventually, the wellhead became too warm to operate, per New Scientist. They decided to pour cold water into the well to cool it down, releasing black, billowing clouds that destroyed their rigging. Now, 15 years on, KMT wants to drill into the chamber again but this time it wants to be able to stay, with the help of a few clever engineering tricks. Getting to the magma with a glassy rock 'sock' Krafla is a perfect site for this type of experiment. The magma there is ancient and gloopy, which means it's unlikely to create an eruption or flow out of the well when you experiment on it, said Ingolfsson. Because it's so close to a volcano, any small tremors triggered by the scientists poking into the chamber are unlikely to make an impact, Jon Gluyas, a professor of Earth sciences at Durham University, told BI. "If you're in Iceland, you're already in an extremely active volcanic region. There's nothing humans can do which materially will alter that one way or the other," said Gluyas. However, standard drilling rigs can't survive in these conditions. "It's bloody hot. And that means the materials you'll use for drilling are not right to those sorts of temperatures," said Gluyas. One big challenge, Ingolfsson said, will be drilling straight into the magma while protecting the equipment. The solution is fairly simple: freeze the magma solid. Using water, the team aims to freeze the magma ahead of the drill bit. This will create a "sock or a pocket" of frozen glassy rock, similar to the obsidian you can find on Earth, per Ingolfsson. A flow of obsidian shown in the Landmannalaugar region of Iceland Layne Kennedy/Getty Images Once that's big enough, the drill bit can be removed, creating a small cavity inside the chamber to deposit some monitoring equipment before the glass sock collapses, per Ingolfsson. This should allow scientists to get an exact temperature reading of the inside of the magma chamber, which has never been done before, according to New Scientist. "Will it work? That's definitely a challenge," said Ingolfsson. "We think we have the equipment, we have the solutions, but it's very difficult to test those or get those accurate unless doing it in a real environment," he said. Another problem will be keeping the rigging up, a crucial point as KMT wants the boreholes to stay open. The pipes that line the hole need to face extremely high temperatures, as well as acidic environments that can eat at the metal. "We are working on selecting the right materials and finding out what is the best way to design these things so it will fit and survive," said Ingolfsson. We know very little about the insides of volcanoes If it is successful, KMT could offer a whole slew of new insights into volcanic activity, Gluyas said. "From a scientific perspective, being able to sample an active magma chamber would give you a whole lot of information, which is normally excruciatingly difficult to obtain," said Gluyas, who is the president of the Global Geothermal Energy Advancement Association. After all, most of what we know about volcanoes is what we see on the surface. A volcano erupts in Iceland. Hafsteinn Karlsson / Getty Images But by the time molten rock turns into lava, it has lost a lot of the gas that propelled it up to the surface, so we know very little about magma composition before it erupts. "I'm sometimes insulting some scientists when I say that basically everything we know about inside of a volcano is kind of a guesstimate an educated guesstimate of course," said Ingolfsson. Sampling and monitoring the magma directly could shed crucial information on what it's made of, and hopefully help us find ways to track its path underground. The glassy rock created when freezing the magma could also be a gold mine of evidence, as it could contain bubbles encapsulating the precious magmatic gases, per Gluyas. "There's loads of fundamental science which will come out of it and there'll be unexpected bonuses, but there is a practical piece of this, which is better understanding of the way the Earth behaves and therefore better preparedness for potential natural disasters," said Gluyas. KMT plans to drill a second hole dedicated to geothermal research. A schematic shows the set up for the two boreholes KMT aims to drill in the ground. KMT Ingolfsson expects one well on a magma chamber could be as productive as 10 other wells elsewhere. Not only is it very hot down there, but the magma also changes the composition of the rock, which KMT believes could make harvesting geothermal energy more efficient. "The source of geothermal is always the magma and getting closer to magma is obviously a higher efficiency," said Ingolfsson. Their research, he said, could inform new ways to collect geothermal energy. "You have the whole Atlantic ridge offshore. If we combine what we learn in Krafla and with what we know about offshore drilling, then you could foresee, at least as a sci-fi vision, that you could utilize it for abundant or endless energy of the Earth," he said. Power stations are shown near the site KMT aims to bore into. KMT For Gluyas, the technology could be promising, but he questioned whether it is needed at this time. "If you go anywhere where there's a well-developed volcanic province, Mexico, Kenya, Ethiopia, Italy, the geothermal energy is under-exploited massively. I'm not sure how much more efficient systems would be if drilled into a magma chamber," he said. A short time to get a lot of money KMT hopes to break ground on the first hole into the magma chamber in 2026. But it still has a long road ahead. Its biggest challenge is collecting the money to build the research center and start drilling the holes. Ingolfsson estimates that KMT will need to raise upward of $100 million from governmental organizations and industry partners. "We sometimes say that geology has always been setting up the wrong poker table," said Ingolfsson. "In space research, you are building telescopes, like for gamma rays, which cost billions of dollars. But in geology, two or 300 million is really expensive," he said. But Ingolfsson is confident. "The likelihood of us achieving something magnificent is very high in our opinion," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider A librarian returns books to the shelves at the Boise Public Library. The library system is working to combat COVID learning loss by meeting kids where they are this summer. Idaho lawmakers sent a bill aimed at restricting library books that are harmful to minors to the House floor after nearly two hours of public testimony. More than 100 people attended a legislative committees hearing on House Bill 384, and 18 testified, most of them against it. All 11 Republicans on the legislative committee voted in favor of the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa. Both Democrats voted against it. The bill would let parents seek damages from libraries if their children are exposed to harmful materials, as defined in Idahos 1972 obscenity law. That definition includes homosexuality, nudity, masturbation and other sexual conduct. Library and school staffers testified at Mondays hearing and said the bill would be unworkable for libraries in the state with tight budgets. One Meridian librarian said the law would prevent teenage library employees from shelving books in adult sections, creating a burden for adult employees. Others said it would expose them to lawsuits and require them to hire attorneys. We cannot afford to have a separate area for adults, said Robert Wright, the director of the Idaho Falls Public Library. He said his library, if the bill becomes law, would close off the entire second floor of the library to people under 18 and may need to hire a staff member to check for IDs. Shane Reichert, the general counsel for the Idaho Education Association, testified against the bill, noting that broad and vague language in the bill could result in frivolous lawsuits. At the hearing, Crane said the bill would not result in any banned books but would rather require for objectionable books to be removed from childrens sections. Crane told the committee a national legal counsel group called his bill the best library bill in the country. He did not immediately respond to a question about which organization he had consulted. Testifiers question whether materials are harmful A majority of the testimony at Mondays hearing was opposed to the bill, with members of the public citing homophobia and subjectivity in the states obscenity law. Jacquelyn Davidson, a Republican precinct committeewoman for the Ada County GOP, said she supported the bill and had found books at the Boise Public Library promoting homosexuality and gender dysphoria. Homosexuality does not equate to obscenity, said Isabella Burgess, an associate librarian at the Meridian Library District. It is your choice to sexualize childrens books. Gay people will not go away, she added. There will always be families with two moms or two dads seeking out literature that represents them. Wright, the Idaho Falls library director, on the brink of tears said that he thought sexual content in books could potentially help children who have been sexually abused or molested to find the language to describe the physical abuse they have suffered. Efforts to ban books around the country have increased in recent years, along with allegations that librarians are grooming children or otherwise sexualizing them. Some of those same claims came up at Mondays hearing. One testifier, from Kootenai County, claimed that obscene materials at libraries increases the risk of rape, murder and child molestation. Another resident, from Twin Falls, said obscene materials at libraries could increase childrens vulnerability to sexual predators and condition them for sexual trafficking. Zach Borman, president of the West Ada Education Association, a local advocacy group, said he thought lawmakers were trying to shelter children and were legislating a very particular parenting philosophy and pulling the rest of us along with you. He said he thinks children should be educated to trust their instincts as they grow and experience greater levels of autonomy. Human sexuality is strange at times, he said. That doesnt mean we need to pretend it doesnt exist until they are an adult. Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, who chairs the committee, said policies libraries already have to deal with harmful materials have been insufficient. These books still are coming up, he said. Last year, we had books that were in Meridian libraries that had no business being in the hands of minors. Paige Beach, a childrens librarian in Meridian, said she has worked at a library for eight years and said she has never encountered a parent who found a book that they thought was objectionable. I am not seeing that big problem that youre seeing, she said. Idaho, one of the least populous states in the country, is gaining traction in the national population rankings as out-of-state migration numbers push the state to nearly 2 million residents despite a slowdown from the highs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are coming from the coastal states of Washington, Oregon and California, but others such as Utah and Nevada are also contributing heavily to parts of the state. With many pandemic-era travel and immigration restrictions lifted, international immigration also played a part in the states growth over the last year. Here are four key findings in the latest data. 1. Idahos population may top 2 million in 2024 Recent numbers provided by the Idaho Department of Labor show the states population grew by nearly 26,000 people between July 2022 and July 2023 to nearly 1,965,000 people. This puts it fourth nationally in percentage growth, according to a Friday press release. Idaho is the 38th most populous state in the country, nearly 200,000 residents ahead of West Virginia and roughly 14,000 residents behind Nebraska, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers. But Idaho could soon pass Nebraska with a growth rate two-and-a-half times higher than its Midwestern counterpart. Nebraska had 1.96 million people in the 2020 census, Idaho 1.84 million. The state should hit the 2 million mark within the next two years, according to Jan Roeser, southwestern regional economist for the Idaho Department of Labor. To me it almost feels like well nudge up against it (this year), Roeser said by phone. The states population stood at just over 717,000 total residents in 1970 and could pass the 2 million mark in 2024 or 2025. Ada County, in blue, has the largest population followed by Canyon County, in pink, Kootenai County, in peach, and Bonneville County, in light purple. Matthew Hurt, economist at the Idaho Division of Financial Management, said during a Jan. 4 meeting of the Legislatures Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee that his office predicts the state will hit that mark this winter. The state first crossed the 1 million mark in 1990, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, and swelled during the pandemic at a breakneck pace, Roeser said. That migration has cooled off, with domestic migration dropping from 51,000 in 2021 to just over 15,000 in 2023. This is happening to a lot of places that really were hit during the pandemic, Roeser said. People have gradually started going back to the big cities. But the states population growth rate in 2023 was still over double the national average of 0.5%, according to the department. The Idaho Department of Labor attributed 78% of the states population growth to primarily domestic migration and 22% to natural change, meaning births minus deaths. Natural change accounted for 10% of the states population growth in 2022. 1. Moves within Idaho fall, but migration between states rises Ninety percent of the states population growth has come from migration since the 2020 census, Hurt said. But overall migration is changing as county to county migration continues to fall and cross-state migration amps up. Thats important for the country to understand, but I think its particularly important for Idaho to understand, as we project the state will continue to grow through migration, Hurt said. He noted that there was a substantial increase in migration toward the end of the 2010s, which could be similar to how the state grows in the next decade. Its easy to be blindsided by the pandemic, Hurt said. The state grew very substantially during that period, and oftentimes the migration that began really picking up speed post-2015 gets lost in that discussion. Idaho Division of Financial Management models showed that two-thirds of Idahos predicted revenue growth through the 2028 fiscal year would be added through migration, according to Hurt. Southwest Idaho sees the biggest migration from California, with 33% of those migrating to the region coming from California. Of those leaving Southwest Idaho, 19% are heading to Oregon, Hurt said. Indeed, California is the No. 1 source of migrants to Idaho. For every Idaho family that moves to California, Idaho gets three back, he said. California totally dominates the net migration story, and it really is because Californians come to Idaho, he said. Idahoans dont really go to California. But other states contribute. In northern Idaho, the biggest source of migrants is Washington. Migration from Utah dominates the east and southeast of the state. Its so easy to get caught up in the story of the pipeline of Los Angeles to Ada and Canyon County ... but migration is, and it always has been, a regional phenomenon, he said. Idaho has distinct regions and distinct migration experiences worth keeping in mind whenever were talking about migration. 2. Immigration from Ukraine rise International migration also swelled from 5% of Idahos growth in 2022 to 18% in 2023, with an additional 4,664 residents. Holly Beech, communications manager for the Idaho Office for Refugees, said part of the reason for the jump was that COVID-19 policies restricted international migration and resettlement programs. International migration to Idaho climbed again after the fall of Kabul as the Taliban captured control of Afghanistan when the U.S. military pulled out in 2021, and with the war in Ukraine, she said. A bunch of states stepped up to help, Beech said by phone. The state welcomed over 1,200 refugees between October 2022 and October 2023, according to the Idaho Office for Refugees. The office expects to welcome just over 1,000 in fiscal year 2024. The state welcomed just over 1,200 refugees in 2022 and 2023, breaking the previous record set in 2016 of 1,114 people. The largest group of refugees came from the Congo at 558, followed by Ukraine with 292 and Afghanistan with 132. Roeser said military personnel at Mountain Home Air Force Base who may be returning from international assignments could also have contributed to the increase, as they are counted as international migrants. Hurts said domestic migration still dwarfs international migration. 3. Which county grew faster: Ada or Canyon? The Boise metropolitan statistical area, which includes Ada, Canyon, Owyhee, Boise and Gem counties, continues to have a commanding lead in the state population. The higher a countys population, the darker its shading on this map. Ada and Canyon counties, lower left, have the largest populations, followed by Kootenai County near the top and Bonneville County on the right. Nearly 45% of all Idahoans reside within the Boise metropolitan area, according to the department. But Hurt said Ada County was not the fastest- growing county between April 2020 and July 2022. Canyon County grew much faster, Hurt said. You have Boundary and Bonner County up north, as well, growing (with) some of the fastest rates. Boise-area commuters are facing more traffic, longer commutes. These are the 10 worst roads Idaho income growth tops the nation. Is it becoming an elite state? What the data says New year, new career? These open Boise area jobs offer $60k-plus annually, plus benefits The federal government is responsible for the impact of federal land ownership on local communities. Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination (SRS) Act payments are one way the federal government contributes to meeting this responsibility. Congress must extend the SRS program this year to avoid any lapse in payments as we continue to work toward the goal of a permanent solution that alleviates uncertainty for Idaho counties. Counties often rely on property taxes to provide basic public services and infrastructure maintenance for local communities. However, lands managed by the federal government cannot be taxed by local or state governments, and more than 60 percent of Idaho is federal land. In a 1908 law, Congress directed the return of 25 percent of U.S. Forest Service gross receipts to the states to assist counties that are home to our national forests with roads and schools. However, over the years, timber receipts have eroded to the point where the federal obligation to local rural communities is not met through the receipts alone. To address the shortfall and prevent the loss of essential county schools and roads infrastructure, in 2000, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. This law has provided assistance to communities whose regular Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management receipt-sharing payments have declined significantly. Nearly 80 percent of Idahos counties receive county payments because of the large amount of National Forest System land in Idaho. Idahos rural counties rely on SRS payments to ensure funding for schools, road maintenance, public safety, search and rescue operations as well as mental and physical health services. Idaho counties received a total of $26.9 million in payments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 under the SRS program. Congress has extended and amended the Secure Rural Schools program multiple times. It was last extended for three years through 2023 and is due for renewal. In December, we saw welcome progress in this effort with the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passage of legislation I introduced with fellow U.S. Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho; Ron Wyden, D-Oregon; and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, to extend the program through 2026. This is an important step in the ultimate goal of alleviating uncertainty for rural county governments. The federal governments overspending problem, which has resulted in a more than $34 trillion and growing national debt, makes it increasingly difficult to ensure the federal government meets its responsibilities, including SRS payments. Nevertheless, I remain committed to enacting a long-term solution that provides a consistent mechanism for the federal government to meet its responsibilities while controlling federal overspending. As we work to strengthen revenue sharing with local governments by increasing timber harvests and restoration work on federally managed lands, the SRS program remains an important backstop to protect counties from losses during low-harvest years. I will continue to press for enactment of legislation to help the federal government prudently meet its responsibility to communities home to federal lands. Mike Crapo is Idahos senior U.S. senator. FRIANT, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A Fresno man has been identified as the victim in Saturdays deadly head-on crash near Millerton Lake, according to the Fresno County Sheriffs Office. The California Highway Patrol says around 2:30 p.m. 35-year-old Ryan Trevino of Fresno was driving a blue Chevy Silverado westbound on Millerton Road near Marina Drive. At the same time, 78-year-old John Tarter of Fresno was driving his white Toyota Tundra eastbound on the same road. Detectives report Trevinos Chevy crossed over the solid double yellow lines and crashed head-on into Tarters Toyota. Witnesses told officers that the blue Chevy was driving recklessly before the crash. Officers say Tarter succumbed to his injuries while his passenger sustained major injuries. Investigators report Trevino is still in the hospital for treatment of his major injuries and is being investigated for suspicion of driving under the influence, as alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash. The Fresno County Sheriffs Office notes that this is the second suspected DUI incident Trevino has been involved in over the last few months, with the other resulting in his arrest in October of 2023. This is an active investigation and more information will be released as it becomes available. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com. CHICAGO Support for a gun education and safety lock program has the Lake County Prosecutors Office looking for help from the county council in accepting donations to launch the effort. Bernie Johnsen, supervising deputy prosecutor, said since Indiana changed its gun laws in 2023 enabling easy access to firearms for almost anybody, there has been a substantial number of accidental shootings of children. The statute has changed and almost anybody can have a gun, Johnsen said. Many gun owners have no training and do not fully understand how their weapons work. Some of the people dont understand guns will fire with the magazine out and a bullet in the chamber. They dont understand the operation factor of handguns. Johnsen said for the first time, a prosecutors office is going to establish a gun safety program. The program will involve classroom and range training and has the support of several local businesses. Both Hard Rock Northern Indiana and NIPSCO have pledged their support for the program. In a release Prosecutor Bernie Carters office said it is joining forces with Indiana State Police; Andrew Holmes, community activist and found of Lock It Down Foundation; Lisette Guillen with Case Files Chicago; Prosecutor Carters Clergy Council; and representatives from Hard Rock Northern Indiana and NiSource to offer the program. It has become evident that education on gun safety and the distribution of free gun safety locks to the community is of the utmost importance, Carter said. The distribution of gun safety locks will include working with our Lake County Prosecutors Clergy Council to distribute safety locks at church services and events, Carter said. He said members of the clergy are community leaders who play a critical role in the lives of the people they serve. It is for that reason that we feel strongly that by distributing our gun safety locks through our churches, we can successfully reach our community, Carter said. The gun safety locks also will be distributed at resource fairs and schools through opportunities at parent teacher conferences, orientations and school social events. Johnsen at the Tuesday council meeting said the office currently has $7,500 in commitments and needs a place for the money to go once it is received. Along with funding the gun safety training, raised funds will go to support free gun safety lock distribution. The safety locks will be distributed through the local clergy. We dont have the money in our budget to do something like that, Johnsen said. The donations will allow the office to pay for ammunition, training materials and time at the shooting range. Its a very valuable program thats needed now with the gun laws, Johnsen said. In his 11 years as a prosecutor, he said he has never seen so many children shot by guns owned by caregivers. Council President Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, said the council would create the ordinance for its February meeting. I think this is a very valuable program, Cid said. Councilman Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, said the state should be on the hook to help fund such a program because it was the changes legislators made to statute that created the problem. Bilski said the county should send a resolution to the state that shows this is what the county structured and how the county is handling this, and what the impact of the changed law has on Lake County. You changed the laws, now help fund it, Bilski said. ____ Mount Marapi spews volcanic material from its crater during an eruption in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Dozens of people living on the slopes of Mount Marapi have been evacuated from their homes after Indonesian authorities raised the alert level of of the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) volcano to the second highest as it continues to erupt. (AP Photo/Givo Alputra) FLORES TIMUR, Indonesia (AP) Indonesia has evacuated about 6,500 people on the island of Flores after Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano spewed thick clouds of brownish ash for the past days, authorities said on Monday. No casualties or major damage have been reported so far. The eruptions in East Nusa Tenggara province are part of hot gas spills that have become more frequent in recent days. The 1,584-meter (5,197 foot) mountain is one of the twin volcanoes the Lewotobi Laki-laki and Lewotobi Perempuan in the Flores Timur district. The volcano has erupted 40 times since Sunday, with columns of hot clouds rising 500-1,500 meters (1,600-4,900 feet) into the air. Residents in nearby villages were taken in by relatives or brought to evacuation centers as authorities raised the volcanos alert status to the highest level last Tuesday. Officials urge the local community, as well as visitors and tourists, to stay away from a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius around the eruption zone and be aware of the potential for cold lava surging into rivers upstream from the peak in case of intense rain. Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people. The country is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesias Mount Marapi erupted again on Sunday, for the second time since December, spewing smoke and ash high into the air, but no casualties were reported. At least 100 residents were evacuated there since Friday. ___ Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency warned international shippers on Monday to steer clear of parts of the Gulf of Aden, as Houthi militants continue strikes on civilian cargo vessels. Houthi militants struck the American-owned M/V Gibraltar Eagle with a missile on Monday, damaging it. That attack re-upped calls for caution in the region. The Yemeni group has launched attacks on civilian ships in the region for weeks, including American ships, as the U.S. government leads a military response with allies. A set of U.S.-U.K. joint airstrikes last week hit more than 60 targets in Yemen, killing five people, Houthi leadership said. President Biden said the attacks were also supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. The president justified the action as a necessary defensive strike against a force that targeted American vessels in the Red Sea. Todays defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels escalating attacks against commercial vessels, Biden said. These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the worlds most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary, he added. The rising conflict and confluence with the Israel-Hamas war have raised concerns for Red Sea shipping and for the wider Middle East. Shipping giant Maersk ordered its ships around the Cape of Good Hope earlier this month, adding days to transit times, citing the threat of Houthi attacks. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Heres what we know right now: Donald Trump has won the Iowa caucuses, and hes done so handily. Heres what we dont know: His final margin of victory, and who comes in second place. Both are questions that will be poured over by political observers in the coming days, in large part because "Trump raised expectations in the state so much that he needed a resounding victory to meet them." Putting Trumps victory in perspective A landslide is sometimes defined by political strategists as a victory of between 7 to 10 points. Former Nixon speechwriter William Safire, who wrote the On Language column for The New York Times as well as the classic Safires Political Dictionary, defined it as A resounding victory, one in which the opposition is buried. Donald Trump in Iowa. (Sergio Flores/Reuters) Given how quickly the normally cautious Associated Press called the race, Trump is all but certain to cross Safires threshold. This might even be the biggest victory in the history of the Iowa caucuses, at least in a competitive year, a record currently held by the late Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, who beat his closest challenger, the evangelical pastor Pat Robertson, by about 13 points in 1988. Still, as Yahoo News National Correspondent Jon Ward notes, Trump probably needs to win around 45% of the vote in Iowa to meet expectations. If his total is less than that, his rivals will see an opportunity to upend the race in next weeks primary in New Hampshire, which will be held on Jan. 23. This is particularly true if Nikki Haley, who has been polling well in New Hampshire although still well behind Trump, manages a second place finish in Iowa. How does the Associated Press declare a winner? Unlike many news outlets, the AP simply declares that a candidate has won an election. It does not hedge, like many networks do, with words like projected winner. It simply says a candidate has defeated their rivals. This has allowed the AP to avoid the mistakes other news organizations have made, such as in the 2000 presidential race, which some news networks called incorrectly or prematurely. This is how the AP puts it: This hallmark of AP's Election Day news report is produced by a dedicated team of election analysts, researchers and race callers who make up our Decision Team. AP does not make projections or name apparent or likely winners. If our race callers cannot definitively say a candidate has won, we do not engage in speculation. AP did not call the closely contested race in 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore we stood behind our assessment that the margin in Florida made it too close to say who won. Today is Caucus Day, and candidates have spent the weekend fighting extreme cold temperatures, snow and ice to meet with Iowa voters. Candidates took jabs at one another as well, and comedians have popped up at least three campaign events to troll Republican presidential hopefuls. The latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Saturday showed former UN ambassador Nikki Haley pulling ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for second-most popular among candidates. The Democratic party is holding only a mail-in voting system to conduct party business this year, meaning all eyes are on the Republican party today. It may be one of the coldest Caucus Days on record for Iowans, but here is what to know if you're following along from afar. More: Iowa Caucus live updates: How does it work? What does it mean for 2024? What to know. Hundreds wait in sub-zero temperatures to attend a rally for Former President Donald Trump, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. When are the Iowa Caucuses in 2024? Iowas Republican caucuses begin at 7 p.m., central time, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. What is the significance of the Iowa Caucuses? As the first-in-the-nation contest, the Iowa Caucuses are the first test of voters' presidential preference. Iowans will cast their vote to determine what percentage of the state's 40 national convention delegates each candidate receives. Although Iowa only provides 1.6% of Republican delegates in the U.S., the contest can give candidates who do better than expected momentum while dampening prospects for those who seem to fall flat with voters. What happens at the Iowa Caucus? Gary Leffler attends a rally for Former President Donald Trump,Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Iowa caucusgoers hold a binding vote for the party's presidential nominee at designated caucus sites and elect delegates to county conventions. The event does not require a minimum threshold to qualify for delegates. Delegates will attend this summer's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the party's nominee will be chosen. The Iowa Caucus voting is done by secret ballot with no set list of candidates to choose from. Some caucus sites provide pre-printed names of major candidates and a write-in option but most of the time voters write the name of the candidate on a blank paper sheet. When will we know the results of the caucuses? Representatives from the Republican Party of Iowa said results should be available a few hours after the event starts at 7 p.m. Historically, results haven't always been available on caucus night. The 2020 Democratic Iowa Caucuses were plagued with technical issues on a newly rolled-out app meant to seamlessly report results. It would be several weeks before the party announced that candidate Pete Buttigieg had secured the most delegates. Haley gets bump in Register's Iowa Poll Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley takes photos with supporters after a campaign stop Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Jethro's BBQ in Ames, IA. Former president Donald Trump shows a commanding lead among Republican candidates, but a Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll releases Saturday showed Haley pulling ahead of DeSantis for the second-place spot for the first time. Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Marina Pitofsky, Stephen Gruber-Miller, Brianne Pfannenstiel, Katie Akin, USA TODAY-Network This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iowa Caucuses: What to know about significance, time and results Every four years, Americans on the East and West coasts remember there exists a mysterious and enchanted place called Iowa. We here in the Midwest are familiar with the state, largely because its residents deep-fry anything thats not nailed down and the jet stream carries those fumes into our yards and homes. We routinely have to go to the border and yell, HEY, CAN YOU MAYBE TURN OFF THE FRYER FOR LIKE 10 FREAKIN MINUTES OR SOMETHING?!? But for those in distant lands like New York or California, the ones who believe the Midwest is as fictional a place as Narnia, Iowa only comes to mind when its time for the quadrennial caucuses. Sadly, its time. Iowa caucuses will be like watching paint dry Trump's going to win Monday evening, voters across Iowa will gather at caucus sites to decide which of the Republican presidential primary candidates will not beat leading GOP candidate, former president and current criminal defendant Donald Trump. If the polls are even remotely accurate, one can imagine groups of conservative Iowans coming together in gymnasiums and community centers at 7 p.m. CST and having one person say: Sooooo Trump, right? Former President Donald Trump speaks as Fox News hosts a town hall at the Iowa Events Center on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Des Moines, IA. And everyone replies: Yep. And then they all go home to their damnable deep-fryers. But of course, its not that simple. The Iowa caucuses are much darker and more ritualistic than the average non-Iowan realizes. Its an oft-bloody affair with deep pagan roots. To truly understand how they work, you must go back to the beginning. Few realize the Iowa caucus is rooted in pagan Viking traditions About 1,000 years ago, Vikings landed on the shores of North America. One group of Norsemen got separated from the others and, not being particularly good at Viking-ing, wandered roughly into the middle of what is now the United States. Confused and frustrated, the seafaring people decided to make the best of things and settle in a flat, landlocked land, declaring their new realm Iowa, which in their Old Norse tongue meant: Oops. Abortion is the issue of this election: Trump is 'proud' about taking away abortion rights. Republicans will keep losing because of it. Over time, they developed a system for picking leaders. For reasons that remain unclear, the group decided that every four years they would undertake a ritual nobody outside Iowa would understand, a ceremony that would be of great importance to the people of Iowa and of zero importance to anyone else. University of Iowa students hold up numbered cards while they caucus, Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa. The Vikings who by then called themselves Iowayans gathered around pits of flaming animal fat (the first-known examples of rudimentary deep-fryers in North America) and talked and talked and talked until everyone had just about had it with all the blah-blah. (Blah-blah is an Old Norse term for bloviating nonsense that delays eating supper.) Have Bjorn blow the Gjallarhorn and let's get home to our supper! There would then be some light human sacrifice, a few elders would douse themselves in goats blood (rams were not available), someone named Jurgen would blow the Gjallarhorn then everyone would write the name of the leader they wanted in the dirt using a chicken bone. Whichever leader got the most votes won, and the people who didnt pick that person were immediately tossed into the pit of burning animal fat. Taylor Swift, Biden operative: Fox News' Jesse Watters ruins Taylor Swift psy-op unit meant to reelect Biden Remarkably, little about the Iowa caucuses has changed since that time. The human sacrifice bit was done away with back in 2018 thanks a lot, Woke Mob and the Gjallarhorn can now be blown by a man named Jurgen or a woman named Freya. But those picking the losing candidates are still summarily deep-fried, a fact that doesnt bode well for current Iowan supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis greets guests after speaking during the Scott County Fireside Chat at the Tanglewood Hills Pavilion on December 18, 2023 in Bettendorf, Iowa. Iowa Republicans will be the first to select their party's nomination for the 2024 presidential race when they go to caucus on January 15, 2024. The term 'cauci' is more accurate, thank you very much The pagan ceremony was renamed a caucus in the early 1960s to honor Torsten The Berseker Caucus, the last Iowan able to trace his lineage directly back to the confused Vikings who founded the state. (Fun Fact: The correct plural term for these primary voting sessions is the Iowas cauci, but locals never correct anyone because theyre too busy looking for things to deep-fry.) Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley shakes off the cold as she arrives for a campaign stop at the Nevada Fairgrounds community building on December 18, 2023 in Nevada, Iowa. Iowa Republicans will be the first to select their party's nominee for the 2024 presidential race when they go to caucus on January 15, 2024. I hope this provides a clearer window into what will happen Monday. For Iowans, the night will be long, cold and bloody. And roughly as consequential as this column. 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: How does Iowa caucus work? Voting method dates back to Vikings. Maybe Going into Mondays Iowa Caucus contest, Republican presidential candidates are aggressively trying to manage expectations for their results, with Donald Trump tempering the idea that he should win with 50% or more of the vote, and Ron DeSantis team pushing supporters to believe he can still be victorious. The candidates fanned out across the state over the weekend, trying to reach Iowans even as the weather forced event cancellations and schedule changes. DeSantis campaigned with his top surrogate and endorser, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who on Saturday pushed supporters at the Never Back Down office in West Des Moines to turn out despite the cold. We need to get to the caucus, she said. And if we get to the caucus, I can tell you without hesitation, with the energy, the motivation, just what we're seeing as we travel the state: This guy is going to be the winner of the Iowa Caucus on Monday night. It was a bold statement that came before the latest Des Moines Register/NBC News Iowa Poll showed DeSantis dropping to third place. More: Iowa caucus night: Where to find results, follow live coverage Trump leads with 48% among likely Republican caucusgoers, Nikki Haley climbs to 20%, and DeSantis sits at 16%. Vivek Ramaswamy also grew his share of the vote, landing in fourth place at 8%. But at a time when campaigns have traditionally tried to temper expectations so as to outperform them on caucus night, those in DeSantis orbit are doubling down on their messaging, saying DeSantis will do well in the caucuses. DeSantis is in it to win it, a strategist aligned with the candidate told the Register. We are aiming for first but gunning for a close second, and were the only team thats been consistent in that message. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign stop on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Chrome Horse Saloon in Cedar Rapids. DeSantis message appears aimed at ensuring his supporters remain energized and eager to caucus. The Iowa Poll shows his supporters are more likely to say they will definitely caucus for him. Among his supporters, 62% say they will definitely rather than probably caucus. It is 56% of Trump supporters and 51% of Haley supporters. On Monday night, this guy who they say can't win is going to win because of you guys, evangelical leader and DeSantis endorser Bob Vander Plaats told supporters in West Des Moines. Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, too, was predicting a surprising upset, saying he would win the Iowa Caucuses. We will not stop until we get this job done, Ramaswamy said Sunday afternoon during a stop at a downtown Ames restaurant. Tomorrow night we win the Iowa Caucus, and then we win this primary and then we win the general. With your help, I will deliver you a landslide. Ramaswamy said he's still expecting to turn out people whom the polls aren't identifying. "If they're showing up, we've shown up for them as well," Ramaswamy said. "I think that's going to be rewarded by our supporters on the night of the caucuses, and I think we're going to deliver a shock tomorrow night that changes the dynamic of this race." GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to voters at a Commit to Caucus rally on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Grimaldis Pizzeria in Ankeny, IA. Although the Iowa Poll shows Haley leapfrogging DeSantis into second place, it also shows warning signs for the former South Carolina governor. Her supporters indicate they are far less enthusiastic about caucusing for her than DeSantis or Trumps supporters. That could become an issue as Iowa faces frigid temperatures following a blizzard. More: Iowa caucus night: Where to find results, follow live coverage Haley has been careful not to set a clear bar for herself on caucus night, instead saying she intends to have a strong showing. Iowa sets the tone for where the country goes when it comes to these elections. There are no foregone conclusions, she told Iowans during a virtual town hall Sunday morning. We are going to make you proud, she continued. Thats my No. 1 goal. We are going to make you proud. Were already moving up in the polls. Everybody else is moving down. We see the surge. But its only as good as if you show up tomorrow. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley takes photos with supporters after a campaign stop Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Jethro's BBQ in Ames, IA. During early visits to Iowa, Trump was explicit about his plan for the caucuses a landslide, and potentially historic, victory, far surpassing the previous Republican record margin of 12 percentage points in 1996. But in recent events, he's warned supporters to not let polling dissuade them from showing up, saying that anything other than a large margin would make his front-runner status look fragile. "You can't sit home," Trump said at a rally in Indianola Sunday. "If you're sick as a dog even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it." The former president met with volunteers at Hotel Fort Des Moines on Sunday morning, saying he didn't believe he would eclipse 50% of the vote on Caucus Day. "There seems to be something about 50, I don't know if we break 50," Trump said. Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event ahead of the Iowa Caucus on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at Simpson College in Indianola. As it became increasingly apparent that severe weather would be front and center on caucus night and could cut turnout the former president's top staff also sought to slightly temper expectations. "A win is a win," senior adviser Chris LaCivita told reporters after Trump attended a Fox News town hall in Des Moines on Thursday. "But anything over 12 (points), I think, is a great night." Asked whether there was a hope for Trump to eclipse 50% as a show of majority support, LaCivita mostly waved away the idea. "No one's ever gotten 50 or higher," he said. "So we'll just wait and see." A 12-point victory, if it came to pass Monday night, would be a significant underperformance compared with Iowa polling throughout the last year. The new Iowa Poll showed Trump with a 28-percentage point lead. And yet, it would still be a historically large victory for a Republican presidential candidate in a competitive caucus cycle. Bob Doles 12-point win over Pat Buchanan in 1996 is the widest winning margin for a contested Republican caucus. There's two races to watch, Republican operative David Kochel, an Iowa Caucus campaign veteran, previously told the Register. Trump vs. his expectations because that will be how he's viewed, since it's now kind of assumed that he'll win. And then the other race is Haley vs. DeSantis. Who can make the strongest argument coming out of Iowa and into New Hampshire and beyond? Des Moines Register reporters Galen Bacharier, Katie Akin and Philip Joens, and USA Today reporter Savannah Kuchar contributed to this story. Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: GOP presidential candidates manage expectations ahead of Iowa Caucuses The scene on a cool Sunday morning in Osceola, Iowa, could have been out of a movie about the Iowa caucuses. Roughly 40 people had gathered in a narrow storefront on the otherwise empty town square. The wind was brisk, the sky was the color of faded whitewashed paint, and the only activity around town was a freight train rumbling by. Inside the room, which was jammed with folding tables, attendees sat with tall travel mugs and patiently waited for a candidate who had been darting around Iowa at a frantic pace: Vivek Ramaswamy. It was an event like thousands of others in the half century since the Hawkeye State stumbled into its first-in-the-nation role during presidential primaries. There was a local politician touting his support for Ramaswamy and explaining that this long shot did actually have a path to victory, despite all signs to the contrary. Being a Republican event, there was a prayer. Being Iowa, the officiant made sure to give thanks to the Almighty for letting us live in Iowa, where we have caucuses and first-in-the-nation status. And being a political event, the candidate was late. The typical advantages of starting early in the morning were canceled out by an uncooperative campaign bus. Once he got there, the rhetoric was standard Ramaswamy. He flattered Iowa crowds for being particularly astute and letting him get into policy details at campaign events. He suggested that the nature of the Iowa caucuses meant that Big Tech couldnt try to interfere with the results, and that allowed candidates like him to have a chance. There are no social media algorithms distorting what youre thinking in this room, Ramaswamy said, beaming. Juiced by occasional rounds of applause instigated by a staffer sitting in the back of the room, Ramaswamy introduced his wife, took questions from the audience, and gave his spiel about why he is the natural successor to Donald Trump: a candidate willing to go even further than the former president for the populist, isolationist right but a youthful voice who can inspire a revolution in American politics. It was his version of the delicate dance that all Republican candidates have had to undertake in a race where Trump is not merely the front-runner but the de facto incumbent and leader of the party. After all, trailing candidates are supposed to attack a front-runner, but it is taboo to challenge an incumbent. Yet, as typical as this scene felt, it also felt like a political anachronism. Although the Iowa caucuses are still a local contest, the wildly polarized news environment and an increasingly homogenized political system have flattened it. Its not just the looming presence of Donald Trump as the first former incumbent to mount a comeback bid in the modern era but also the sense that the very nature of American politics has changedat least for now. Because for as much as Iowans still treasure their long history of boosting underdogs into winning victories, a Jimmy Carter or a Rick Santorum couldnt come out of Iowa successful in the modern era. Its an age when the endorsements of online influencers or podcasters carry as much weight as those of local elected officials and political viability is assessed as much by the arbitrary thresholds used to determine the stage for televised debates as by grassroots organizing. The frenzied on-the-ground politicking of the past has given way, increasingly, to 30-second campaign ads and cable news hits. The result is a politics that has become increasingly generic. Pet local issues have faded from the stump speechafter all, Fox News does a lot more segments about trans athletes in high school sports than ethanol. Its not that the candidates havent been putting in work. Ramaswamys race around the state has meant, at times, clocking half a dozen appearances a day. Nikki Haley is working the crowds that come out to see her, telling people to ignore the polls and mediabut also, by the way, did you see the Wall Street Journal poll from the end of last year that showed her beating Biden by 17 points in a hypothetical matchup? In early December, Ron DeSantis completed a full Grassley, the local term for the significant undertaking that is visiting every one of Iowas 99 counties. Vivek Ramaswamy during a campaign stop at Chads Pizza and Restaurant in Grundy Center, Iowa, in January. Joe Raedle/Getty Images This is a ritual that politicians have long performed to demonstrate their seriousness about competing not only in the states more populous areas but in its rural parts, which include vast, sparsely populated tracts far from commercial airports. Its easy to fly into Des Moines or Cedar Rapids, but showing up in Adams County or Palo Alto County requires real effort. Traditionally, this wasnt just an effective tactic to woo rural votersit was a message as well, an effort to convince caucusgoers that a candidate deserves their support because he is campaigning for it the right way, the Iowa way. A candidate not doing that is Donald Trump. He wont make it to even 20 counties by caucus night. In November, Trump held a raucous rally in a high school gymnasium in Fort Dodge, a fading factory town 90 miles northwest of Des Moines. It was an event where he did absolutely everything one is advised not to do as a politician here. He denigrated local elected officials, saying he was responsible for the 2022 reelection of Chuck Grassley, the states nonagenarian senator, who began his undefeated electoral streak in the state during the Eisenhower administration. Trump also took credit for the victories of the states other senator, Joni Ernst, as well as the governor, Kim Reynolds, whom he spoke of with scorn because of her support for DeSantis. He was casual even about the need to attempt to campaign in Iowa. As Trump riffed on the podiumabout, in this case, his desire to reoccupy Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and his insistence that the audience watch the 1962 thriller The Manchurian Candidatethe former president casually mentioned that hed be back four or five times, maybe six times before the election, in a state where Ramaswamy had rented an apartment for the home stretch. Trumps reward? A lead of 51 percent to 19 percent over DeSantis, his closest competitor in the benchmark Des Moines Register poll of the state in early December. It was the largest lead recorded in the polls history for any competitive Iowa caucus. Yet, despite Trumps substantial lead, the campaign for second continued unabated. For $25 a ticket, Bob Vander Plaats, a top evangelical activist in the state, welcomed voters to the 2023 Thanksgiving Family Forum, a conservative confab held on a Friday evening in Des Moines. The event boasted Haley and DeSantis togetherwith Ramaswamy a bonus. A stage in an overheated ballroom was set up for the event, like some bizarre mix of a family Thanksgiving dinner and the set of the old television show Hee Haw. There were hay bales stacked alongside pumpkins and gourds. The candidates sat at a dining room table that featured a large cornucopia and a Bible. Vander Plaats presided at the head of the table, moderating a family discussion, pitched as a sort of reprieve from the antagonism of the primary debates. The evangelical leader had made clear that opposition to abortion was the single most important factor in his decision about whom to endorse. All three candidates discussed their disapproval of abortion in sharply personal terms, referencing the difficulty they experienced as families trying to get pregnant. The event seemed almost tailored for DeSantis, who has tried to position himself as the most socially conservative candidate. Vander Plaats has long been a skeptic of Trump, and among Iowa operatives, it had been taken for granted he would endorse DeSantis. (He did so days later.) Still, both DeSantis and Ramaswamy invested in hospitality suites for attendees and had their pitches ready to woo a crowd of fervent evangelicals they hoped were not wedded to Trump. Haley, who has focused more on New Hampshire, seemed to be there more to check boxes than to win hearts. The South Carolina governors path to victory didnt require her to be beloved by the attendeesjust to win enough of them over as a second choice if DeSantis collapse continued in the polls. Vander Plaats is a longtime Iowa power broker who has commanded a strong base of support among evangelical voters in the state. He led the successful 2010 effort to oust the Iowa Supreme Court justices who ruled that Iowas ban on same-sex marriage violated the state constitution. He has endorsed the three most recent Republicans who have gone on to win contested Iowa caucuses. But his endorsement of DeSantis this year, when it finally came, didnt move the needle one bit. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigns in Urbandale, Iowa, in January. Joe Raedle/Getty Images DeSantis distinguished himself early in the primaryindeed, before he was even officially in itwith his dogged appeal to evangelical voters as a candidate who wholeheartedly shares their values on social issues. Trump lost Iowa in 2016 to Ted Cruz in part because of skepticism from many social conservatives that the thrice-married New Yorker could be trusted on issues like abortion in office. The Florida governor has tried to reopen this wedge on the campaign trail by talking about putting on the full armor of God and emphasizing his sincerity in fighting leftism and pursuing an anti-woke agenda. And the Florida governor did start 2023 as a seeming juggernaut. Fresh off a landslide victory for reelection and receiving rapturous coverage from conservative media, DeSantis appeared within striking distance of Trump in polls. He built a bifurcated political operation that invested in doing everything right. It wasnt just that he visited all 99 counties but that he built up a strong field operation and rolled out an impressive roster of local endorsements. It was an operation that did everything according to the long-established rules but did very little to recognize how much the underlying game had changed. The elevator pitch for DeSantis campaignthat he would be like Trump, only more competent and far more sincere as a social conservativemoved few. Instead, his campaign has stumbled. He has struggled to connect with voters on the trail and has dealt with internal turmoil that led top aides to step away. DeSantis has done his best to try to fight back against the narrative of a declining campaign. On a separate day, in a small, overcrowded office in suburban Des Moines, he tried to project an air of strength. The room was roughly a third Iowans, a third journalists, and a third DeSantis staffers. It felt disjointed: A prayer was immediately followed by Poisons Nothing but a Good Time blasting through the confined space. DeSantis brief remarks were a mix of cliches and jabs at Trump, who remained unnamed. DeSantis stood in front of a bus with Reynolds, the governor, who had recently endorsed him, and engaged in a long-standing tradition for candidates sliding in the polls: He took questions from television network embeds about why he was losing and gave answers about why, contrary to the polls, he would still win. Its hard to determine whether this lack of Iowan elan vital is because Trump is the front-runner or if Trump is the front-runner because of the lack of elan vital. The two are dependent variables. Trumps rise and continuation as the Republican front-runner after one coup attempt and 91 criminal charges (over several indictments) have undoubtedly contributed to a nationalized environment where candidates doing traditional retail politics matters far less than it did before. Then again, if traditional retail politics still mattered, Trump wouldnt be poised to become the nominee. He might never even have become the Republican nominee in the first place in 2016. The model for how retail politics can shape a presidential campaign was Rick Santorums 2012 run for the Republican nomination. Despite being an afterthought in the polls for most of the year, the former Pennsylvania senator relentlessly went from town to town in Iowa, making campaign stop after campaign stop. The result was that he won the Iowa caucusesalbeit only after three weeks of a muddled countand came close to besting the far-better-funded Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination. Santorum, who has remained neutral in 2024, told Slate he was unsure if that kind of low-budget campaign could be successful against a former president. Besides, its harder to go out there and anonymously be in the vineyards and have the national media not pay any attention to you, he said. If youre not gaining presence on social media, if youre not driving any kind of attention there, then youre probably not going to get much grassroots support in Iowa because caucusgoers pay attention to what goes on on social media, Santorum added. Still, he said, he thought there would always be demand for grassroots politics, particularly in a state like Iowa, and predicted that eventually the pendulum would swing back to a more traditional form of campaigning. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley arrives at a campaign event at the Olympic Theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in January. Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images Nikki Haley has been running a different kind of traditional campaign, presenting herself as the candidate of the GOP establishment. Republican caucusgoers in the Hawkeye State have long had a pronounced bent toward social conservatives, which makes the state tough political terrain for those candidates running from the Chamber of Commerce wing of the party. But those candidates still play in the state in order to do enough to meet the expectations of pundits and media and maybe eke out a surprise as well. Fitting this mold, Haleys events have had a polished feel to them. Speaking on a crisp Friday morning at a lodge of an Italian-American fraternal group in the Des Moines suburbs, she addressed a packed room of mostly older voters arranged around her in a half-moon. She gave a precisely scripted stump speech and stayed on message as she took questions afterward in sound bites so concise that they could have been given in debates. Nobody could accuse her of not staying on message. Even attempts to needle her were brushed aside. Fortune cookies with the message Nikki Haley hearts China had been distributed around the event in a pro-DeSantis attempt to paint the former South Carolina governor as overly sympathetic to the CCP regime. But not a single voter saw them. Yet, while it was polished, it was also paint-by-the-number. There was no underlying ideological urgency or even strong policy specifics to what Haley was offering. Instead, it simply felt like an aspiration to be generic Republican without a strong contrast to other candidates. It is rhetoric that is the political equivalent of eating celery. It certainly doesnt seem unhealthy to consume, but it just doesnt provide much nourishment. There will always be regional differences between states, and a caucus in Iowa will always be inherently different than if it were held in Idaho or Indiana. Every state has a unique demographic mix and a different economic base. But a states politics should be more than its particular percentage of college-educated white voters or weekly churchgoers or any other host of statistics laid out in an Excel spreadsheet. Its not that candidates are no longer showing up in small town squares or trying to persuade local bigwigs to rally behind them. They can still be seen flipping pork chops at the state fair or pretending to support Iowa or Iowa State sports. There is still movement in the polls; in some, Haley has overtaken DeSantis as a distant second to Trump in Iowa, for example, but only after national momentum appeared to coalesce around her as the long-shot alternative candidate. But it all seems more homogenized and, as a result, less meaningful and less vital than the last Republican contest did even eight years ago, when voters here relegated Trump to second place behind Ted Cruz. In other words, Iowa increasingly seems less like a proving ground for candidates. Instead, its more like a sprawling studio where candidates can perform for cable news. (Bloomberg) -- US lawmakers are on the cusp of an incredible opportunity to give the next president tools to better control migration at the US-Mexico border, Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said. Most Read from Bloomberg It needs to be right now, Ernst said Monday in an interview with Bloomberg Televisions Balance of Power show in Des Moines, Iowa. Whoever we have in the White House come next January, they will have the tools necessary on Day One to have much better border protection and policy than we do today. US lawmakers on Sunday released a stopgap spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown on Jan. 20. The measure is intended in part to give a bipartisan group of Senate negotiators additional time to reach consensus on legislation aimed at controlling migration at the southern border. This is an incredible opportunity, Ernst said, adding that the negotiators were working on a deal that we can present to the American people to actually do something and force the Democrats to accept. Speaking hours ahead of her home states first-in-the-nations caucuses Monday night, Ernst noted that the border is the second most important issue to Iowa voters after the economy. She also expressed frustration about outside groups rejecting the border talks, noting that this is the furthest Republicans have gotten on reaching an immigration deal in years. But opposition to the plan is already fomenting among House conservatives, suggesting that the only way for the plan to get through that chamber given Republicans razor-thin majority might be for Speaker Mike Johnson to rely on support from Democrats, a tactic that could prompt calls for his ouster. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan said Sunday in an interview with Bloomberg Television he was confident that Johnson would oppose the Senate proposal, which he characterized as dead-on-arrival in the House. Weve got to see the plan, but based on whats leaked out thus far, theres no way Im going to go for that. Theres no way Speaker Johnsons going to go for that, the Ohio Republican said. --With assistance from Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Donald Trumps closing message in Iowa before the first votes of the 2024 presidential election was a familiar one. Hes convinced his supporters that his legal problems are their own, and that hes the only one who can stop them, while stringing along a fake narrative that the 2020 election was stolen from them. As he targets a key Republican voting bloc of evangelical Christians, the former president is leaning into a fantasy among supporters and social media influencers depicting him as something of a messianic figure, who was sent by God as a shepherd to mankind who ends his week in the Oval Office by attending church on Sunday, according to one video shared by his campaign. Mr Trump never joined a church during his presidency, nor was he seen attending services more than a handful of times. Nevertheless, he shared the video, from a group of meme creators who have worked closely with the former presidents campaign, hours before votes were cast in Iowa. The caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory against his political enemies, he told a rally crowd on 14 January. The Washington swamp has done everything in its power to take away your voice, he said. His campaign has relied on the mountain of criminal charges and lawsuits against him to cast himself as a victim of political persecution. His evangelical support has cast him as a Biblical David against the deep state Goliath, while he echoes white supremacist manifestos and plots his revenge against the justice system. In 2016, with evangelical Christian voters making up roughly two-thirds of votes cast, Mr Trump lost the Iowa caucus to Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Eight years later, polls show the former president consolidating support among evangelical Christians in the state. Fifty-one per cent support Mr Trump. Ron DeSantis, who has spent months in the state visiting every count and courting evangelical support, trails with 22 per cent. Its disheartening, if not surprising, that Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians have been able to consolidate so much evangelical Christian support in Iowa, following years of lies that portray their violent cause as a holy war, Rev Nathan Empsall, executive director of Faithful America, told The Independent. In Iowa, the number of people who associate themselves with a congregation has fallen nearly 13 per cent from 2010 to 2020, opening a vacuum for fringe influencers on social media, and making political partisanship not religion and community a governing identity. Roughly half of evangelicals surveyed in an AP-NORC poll in October said they have a favourable view of the former president. That view is even higher among white born-again Christians, at 56 per cent. When we elected Donald Trump in 2016 we didnt know what we were gonna get, according to Iowas Rob Vander Plaats, the influential right-wing Christian leader of the Family Leader, who endorsed Mr DeSantis. Mr Vander Plaats argued in an op-ed for the Des Moines Register that the system and sheer number of Trump haters will never allow him to win the presidency, and that Mr DeSantis could ensure justice for Mr Trump. But Mr Trump is similarly arguing to evangelicals that those are the very same reasons he should be elected instead while promising retribution for his supporters, undercutting arguments from a kingmaker among Iowa Christians. People raise their arms in prayer during a rally for evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump at the King Jesus International Ministry church, Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, in Miami. ((AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) I think they are doing the same thing they did to Jesus on the cross, one Christian voter told the Associated Press. I am being indicted for you. My first thought went to, Well, Jesus Christ died for my sins. Jesus died for me, another voter told MSNBC. So it connects in my brain that way, like, OK, hes doing this for us and hes the target, where we dont have to be. Right-wing Christians achieved a long-held victory with Mr Trumps appointment of three justices to the US Supreme Court, where the new conservative supermajority revoked a constitutional right to abortion care by overturning the decades-long precedent in Roe v Wade. He also recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital and endorsed a plan to annex large swaths of the West Bank, measures he promoted to evangelical Christians as he campaigned for re-election in 2020. He also has characterised immigrants, civil rights for marginalised Americans, and the federal government itself as threats to Christian America, telling supporters in Iowa this month that Christians and Americans of faith are being persecuted and government has been weaponized against religion like never before. Those supporters, seeing the criminal indictments against him, are resolute in their support out of loyalty to him, and having his back, and saying, if the governments going against you, if its weaponized against you, its actually weaponised against us, so therefore were going to have your back, according to Mr Vander Plaats. His support among white evangelicals in Iowa tracks alongside national polling. The Public Religion Research Institutes 2023 American Values Survey found that 44 per cent of white evangelical Republican voters preferred Mr Trump. People think its all a good-and-evil election and need a strongman, according to Tim Lubinus, executive director of Iowas Baptist convention, speaking to The New Yorker. Mr Trump was courting evangelical votes in Iowa hours before he was planning to appear for the opening day of a second defamation trial in New York, where a woman he sexually assaulted could be awarded damages for his statements about her. His lawyers spent the weekend trying to convince a judge to postpone the hearing so he could attend his mother in laws funeral. His campaign, however, continued to schedule events through the rest of the week. He also tried to postpone closing arguments in his civil fraud trial last week for similar reasons. He also attended that, falsely claiming that he was forced off the trail to be there, and then used the courtroom as an extension of his campaign. Mr Trumps language is echoed by Christian nationalists in Congress and among elected officials across the country, intersecting with rampant election denialism and conspiracy-mongering that risks inflaming threats of political violence, according to a coalition of faith leaders who are warning their congregations about threats to faith communities and democracy from Christian nationalist campaigns. While most of his opponents may not share his vulgarity or bombast, Donald Trump is not the only dangerous Christian-nationalist candidate in this race, Rev Empsall told The Independent. Most American Christians reject the Christofascism and Christian nationalism that Trump and MAGA stand for, and will continue to do so throughout this election season and beyond. China ready to coordinate with Switzerland in jointly addressing global challenges, says Chinese premier Xinhua) 08:25, January 15, 2024 Chinese Premier Li Qiang is greeted by Viola Amherd, president of the Swiss Confederation, upon his arrival at Zurich international airport in Zurich, Switzerland, Jan. 14, 2024. Li arrived here for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024 and an official visit to the European country. After his stay in Switzerland, Li will also pay an official visit to Ireland. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) ZURICH, Switzerland, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China has always attached great importance to Switzerland's unique role in Europe and on the international stage, standing ready to maintain close communication and coordination with Switzerland in jointly addressing global challenges, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Sunday. Li made the remarks upon his arrival for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024 and an official visit to the European country. He was received by President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd at Zurich international airport. Noting that Switzerland is one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with China, Li said China-Switzerland relations have maintained sound development since the establishment of diplomatic ties 74 years ago. Especially since the announcement of the establishment of the China-Switzerland innovative strategic partnership by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Swiss leader in 2016, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields have been brought to new levels and yielded new results, Li said. Li said China is ready to work with Switzerland to follow the important strategic guidance reached by the two countries' heads of state, further deepen political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and cultivate friendship among the two peoples. Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shiting and Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland Chen Xu also greeted Li at the airport. After his stay in Switzerland, Li will also pay an official visit to Ireland. Li's tour is at the invitation of Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, President of the Swiss Confederation Amherd, and Leo Varadkar, Irish prime minister. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is greeted by Viola Amherd, president of the Swiss Confederation, upon his arrival at Zurich international airport in Zurich, Switzerland, Jan. 14, 2024. Li arrived here for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024 and an official visit to the European country. After his stay in Switzerland, Li will also pay an official visit to Ireland. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The Iowa Republican Party chair predicted there will be a robust turnout at the caucuses Monday night despite subzero temperatures. I really think now as long as theres not ice that actually makes it impossible to travel and as long as we dont have whiteout conditions, snow actually falling I think temperatures are the least of my concern in terms of depressing turnout. Iowans know how to dress for that, Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann told reporters at a Bloomberg event Sunday. Were cautioning them, of course, but from what Im hearing, from what Im seeing in the rallies, from what Ive been talking to dozens of committee chairs today and precinct captains, putting out fires here and there, I think its going to be a robust turnout, he added. Forecasters warned of life-threatening blizzard conditions over the weekend in Iowa ahead of the caucuses. The wind chill in some parts of Iowa will reach minus 40 degrees on Monday, forecasters warned, with the temperatures hovering in negative degrees. The frigid conditions pose questions over whether supporters of the GOP presidential hopefuls will show out to the caucuses on Monday. GOP presidential candidates stormed the state over the weekend, urging voters to brave the cold to caucus for them. Its not clear yet among political analysts which candidates would be helped or hurt by a potentially low caucus turnout. Kaufmann said a strong turnout in the caucuses could help Iowa remain the first contest in the 2028 presidential election. Im excited about that personally because I gotta make the case for 2028 that we deserve to have this. We turn out in a robust fashion on these kinds of conditions. Iowa will absolutely deserve to be first in the nation, Kaufmann said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said on Monday that she would back former President Trump if he wins the GOP presidential nomination. Ive made it clear that I will, Reynolds, whos supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, told Fox Newss Neil Cavuto when asked if she shared former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haleys view that she would ultimately support whoever the GOP nominee was. Im a Republican, and you know, all of the candidates running are going to be better than what we have, Reynolds continued. Cavuto pressed Reynolds, asking if she would support Trump in spire of the former presidents staunch criticism of Reynolds over her endorsement of DeSantis. Weve got to win. I mean, we are resilient people. This country is in trouble. Look at the southern border, Reynolds said in response, while expressing confidence that DeSantis would win Iowa. I just think, too, when you look at the direction of the country, I mean I believe its going to be Ron, the Iowa Republican said. Trump has cast the Reynolds endorsement of DeSantis as a betrayal. I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform in July before Reynolds announced her endorsement of DeSantis and was staying neutral in the primary. Now, she wants to remain NEUTRAL. I dont invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points! Trump vowed in November it would be the end of her political career in that MAGA would never support her again before she formally announced her endorsement of DeSantis. During a rally in Indianola, Iowa, before the Iowa caucuses, he called Reynolds the least popular governor and described her as disloyal. Trump is the heavy favorite in the Iowa caucuses. An average of Iowa polls from Decision Desk HQ and The Hill shows Trump holding a wide lead over Haley and DeSantis in the Hawkeye State, with Trump at 53 percent, Haley at 18 percent and DeSantis at 16 percent. Reynolds has previously said she would support Trump if he secured the GOP nomination, though she has spent the last few months touting DeSantis in Iowa. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Scoop Commanders and advisors from Irans elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are on the ground in Yemen and playing a direct role in Houthi rebel attacks on commercial traffic in the Red Sea. The IRGC has stationed missile and drone trainers and operators in Yemen, as well as personnel providing tactical intelligence support to the Houthis, U.S. and Middle East officials told Semafor. The IRGC, through its overseas Qods Force, has also overseen the transfer to the Houthis of the attack drones, cruise missiles, and medium-range ballistic missiles used in a string of strikes on Red Sea and Israeli targets in recent weeks, these officials said. The Houthis say that its military operations are designed to aid the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which has been locked in a three-month war with Israel. On Monday, the Pentagon said the Houthis struck a U.S.-owned and -operated container vessel, the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, in the Red Sea, but caused no significant damage. The Houthis fired a second anti-ship ballistic missile into the southern Red Sea, the U.S. Central Command said, but it failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. The IRGCs overall presence inside Yemen is overseen by Gen. Abdul Reza Shahlai, a Tehran-based commander whom the Trump administration attempted to assassinate in a 2020 drone strike inside Yemen, U.S. and Mideast officials said. American intelligence believes Shahlai is deeply involved in Tehrans overseas terrorist operations through his role as the Qods Forces deputy commander. This includes a role in overseeing an unsuccessful 2011 Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabias then-ambassador to the U.S., Adel al-Jubeir, at a Washington, D.C. restaurant. Shahlai, whos been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, also helped oversee IRGC attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq over the past two decades. The Department of Justice offered $15 million in 2019 for information related to the commanders operations and networks. Last month, the White House declassified some information related to Irans backing of the Houthis, including the intelligence and targeting support. But it didnt reference the IRGCs on-ground presence in Yemen, or Shahlais role in the Houthis operations. Jays view The IRGCs ground presence in Yemen, and role in directing strikes against Western targets, risks fueling a direct confrontation with the U.S. as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip grinds on. The Biden administration has to date voiced its intent on avoiding a military conflict with Tehran and preventing a wider regional conflagration. But the Pentagon and U.S. allies started directly hitting Houthi targets inside Yemen last week, raising the possibility of the U.S. also harming IRGC personnel. U.S. and Mideast officials say Tehran began significantly ramping up its military support for the Houthis in the mid-2010s, when the Yemeni militia and political movement engaged in a war with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Houthis share Irans Shiite faith and antipathy to these regional Sunni powers, but had previously been a poorly funded and equipped military force. Today, it has an advanced armory of attack drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that have allowed the Houthis to seriously disrupt global traffic through the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and attempt strikes on targets as far away as Israels Eilat port. Current and former U.S. military officials say Iran has developed the Houthis into a central cog in Tehrans regional alliance system, known as the Axis of Resistance, which includes Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iraqi and Syrian militias. This system allows Iran to project military power well beyond its borders, while also providing some deniability of involvement in military or terrorist operations. Iran has the luxury of really fighting, what I would call, a hidden-hand operation, with various Iranians on the ground, Qods Force people, on the ground [in Yemen], retired Gen. Kenneth McKenize, a former commander of U.S. forces in the Mideast, said last week at a forum on the Red Sea crisis. First of all, they fought a major war against Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and now theyre choking world shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb [Strait] at a very low, very low price for Iran. The question now is whether the price is set to rise for Iran. Current and former U.S. military and intelligence officials have described to me what is essentially a blood feud between Washington and the IRGC that stretches back decades. Shahlai has played a central role in this covert war. The U.S. believes the IRGC oversaw Hezbollah suicide bombings on American diplomatic and military targets in Lebanon in the 1980s. And the IRGC is accused of training Iraqi Shiite militias in the use of roadside bombs, known as IEDS, that were the largest cause of U.S. military deaths in Iraq. The U.S. government has also claimed that Shahlai oversaw a 2007 IRGC operation in the central Iraqi city of Karbala that resulted in the executions of five American soldiers. The View From Tehran Iran has voiced its support for the Houthis attacks in the Red Sea, claiming that theyre part of the Resistance Axis support for Hamas. But Tehran has denied any direct role in either the Houthis operations or Hamas October 7 attack on Israel. The resistance [Houthis] has its own tools and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities, Irans deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, told Iranian state media last month. The fact that certain powers, such as the Americans and the Israelis, suffer strikes from the resistance movement should in no way call into question the reality of the strength of the resistance in the region. The Houthis have also denied relying on Iran to conduct its attacks. Its strange to attribute everything to Iran as if it were the worlds strongest power, a Houthi spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal last month. We have intelligence facilities that have proven themselves over the years of aggression against us. Notable Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute questions whether Iran is willing to risk open conflict with the U.S. to defend the Houthis operations in the Red Sea and Bab-al-Mandeb Strait. One of the alleged fake social media pages relating to the ongoing war and hostages held by Hamas Iran had flowers sent to the relatives of hostages held by Hamas to woo Israelis and try to turn them into unwitting spies. Israeli security officials said Iran set up several Hebrew social media pages and websites about the ongoing war with Hamas and the hostage crisis, which helped arrange for flowers to be sent to the victims homes. The accounts also tasked Israelis with photographing the residences of Israeli defence officials and other officials who appear frequently in the media and speak out against Iran publicly, according to the Times of Israel, citing the Shin Bets statement. It appears to have been an attempt to lure Israelis, presumably without their knowledge, into providing information about Gaza hostages families and top officials to the Iranian security services. Iran also allegedly set up social media accounts on TikTok, Instagram and Telegram posing as Israeli far-Right activists and impersonating the Israeli broadcaster Kan. It was not immediately clear on Monday whether any Israelis had carried out the tasks requested by those social media pages. Iran, a financial backer of Hamas, is Israels arch-foe in the region and for years the two countries have been locked in a so-called shadow war in which they attack each others infrastructure. An alleged fake Instagram account showing Noa Argamani (top right) as she was snatched from the Supernova music festival on Oct 7 It is not the first time Israel has claimed to have foiled attempts by Iran to recruit Israelis for spying missions. In December, the Shin Bet warned that Iranian security services were contacting Israelis over social media to try to build a rapport with them. The Iranian spies allegedly posed as potential business partners, such as estate agents, couriers or even online dating service providers. They would then ask the Israelis to carry out various assignments which according to a Shin Bet statement were seen as apparently not relating to security aspects, but are definitely intended to serve the Iranians and enrich the intelligence in their possession. This included asking Israelis to photograph people of interest to the Iranians and to verify their addresses. They also tried to set up an assassination of an Israeli target, the Times of Israel reported. The activity efforts of Iranian security forces have greatly intensified, while using digital space for the purposes of intimidation, conveying messages or advancing terror activity, a Shin Bet spokesman said. Israel was shocked in 2021 by a case in which a cleaner at the home of Benny Gantz, an Israeli general who is a member the war cabinet, took photographs of his office for the Iranians. The cleaner also photographed Mr Gantzs computer, phone, tablet and office shredder as well as pictures of Mr Gantz and his family. In September 2022, the cleaner was sentenced to three years in prison after reaching a deal with prosecutors. The cleaner admitted to most of the charges, Israeli media reported at the time, but insisted he did not know that he was working for Iran. 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. FILE - Prominent Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi attends a meeting on women's rights in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 27, 2007. A court in Iran has slapped imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi with an additional sentence of 15 months for allegedly spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic, her family said Monday Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A court in Iran has slapped imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi with an additional sentence of 15 months for allegedly spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic, her family said Monday. According to a post on Instagram by Mohammadi 's family, the new sentence was handed down on Dec. 19. It said Mohammadi had refused to attend the court sessions. The verdict also said that after serving her time, Mohammadi would be banned from traveling abroad for two years and would be barred from membership in political and social groups and from having a mobile phone for the same duration. The ruling also banishes her from the capital, Tehran, meaning she would likely have to serve the new sentence in another province in Iran. Mohammadi is held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison where she is serving a 30-month sentence for spreading propaganda against the ruling system, disobediences in prison and defamation of authorities. The latest verdict reflects the Iranian theocracy's anger that she was awarded the Nobel prize last October for years of activism despite a decadeslong government campaign targeting her. Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003. The 51-year-old Mohammadi has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. Earlier in November, Mohammadi went on hunger strike over being blocked along with other inmates from getting medical care and to protest the countrys mandatory headscarves for women. Mohammadi was a leading light for nationwide, women-led protests sparked by the death last year of a 22-year-old woman in police custody that have grown into one of the most intense challenges to Irans theocratic government. That woman, Mahsa Amini, had been detained for allegedly not wearing her headscarf to the liking of authorities. For observant Muslim women, the head covering is a sign of piety before God and modesty in front of men outside their families. In Iran, the hijab and the all-encompassing black chador worn by some has long been a political symbol as well, particularly after becoming mandatory in the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. While women in Iran hold jobs, academic positions and even government appointments, their lives are tightly controlled in part by laws like the mandatory hijab. Iran and neighboring, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan remain the only countries to mandate that. Since Aminis death, however, more women are choosing not to wear the headscarf despite an increasing campaign by authorities targeting them and businesses serving them. Two journalists imprisoned in Iran following their coverage of the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests in 2022, have been temporarily released on bail, according to state-run media. Convicted in October, Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi are currently awaiting a verdict on their appeals, according to Irans state-run news agency IRNA. But the women were allowed to leave their Tehran jail on Sunday with a bail of 10 billion tomans each (nearly $200,000 each), IRNA reported. They are also banned from leaving the country, it said. Hamedi and Mohammadi were arrested in late September 2022, after protests spread across Iran fueled by the death of 22-year-old Amini, who died while in the custody of Irans morality police after being arrested for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. Hamedi was arrested after visiting Amini in the hospital to report on the young womans medical condition, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Mohammadi was arrested after reporting on Aminis funeral, according to RSF and the United Nations. Mohammadis sister, Elnaz, shared news of her sister leaving jail in an Instagram post. The moment of freedom, she wrote alongside photos and videos of Hamedi and Mohammadi walking together, holding hands and making V-sign gestures for victory, with smiles on their face. Hamedis husband Mohamad Hosein Ajoroloo who has been posting details of the case and memories of his wife to social media since her detention shared a photo of their embrace after her release. Aminis father Amjad also rejoiced via Instagram at the journalists provisional release. According to IRNA, Mohammadis sentence includes 6 years in prison on the charge of cooperating with the hostile government of the United States, 5 years in prison for conspiracy to commit a crime against the security of the country, and 1 year in prison on the charge of propagating activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hamedi, according to IRNA, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for collaborating with the hostile government of the United States, 5 years in prison for collusion and collusion to commit a crime against the countrys security, and 1 year in prison for propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The journalist sentences also include two-year ban on membership in political parties, social media activity, and working in media, IRNA reports. Sherif Mansour, Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in the Middle East and North Africa, last year described the two womens convictions as stark testament to the erosion of freedom of speech and the desperate attempts of the Iranian government to criminalize journalism. While imprisoned, Hamedi and Mohammadi were awarded the prestigious 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for outstanding contributions to press freedom. They were also recognized as one of the top 100 influential people of 2023 by TIME magazine. UNESCO on Sunday hailed the journalists release. UNESCO welcomed the release on bail today of Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi, two of the three laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize. May they be able to continue their vital work to inform, it posted on X. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Noa Argamani was seen desperately calling out to her partner while being abducted by motorcycle from the music festival A young Israeli woman abducted by Hamas on a motorbike in one of the defining images of the Oct 7 attacks said two of her fellow hostages had been killed in air strikes. Noa Argamani, 26, was last seen desperately calling out to her partner while being dragged away from the music festival during the massacre by the terrorists. She said in a new video published by Hamas on Monday that two other hostages Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itay Svirsky, 38 kept together with her, had been killed in Israeli air strikes. Hamas had revealed earlier on Monday that two hostages had died in their captivity and asked the public to guess who they were. The new video shows Ms Argamani pleading for rescue, saying they were running out of food and water in Gaza. It then cuts to images of the bloodied body of one of the other hostages alleged to have been killed. The Hamas video is likely aimed at putting more pressure on the Israeli government to halt the war in Gaza. It is one of a limited number of proof of life videos that Hamas has released during the course of the Gaza war. At least 136 Israelis are still believed to be in captivity in Gaza after the terrorist group overran swathes of Israel in a daring attack last October. The Israeli government is under intense pressure from families to rescue the hostages, while facing orders from the US to wind down its operation in Gaza. Ms Argamani said in the new video that she was kept with the two other hostages and Hamass Al Qassam brigade fighters at one location in Gaza before it was bombed by an Israeli air strike. She said she and Mr Svirsky were pulled out of the rubble alive, unlike Mr Sharabi. It is not clear if she was under duress while she spoke. When they were being moved to another location, their vehicle came under an attack that killed Mr Svirsky. While we still are alive, bring us home, Mr Argamani said in Hebrew, her words repeated with an echo effect and edited with a trademark high quality by Hamass propaganda team. Dont kill me The young woman with long, dark hair yelling Dont kill me as she was put on a motorbike and abducted by Hamas fighters was one of the first images of Hamas atrocities in Israel on Oct 7. Mondays clip ended with close-up images of two dead bodies, resembling Mr Sharabi and Mr Svirsky, who both lived in the kibbutz Beeri. Israels army criticised the new video, saying it was a brutal use of innocent hostages. Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman, also rejected Hamass claim that two hostages were killed by Israeli bombing, saying: This is a lie by Hamas. The group representing families of the Israeli hostages has not confirmed the reports of the two mens deaths. Talks between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages have stalled as the Israeli government baulked at Hamass suggestion of truce or any long-term ceasefire in exchange for the hostages release. Israels top officials including the prime minister and the defence minister insist that a longer pause would allow Hamas to rest and regroup. 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. Raanana, Israel Israeli police said Monday that a suspected car ramming attack carried out by two Palestinians had left at least 13 people wounded in the central city of Raanana. Meir hospital near Raanana confirmed that one woman had died of her injuries. "A wounded woman who arrived in a critical condition after having been hit by a vehicle has died of her injuries despite our efforts to save her," the hospital said in a statement. A police spokesperson later called it a "a multiple car-ramming attack" and said it involved two suspects who "stole vehicles and ran over a number of citizens in different places" in Raanana. They said officers were sweeping the impacted areas "to ensure no further threats." Israeli police forensics personnel inspect a damaged car following a suspected ramming attack in the central town of Raanana, Jan. 15, 2024. / Credit: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty The national police chief of staff said on Israeli TV that two Palestinian suspects, relatives from the city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, had been arrested following the incident in Raanana. Tension in the West Bank, the much larger of the two Palestinian territories, has soared since Israel launched its offensive against the Hamas rulers of the other, smaller enclave, the Gaza Strip. The war sparked by Hamas' brutal Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel, has left close to 28,000 people dead in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Palestinians in the West Bank often hold protests in solidarity with Gaza's embattled population, and clashes with Israeli security forces, who conduct raids frequently in the occupied territory, have been a regular occurrence since the war began. Some hard-line residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been accused of harassing, attacking and stealing the land of Palestinians in the territory over the last 100 days of war. Neurosurgeon pioneers Alzheimer's, addiction treatments using ultrasound | 60 Minutes Reaching the heights of professional cliff diving Pee-cycling: Turning human urine into fertilizer (Bloomberg) -- The Italian parliaments rejection of a European Union bailout fund late last year leaves the bloc without a powerful tool to protect taxpayers from a future banking crisis, EU officials said. Most Read from Bloomberg It is a missed opportunity to make the euro area more resilient and a missed opportunity to strengthen the banking union, Pierre Gramegna, who heads the European Stability Mechanism, told reporters at a news conference in Brussels on Monday. Lawmakers from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melonis far-right Brothers of Italy party, as well as coalition partner the League, voted in December against ratification of the reform of the ESM, which has been a politically toxic issue in Italy for years. Its already been approved by the other 19 euro-area countries. Paschal Donohoe, who leads the Eurogroup, which brings together finance ministers from the currency bloc, said he would spare no effort to try to find a way forward with Italys Giancarlo Giorgetti. Were Europe to confront a significant financial difficulty that was located within a bank, today we are now missing a really important tool to help protect taxpayers, households and small businesses from the costs of that difficulty, he said at the news conference. The fund was set up in 2012 to help euro-area economies in exchange for strict reforms. Meloni has said in the past that Italy will never tap it, but European peers have asked her to approve the backstop to allow other countries to access it. Successive governments in Rome have been unable to ratify the ESM reform. Detractors argue that using it would increase the risk of a restructuring of the nations mammoth public debt. In addition to causing strain within the EU, the issue reflects a populist move, including by the anti-immigrant League. Its leader, Matteo Salvini, who is also a deputy premier, said at the time of the vote that the decision protects Italian taxpayers from financing the rescue of foreign banks. Gramegna said there is still room to seek a solution. Fortunately, this happens at a time when we do not have a financial crisis, where banks have high capitalization, where we have financial stability, he said. --With assistance from Jorge Valero. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The dispute between the train drivers union, Aslef, and 14 train operators in England is into its third calendar year. With no settlement in sight to the long and bitter row over pay and working arrangements, the union has begun its first strikes for 2024. Train drivers belonging to Aslef are stopping work region-by-region over the course of a week between Tuesday 30 January and Monday 5 February. Thousands of trains will be cancelled on each day. The effect is exacerbated by a nine-day ban on overtime running from 29 January to 6 February. Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, says some members have not had a pay rise for five years and ministers have refused to engage with the union for a year. He told The Independent: Any industrial action is incredibly damaging, but after 18 months out on strike, and after a year with no one in the government or the [train operating] companies talking to us, we are forced to raise the profile of our issues. Rail minister Huw Merriman told The Independent: Strikes just hold the railway back. We believe a fair and reasonable offer is there on the table for Aslef if they put it to their members. These are train drivers that paid an average 60,000 for a 35-hour, four-day week, That pay deal would take them up to 65,000. We hope that they will take the opportunity to take it. Then we can all talk about the positives of rail. Separately, the 14 train operators have reached a tentative agreement with the RMT union that has put an end to walk-outs while talks continue on a local level. But the RMT has called two 48-hour strikes in February and March on the London Overground. These are the key questions and answers. Which rail firms are affected? Aslef is in dispute with the train operators that are contracted by the government to provide rail services. They are: Intercity operators: Avanti West Coast CrossCountry East Midlands Railway Great Western Railway (GWR) LNER TransPennine Express Southeast England commuter operators: C2C Greater Anglia GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink) Southeastern South Western Railway (including the Island Line on the Isle of Wight) Operators focusing on the Midlands and north of England: Chiltern Railways Northern Trains West Midlands Railway ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (including the Elizabeth Line), Merseyrail and open-access operators such as Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo are not involved. But their services are likely to be extremely crowded on stretches where they duplicate strike-hit companies. What is the strike schedule? Monday 29 January: overtime ban begins. Tuesday 30 January: South Western Railway, Southeastern and GTR (Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Thameslink). Wednesday 31 January: Northern and TransPennine Express. Thursday 1 February: no strike but overtime ban continues. Friday 2 February: Greater Anglia, C2C and LNER. Saturday 3 February: West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway. Sunday 4 February: no strike but overtime ban continues. Monday 5 February: Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern. Tuesday 6 February: no strike but overtime ban continues for a final day. What are the likely effects of the strikes? These predictions are based on latest statements from rail firms and The Independents observation of previous strikes. They should be confirmed before travel. Great Northern (30 January): Shuttle service calling at London Kings Cross and Cambridge only (and probably branded Thameslink) with limited operating hours. Thameslink (30 January): Shuttle service calling at St Pancras, Luton Airport Parkway and Luton only. The firm says its trains will be extremely busy and that queueing systems will be in place. You may not be able to board your chosen service, says Thameslink. If you are planning to travel on one of the last trains of the day, please be aware that, depending on the size of the queue, you may not be able to board a service at all, and no alternative transport options will be provided after the last train departs. Please plan ahead and leave plenty of time to reach your destination. Southern (30 January): No trains except a nonstop shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick airport, from 6am to 11.30pm. Gatwick Express (30 January): The Southern airport shuttle, above, is doing the work. Southeastern (30 January): No trains. South Western Railway (30 January): The service is relatively extensive compared with other train operators. Up to four stopping trains per hour between London Waterloo and Woking. Hourly semi-fast trains between Waterloo and both Guildford and Basingstoke. A shuttle will run from Basingstoke to Salisbury every 90 minutes. Two trains per hour will also run between Waterloo and Feltham via Richmond and Twickenham. No trains on the Isle of Wight. Northern (31 January): No trains. The operator says that it expects two key routes to be very busy on 3 February when East Midlands Railway is on strike: Leeds-Sheffield-Nottingham and Sheffield-Manchester. TransPennine Express (31 January): No trains. There will be some alterations to evening services on Tuesday 30 January and to early morning services on Thursday 1 February, the company says. C2C (2 February): No trains. The company warns: Upminster car park will likely become full and close early in the day. Upminster is the eastern end of the District Line of the London Underground, which will be running normally. Greater Anglia (2 February): Limited service linking London Liverpool Street with Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester; Southend Victoria; Cambridge; and Stansted airport. LNER (2 February): Regular trains on core routes linking London Kings Cross with Doncaster, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. First trains will depart at around 8am, with most journeys finished by 7pm. Leeds will have a limited direct service, but connections are available from Doncaster. Avanti West Coast (3 February): No trains. The operator says: Services on the days either side of the strike will also be affected. East Midlands Railway (3 February): No trains. The train firm warns: No rail replacement bus services will be provided. Other train operators may be running a reduced service due to an overtime ban. West Midlands Railway (3 February): No trains, and a warning that services on Sunday 4 February will see widespread delays and cancellations. Chiltern (5 February): No trains either on the strike day or on the previous day, Sunday 4 February, as the train operator is dependent on drivers working overtime on Sunday to operate any trains at all. The overtime ban means no services will run. CrossCountry (5 February): No trains. Great Western Railway (5 February): On the actual strike day, a core service will run between London Paddington and Oxford, Bath and Bristol, with a link from Bristol to Cardiff. A limited service on branch lines in Devon and Cornwall. The Night Riviera sleeper service from London to Penzance will not run for a number of nights. In addition to the disruption on strike days, trains on adjacent days may be affected. Services on these days are also likely to be extremely busy due to passengers moving their journeys to avoid industrial action. What about the new minimum service levels law? Legislation now allows the transport secretary to stipulate minimum service levels (MSLs) on strike days amounting to 40 per cent of the normal service. The government says the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 aims to ensure that the public can continue to access services that they rely on, during strike action. No train operator is seeking to impose the new law on the train drivers union. LNER said it might do so, and opened consultations, at which point Aslef called a separate five-day strike on LNER alone. Then the train operator said it would not require drivers to work, and the strike was called off. The BBC reports that the prime minister is disappointed that train operators had not implemented minimum service levels. A Downing Street spokesperson said: Yes, its something that we and the public expect them to use. Weve been repeatedly been clear that this legislation is available for train operators to use. The Transport Select Committee has previously warned of potential unintended consequences of the legislation. The Conservative chair, Iain Stewart, said: There is a risk of MSLs worsening worker-employer relations and that, as a result, MSLs could end up making services less reliable. The minimum service level rules do not apply to union bans on non-contractual rest-day working. Is there a worst day? Yes. In terms of sheer number of passengers hit, Tuesday 30 January is the most disruptive. It is aimed at commuters in southeast England, the majority of whom use the affected train operators. Normally Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern, South Western Railway and Southeastern carry around 40 per cent of all passengers. Intercity travellers will be worst affected on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 February, when the main operators on the East Coast and West Coast main lines, plus the Midland main line, will be hit. Sunday 4 February is also likely to be severely disrupted mainly because of the ban on rest-day working. Chiltern Railway, which would normally run trains between London and Birmingham, says no services will run at all due to the overtime ban. Disruption will be heightened by planned engineering work between Birmingham and Wolverhampton on the West Coast main line and between London Kings Cross and Stevenage on the East Coast main line. What will be the wider impact of the overtime ban? The overtime ban alone will cause thousands of cancellations. Aslef says no train operator employs enough drivers to provide the service they promise passengers and businesses they will deliver without asking drivers to work their days off. Sunday is still not part of the working week at a number of train operators, so 4 February will be particularly disrupted by the ban on rest-day working. GWR says: There will be significant disruption to services and customers should travel on alternative days. No trains will operate on long-distance routes between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and Exeter/Plymouth/Penzance. Several rail firms have announced pre-emptive cancellations due to the previous overtime ban, as follows: C2C: Severely reduced service at weekends, with many trains also cut on weekdays. Chiltern: Significantly reduced service on most routes, with no trains at all on some branch lines. Services on all routes will finish earlier than usual. No trains will run on Sunday 4 February. Gatwick Express: No trains during the overtime ban. Southern trains will link London Victoria and Gatwick airport throughout the industrial action. London Northwestern Railway/West Midlands Railway: Branch lines between Bletchley and Bedford, Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey, and Leamington Spa and Nuneaton, will be closed on most or all days. Southern: An amended timetable with fewer services will run. Services may start later and finish earlier than usual. Thameslink warns: A reduced frequency amended timetable will be in operation. Some trains may restrict either boarding or leaving trains at certain stations to avoid overcrowding. What if I need to reach an airport? London Heathrow will remain accessible at all times on the Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth Line and the Tube. Passengers using London Gatwick will be significantly affected on the first day of strikes, Tuesday 30 January, when no Gatwick Express nor Thameslink trains will run. But passengers between London and Gatwick will be able to travel on a Southern shuttle service, nonstop between Victoria and the airport. The GWR link from Gatwick to Redhill, Guildford and Reading will run normally on 30 January but not on 5 February. London Stansted will have an hourly skeleton service from the capital on Tuesday 2 February, with service alterations on all the other days of the overtime ban. The link to Norwich will be axed on 2 February, but CrossCountry trains to Cambridge (and on to Birmingham) will still run. On 5 February, though, no CrossCountry trains will run to Stansted airport or anywhere else. Luton airport will remain accessible by rail, at least from London, on all days: on the Thameslink strike day, 30 January, Thameslink will have a reduced service from London St Pancras to Luton Airport Parkway. In addition, the East Midlands Railway link will be running. On 3 February, when no East Midlands Railway services are likely to run, Thameslink will be operating. Southend airport: hourly trains on Friday 2 February with restricted hours. Southampton airport will not be served by South Western Railway on Tuesday 30 January nor by CrossCountry on Monday 5 February. Manchester airport will have a drastically reduced rail service on Wednesday 31 January. With Northern and TransPennine Express drivers on strike, there will be only an hourly link on Transport for Wales to and from central Manchester, Chester and North Wales. Birmingham airport is likely to be inaccessible by rail on Saturday 3 February, except for Transport for Wales from Birmingham New Street. Will Eurostar be affected? No. Trains will continue to run as normal between London St Pancras International and Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. But connecting journeys will be difficult on strike days particularly Tuesday 30 January, when Thameslink and Southeastern are out, and on Saturday 3 February when no East Midlands Railway services are likely to run. What does Aslef say? In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: When we get to February, itll be half a decade without a pay rise. What do we do? Do we do nothing? The only thing that is going to get us out of this is a clean deal. Without an agreement, he says: Its going to get messier. Its going to get worse. What do the rail firms say? A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, representing the train operators, said: There are no winners from these strikes that will unfortunately cause disruption for our customers. We believe rail can have a bright future, but right now taxpayers are contributing an extra 54m a week to keep services running post-Covid. Aslefs leadership need to recognise the financial challenge facing rail. Drivers have been made an offer which would take base salaries to nearly 65,000 for a four-day week before overtime that is well above the national average and significantly more than many of our customers that have no option to work from home are paid. Instead of staging more damaging industrial action, we call on the Aslef leadership to work with us to resolve this dispute and deliver a fair deal which both rewards our people, and makes the changes needed to make services more reliable.What does the government say? What does the government say? A Department for Transport spokesperson said: Its very disappointing to see Aslef continuing to target those who travel to work, school or important medical appointments by train. Aslef is now the only rail union that is continuing to strike while refusing to put a fair and reasonable offer to its members. The offer that remains on the table and would bring the average train drivers salary up to 65,000. The Aslef leadership should do the right thing and let their members decide their own future, instead of deciding it for them. What does the Labour Party say it would do if elected? Louise Haigh, Labours shadow transport secretary, said: It is a staggering dereliction of duty that the transport secretary hasnt got around the table with the unions to try to resolve it since the Christmas before last. Labour will take an unashamedly different approach to the Tories, and will work with both sides to reach a deal in the interests of passengers and workers. If the transport secretary took this sensible approach then perhaps we wouldnt still be having strikes on our railways. The shadow rail minister, Stephen Morgan MP, has previously said: Labour will bring our railways back into public ownership, as contracts expire, and ensure services work in the interests of the passenger. What are the London Overground strikes about? Pay. More than 300 members of the RMT will stage two 48-hour walkouts on the London Overground on Mondays and Tuesdays two weeks apart: 19-20 February 2024 and 4-5 March 2024. Among those taking action are security, station, revenue and control staff. The RMT said that Arriva Rail London, which has the contract for London Overground, has offered a below inflation pay offer. Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said: If this dispute cannot be resolved then RMT is more than prepared for a sustained period of industrial action to get London Overground workers the pay rise they deserve. The Independent has contacted the Department for Transport and Arriva Rail London for comment. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A sushi bar serving dishes on a moving conveyor belt, with more than 500 locations across Japan, Taiwan and the United States, has opened its first Ohio location in Columbus. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar began welcoming guests to its new restaurant at 8833 Lyra Dr. in Polaris after celebrating its grand opening Sunday. The international chain first opened in Japan in 1977 before expanding to the U.S. in 2008 with more than 50 locations in 17 states. Whats open and closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? A self-proclaimed pioneer of the revolving sushi concept, Kura features a primary conveyor belt snaking through the dining area. Guests can place an order, to be delivered via the primary belt, using the touch panel tablets. The Express Belt, positioned above the primary belt, allows visitors to pick and choose dishes without having to place an order beforehand. Inside a Kura Revolving Sushi Bar location. (Courtesy Photo/Kura Sushi USA) Inside a Kura Revolving Sushi Bar location. (Courtesy Photo/Kura Sushi USA) Inside a Kura Revolving Sushi Bar location. (Courtesy Photo/Kura Sushi USA) Inside a Kura Revolving Sushi Bar location. (Courtesy Photo/Kura Sushi USA) Inside a Kura Revolving Sushi Bar location. (Courtesy Photo/Kura Sushi USA) Inside a Kura Revolving Sushi Bar location. (Courtesy Photo/Kura Sushi USA) Kura features more than 140 menu offerings, including about 30 nigiri options, like Garlic Ponzu Salmon and Red Snapper with Yuzu Pepper, and more than 20 different types of sushi, including Salmon Golden Crunchy Rolls, a Philadelphia Roll and a Spicy Tuna Roll. The restaurant is home to hand-rolled seaweed and soy paper wraps, filled with crab, spicy salmon, scallops and more. In addition, customers can order Gunkan sushi, like the Salmon Yukhoe with boiled egg yolk, ginger, green onion and sesame toppings in a bed of sushi rice wrapped in dried seaweed. Westerville bakery reopens after smash-and-grab incident Several sides round out the menu, including chicken gyoza dumplings, crispy squid, garlic fried rice, shrimp tempura and edamame. Udon noodles and ramen bowls are also available. The restaurant is operating with special hours on Monday and is open from noon to 9 p.m. Beginning Tuesday, Kura will be open for the following regular business hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday Learn more and view Kura Revolving Sushi Bars entire menu here. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. First lady Jill Biden visits Glendale Middle School in Salt Lake City on May 5, 2021. She will return to Utah today to stump for her husbands presidential reelection campaign. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News First lady Jill Biden will be in Utah Tuesday for a quick, half-day visit, where she will meet with teachers and raise money for her husbands presidential campaign. President Joe Biden is hoping to win a second term later this year, but polls show he is lagging behind in head-to-head contests against several of the Republican candidates, including front-runner Donald Trump. Biden kicked off his reelection bid earlier this month with a speech at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where he said the 2024 presidential election was about the sacred cause of democracy. This week, Jill Biden is heading out on the campaign trail on behalf of her husband with fundraising and official events in various California and Ohio cities after her stop in Utah. After arriving at the Salt Lake City airport Tuesday afternoon, Jill Biden, who teaches English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College, will visit Hunter High School with Utah first lady Abby Cox and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to celebrate educators and highlight the importance of educator wellness, according to a press release announcing her visit. On Tuesday evening, Biden will be in Park City, where she will speak to supporters of President Biden at two different events for the Biden Victory Fund. Jill Biden plans to leave Utah Tuesday night, heading to California, where she has events in San Francisco, Burbank, Santa Rosa, and Healdsburg. She then will head to the Midwest for events in Ohio. Related A group says they plan to protest Tuesday afternoon in West Valley City in conjunction with the first ladys visit over President Bidens support for Israel. President Biden visited Utah and other western states in August last year. Ahead of his visit a Provo man was shot and killed by FBI agents after making violent threats against the president and allegedly brandishing a firearm. During Bidens August visit, he also attended fundraisers in Park City, met with Gov. Spencer Cox and spoke to veterans. JK Rowling has become a controversial figure because of her views on gender - CHRISTOPHE ENA/AP JK Rowling has been called Britains nastiest novelist in an article condemned as misogynistic. A New Statesman review argued that the Harry Potter author had become a polemicist and a liberal pariah because of her views on gender. The piece, originally headlined Britains nastiest novelist, was condemned by many supporters of Rowling, who claimed it was sexist and unfounded. Written by Nick Hilton, who has deleted his Twitter account since publication, it stated that Rowling had recently succeeded in alienating her largely Left-wing millennial fanbase with gender-critical politics. Hilton said that her Cormoran Strike crime novels were replete with gore and dark themes. After setting out the examples of nastiness in recent works including The Ink Black Heart and The Running Grave, he stated that Rowling has evolved from saint-like Labour Party-supporting childrens author to polemical political activist, seemingly obsessive about the tabloid media, Scottish nationalism and, most provocatively for her millennial readers, gender-critical feminism. He claimed that she lacks self-awareness because she condemns vicious keyboard warriors and hysterical reactionaries in her books but engages in similar behaviour herself online. He added: In another world, JK Rowling could be a character in a book by Robert Galbraith: brittle, insecure, cruel. The assessment has provoked a furious reaction, including from John Boyne, the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, who claimed the piece was misogynistic, disgusting & unworthy of any serious magazine. An unhinged rant Hadley Freeman, a journalist who has written extensively on gender issues. She wrote on Twitter: The main complaint in this piece seems to be that Rowling does not write nice ladylike novels about nice ladylike thingshttps://t.co/lbRcudjbF3 Hadley Freeman (@HadleyFreeman) January 15, 2024 Julie Bindel, an author, branded the claims about Rowling an unhinged (and badly written) rant and a nasty attempt at revenge porn. Following the backlash, the New Statesman appeared to alter the original headline to JK Rowling, Britains Gloriously Nasty Novelist. The new headline echoes the conclusion of the review, which argues that Rowlings embrace of gritty crime fiction has amounted to an act of taking off a mask and showing herself in full, nasty glory for the first time. Rowling has become a controversial figure in recent years following her public defence of womens spaces and support for the belief in immutable biological sex, as opposed to gender self-identification. Her stance led various younger members of the Harry Potter franchises cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, to publicly condemn her gender-critical views in 2020. The author has refused to recant her views and in 2023 stated online that she would rather go to prison than be compelled to refer to someone by their self-identified gender. This comment came following reports that a Labour government would make attacks motivated by hatred of a victims gender into aggravated offences which could carry a two-year sentence. A spokesman for the New Statesman said: Our critic wrote a largely positive review of JK Rowlings Robert Galbraith series of crime novels, in which he describes the books as electric shocking and exciting in a way good crime fiction should be and praises their dizzyingly immersive fictional world. Far from expressing misogynistic views, he notes that, sadly, being celebrated for sheer nastiness is a privilege so often reserved for male authors. We encourage everyone to read the piece in full. 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. John Simpson has revealed that he had a two-year love affair with a BBC executive recently unmasked as a communist spy. Terezia Javorska, who became director of the BBC World Services Slovak section, passed intelligence to the Czechs for years. Her aptness for conspiratorial conduct won praise from her handlers, in newly declassified security files. Simpson said he could not believe that Ms Javorska was a willing spy, instead suggesting that she was coerced under threat of harm to her family. She betrayed Britain but she was also one of thousands of victims of Soviet Bloc intelligence, Simpson said, insisting that she genuinely loved Britain. Simpson, who is the world affairs editor of BBC News, admitted, however, that his assessment could be based on his romantic feelings for the beautiful and intelligent woman whom he met while covering a Tory Party conference. To me, she was a victim of a clever, manipulative intelligence organisation, and of her own weakness. But maybe, of course, Im still swayed by my affection for her, he said. She remains in a coma Ms Javorska cannot give her own account. Three years ago, she was injured in a car accident and moved to a care home. Simpson said she remained in a coma and would never recover. This is not the first time that Simpson has had a brush with an attractive woman involved in Czech espionage; he was once targeted in a honeytrap operation involving a hotel receptionist. Writing in the Daily Mail about Ms Javorska, Simpson said: I knew and loved Teresa [sic], though our two-year relationship ended years before she became a spy, and I didnt meet her again. He added: If Teresa had told me that she had been trapped by Czech intelligence, I would have advised her to tell MI5. Czech-born Ms Javorska moved to Britain in 1969 and studied at the University of London, before joining the BBC in 1976. She became head of the World Service Slovak section, which worked alongside the Czech department. John Simpson, BBC world affairs editor, also had another liaison with an attractive woman working for Czech intelligence - MATT WRITTLE FOR THE TELEGRAPH She met Simpson at the Tory Party conference in Brighton in 1980, where Margaret Thatcher gave her famous the ladys not for turning speech. He was then the BBCs political editor. They began a relationship which proved stormy - she would, Simpson said, throw books at his head - and split up in 1982. Simpson said they never met again, but he heard of her stellar progress through the BBC ranks. Teresas brilliance and good looks made her a figure of note in the BBCs overseas service, he said. According to Simpson, Ms Javorska loved Mrs Thatcher and everything British. She adored the Royal family, and bought a tiny flat at the top of a grand building in Queens Gate, South Kensington, because she liked the name of the street, he said. Her hatred of communism and the Soviet Union, Im certain, was genuine. Documents from the Czech security service archive (StB) state that Ms Javorksa was recruited at a cocktail party in the mid-1980s. While she initially had an inner conflict about the risks, by 1985 she was willing to fulfil our tasks. Ms Javorska is said to have supplied her handlers from the StB with information about Czech emigres who had fled to Britain, some of whom worked for the BBC. She supplied intelligence about journalists sources and the BBCs methods of reporting on the Eastern Bloc. During clandestine meetings, she used M&S carrier bags to signal potential danger, and arranged meetings at opera houses by sending messages hidden in postcards. She verbally signed up to conscious collaboration with Czechoslovak intelligence, the notes say. Her role ended in 1989 when communism collapsed, and she continued to run the BBCs Slovak section until it closed in 2005. Provocative photographs Simpson guessed that the StB told Ms Javorska that they would harm her family. She was brave, and reasonably well-off, so neither warnings nor offers of money would have had much effect. But the threat that the StB could destroy the lives of her parents or brothers might well have caused her to give way. What ought she to have done? Weirdly, I once found myself in something of a similar position. Simpson was targeted in 1984, a year after covering the Warsaw Pact conference. He received a letter and several glamorous and a bit provocative photographs of the receptionist from the hotel where he had stayed in Prague. Although they had exchanged only pleasantries, she told him that she would love to meet up with him. Simpson spoke about the approach in a BBC programme, saying that he decided to play along with it: I know that was stupid, but my marriage was breaking up and I felt a bit vulnerable. But he told his BBC bosses, who contacted MI5. The security services told him that it was a honeytrap operation, and the proposed meeting never took place. 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. Joseph Zadroga, an advocate for sick 9/11 first responders, died after he was hit by a vehicle in a New Jersey parking lot, police said. Galloway Township police responded to a call shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Saturday about a car accident at Bacharach Institute for Rehabilitation in Pomona. Investigators at the scene said that 82-year-old Absecon resident James McNeal pulled his Nissan SUV into a parking space and hit Zadroga, police said in a news release. Zadroga, 76, was standing just outside his parked car, according to police. "As McNeal was pulling into his parking space, he accelerated, struck the Hyundai, and then struck Zadroga who was subsequently pinned underneath the Nissan," police said. Responding officers attempted life-saving measures on Zadroga before transporting him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The investigation into the accident remains ongoing, police said. Zadroga was the former chief of the North Arlington Police Department in New Jersey. He was also the father of New York Police Department Detective James Zadroga, a 9/11 first responder who died due to respiratory disease attributed to toxic exposure while working at ground zero. In 2006, the 34-year-old became the first NYPD officer to die after reporting ground zero-related health problems. After his son's death, Zadroga became a nationally known figure for his advocacy work on behalf of ground zero workers who suffered from serious respiratory ailments. He spearheaded the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which offers health screenings and financial aid to sick 9/11 first responders. Sergeants Benevolent Association offered their condolences to the former police chief on social media. "Father of the late NYPD Det James Zadroga, he spearheaded the #ZadrogaAct for 9/11 victims & families. Tremendous legacy. #nypd," SBA wrote. Neurosurgeon pioneers Alzheimer's, addiction treatments using ultrasound | 60 Minutes Reaching the heights of professional cliff diving Pee-cycling: Turning human urine into fertilizer A group of seven former students and parent volunteers are reportedly set to receive a payout of nearly $1 billion after they were reportedly exposed to and sickened by toxic chemicals leaking from light fixtures. Reuters reported Dec. 18 that a Washington state jury found that Monsanto, a chemical firm owned by Bayer, was liable for selling a product that contained unsafe chemicals to the Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe. The verdict also states that the company failed to issue the appropriate warnings about the chemicals, known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The case resulted in a $857 million verdict. While Monsanto intends to appeal the decision, arguing that the school failed to upgrade its light fixtures, it had already been ordered to pay millions in other verdicts related to PCBs at the center. Some of the other suits against the company include claims of brain damage, as reported by the Seattle Times. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, PCBs are dangerous contaminants that have been linked to thyroid and reproductive issues, as well as an increased risk of diabetes. The chemicals have been banned in the United States since 1979 because of the risk of cancer, as noted by Reuters, but prior to that, they were used in a range of everyday equipment, from electrical fixtures to paint to floor finishes. And similar to microplastics or weedkillers, PCBs can end up contaminating the soil and water, with the Environmental Protection Agency noting the PCBs can become even more toxic if they come in contact with fish or other animals because of a composition change. While the verdict was reportedly an important step toward holding the corporation accountable, Henry Jones, one of the plaintiffs lawyers, pointed out why he felt the decision to award a significant payout was just. No one who heard this evidence would ever change places with any of these people in exchange for all the money the jury awarded, Jones told the Daily Herald in Everett. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. Ukraine's Justice Ministry will fight the reinstatement in court of an ex-official who obtained a Russian passport in occupied Crimea after the peninsula's illegal annexation, the ministry wrote on Jan. 15. Although the ministry did not mention her by name, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources, that the ex-official in question was Maryna Prylutska, a former civil servant who worked for the Justice Ministry itself. Prylutska was dismissed in 2021 on the grounds that she had citizenship of a foreign country while holding public office, which she later appealed. Ukraine's law does not recognize double citizenship, and a Russian passport in the hands of a public official is a particular cause for concern. The ministry wrote that Ukraine's Supreme Court ruled that Prylutska's appeal, which was previously refused, must be heard again by the Sixth Administrative Appeals Court. Without explicitly naming Prylutska, the ministry wrote that she had gone to Yalta in occupied Crimea after 2014 and received a Russian passport. The statement further read that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) provided documents to support the claim that Prylutska acquired a Russian passport. The ministry also added that Prylutska had contacts with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) while in occupied Crimea. RFE/RL's investigative project Schemes reported on Jan. 10 that the Kyiv District Administrative Court ruled to reinstate Bohdan Lvov, a former head of the commercial chamber of Ukraine's Supreme Court who was also found to have a Russian passport. Read also: Investigative Stories From Ukraine: Another procurement scandal spotlights Defense Ministry contractor Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, is accused of endorsing Paula Vennells while sub-postmasters were bring falsely accused - BBC/LAMBETH PALACE/JASON BYE/PA Queen Elizabeth IIs former chaplain has called for the Archbishop of Canterbury to stand down amid suggestions that he endorsed the disgraced former Post Office boss to be Bishop of London. Paula Vennells, who was the Post Office chief executive from 2012 to 2019, handed back her CBE last week. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 sub-postmasters were prosecuted after the faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their sites. Fewer than 100 convictions have been overturned to date in what has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history. Last week it emerged Ms Vennells was shortlisted to become Bishop of London in 2017 the third most senior role in the Church of England after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York despite suggestions that sub-postmasters had been wrongly prosecuted having emerged at the time. Paula Vennells was shortlisted to become Bishop of London in 2017 - Jeremy Durkin/PA Church sources claim the Most Rev Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was personally supportive of Ms Vennells candidacy. The late Queens former chaplain, the Rev Canon Jeremy Haselock, an associate priest at Great St Bartholomews in the City of London, criticised the alleged endorsement, writing on social media: Surely this is the point at which Welby must go. Another demonstration of his complete lack of sound judgment. In the post, seen by The Telegraph, he added: His backing for this woman for episcopal office shows how completely he fails to understand the nature of that office. His total failure to bring pastoral care to the fore during the pandemic and the disastrous decisions he made at that time shows his complete and utter lack of understanding of the Church and its ministry. His has been a terrible primacy and clutching his GCVO [Royal Victorian Order], he should go. Rev Canon Haselock was appointed Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen in 2013, a title he held until 2021. Ms Vennells was ordained as a priest in 2006 and had been an associate minister in the diocese of St Albans while at the same time running the Post Office. She was interviewed for the role of Bishop of London in 2017. By 2015, the Post Office had already halted prosecutions of sub-postmasters, and in 2017 legal action was launched against it by a group of 555 sub-postmasters following a long-running campaign. Church sources said the Archbishop of Canterbury was supportive of Ms Vennells candidacy, with one saying: I have heard that Welby pushed for her. Apparently the meeting of the Crown Nominations Committee in 2017 was quite fortuitous because Paula had no parish experience and was a self-supporting minister. Over the past 10 years the church has become more of a business model, so the whole idea of Paula Vennells being the supposed favourite candidate of Justin Welby links to the whole businessification of the church under his reign. Another source said the Archbishop was known to be supportive of Ms Vennells, who sat on the churchs ethical investments advisory group, adding: Justin was close to her. He was always very supportive of her when she was a member of the Church of England ethical investment advisory committee. On Tuesday, Ms Vennells said she would hand back her CBE for services to charity and the Post Office amid the continuing fallout from the Horizon scandal. More than 1.2 million people had signed a petition calling for her to be stripped of it. In a statement she said: I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system. Lambeth Palace declined to comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. Kate Garraway is being supported after vile and disgusting comments made by former Apprentice contestant Katie Hopkins about her late husband Derek Draper. Hopkins, who first rose to fame in the third series of The Apprentice, has become known over the years for her extreme views and, in 2020, was banned from X/Twitter for breaching the sites rules by sharing abuse and hateful conduct. However, Hopkins, who has previously generated intense backlash due to such posts, had her account reinstated in November 2023 after the platform was acquired by Elon Musk and on Sunday (14 January), set her sights on Good Morning Britain broadcaster Garraway just nine days after the death of her husband after a lengthy battle with long Covid. On 5 January, Garraway, who spent the last four years caring for the former political lobbyist, thanked her friends and fans for their unwavering support, and has since shared an update on family life following Drapers death. Hopkins used the opportunity to mock Garraway in a video that has now been viewed more than four million times. In the clip, she said: 8.30 tonight theres a documentary on the TV that you all need to watch. Yeah, its a Kate Garraway documentary, so its important that I finish on time for you tonight. Hopkins then added, laughing Its Kate Garraway: Life After Derek. Theres also a book shes releasing to go with the documentary hes only been dead a week. There is no such interview or book being released by Garraway. Her comments have led to outrage, with many branding them vile and disgusting. Among those supporting Garraway in the wake of the comments is Piers Morgan, who called Hopkins despicable and comedian Dom Joly, who said of the commentator: She is a pure sociopath zero empathy, total grifter. Meanwhile, broadcaster Lorraine King added: Just when you think Katie Hopkins cant stoop lower she pulls out a joker card. What breed of sick person would laugh at Kate Garraway and her now late husband Derek Draper. Hopkins is clearly jealous that she hasnt experienced true love. Why cant she just be nice even once. Katie Hopkins branded vile for mocking Kate Garraway days after Derek Drapers death (X/Twitter) In the wake of of Drapers death, Garraway announced she would take a leave of absence from her presenting roles, including on GMB. The presenter, who also hosts her own show on Smooth Radio, plans to return to work in the future, according to the PA news agency. Garraway announced that Draper, who contracted Covid-19 during the early days of the pandemic, had died after becoming critically ill early in December last year. Her statement read: Im sad to have to tell you all that my darling husband Derek has passed away. As some of you may know he has been critically ill following a cardiac arrest in early December which, because of the damage inflicted by Covid in March 2020, led to further complications. The late Derek Draper alongside his wife Kate Garraway (PA News) Derek was surrounded by his family in his final days and I was by his side holding his hand throughout the last long hours and when he passed. Tony Blair, Elton John, Gordon Brown, former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell, and Lorraine Kelly led the tributes to Draper. Blair described the Labour adviser as a ruthless political operative and an important part of the New Labour story, while Brown remembered him as a brilliant, creative and multitalented man. A tourist board in Kentucky is seeking to expand the states reach and entice visitors from far, far away. No, not visitors from distant countries. In fact, not even visitors from Earth. Instead, the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureaus new advertising campaign is targeting beings that are a bit more extra-terrestrial. Recent UFO revelations (plus maybe the odd congressional hearing on aliens) have pushed VisitLEX to try to appeal to tourists from outer space just in case it turns out that aliens do exist. UFOs may not yet be able to visit the tourist boards website or keep up to date on all things Kentucky through social media, but VisitLEX has found a way around this by literally beaming their advertising campaign into space. According to a press release, VisitLEX teamed up with a group of scientists and scholars in Lexington to use an infrared laser to beam a message towards different planets in the TRAPPIST-1 solar system 40 light years away. This solar system was chosen because it is the most studied planetary system outside of our own and contains the largest number of potentially habitable Earth-sized planets, according to the release. The beam has been sent to the TRAPPIST-1 solar system 40 light years away. (VisitLEX, Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau) The message was beamed up from the Kentucky Horse Park, and invited any potential extraterrestrial beings who might fancy a trip to the Bluegrass state. The FAA-approved message contains a range of photos of Lexington, audio recording of blues musician Tee Dee Young, the elements of bourbon, and a coded bitmap image of the origin and intent of the transmission. Aliens depicted in Hollywood blockbusters have usually targeted the likes of New York City or areas in California, but Lexington is adamant that the city should be the first choice for outer-space travellers. We believe Lexington is the best place on Earth, said VisitLEX President Mary Quinn Ramer. Their infared message incudes information about Lexington, including horses and bourbon (VisitLEX, Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau) Its the ideal location for extraterrestrial travellers to begin exploring our world. Tourist campaigning knows no boundaries at VisitLEX, while others are looking at Artificial Intelligence as the future of travel. Ms Ramer said they are thinking even further ahead and looking to deep space. However, there is a catch to the groundbreaking advertising campaign. The beamed message wont reach its interstellar destination for around 39 years and it will take around 40 years after that to receive any response from any potential other-worldly holidaymakers. While Lexington waits for the invite to reach prospective tourists, the tourist board hasnt forgotten about all visitors currently here on Earth. Human tourists are invited to come and visit artefacts from the historic message-beaming event and even leave their own note for the aliens if and when they visit Kentucky. Of all the things weve been beaming into space, why not a positive, friendly message? Dr Breen Byrd, an expert in Germanic Languages and Linguistics, said in a video promoting the campaign. Come to Lexington, she added. We have horses and bourbon. Just dont eat us! My kids don't remember the traveling we did when they were younger, but I treasure the memories for them My husband and I have been traveling with our four kids since they were young. When I first realized they didn't have the most vivid memories of our trips, I was disappointed. But I've since changed my perspective, and I'm glad we shared the experience anyway. While we were growing our family, my husband and I raised our kids in the Middle East, starting from when our oldest child was a toddler up through her middle school years. Since we were already on that side of the Atlantic, halfway around the world from our native United States, we seized the opportunity to travel and experience nearby locations. While we quickly recognized that it's not always easy to travel internationally with children, we took on the challenge. We didn't want to miss opportunities just because we had young kids, including a toddler and a baby. In fact, during many of our trips, our four kids were all under 10 years old. My husband and I, with three kids at the time, explored Amman and Jordan, and drove the scenic route through the country to Petra. We went to Lebanon to see Byblos, Jeita Grotto, and the cedar forests. We traveled to Europe for a snowy Thanksgiving and took a trip to visit friends in London. Our family kept up traveling after our youngest was born and camped in the desert of Egypt, swam in the Red Sea, and beheld the resting sites of the ancient pharaohs. But when we looked back at photos of different adventures, I began to discover that sometimes my kids barely remembered the actual trip at all. Their memories from our trips aren't quite what I'd hoped they'd be From our trip to Petra, the two older kids remember riding a donkey and riding a horse. From our time in Lebanon, my daughter remembers seeing a broken-down playground near the lodge where we stayed. One son remembers eating eggs and za'atar. From London, my younger son remembers "everybody looking at a big clock." Sometimes, the only thing anyone remembers is if someone fell down and skinned a knee. I couldn't believe it. All these incredible places, and they remember a donkey? Eggs? A minor injury? At first, I was disappointed they didn't remember more from our family vacations. I wondered if it was a waste of time and effort if they didn't remember. But I've since changed my perspective about this. As Sarah Seefeldt's kids have gotten older, they've started to help plan the family's vacations. Courtesy of the author Despite what they remember, my memories are still priceless My kids are a little older now, and the trips we take stick in their memories a little better. But I still don't regret the trips they have forgotten. Being there with them as we explored a new country or new city was invaluable for me. I loved getting to see their wonder and excitement while climbing into caves or discovering a desert oasis. Together, we saw history come alive as we explored ancient cities, Roman architecture, and medieval castles. I delighted in hearing their observations about the modern cities we visited, whether that was confusion about the traffic patterns or jubilation when they saw mountains and waterfalls. While some of the logistics of traveling together while they were young were difficult to manage, the hassle and extra expense were worth it. I don't mind that they didn't form as many memories as I'd thought they would. My husband and I show them pictures and tell them stories. When they say they only remember little pieces of the trip, I just laugh. I have the memories for them and am happy to fill in the blanks. Traveling together has shaped who we are as a family We moved back to America last year and look forward to continuing to explore new countries. My kids are now seasoned travelers. They still love seeing the world, helping us plan trips, and studying maps to dream about what could be another destination. They like that we prefer to discover places on our own without a tour group not just the famous touristy sights but also the small local restaurants and the places off the beaten track. Though international travel comes with challenges flight delays, strange transit airports, long layover times it also opens the door to understanding more about who we are as people in this great big world. Even if the specific memories fade, I'm happy about all the doors my family got to walk through together. And I've got the photos to remind them. Read the original article on Business Insider A new official portrait of King Charles III will soon hang in public buildings across the UK as part of a Government-funded scheme - HUGO BURNAND/ ROYAL HOUSEHOLD 2024/CABINET OFFICE/PA A new official portrait of the King in naval uniform will be hung in schools, council buildings and courtrooms in an effort to boost civic pride. The photograph was taken last November at Windsor Castle by favoured society photographer Hugo Burnand. It depicts the King wearing his Royal Navy uniform as an Admiral of the Fleet, complete with an abundance of official medals and decorations. The portraits will replace those of Elizabeth II at public institutions up and down the country. The portrait was taken at Windsor Castle last year by Hugo Burnand - HUGO BURNAND/ ROYAL HOUSEHOLD 2024/CABINET OFFICE/PA The Cabinet Office announced last April that bodies such as prisons and police stations could apply for a free, framed portrait of the King as part of an 8 million Government-funded scheme to celebrate his new reign. Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, said the initiative was designed to strengthen civic pride and to to remember what unites us. However, it drew criticism from many, who suggested the Government had lost the plot by spending so much money on portraits during a cost of living crisis. Although it is a Cabinet Office initiative, the image was chosen personally by the King, 75. It shows the monarch standing in Windsor Castles Grand Corridor. He is resting his right hand on white gloves, which are positioned next to his naval cap on an antique wooden table. In his left hand is his sword. Mr Burnand, who took official portraits of the King and Queen last March as well as the official Coronation portraits in May, said he hoped the formality of the setting and the uniform would contrast with the Kings relaxed stance. I tried to structure the picture to get a sense of the history behind him, with that corridor, he told The Telegraph. But at the same time, its as if he is looking to the future and being lit by the next window. King George VI (1895-1952) in around 1936 by artist Captain P North - PRINT COLLECTOR/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES Mr Burnand said he had taken inspiration from both military and royal portraits. He added: Theres definitely a nod to classical portraits throughout the centuries - not just photographs but oil paintings as well. Theres a lot of formality within it but I hope he looks fairly relaxed, therefore you are engaged with him as the viewer. The portrait session ended an incredible year for Mr Burnand, who had shot the King on three separate occasions. The photographer has built up a rapport with both the King and Queen, having been responsible for their official wedding portraits in 2005. Familiarity, he said, was important. I know some of the things he likes and dislikes and he knows some of the things I like and dislike, he said of the King. Consequently, quite a lot doesnt need to be verbalised. It means when Im taking the picture we are in a familiar place. King George V's official portrait photograph of 1935, depicted in full dress uniform - CULTURE CLUB/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES The Government considers it right that public authorities, as part of the fabric of our nation, have the opportunity to commemorate the change of reign and reflect the new era in British history. It is hoped that the new portrait will allow organisations that have long displayed a photograph of the late Queen to carry on that tradition. Sources insisted that there was no obligation or expectation for them to remove portraits of the Queen. Mr Dowden said: The accession of His Majesty The King marked a new chapter in our national story. Displaying this new portrait will serve as a reminder to us all of the example set by our ultimate public servant and I hope as many eligible organisations as possible will wish to continue this proud British tradition and honour our Kings reign. Anti-monarchist group Republic last year branded the scheme a shameful waste of money, adding: The government has lost the plot if they think that people want their money spent on pictures of Charles. Meanwhile, Edinburghs city council leader Cammy Day said the millions earmarked for the initiative should instead be spent on frontline services for councils. Ministers are said to hope that the scheme will offset republican sentiment in left-wing councils and universities. In February, the initiative will be extended to include town, parish and community councils and Ministry of Defence-sponsored cadet forces. The portraits are expected to be delivered between February and April. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. The drowning deaths of a woman and two children from Mexico near the US-Mexico border have magnified the rift between Texas and federal officials over who has jurisdiction in that part of the Rio Grande area and how to tackle the migrant crisis. The tragedy happened days after state authorities blocked the US Border Patrol from accessing 2.5 miles of the US-Mexico border near Eagle Pass, Texas which was recently the epicenter of the migrant crisis. The area includes Shelby Park, a city park on the Rio Grande that Texas authorities blocked off with fencing, gates and razor wire effectively denying access to federal Border Patrol agents. But whether a lack of access may have played a role in the deaths is in dispute. Those who died were Victerma de la Sancha Cerros, 33; Yorlei Rubi, 10; and Jonathan Agustin Briones de la Sancha, 8, authorities with Mexicos National Institute of Migration said Monday. Yorlei Rubi (left), 10, and Jonathan Agustin Briones de la Sancha, 8, are shown in a 2019 photo. Both children drowned Friday night in the Rio Grande. - Obtained by CNN And new details about what happened to them have emerged from a US Supreme Court filing part of the Biden administrations ongoing legal battle against Texas to regain access to the border area. Heres what we know and whats still unclear: What federal officials say happened Around 9 p.m. Friday, Mexican officials advised Border Patrol of two migrants in distress on the US side of the river in the area near the Shelby Park boat ramp, the Biden administration wrote in Mondays Supreme Court filing. Mexican officials also informed Border Patrol that three migrants one woman and two children had drowned at approximately 8:00 p.m. in the same area. The drownings as well as the rescue of two other migrants on the US side of the Rio Grande by Mexican authorities underscore that Texas is firm in its continued efforts to exercise complete control of the border and land in the area and to block Border Patrols access to the border even in emergency circumstances, the administration wrote. It is impossible to say what might have happened if Border Patrol had had its former access to the area including through its surveillance trucks that assisted in monitoring the area, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in the filing to the Supreme Court. At the very least, however, Border Patrol would have had the opportunity to take any available steps to fulfill its responsibilities and assist its counterparts in the Mexican government with undertaking the rescue mission. Texas made that impossible. Prelogar urged the Supreme Court to intervene, and the high court could act at any time. CNN has reached out to Gov. Greg Abbotts office, the Texas Military Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety for responses to Mondays Supreme Court filing. Prior to the filing, Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar posted on social media that six migrants were reportedly in distress Friday night. A Border Patrol agent went to an entrance gate at Shelby Park and told Texas National Guard members about a distress call, according to the court filing. Speaking through the closed gate, the guardsmen refused to let the (Border Patrol agent) enter because they had been ordered not to allow Border Patrol access to the park, the filing says. The Border Patrol agent also spoke with the guardsmens supervisor over the phone but was again denied access, according to the filing. The supervisor conveyed that Border Patrol is not permitted to enter the area even in emergency situations and guardsmen would be sent to investigate, the filing says. The next day, Mexican officials confirmed to Border Patrol that they had recovered three drowned bodies and rescued two distressed migrants and another two migrants who had attempted to cross in the night, according to the filing. The US Department of Homeland Security confirmed the deaths and said Border Patrol agents were stopped from assisting at the border. In responding to a distress call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the area, a DHS spokesperson told CNN in a Saturday statement. The Texas governors policies are cruel, dangerous, and inhumane, and Texass blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks. Texas officials blocked US Border Patrol agents from doing their job and allowed two children to drown in the Rio Grande, Democratic US Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas said in a statement Saturday. What Texas authorities say happened But the Texas Military Department said by the time Border Patrol agents requested access to the site Friday night, the drownings had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the bodies, and Border Patrol expressed these facts to the TMD personnel on site. The Texas Military Department Saturday said it was contacted by Border Patrol at 9 p.m. Friday about a migrant distress situation and searched the river with lights and night vision goggles, but no migrants were observed. About 45 minutes later, Mexican authorities were seen responding to an incident on the Mexican side of the riverbank, said the Texas Military Department, which then reported their observations back to Border Patrol, and they confirmed that the Mexican authorities required no additional assistance, according to its statement. At no time did TMD security personnel along the river observe any distressed migrants, nor did TMD turn back any illegal immigrants from the US during this period, the Texas Military Department said. Also, at no point was TMD made aware of any bodies in the area of Shelby Park, nor was TMD made aware of any bodies being discovered on the US side of the border regarding this situation. National Guard soldiers stand guard Friday on the banks of the Rio Grande at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. - Brandon Bell/Getty Images Mexicos foreign ministry speaks out Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its condolences over the deaths of the migrants in a statement released Sunday by the Mexican Consulate in Eagle Pass. Mexicos Beta Groups part of the National Institute of Migration of Mexico dedicated to protecting the human rights of migrants and specializing in rescues and first aid - and the Mexican National Guard recovered the bodies from Mexico, the statement said. Two other Mexicans were rescued. Apprehensions increase near Eagle Pass After a significant decrease in migrant encounters earlier this month, migrant apprehensions in the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector have increased since last week, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the operations. Eagle Pass is in the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector. Smugglers are pushing large groups of migrants to cross the Rio Grande through residential areas and places west of Eagle Pass outside the river area taken over by Texas, the source said. This geographic shift in the flow of migrants creates a new challenge for federal border authorities because there is no infrastructure in these areas, especially as temperatures dip in the overnight hours, the source said. About 1,000 migrant apprehensions took place Sunday in the Del Rio Sector, compared to between 500 and 600 daily earlier in the week, according to the source. The number of migrant apprehensions on Friday and Saturday were 659 and 624, respectively, the source said. The rift between Texas and the feds Tensions have been high between the state and federal officials as the Biden administration has challenged the policies of Texas Republican governor, including the use of razor wire along the border and a new law that makes entering Texas illegally a state crime. The dispute before the Supreme Court concerns Border Patrol agents practice of removing razor wire put in place by Texas along part of the border. The state sued the federal government over the practice, and a lower court ordered the agents to stop removing the wire while legal challenges play out. The Biden administration appealed this month and is asking the high court to step in on an emergency basis to put a hold on that order. Texass recent actions vividly illustrate the untenable legal and practical implications of that injunction, which rests on the Fifth Circuits holding that Texas may use state-erected barriers and state tort law to prevent federal officials from performing their federally assigned functions at the border, the US solicitor general wrote to the Supreme Court. On Friday, the Biden administration complained to the US Supreme Court about the state blocking Border Patrol from the Shelby Park area and asked the high court to quickly intervene. On Saturday, Texas told the high court it was working promptly to ensure Border Patrol has access to a boat ramp at Shelby Park. Following the drowning deaths, Texas on Saturday started allowing Border Patrol limited access to the Shelby Park boat ramp area and another port of entry gate, according to the filing. A Border Patrol agent was also able to enter the restricted area Monday and drive onto an access road, the document notes. US Customs and Border Protection was saddened by tragic migrant drownings in Eagle Pass, an agency spokesperson said. We remain gravely concerned by actions that prevent the US Border Patrol from performing their essential missions of arresting individuals who enter the United States unlawfully and providing humanitarian response to individuals in need, the spokesperson said. Abbotts office and the Texas Department of Public Safety both referred CNN to the Texas National Guard for further information. Abbott has defended the states action to seize control of land at the US-Mexico border. Texas has the legal authority to control ingress and egress into any geographic location in the state of Texas. And that authority is being asserted with regard to that park in Eagle Pass, Texas, to maintain operational control of it, Abbott said at a news briefing Friday before the drownings. On Sunday, the White House called the recent migrant deaths tragic and characterized Abbotts directives on the border as political stunts, according to Angelo Fernandez Hernandez, White House assistant press secretary. While we continue to gather facts about the circumstances of these tragic deaths, one thing is clear, Fernandez Hernandez told CNN in a statement. Gov. Abbotts political stunts are cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. US Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Caroll Alvarado, Sara Weisfeldt, Ashley Killough, Karol Suarez and Jennifer Deaton contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Euphoria Accepting Grant Applicants Grant applications are being accepted for euphoria2024, a nonprofit food, wine and music festival that highlights Greenvilles culinary and music arts scene while funding projects for local charities. Recipients of the grants must help fight hunger or provide sustenance to those in need; support music or performing arts; or help children. Organizations can apply online; the deadline is 8 p.m. March 13. Since euphoria was founded in 2006, the festival has funded projects for more than 50 local charities and helped Greenvilles hospitality and tourism industries and economic development. Last years euphoria grants: Giving Kitchen supplied $18,000 in emergency assistance to eight food service workers facing crisis. Feed & Seed purchased kitchen equipment to increase efficiency. Project Host sponsored a Cooking for Kids program for 552 children across Greenville County. Walts Waltz held painting workshops to promote mental health for 900 students. The Family Effect offered Kindermusik classes at Serenity Place for 100 women and children. Greenville Technical College provided Culinary Camp scholarships. Metropolitan Arts Council promoted the SmartARTS Program; 4,000 students and 50 teachers were served. Tickets are on sale for euphorias A Southern Remedy, from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 22. All-inclusive tickets are $70. The event will be presented by women chefs and include winter cocktails and music from the Jamie Wright Band. State Achieves Record Investments The S.C. Department of Commerce has announced industry recruitment with capital investments of $9.22 billion in 2023. The money represents 81 projects and 14,120 jobs, according to a press release. It is the second-largest amount in state history. Once again, South Carolina has proven that it is among the best places in the world to do business, said Gov. Henry McMaster. Recruitment confirms the sustained interest for doing business here, but also signals to the global business community that South Carolina is a trusted partner for successful businesses. The $9.22 billion includes investments in automotive, electric vehicles and EV batteries, $4.3 billion; alternative energy and fuels, $1.56 billion; Scout Motors, Albemarle Corp. and QTS Data Centers invested $1 billion or more. Back-to-back years of strong industry recruitment reinforces South Carolinas commitment to the success of our existing and new businesses, said Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III. City Club Debuts Menu, Decor The City Club of Greenville recently unveiled its revitalized brands, menus, program and decor. The City Club of Greenville is located on the 17th floor at 55 Beattie Place. The club is a destination for dining, socializing and business networking. For information, go to www.cityclubgreenville.com. Jewish Federation Events To Showcase Cooking, Heritage The Greenville Jewish Federation is hosting three events on Jan. 28 that highlight the ways Jewish traditions have shaped Southern cooking. A new cookbook by Rachel Gordon Barnett and Lyssa Klingman Harvey, Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food, Family, and Tradition in Jewish South Carolina, shares recipes and stories of Jewish food and heritage. Barnett and Harvey started a blog called Kugels and Collards in 2016. The cookbook has more than 80 recipes, including brisket, potato latkes, challah, and more. Barnett and Harvey will sign books and visit with attendees on Jan. 28. Brunch and Learn, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at The Cooks Station, 515 Buncombe Street, Greenville. The VIP experience will include brunch and an hour of demonstration and sampling. Seating is limited. Book Signing, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Cooks Station, 515 Buncombe Street, Greenville. Authors will sign books for those who have pre-ordered. A limited number of books will be available for purchase. Book Signing and Tasting, 3 to 5 p.m. at Temple Bnai Israel, Heywood 146 Avenue, Spartanburg. The event features a question-and-answer session, sampling, and signing. Grandma Ida's Lokshen Kugel will be served. Books will be available for sale. Preserving the Southern Jewish table is so important for our state heritage, said Courtney Tessler, CEO of the Greenville Jewish Federation. We hope the community, Jewish or not, comes out to learn and taste some Jewish history. For tickets, go to https://greenvillejewishfederation.ticketspice.com/kugels-collards-upstate-events. The Greenville Jewish Federation works to support educational programs, social services, cultural events, and advocacy efforts that promote Jewish values, heritage, and unity. Countybank Wraps Up Swipe To Donate Countybank completed its fourth annual Swipe to Donate campaign in December. We could not be more thankful to our customers for consistently using their debit cards during the holiday season to help us reach our goal, said R. Thornwell Dunlap III, President and CEO of Countybank. The bank was able to donate more than $150,000 last year to local nonprofit and charitable organizations, including: Community initiatives First Light Habitat for Humanity Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont Salvation Army Soup kitchens across the Upstate United Way Founded in 1933, Countybank has locations in Greenwood, Greenville, Greer, Simpsonville and Anderson. Recovery Center Shares Dry January Tips Recovery Centers of America, a network of substance use disorder treatment facilities, has shared tips to help anyone who wants to try a dry January or start the year by refocusing health goals. A treatment center recently opened in Greenville. Some people use dry January to begin or continue a life of sobriety, said Brett Cohen, Chief Executive Officer at RCA. Recovery Centers of America offers tools and services both inpatient and outpatient that ease the path to recovery, and we aim to be part of a broader community that celebrates healthy living, he said. (Regular drinkers should consult their doctors before stopping the use of alcohol suddenly. Withdrawal can be fatal under some circumstances.) Recovery Centers of America tips are: Set goals, not resolutions, and identify steps toward meeting goals. Those in recovery can connect with others in recovery to maintain motivation. Connect with family, friends and community. Connections keep people grounded. Commit to attending in-person or virtual meetings or staying connected to a support person. Get back to basics. Get adequate sleep, drink water, and make healthy food choices. Lean on an expert. Turn to a professional for advice, strategies, and an understanding of individual struggles. Focus on physical and mental health and wellness. Exercise daily. Meditate. Manage stress. Seek healthy activities and sober companions. Avoid activities that threaten sobriety. Now is the perfect time to focus on you, Cohen said. Recovery Centers of America has an inpatient facility in Greenville, as well as outpatient programs. Simpsonville Chamber Names Board The Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce has named its new Board of Directors. Board members serve three-year terms and represent a variety of industries in Simpsonville and the Upstate. Board members are: Taft Osborne, First Reliance Bank, 2024 Board Chairman Jason Klue, Klue Real Estate Advisors, 2024 Chairman-Elect Josh Wiseman, Nest Realty, 2024 Treasurer Brooks Derrick, Derrick Law Office, Immediate Past Chairman L'Tonya Hopkins, Summit Media, Director Casey Kozlov, PIP Marketing Signs Print, Director Shaun Phillips, Weichert, Realtors - Shaun & Shari Group, Director Kim Kegler, community volunteer, Director Mike Giordano, Williams Wealth Management, Director Almarina Olmeda, The Children's Museum of the Upstate, Director Samantha Sanders, CommunityWorks, Director Alex Williams, New York Life, Director Drew Brashier, Paw & Order Dog Training, Director Jennifer Rogers, Prisma Health, Director Mark Shannon, Vision Office Systems of South Carolina, Director Councilman Lou Hutchings, City of Simpsonville, Advisor Councilman Butch Kirven, Greenville County, Advisor Businesses Asked To Take Survey The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce and the S.C. Chamber of Commerce are conducting their monthly Palmetto Business Barometer Survey that allows large and small businesses to share their opinions with state government leaders and policymakers. The survey is brief and easy to submit. Owners or managers can fill out the survey. Answers are confidential. Go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HWZCHNN. First Presbyterian Features Mysterion The Galleries at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville will exhibit Mysterion, a collection of works by contemporary artist Makoto Fujimura. The exhibit will be on display through July 26. Mysterion Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose slow art was described by David Brooks of the New York Times as a small rebellion against the quickening of time. His bicultural arts education resulted in a fusion of fine art, abstract expressionism, and the traditional Japanese art of Nihonga and Kacho-ga (bird-and-flower painting tradition). The gallery is located at 200 W. Washington Street. FUEL Taking Applications For Help To Nonprofits FUEL, a Greenville-based brand-building agency, is accepting applications until Jan. 17 for its FUEL for Good grant program. As a community service, FUEL selects local nonprofits each year and provides pro bono marketing services, enabling organizations to further their missions and address needs in the community. To qualify, applicants must be based in Greenville County, serve the local community, hold a valid 501(c)(3) certification, and have an identifiable need for marketing assistance. The application can be completed online at www.fuelforbrands.com/fuel-grant. In its fifth year, the FUEL for Good grant program allows the agencys team to dedicate strategic marketing and branding expertise to help local nonprofits with specific marketing challenges. FUEL has awarded the grant to 14 local nonprofits and donated hundreds of hours of services ranging from refreshed logos and brands to social media campaigns and collateral. FUEL will select the winner and begin work in February. Founded in 2011, FUEL is made up of designers, writers and creators. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: In The Know: News, updates from Greenville area businesses and nonprofits Former U.S. diplomat William Walker, 88, left, pays his respects at a memorial for Kosovars killed in 1999 by Serb forces in Recak, Kosovo, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Hundreds of Kosovars have gathered in a southern village to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the mass killing of 45 ethnic Albanians by Serb forces which was a decisive moment to spark international anger and prompt a 78-day U.S. and NATO air campaign to end Kosovo's 1998-99 war.(AP Photo/Zenel Zhinipotoku) RECAK, Kosovo (AP) Hundreds of Kosovars gathered in a southern village on Monday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a mass killing of 45 ethnic Albanians by Serb forces, an event that helped spark international intervention to end a 1998-99 war in Kosovo. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Parliament Speaker Glauk Konjufca joined citizens at a cemetery in Recak, 32 kilometers (20 miles) south of the capital, Pristina, for the commemoration ceremony. Former U.S. diplomat William Walker, 88, who led an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission tasked with overseeing a cease-fire agreement, also was present. Walker's use of the term massacre to describe the killings in Recak paved the way for a 78-day NATO bombing campaign of Serb forces that ultimately ended the war. He is revered as a hero in Kosovo. The government of Serbias then-president, Slobodan Milosevic, claimed that the dead were members of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army who were killed in combat with state security forces. This was one of the most horrendous massacres committed by the Milosevic regime at that time, showcasing once again that their intention was to commit crimes against humanity and genocide against the people of Kosovo, Osmani said. At the time of the war, Kosovo was a province of Serbia. A Serb government crackdown on Kosovos separatist ethnic Albanians killed some 13,000 people, most of them ethnic Albanians. The United Nations governed the province until 2008, when Kosovo declared independence, an act that the government in Belgrade still hasnt recognized. Kurti denounced Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for not recognizing and apologizing for the Recak massacre, either as Milosevics minister of information or Serbia's current leader. The mass killings in Recak were the first confirmed through evidence collected by international monitors and made known to the world through international news coverage, Kurti said. "The Recak massacre has been proved as a crime against humanity in front of the world and of history, the prime minister said. U.S. Ambassador to Pristina Jeffrey Hovenier affirmed Washingtons stance on the massacre, repeating what then-President Bill Clinton said, that This was a deliberate and indiscriminate act of murder designed to sow fear among the people of Kosovo. Peace and justice come from a clear-eyed acknowledgement of past crimes. This is vital to ensure these heinous crimes never happen again. But recognizing the truth of the past is just the first step towards justice, he said at a ceremony in Recak. The European Union office in Pristina was also part of the commemoration, saying that, Justice for this heinous crime must be served and perpetrators held accountable. Relations between the two neighboring countries remain tense and flare from time to time. In September, a gunbattle between about 30 Serb men and police in northern Kosovo left an officer and three gunmen dead. European Union-facilitated talks on normalizing Kosovo-Serbia ties are at a stalemate. ___ Associated Press writer Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Llazar Semini at https://x.com/lsemini Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake (R) launched her first campaign ad on Monday, hitting Democratic candidate Ruben Gallego and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) over immigration. Ten thousand illegals pour into the U.S. every single day. Crime, drug deaths, homelessness its hurting every community, Lake said in the 30-second ad. With President Trump, we had a secure border, but Joe Biden and his enablers, Kyrsten Sinema and Ruben Gallego, destroyed that security, she continued. When we take back the U.S. Senate, we can fix it. Im Kari Lake, and I approve this message because my vision is to make Arizona safe, affordable and great again, and Im asking your help to do it. Lakes campaign said that the ad is set to air on broadcast and cable in Arizona during the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Lakes campaign declined to say how much the ad buy was. Lake is vying for Sinemas seat against Gallego in Arizona. Sinema has not yet announced whether she intends to run for reelection. Gallegos campaign hit back at Lakes ad in a statement, accusing her of using the issue of the U.S. southern border for political gain. While Kari Lake tries to use the border crisis for political gain instead of offering real solutions, Ruben Gallego has delivered more than $93 billion in border security funding to keep Arizonans safe and hire thousands of border patrol agents. While there is more work to be done, she has rhetoric, he has a record they are not the same, Gallego campaign spokeswoman Hannah Goss said in a statement to The Hill. Both Sinema and Gallego have waded into the issue of immigration, with Sinema taking part in a small group of senators trying to negotiate a bipartisan border deal. Gallego has advocated for reforming how places that shelter migrants are compensated by the Federal Emergency Management Agencys Shelter and Services Program. Polls have shown a tight race between Lake and Gallego, while Sinema has generally finished third. Sinema switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent at the end of 2022. The Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling released a poll last week showing Lake receiving 46 percent support and Gallego at 45 percent in a hypothetical match-up between the two, an effective tie that fell within the polls margin of error of 4 percentage points. When factoring in Sinema, Gallego has 36 percent support, Lake has 35 percent Sinema has 17 percent. A separate Public Policy Polling survey commissioned by Gallegos campaign and released in October showed the Arizona Democrat leading Lake by 5 points in both a two-way match-up and three-way match-up with Lake and Sinema. A separate poll released in October by Republican firm National Research Inc. showed Lake at 37 percent and Gallego at 33 percent. Gallego held a cash advantage over Lake during the last quarter of fundraising for 2023, raking in $3.3 million between October and December, while the former local news anchor received $2.1 million. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Sinemas seat as a toss-up. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The line is expected to remain closured until Tuesday (Jonathan Brady/PA) A major rail route serving London remains closed due to a landslip. Network Rail said it is working round the clock to carry out repairs on the Chiltern main line following a landslip near Bicester, Oxfordshire, which has closed the line between London Marylebone and both Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford. Chiltern Railways issued a do not travel alert as the line is not expected to reopen until 7am on Tuesday, causing major disruption to journeys, with the boss of the firm apologising for the closure. The line was also closed on Sunday due to the repair work. Were installing a series of piles alongside the affected section of railway This will allow us to stabilise & rebuild the embankment so its safe for trains to run again While the railway is shut were working round the clock Were really sorry for the disruption pic.twitter.com/vihGSYe84C Chiltern Main Line (@NetworkRailCML) January 14, 2024 More than 50 steel piles are being installed at the site of the landslip, which was discovered on January 11. Network Rail central route director Denise Wetton said: Im really sorry to passengers affected by the landslip on the Chiltern main line near Bicester North station which has been caused by recent stormy weather and heavy rain. Our engineers are working round the clock to carry out repairs which will involve a complete closure of the railway. Services from London Marylebone towards Banbury and Birmingham are being cancelled or are terminating at Haddenham & Thame Parkway. Those from Birmingham and Banbury towards London Marylebone are being cancelled or are terminating at Bicester North. A limited rail replacement bus service is running between Haddenham & Thame Parkway and Bicester North. Richard Allan, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: Wed like to apologise to customers who are affected by the closure of the railway near Bicester for urgent repairs to the track following a landslip. Mr Allan added that this decision was not taken lightly, but is essential while Network Rail repair this landslip on the Chiltern main line. I would urge customers to consider alternative methods of transport. Ticket acceptance will also be in place with numerous other train operators. Id like to thank customers for their patience and understanding while Network Rail work at pace to reopen the railway. Additional reporting by agencies. The last flight of the destroyed Russian A-50 The Ukrainian military published video footage of the last flight of Russias A-50 AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) plane shot down over the Sea of Azov on Jan. 14. The video shows the aircraft flying over a populated area and provides a map view of the area it was downed over. "This is what the last flight to a no-go zone looked like," the video description said. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi confirmed on Jan. 15 that the Ukrainian Air Force had destroyed a Russian A-50 AWACS plane and damaged an Il-22 command-and-control aircraft. Read also: Kremlin silent on downing of Russian planes The two planes were on duty near Strilkove, Kherson Oblast, and were hit around 9:00 p.m. on Jan. 14, with the Il-22 performing an emergency landing in Russias Anapa. The Fighterbomber Telegram channel, allegedly run by Capt. Ilya Tumanov of the Russian Armed Forces, reported casualties among the crew of the downed A-50, while claiming the damaged Il-22M11 successfully made an emergency landing. Russian officials are yet to comment on these reports. 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 Bitterly frigid temperatures and subzero wind chills throughout Iowa will test caucusgoer's willingness to support their favorite presidential candidates today. The Democrat and Republican caucuses officially kick off at 7 p.m., with doors at most generally opening around 6 p.m. Temperatures in the state won't be considerate of the voting event. Monday is expected to be the coldest Iowa Caucus since it began in 1972. The low at the first caucuses was four degrees below zero, with a wind chill of 26 degrees below zero. The high that day was 25 degrees. A digital billboard paid for by the Democratic National Committee critical of the Republican presidential candidates stands in blizzard conditions on Jan.13, 2024 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The forecast for today calls for a high of zero degrees, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Kerry Schwindenhammer. But temperatures, he said, could feel like 20 to 25 degrees below zero or even 30 degrees below zero in some spots. "Many places could be four, five, six, seven degrees below zero, especially when you head into the central and northern parts of the state," Schwindenhammer told USA TODAY. Wind Chill Warnings remain in effect across central IA through Tue morning, with a prolonged stretch of sub-zero temps through that time. 8pm wind chills note readings in the 20s & 30s below zero. Frostbite can occur to exposed skin in 10-30 mins in these conditions. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/vybYKjJCa3 NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) January 15, 2024 Schwindenhammer said there will be very little precipitation, with conditions mainly dry with a mix of clouds and sunshine. Snow from last week's blizzard remains across much of the state, though Schwindenhammer expects conditions will ease today. Winds in northwestern Iowa are expected to move at 10 to 20 mph. However, the arctic air will make being outside brutal nonetheless. "This kind of cold can be downright dangerous. It's not a time to go outside and wear a light jacket, you're going to want to bundle up," Schwindenhammer said. "Wear all the layers you need to wear in order to stay warm here. And the less time you can spend outdoors, the better." A volunteer plunges campaign signs for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis into deep snow outside the Chrome Horse Saloon one day before the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 14, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Record temperatures were set on Sunday Des Moines International Airport broke a cold record Sunday at 7:30 a.m., when temperatures dipped to 18 degrees below zero. It was the lowest recorded temperature for a Jan. 14 in Des Moines since 1888, and the lowest temperature recorded since a reading of 20 degrees below zero in January 2019. What is the polar vortex? In-depth look at how it can affect winter weather in the US. Trump not worried about weather impacting Iowa Caucuses In Des Moines, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump met with campaign volunteers on Sunday said his supporter's enthusiasm is no match for the weather. His campaign canceled three of the rallies scheduled in Iowa over the weekend. "I don't know, maybe the weather is not going to be that big a deal," Trump said. The former president urged voters to caucus for him regardless of the dangerous cold, adding that "even if you vote and then pass away, it's worth it." "If this is any indication, the storm has had zero effect," Trump said. "You're very hardy people, I've heard that." Congresswoman involved in crash on her way to Nikki Haley event U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks' was rear-ended by a semitractor-trailer on Saturday. While she was unhurt, the incident caused her to miss a campaign event where she'd planned to speak for presidential candidate Nikki Haley, her staff said. She was replaced by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa's 2nd District. Haley held virtual townhalls on Friday due to the storm. Contributing: John Bacon Iowa weather map US weather watches and warnings National weather radar This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Subzero temps to make coldest caucus on record 'downright dangerous' Republican presidential candidates are still spending Monday attempting to woo caucusgoers in the final hours to caucus night. Many are making up for missed events over the weekend from snow and cold weather. Follow along as we bring you live updates. And be sure to check back tonight as results come in after 7 p.m., when caucusing starts. More: See Iowa Caucus results by precinct Iowa Republicans: 'might be midnight' before get all results In the face of extreme winter weather conditions across the state, Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann said precinct chairs will be patient as people travel to each caucus location. It might be midnight that we have every single piece of data come in, said Kaufmann, who met with reporters less than an hour before caucus sites were expected to open in Iowa. Certainly I would rather get those results later than have anybody hurry up beyond where they feel comfortable, he added. Kaufmann said they have asked Iowans to arrive at caucus sites as early as possible. He went on to say that while some sites have had to change locations due to weather and icy roads, they have not had any closures. Im perfectly comfortable with what is going on right now, Kaufmann said. Savannah Kuchar In last speech, Nikki Haley thanks Iowans for their kindness "All eyes are on Iowa," Nikki Haley says in a telephone town hall two hours before the Iowa Caucuses. "You have the opportunity to set the tone in this race. It can be more of the same with what weve seen with Trump and Biden, or it can move forward with new solutions." "I want to thank you for your kindness," Nikki Haley said. "I want to thank you for teaching me so much about Iowa. What I have come away from it is you are faithful, hardworking, patriotic people that want to see a country we can all be proud of. And I want to give that to you." Stephen Gruber-Miller Donald Trump stays low-key on Caucus Day Unless you count social media, Trump spent the daylight hours of Iowa Caucus Day out of the public eye. Reporters did catch the former president briefly at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, where he predicted that "we're going to have a great night." The Trump campaign, meanwhile, set up a post-caucus party in a high-ceiled room at the Iowa Events Center. David Jackson Ron DeSantis pitches closing message in eastern Iowa Ron DeSantis made his way through eastern Iowa to rally undecided voters and supporters ahead of the caucuses. "If you haven't made a decision, I'm asking for your support," said DeSantis at local Cedar Rapids restaurant, Jersey's Pub and Grub. DeSantis entered the presidential race with high expectations as a big-state conservative governor who came to national prominence bucking COVID-19 lockdowns and calls for banning race-and-gender-affirming programs. He was endorsed by Governor Kim Reynolds. "Not a lot of Floridians come up north in January, certainly not at the tail end of a blizzard, but we are going to be out all the way through the end of the caucus tonight," DeSantis said. "We worked all 99 counties over the course of many months. We built a great organization. We got so many great people, great Iowans who are locked and loaded, ready to go for us tonight." "I'm excited about tonight. Make your voice heard. We have an opportunity to really change the course of this country." DeSantis packed in three events prior to caucus start time at 7 p.m., including in Sergeant Bluff and Council Bluffs earlier today. Jessica Rish More: Iowa Republicans confident in reporting caucus results. Here's when to expect live results: Eric Trump predicts great night' for his father Donald Trump DES MOINES The former president's son is calling it now: It will be a great night for Team Trump. He told The Associated Press hours before Iowa's kickoff caucuses: "Everywhere I show up, theres hundreds and hundreds of people, and theyre all wearing the Make America Great Again hats and carrying American flags. He says, I think were going to have a great night." He says that he's seen tremendous enthusiasm across the state for his father and that Republican voters are eager for a return to Trump's policies. The Associated Press Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign stop on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at The District Venue in Ankeny. Waiting for Ron DeSantis but leaning toward other candidates CEDAR RAPIDS A few hours before the caucuses, Iowa Republican Steve Kessler sat in a sports bar awaiting an appearance by DeSantis, but he was still undecided about whom he would support. I like to take my time, the 65-year-old retired electrical engineer said at Jerseys Pub & Grub. But it wasnt looking good for DeSantis. My heart is with Vivek because of his rambunctiousness," Kessler said. "But Im tempted to vote for Nikki to show my anti-Trump feelings. Why not DeSantis? Hes not that charismatic, he said. But I figured I should see him before I go to caucus. Kessler was headed straight from the DeSantis event to his caucus site in Coralville, about 30 miles south of Cedar Rapids. The Associated Press More: Turnout, key counties and evangelicals: What to watch for as GOP Iowa Caucus results come in Donald Trump surrogates make their case for the former president Dozens of Trump supporters gathered at ShinyTop Brewing to get up close and personal with some of the former presidents best-known endorsers, including Reps. Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake of Arizona. I want to tell you how much the world is counting on Iowa tonight, Lake told the crowd. She added: What youre going to do tonight is youre going to help save this world." Melanie Klaassen, 42, plans to participate in her first caucuses on Monday night. She and her husband, Michael, were among an engaged crowd of Trump supporters at ShinyTop Brewing who gathered to see surrogates of the former president. The farmers from Pomeroy supported Trump in 2016 but went to their first rally in 2020 out of curiosity, she said. They found camaraderie there with people from all walks of life, Melanie said, who had been stereotyped as bad, backwards people. Weve always voted, but we didnt care either way how it turned out, she said. Thats changed since Trump. It feels like our voices really matter more," she said. The Associated Press Eric Trump is interviewed Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at the Trump caucus night watch party at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Famous T-shirt maker Raygun has Iowa Caucuses merch Des Moines-based retailer Raygun once again has merchandise related to the Iowa Caucuses ready for shoppers wanting to memorialize the day with a witty T-shirt. Raygun, a popular stop for Iowa Caucus visitors that has welcomed several Democratic presidential hopefuls during the 2020 presidential cycle to C-SPAN this year, has several new designs available for purchase online and in stores. That includes the shirt with the phrase, What the hell is a caucus? And where the hell is Iowa? More: Here are 9 Local Legends, Des Moines makers of unique items Owner Mike Draper told the Des Moines Register on Jan. 11 that was inspired by a quote overheard on a New York subway and emailed to Raygun. Other designs include shirt Election 2024: Welp, I guess were doing this again" and a button Iowa Caucuses: Theyre Letting Us Do This Again?! More merchandise will be dependent on what happens out of the Iowa Caucuses, Draper explained. In 2020, Raygun produced a shirt faster than the Iowa Democratic Party was able to announce results after widespread reporting problems caused a significant delay. Paris Barazza A look at Republican presidential candidates' paths through Iowa The candidates have put in a lot of time in Iowa as they make their pitches to caucusgoers. Here's a look at their paths through the Hawkeye State: More: Trump spurns traditional caucus campaigning as he builds expectations for a big Iowa win More: Nikki Haley heads into Caucus Day hoping for a two-person race with Donald Trump post-Iowa More: Ron DeSantis ran an old-school Iowa campaign. Will it pay off against Donald Trump? More: Vivek Ramaswamy finds supporters in Iowa, but trails in polls in run-up to Iowa Caucuses More: Republican candidate Ryan Binkley spent lots of time in Iowa but didn't garner support in polls More: Asa Hutchinson's steady Iowa presence hasn't been enough to compete with front-runners Woodbury County caucus sites change due to snow The Woodbury County Democratic Party announced Sunday a change in caucus location for Precincts 23 through 33 due to the impact of the weekend's storms. Those who were planning to caucus at the Sergeant Bluff High School will have to relocate because snow drifts up to the roof are blocking some exits, the organization said in a Facebook post. The new location for affected precincts is Sioux City West Middle School, 3301 W. 19th St., Sioux City. More: Where do I caucus? How to find Republican caucus locations, what to bring to register In Pella, Nikki Haley amps up the crowd, says: Lets go caucus! Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has launched a campaign blitz on Caucus Day, making her final pitch to voters in Des Moines, Pella and Newton. Were excited to be here. I know youre more excited than I am because this means no more TV commercials. No more mail, all those other things, Haley joked with a crowd of about 40 attendees at The Bread Board in Pella. Haley, who donned a pink blazer, delivered the same message as she did earlier Monday at the Drake Diner in Des Moines: Lets go caucus! For the last 11 months, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor said she has spent time in Iowa, shaking hands with residents across the state. She prided on building relationships with them and answering their questions. Now, she says, Iowans must make a decision and set the tone on where the country should go. Every Iowan weve met, they get it, Haley said. Theyve done their homework, theyve asked the questions. Theyre working it out. And even though it is freezing outside literally we havent seen anyone thats deterred from showing up at the caucuses. When I look at what is at stake here and why this matters so much, it goes back to the fact that I have said we cant continue to be a country in disarray with the world on fire, she continued. We cant do that with four more years of chaos. We cant defeat Democrat chaos with Republican chaos. And of all things, we cannot afford a President Kamala Harris. Haleys final stop is in Newton, where she is expected to speak to attendees, at PBs Pub. Her campaign also plans to host a statewide telephone town hall at 5 p.m. F. Amanda Tugade How do I find results on caucus night? Read our coverage and see results as they come in on desmoinesregister.com. Download the Registers app and enable push alerts for notifications as coverage and results happen. Follow us on social media, such as Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok, to see videos and get updates from our journalists across the state. Subscribe to the Register for unlimited coverage of all the news and analysis related to the Iowa Caucuses. Florida state employees knock doors in Iowa for boss Ron DeSantis Wherever Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finishes in Monday's Iowa Caucuses, you can't say it was for lack of a ground game. And he had a lot of help from his friends, allies and appointees. Volunteers for DeSantis headed to Iowa in droves this weekend, to knock on voters' doors and urge them to cast their ballots for the man often referred to as "America's Governor." Most notable, as multiple social media posts show, was the number of high-ranking elected officials, department heads and other members of his administration who braved sub-zero temperatures to turn out the vote, even causing what appeared to be a momentary political "brain drain" in the Sunshine State. "The fact that hundreds of state employees in Florida are taking personal leave and paying their own way to (volunteer) for their boss in Iowa ... should tell you all you need to know about the kind of leader @RonDeSantis has been," wrote Kyle Lamb, a research and data specialist for the state's Department of Commerce. Tallahassee Democrat staff More: DeSantis officials, staff depart capital in droves to knock on doors before Iowa Caucuses Trump starts Caucus Day by trash-talking rivals Trump is stepping up his attacks against his rivals on the morning of Iowas kickoff caucuses. On his Truth Social site, Trump is knocking Haley, his former U.N. ambassador, as an unwanted Globalist and calling her weak on the Border." Trump is also going after Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech entrepreneur who has run as a steward of his Make America Great Again movement. A vote for Vivek is a wasted vote, Trump wrote in all caps. I like Vivek, but he played it too cute with us. Caucus tonight, vote for Donald J. Trump, build up the numbers!!! Trump spent much of the race praising Ramaswamy for saying nice things about him. But Trump turned on him this week after Ramaswamy posted a photo of himself posing with supporters wearing Save Trump, vote Vivek T-shirts. The Associated Press Asa Hutchinson brings breakfast with a side of Iowa Caucus Asa Hutchinson chatted with early risers at two Des Moines diners Monday, making last-minute pitches on why they should vote for him in the Iowa Caucuses. "Is the biggest decision you're going to make breakfast or caucus today?" Hutchinson asked a few people seated at a table at Waveland Cafe, a northwest-side favorite. The former Arkansas governor socialized with reporters and struck up conversations with patrons as their ate their breakfasts, while also handing out candidate cards. After spending about an hour at Waveland Cafe, he moved on the Drake Diner, where many patrons had caught a glimpse of Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley less than an hour before. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks Lonnie Shannon, center, and Kathy Shannon on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at Waveland Cafe in Des Moines. Tracy and Sandy Thorpe were seated in a booth at Drake Diner when Hutchinson came by to chat. Tracy Thorpe said he wasn't participating in the caucuses, but said Hutchinson seemed like a "personable" and a "nice fella." "I'm waiting for the sorting hat" to weed out the candidates, he told the Register. Diner Jay Windsor, of Illinois, called Hutchinson a "great candidate," adding it was too bad he had "no traction." Windsor's father James H. Windsor, of Des Moines, said the U.S. is in need of "leadership" as well as "young blood" in the White House. Despite being a registered Democrat, Windsor told the Register he's been impressed by Haley. Virginia Barreda Why each Republican candidate can win the Iowa Caucuses. (And why they can't) Caucus night is nearly here, and the campaigns are setting expectations for caucus night. Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Ryan Binkley each has carved a path to victory in the Iowa Caucuses to collect the state's 40 delegates. But each has their weaknesses. Here's a rundown on where each candidate stands according to our January Iowa Poll; what their path to success in the Iowa Caucuses looks like; how they could fall short; and a key insight into every one of their campaigns: More: Who will win the Iowa Caucuses? 6 GOP candidates' path to victory or defeat on Jan. 15 Galen Bacharier Nikki Haley runs into climate activists as she makes final push on Caucus Day Presidential candidate Nikki Haley kicked off Caucus Day at Drake Diner in Des Moines, where she told voters they have a choice to make: Go back to the past or move forward. We need to better for our kids, she said. We have spent 11 months talking about veterans, saying were going to go back and appreciate those who fight for us. We have spent 11 months saying that the lawlessness on the Biden administration on the border and everything else has to stop. We have spent 11 months saying we have to have an accountant in the White House. At a packed Drake Diner this morning where GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley kicks off Caucus Day pic.twitter.com/nfcwZ7wH1K F. Amanda Tugade (@writefelissa) January 15, 2024 As she left the diner, Sunrise Movement climate activists held yellow banners that read: HALEY: CLIMATE CRIMINAL. Activist Paul Campion praised Iowas transition to renewable energy, but said Haley wants to go back to oil, gas and coal thats killing people? Thats poisoning the air and water? Campion later told the Des Moines Register he had one message for Haley: Listen to younger voters. I want her to know that Gen Z and millennials are the biggest voting block in this country, said the 26-year-old Maryland native who traveled to Iowa to join up with Sunrises Des Moines chapter. And if she wants a shot at the presidency, whether in the caucuses and primaries within the Republican Party, shes going to have to learn to listen to young people. F. Amanda Tugade More: Here's when the Iowa Caucuses start, how they work, who can participate, where to go Vivek Ramaswamy makes Caucus Day pitch, say campaigning across Iowa 'humbling' Vivek Ramaswamy returned Monday to Urbandale, Iowa, eatery Machine Shed Restaurant, where early in his campaign he shared his message with a much smaller crowd. This time he spoke to about 100 attendees, and said he will win tonight when Republican caucusgoers make their choices. The final Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Saturday indicated that Ramaswamy was the first choice of 8% of likely Republican caucusgoers. Ramaswamy insists he is seeing a groundswell of support from voters who were not polled. Ramaswamy also said that campaigning in Iowa over the past year changed his life. Ramaswamy has held more than 360 events across Iowa since he started campaigning in February 2023, and he visited every one of Iowa's 99 counties at least twice. Iowans, he said, have a way of humbling politicians. "Go to 100 Pizza Ranches and they'll put you in your place," Ramaswamy joked. "We started with the deep-dish, we went to the thin crust. Now I'm at the salad bar by the time we leave Iowa. But it's been the most humbling, but fulfilling and memorable experience of our lives. Even late tonight when we begin to make our way to New Hampshire, we're going to miss this place." More: What recent Iowa Polls say about the Republican presidential race in the Iowa Caucuses Ramaswamy also planned to speak in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids before going back to the Des Moines metro area to attend caucuses at a Clive precinct. He will hold a results watch party at the Surety Hotel. Ramaswamy closed his case for the presidency by telling evangelical Christians in the room that he practices Hinduism, but has values rooted in Christianity. He attended Xavier Catholic High School in Cincinnati and learned his sense of right and wrong there, he said. "When I read the Ten Commandments at Saint Xavier High School in ninth grade, it didn't feel like I was reading them for the first time," Ramaswamy said. "There's one true God. Don't take his name in vain. We need a president who is able to stand for those shared values that this country was founded on." Philip Joens Gov. Ron DeSantis predicts strong performance Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ended Sunday at a packed event in Ankeny, where he went after former President Donald Trump more aggressively and predicted a strong performance Monday night. DeSantis has run a hard right campaign aimed at wooing over Trump supporters by convincing them he didnt follow through on his promises, and DeSantis can deliver conservative victories. Polls indicate many caucugoers arent responding to that message, but DeSantis and his allies tried again Sunday to make the case that hes a better choice than the former president. The crowd booed Trump actions highlighted by DeSantis, including attacking Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has endorsed DeSantis. You can be the most worthless Republican in America but if you kiss the ring hell say youre wonderful, said DeSantis, who benefited from Trumps endorsement in his 2018 primary campaign. You can be the strongest, most dynamic, successful Republican and conservative in America but if you dont kiss that ring then hell try to trash you. DeSantis also faulted Trump for his handling of COVID-19, not trying to end birthright citizenship and not finishing the wall on the southern border. More: More Nikki Haley supporters would vote for Biden over Trump in November, Iowa Poll finds Some of DeSantis allies who spoke at the event were even more critical of Trump. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie mocked the former president, imitating his voice as he described how Trump threatened him after Massie opposed legislation Trump wanted. Talk show host Steve Deace referenced Trumps legal troubles, saying: we cannot blow this election, we cannot try to win an election while navigating 91 felony indictments. DeSantis has fallen into third place in recent Iowa polls behind Nikki Haley and needs a strong showing Monday to keep his campaign viable. The low polling has weighed on DeSantis campaign and was on the minds of his surrogates Sunday. Deace asked the crowd: "Can you imagine what Tuesday will be like if we shock the nation on Monday? You all hold in your hands the power to tell the media, the beltway elite, all the people in this country that said this election is already decided by polls that it is you who will decide, said U.S. Rep. Chip Roy. The rally at The District Venue was packed with supporters and media. DeSantis took the stage with his wife and three children. Asked what success looks like for him Monday, DeSantis said: I think everybody will know. I think youll see a strong performance, well turn our people out, he added. Zac Anderson This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Caucus candidates make final sweep through state. Here's what they said today A volcano in southwest Iceland, about 30 miles from the capital, Reykjavik, erupted Sunday for the second time in less than a month, sending lava pouring down the streets of the town of Grindavik. The town of about 3,800 people had already been evacuated prior to the first eruption on Dec. 18, 2023. About 100 people had returned, only to be ordered to leave again before the second eruption. No deaths have been reported, but a worker named Luvik Petursson is missing after reportedly falling into a crack opened by the volcano. Billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen in this image during an volcanic eruption on Sunday on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik. Billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen in this image during an volcanic eruption on Sunday on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik. There is no hot water or electricity in the town, Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported. There appears to be uncertainty about what exactly is going on with the volcano and what happens next. Magma (which is under the ground; when it comes out of the ground its called lava) is continuing to flow in a way that is surprising the Icelandic Meteorological Office, RUV reported. President Guni Th. Johannesson said the country was battling tremendous forces of nature. We now wait and hope and take things as they come. And now all our plans for the future must take into account that a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula, he said in an address. An aerial view of the lava flow front in the town on Monday. Iceland's president says the country is battling An aerial view of the lava flow front in the town on Monday. Iceland's president says the country is battling "tremendous forces of nature." Emergency workers were brought in after the first eruption to build walls around the town to deflect the flow of lava. That work had been about halfway completed when the second eruption happened, according to engineer Ari Gumundsson. This event yesterday showed that they are proving their worth, and what their structure and height is like, he said, according to RUV. Aerial view taken on Sunday shows emergency personnel using diggers to build a protective wall trying to prevent flowing lava from reaching the town center. Aerial view taken on Sunday shows emergency personnel using diggers to build a protective wall trying to prevent flowing lava from reaching the town center. Town residents were woken up by sirens around 3 a.m. Sunday and had to flee straight away. They dont know what their future there will look like. This is serious, its basically as bad as it can possibly get. Although it might get even worse, who knows, evacuated resident Jon Gauti Dagbjartsson told Reuters on Sunday. I actually live in the house that I was born in, and its a tough thought to think that this town might be over, and I would have to start all over somewhere else. But if thats the case, then thats exactly what well do, he said. An aerial view of the lava field with inactive southern fissure next to the town. An aerial view of the lava field with inactive southern fissure next to the town. People watch from the north as the volcano erupts near Grindavik on Sunday. People watch from the north as the volcano erupts near Grindavik on Sunday. In this handout photo provided by the Iceland Coast Guard, lava is seen spewing from a volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula. In this handout photo provided by the Iceland Coast Guard, lava is seen spewing from a volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula. An aerial view taken on Monday shows a lava stream near Grindavik. An aerial view taken on Monday shows a lava stream near Grindavik. Related... Every great city deserves an easily identifiable sandwich of its own. Whether its the Philadelphia cheesesteak or the New Orleans poboy, a gut-busting sandwich is a matter of civic pride. When most people think of Chicagos sandwich of choice, the first answer is usually the Italian beef sandwich. (Unless you are one of those people who thinks a hot dog is a sandwich.) After all, you can find one in most neighborhoods, and locals love to argue relentlessly about where to find the best. The popularity of the sandwich has only grown recently thanks to The Bear, an FX show that follows a fine dining chef who has to return to his familys Italian beef stand. But looking through the Tribunes archives, its a bit shocking to find that the Italian beef hasnt been the obvious sandwich choice for that long. Unlike barbecue, which shows up in the archives all the way back in the 1850s, the Italian beef doesnt even make an appearance until the 1950s. Chicagoans were eating sandwiches with beef long before then, though. Its just that they were either roast beef sandwiches or, more likely, corned beef sandwiches. As critic Louisa Chu explained well back in 2019, Chicago is a corned beef town, unlike New York, Los Angeles or Montreal, where they prefer pastrami. While true today, Chicagoans were apparently even more obsessed with corned beef in the early 20th century. That was when John P. Harding, also known as Corned Beef John, had 12 restaurants downtown serving the dish, including Harding Grill (131 N. Clark St.) and Hardings Colonial Room (21 S. Wabash Ave.). According to an article from Sept. 22, 1922, Harding started the craze for the make em before your eyes corned beef sandwich. An article from Aug. 15, 1926, went even further, claiming his chief bid for fame, however, is in having made the corned beef sandwich what it is today. The Tribune loved to throw superlatives at Harding. He transformed the Star Theater at 68 W. Madison into a restaurant in 1918, and when he planned to open another downtown restaurant, the paper felt the need to write this: Mr. Harding four years ago answered in the affirmative the momentous question: Is the corned beef sandwich mightier than the movies.' John P. Hardings famous corned beef sandwiches are sold at a booth at the Food Show, circa 1925. Corned beef also made Harding a very rich man. On Dec. 4, 1928, the Tribune referred to Harding as a millionaire restaurant owner, while noting how he wielded a knife dexterously when he carved corned beef for fifty guests at a dinner given last night in honor of Harry Hackney of Atlantic City, president of the National Restaurant Association. So when did the Italian beef overtake corned beef? The 1920s is when many of the Italian beef origin stories pop up, with both Pasquale Scala and Tony Ferreri mentioned as possibly inventing the dish. Unfortunately, I couldnt find any mentions in the Tribune archive during that time period. In fact, the first clear mention of the Italian beef that I was able to find wasnt until June 28, 1953. It wasnt exactly a grand introduction. The very short post, titled Old Peoples Home Aids Plan Benefit Picnic, explains how the ladies auxiliary and mens league of Villa Scalabrini will hold their second annual picnic at noon next Sunday at the villa in Northlake Italian beef and sausage sandwiches and spumoni will be served [to] guests. Thats it. According to The Chicago Food Encyclopedia, the origins of the Italian beef probably werent from either Scala or Ferreri, but instead lie in Italian American home cooking. In particular, the book points to so-called peanut weddings' in the 1920s where the dish was often served because it was affordable and could easily feed a crowd. As noted above, nothing was mentioned during the time, but on May 11, 1979, the Chicago Italian American Organization did an advertisement for a 40s Italian Wedding fundraiser where you could experience an authentic 1940s Italian peanut wedding.' The first food mentioned is the beef sandwich. The Italian beef pops up occasionally in the 1950s and 1960s, though most often in restaurant ads, like the one on Nov. 14, 1954, for the grand opening of delivery service for Barsantis Grill at 3404 Lincoln Ave., which specialized in pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, Italian beef sandwiches, bar-b-q ribs, southern fried chicken and french fried shrimp. On July 28, 1963, The New Parkette at 105th and Western printed its menu, which shows that an Italian beef sandwich cost 60 cents. The recipe for Italian beef sandwiches is first mentioned in the Chicago Tribune on May 26, 1962. On May 26, 1962, we get what may be the first recipe for the Italian beef from Mary Meade. (As I found out recently, the name was a pseudonym for a number of different women writers.) Theres a lot of tomato paste, which isnt as common today, but the recipe looks pretty close. Plus it has the first mention of dipping bread in the beef juices: In the true Italian fashion, the sliced Italian or French bread should be dipped into the stock before being layered with the thin slices of beef. But it was not until the 1970s that the Italian beef truly took off with Tribune reporters. On May 17, 1975, in the Chicago Tribune Magazine, Charles Leroux visited a number of drive-ins around the city, including Mr. Beef: They have a wonderfully spicy sausage sandwich [75 cents] and a killer Italian beef sandwich [$1.05]. A photographer friend says he cant face the drive home without a Mr. Beef beef dripping into his lap. Even cats started appreciating the sandwich. In one of the stranger stories Ive ever come across in the archives, author Mary Daniels wrote on Oct. 6, 1976, about Nick Fischers cat that weighed 23 pounds and once stole an 11-pound turkey. Then Fischer explained that when he gets a beef sandwich, I have to get him one, too. Without peppers. By Jan. 8, 1979, the Italian beef was apparently so ubiquitous that Phyllis Magida could write this: Rare is the Chicagoan who doesnt know to dip pierogi in sour cream, or how to hold a taco, or to demand hot pepper with Italian beef. The Original Mr. Beef, where exteriors for the show The Bear were filmed, is seen on North Orleans Street in River North on Dec. 19, 2022. The Italian beef really took off in the 1980s. In a Sept. 26, 1980, article about where to spot celebrities in the city, Barbara Molotsky wrote that Neil Diamond apparently really liked the Italian beef at Als. The sandwich became a fixture for numerous businesses at Taste of Chicago, which launched for the first time in 1980. Even fine dining chefs started discussing the sandwich. In an article from Oct. 15, 1982, Gail Bernstein asked chefs where they enjoyed eating after closing time, and multiple chefs mentioned grabbing an Italian beef. On Nov. 3, 1983, JeanMarie Brownson even offered a recipe for cheesy Italian beef sandwiches, proving that cheese was a common topping for the sandwich in the 1980s. By Sept. 15, 1989, Manuel Galvan felt confident enough to declare that the Italian beef was Chicagos sandwich. That said, the article is more interesting for mentioning that Jay Leno, who at that time didnt have his own show, brought a bagful of beefs to Late Night with David Letterman' when it was taping in Chicago four months before. As he and the host traded laughs, Leno ate a couple of Italian beefs and frequently told the Chicago audience the sandwiches came from Mr. Beef. Customers enjoy lunch outside at Johnnies Beef in Elmwood Park in 2014. An Italian Beef sandwich at Als Italian Beef on West Taylor Street in Chicago is shown in 2014. This is around the time when Chicago transplants started writing in to complain about how they cant get a good Italian beef anywhere else. On Aug. 16, 1990, Edward Agustin from Norcross, Georgia, wrote a plea for help from a displaced Chicagoan about how much he missed the wet mess of sandwich. On July 25, 2001, Jerry Goodman from Florida said hed love a recipe for the sandwich because he really missed those morsels. Finally, on Oct. 12, 2005, there was no doubt about the status of the Italian beef sandwich in Chicago. Thats when the sandwich was included in Bill Daleys article about 10 Chicago icons. There the Italian beef shared space with other recognized Chicago food classics like deep-dish pizza and the Chicago hot dog. Nick Kindelsperger is a former Tribune food critic. Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here. When Toby Barker, mayor of Hattiesburg and president of the Mississippi Municipal League, came to Jackson Wednesday with a group of mayors, he wanted to voice his hope to work with the Legislature on the states retirement system. That work, he hopes, will save public employers, such as cities, counties and state agencies from future contribution increases into the Public Employment Retirement System of Mississippi, which currently sit at a 17.4% match of employees yearly salaries, while workers themselves pitch in 9%. The PERS Executive Director Ray Higgins said the employer contribution will likely go up to 27%, Barker said. For us, that'd be three million new dollars from where we are right now that we have to come up with every year to pay for existing employees. Other towns that maybe don't have the same sales tax growth that we have, that would be a disastrous prospect. Fortunately for Barker, while no bills have been submitted for review, legislators in the House and Senate are planning to bring retirement reforms to the floor this year to address a growing number of retirees and a shortage of public sector employees to help fund PERS, several lawmakers told the Clarion Ledger. Hattiesburg, Miss., Mayor Toby Barker, left, shakes hands with ALDI Divisional Vice President Heather Moore, right, at the opening of new ALDI in Hattiesburg Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. What are the issues? Higgins told the Clarion Ledger one of the largest issues facing the retirement program is $25 billion the agency holds in liabilities, which is a total of money owed, and a declining number of public employees entering and staying in the system. As of 2023, 146,664 active members are paying into the system, a 10% fall from 2014 when it sat at 162,044. Also the program has 96,139 inactive members, which are people who will receive benefits upon retirement, but are no longer contributing into the system. Currently 118,301 retirees receive an average of approximately $26,000 per retiree, per year. The last 25 years have seen additional benefits enhancements placed into law without additional funding at the time, the active member-to-retiree ratio decline, retirees living longer, several economic downturns, including the Great Recession in 2008 and a more conservative approach to public pensions in general, Higgins said. There has been a decline in the number of active members contributing to PERS and this does typically have a negative effect on the financial condition." Jackson city workers repaving Pearl Street in downtown Jackson on Dec. 20, 2017. Many public employers, such as cities, counties, school districts and state agencies are facing heightened contributions into the Public Employment Retirement System of Employees, which could cause them to cut new jobs. State Lawmakers also intend to pass retirement reform this year to curb the issue, as well as decreasing public worker numbers. PERS is currently funded through employee and employer contributions as well as money invested by PERS into several domestic and foreign markets in real estate and private infrastructure, among others. Higgins said the PERS Board of Trustees passed a 5% employer contribution increase over the next three years, to assist paying down PERS overall liabilities, as well as help alleviate the member-to-retiree fall. The contribution rate for employers will go from 17.4% to 22.4% by 2027, and the first increase will happen July 1, rising to 19.4%. Billy Knight, mayor of Moss Point, and Barker both said if those increases happen beginning July 1 this year, it could have serious impacts on their citys ability to hire new employees and maintain other jobs for their cities. Barker said that trend could lower PERS participation even further. We are going to have to make decisions about whether or not to hire new people that we really need to hire or are we going to have to lay off some key positions and undercut public services, Barker said. We just cant afford (that increase) on our budget. What do legislators plan to do? Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Republican Sen. Walter Michel, who represents Madison and Hinds counties, both said PERS should stop future increases in employer contribution. According to a PERS report given to Lawmakers in 2023, the agency proposed a 10% increase from 17.4%, as well as adding a new tier of its retirement plan, which would give members new options for contribution amounts, and no guarantee of cost-of-living adjustments, among other things. That plan will absolutely ensure the catastrophic failure of PERS, Hosemann said. Every city and county will go to leasing employees, which means that nobody will be contributing, which means it's absolutely going to fail. Michel said the state could possibly pass a bill to either add more retirement plan options to public employees to work in tandem with PERS. It's very common in the private sector for employers to match a portion of the money the employee puts aside, Michel said. That 9% that they're giving right now could go into a retirement fund, and the state could match that 9% with funds. Rep. Kabir Karriem and Jeramey Anderson, Democrats representing Lowndes and Jackson counties respectively, said they are willing to find solutions beyond raising contributions for public employers, but they will need to see what bills make it to the floor before making decisions on the issue. Sen. David Blount, a Democrat representing Hinds County, said active members would not be effected by any changes in law, but the Legislature could look at changing benefits and contributions for future hires. It's absolutely essential that we protect the long-term sustainability of PERS, and that means that all the employers in the system such as the state, counties, cities and school districts all have to meet their financial obligations, Blount said. "Every single retiree today (will receive benefits). Its what future hires may expect and what their employer is obligated to pay when that person is hired that is open for discussion. Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@clarionledger.com or 972-571-2335. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS lawmakers could change state retirement plan, PERS Heres a look at how Pennsylvanias members of Congress voted over the previous week. Along with roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed a resolution (S. Res. 521), commending Taiwan for its history of democratic elections and expressing support for Taiwans democratic institutions. HOUSE LAWSUIT SETTLEMENTS: The House has passed the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act (H.R. 788), sponsored by Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, to bar the federal government from reaching agreements to settle lawsuits that involve payments to non-government entities. Gooden said such settlements mean Congress has no oversight of where this money is going and how it is spent and the executive branch is spending dollars without going through the appropriations process. A bill opponent, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said private groups are frequently best positioned to remedy harms to society at large that were caused by a corporate wrongdoers violation of federal environmental, labor, consumer, and financial protections. The vote, on Jan. 11, was 211 yeas to 197 nays. YEAS: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick R-Bucks; Mike Kelly, R-Butler; Scott Perry, R-York; Lloyd Smucker, R-Lancaster; John Joyce, R-Blair; Guy Reschenthaler, R-Washington; Glenn Thompson, R-Howard; Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne NAYS: Reps. Dwight Evans, D-Philadelphia; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Chester; Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery; Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia; Susan Wild, D-Lehigh; Summer Lee, D-Allegheny; Chris Deluzio, D-Allegheny NOT VOTING: Matt Cartwright, D-Lackawanna; Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Delaware CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The House has passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 38), sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to disapprove of and void a 2023 Federal Highway Administration (FHA) rule temporarily waiving Buy America requirements for materials used in electric vehicle chargers. A resolution supporter, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said a waiver undercuts domestic investments and risks empowering foreign nations such as China by giving their charging companies U.S. market share and undermining national security. An opponent, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said removing the waiver, and thereby exempting electric vehicle chargers from Buy America requirements, would create uncertainty for the private sector who have based their investments and job creation on the new Buy America standards. The vote, on Jan. 11, was 209 yeas to 198 nays. NAYS: Fitzpatrick, Evans, Houlahan, Dean, Boyle, Wild, Lee, Deluzio YEAS: Kelly, Perry, Smucker, Joyce, Reschenthaler, Thompson, Meuser NOT VOTING: Cartwright, Scanlon SENATE TEXAS JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of John A. Kazen to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Kazen was a private practice lawyer in El Paso and Laredo for more than two decades before becoming a magistrate judge in the District in 2018. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said: Kazens deep ties to the southern Texas legal community, combined with his courtroom experience as both a litigator and a judge, make him an excellent candidate to serve on the federal bench. The vote, on Jan. 8, was 83 yeas to 14 nays. YEAS: Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa.; John Fetterman, D-Pa. COLORADO JUDGE: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of S. Kato Crews to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for Colorado. Crews has been a federal magistrate judge in Colorado since 2018; for nearly two decades prior, he was a private practice lawyer focused on civil litigation. A supporter, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Crewss courtroom experience as both an advocate and magistrate judge ensure that he will continue to be an asset to the district court. The vote, on Jan. 10, was 51 yeas to 48 nays. YEAS: Casey, Fetterman SMALL BUSINESSES AND CREDIT: The Senate has failed to override President Bidens veto of a resolution (S.J. Res. 32), sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would have disapproved of and voided a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau agency rule issued last May that requires banks and other financial companies to submit small business credit application information to the Bureau. Kennedy said the rule would intrude on the privacy of small business owners seeking bank loans by gathering information about their identity and sending it to an insecure government database. The vote to override, on Jan. 10, was 54 yeas to 45 nays, with a two-thirds majority required. NAYS: Casey, Fetterman LABOR STATISTICS: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Erika L. McEntarfer to be the Labor Departments Commissioner of Labor Statistics for a four-year term. McEntarfer has been an economist at the Treasury Department and the Census Bureau, and was also recently an economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisors. The vote, on Jan. 11, was 86 yeas to 8 nays. YEAS: Casey, Fetterman Just five days remain until a key government funding deadline, and even after congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle announced a deal to avert a shutdown until March, the schedule leaves little room for error. On Sunday night, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released text for a continuing resolution to extend government funding into March, legislation that will need to pass both chambers of Congress before the end of this week in order to avoid a partial lapse in government funding. Johnson said in a statement the short-term spending bill is required to complete what House Republicans are working hard to achieve: an end to governance by omnibus, meaningful policy wins, and better stewardship of American tax dollars. The two-tiered continuing resolution deal, which would fund the government past both shutdown deadlines through March 1 and March 8, was reached just days before the first funding deadline of January 19. Caught between hardliners and moderates and navigating an extremely narrow majority, Johnson is under intense pressure and has already faced fierce criticism from conservatives over a topline spending deal he struck with Schumer, which was announced earlier this month. The conservative House Freedom Caucus criticized Johnsons proposal shortly after it was released Sunday night. This is what surrender looks like, the caucus posted on X. Given the opposition from conservatives, congressional leaders will likely need bipartisan support in both chambers to quickly pass the legislation ahead of Fridays deadline, a fact Schumer cited on Sunday. A majority of Democrats and Republicans dont want to shut down, but theres a group, a hard-right group particularly in the House, some in the Senate who want to bully their way into forcing a shutdown, Schumer said during a news conference Sunday. That cannot happen. The topline deal has set in motion a bipartisan effort to negotiate full-year spending bills, but there is still much more work to be done in that process, and the consensus on Capitol Hill is that both chambers must pass a short-term funding extension this week or else trigger a shutdown. In addition to facing the funding deadline, House Republicans are also continuing to aggressively pursue their oversight agenda targeting the Biden administration. The House has been planning to vote this week to hold President Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress and the House Homeland Security Committee is slated to hold its second impeachment hearing into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Democrats have denounced Republicans over both efforts, calling them politically motivated and saying Republicans should instead be focused on ensuring there is no shutdown. In a rare event, lawmakers are confronting not one but two government shutdown deadlines early this year on January 19 and February 2. Congress passed stopgap legislation in November extending government funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The rest of the government is funded until February 2. Conservatives have pushed Johnson to walk away from the topline deal with Schumer, but the Louisiana Republican announced at the end of last week that he remains committed to the agreement, which would set spending at close to $1.66 trillion overall. Our topline agreement remains, Johnson told reporters on Friday. We are getting our next steps together, and we are working toward a robust appropriations process so stay tuned for all of that to develop. If Johnson had walked away from the deal, it would have created a massive breach of trust with the Senate and could have put Congress on a path to a shutdown. But his decision to stand by the agreement risks further angering conservatives, a dynamic that highlights the speakers precarious position. Adding to the challenge facing Johnson is the fact that the speaker is still very new in the job following his election to the leadership post in October after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out in a conservative revolt. There is a reason you dont vacate in the middle of a Congress. And Mike is a really good guy, really smart guy, really hardworking guy, really thoughtful guy, but hes learning on the job, Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota said. Hardliners have said they want to cut spending back down to $1.59 trillion without a $69 billion side deal. They also want to inject border security into the spending talks, and are insisting that HR 2, a House GOP-passed border security bill, be attached to any continuing resolutions. A number of conservatives have also called to shut down the government if their demands on border policy are not met, even though those demands stand no chance of passing in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Other House Republicans want to keep the topline number where it is but fight for policy riders like border security in the spending talks. Separate from the government funding fight, a bipartisan group of senators has been in talks to try to strike a deal over border security that could clear the way for passage of aid for Ukraine and Israel. A large number of House Republicans, however, have warned that a Senate compromise over border security stands virtually no chance of passing their chamber, making clear instead they will only accept a deal that mirrors the hardline immigration bill HR 2. Looming over everything is the possibility that conservatives could push to remove Johnson the same way they ousted McCarthy though as of now that does not seem to be a real threat. Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, the chairman of the hardline House Freedom Caucus, told CNNs Manu Raju that he remains opposed to Johnsons spending agreement with Schumer, but pressed on whether he has lost confidence in Johnsons ability to lead the conference, Good argued that it is too early in the speakers tenure to pass judgment. Its a ridiculous supposition that you would that someone thats been a speaker for two and a half months, or been the leader of our party for two and a half months, would be treated the same as someone who was in that position for years and is the reason why we needed new leadership, he said. However, some House GOP members are fed up with hardliners demands, and argue that their stubbornness could cost Republicans the House in 2024. I dont think that what were doing right now is complementary to us making the case to the American public that we need to maintain this majority, said GOP Rep. Steve Womack. So I think we need to move past the moment, prove we can govern, get this stuff done. The Arkansas Republican argued that ousting McCarthy was the worst mistake we could ever have made, and said that the conference is not ready to pull that trigger again even if some are unhappy with Johnsons performance. Theres a reason why it had never been done before in the history of this country. You just dont fire a speaker because you have a disagreement over, you know, a spending bill. And thats unfortunate, said Womack. I dont think there is an appetite right now for us to go back through that. That was a painful time, and we touched that stove once. It was not a good outcome. CNNs Kristin Wilson and Avery Lotz contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Ships in the Red Sea appear to be trying to avoid Houthi attacks by declaring themselves Chinese. They've started switching their AIS trackers to say their crews are "ALL CHINESE." China has been critical of the war in Gaza, and pushed back against US and UK strikes on the Houthis. Several cargo ships and tankers in the Red Sea have been broadcasting that their crew is fully Chinese, seemingly hoping the affiliation with Beijing will persuade Yemeni rebels not to attack. At least nine such ships approaching or crossing the Red Sea rewrote their destinations to declare that their crew is "CHINESE" or "ALL CHINESE" on their automatic identification system, the global tracker required by the international maritime convention. Five of these ships were first identified by Bloomberg. Business Insider found at least four other vessels in or close to the Red Sea signaling similar messages on Sunday evening. For example, the bulk carrier Great Ocean, which frequently travels to Chinese ports and flies the Liberian flag, wrote that it had an "ALL CHINESE CREW." Another ship, the bulk carrier Dias, which also flies the Liberian flag and primarily traveled to ports in Ukraine and China last year, signaled "CHINA" while sailing near the Red Sea. Of the 9 ships Bloomberg and BI identified, one has a Chinese name. BI could not immediately verify the nationalities of the crew on these nine ships. Ships that exited the region as of Sunday have since switched their AIS destinations back to normal. The new practice indicates that owners or crews of these ships believe that links to China may help them appear sympathetic to Palestinians in Gaza or the Houthis, who have since November been ramping up attacks in the Red Sea. If true, it's also in line with a nationalist push from Beijing to portray China as being well-loved around the world for outwardly staying neutral in global conflict and maintaining positive relations with poorer nations. China has been critical of Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza, and recently pushed back against the US and UK's deadly series of strikes against Houthi targets on Thursday. The strikes were carried out in response to attacks on international vessels by the Houthis, who say they are responding to the war in Gaza. Ships get creative to dodge Houthis At least two ships in the area also declared themselves to be affiliated with Russia, another country that publicly criticized strikes on the Houthis. This development echoes a tactic often used by civilian vessels sailing through the Gulf of Aden, where crews manually enter their AIS destinations as "ARMED GUARD ONBOARD" to deter pirate attacks. Trackers show that more than a dozen vessels continue to display the "ARMED GUARD ONBOARD" status even as they exit the Gulf of Aden and navigate the Red Sea. Ships in the Gulf of Aden typically change their destinations to "ARMED GUARD ONBOARD" to deter pirates. Screenshot/VesselFinder A shipping industry advisory in December indicated that more vessels are hiring private armed guards amid the wave of Houthi attacks. Some ships have been turning off their AIS trackers as they enter the region, hoping to slip unnoticed past Houthis and pirates. But the industry cautioned that it will be harder for Western warships patrolling the area to mount a rescue if the vessels go dark and are attacked. Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, a prominent leader of the Houthi organization, previously told commercial ships to indicate on their AIS that they have "no connection with Israel" if they wanted to avoid being attacked. The organization says it only assaults vessels with links to Israel. However, Human Rights Watch in December found the militants attacked at least five ships with no evidence of such affiliations. Still, several vessels in the Red Sea appear to be taking up al-Houthi's suggestion, broadcasting destinations like "NO CONTACT ISRAEL" or "NO ISRAEL INVOLVED." The spate of Houthi attacks has significantly disrupted international trade and introduced surging costs as major transport companies halted shipping lanes through the Red Sea. An estimated 90% of container ships that would have sailed through the Suez Canal are now diverting the long way around to the southern tip of Africa, Simon Hearney, a senior manager at maritime research consultancy Drewry, told the Associated Press. January 15, 1:40 a.m. This story has been updated with information about the ships' names. Read the original article on Business Insider Aerial view of parts of South Seas Island Resort in Captiva photographed Tuesday, June13, 2023. New Lee County code changes mean Captiva Island could see 6-story buildings, which a residents' group is fighting against. Captiva Island residents, worried by county code changes they fear could bring as many as hundreds of new housing units, more cars and more people to the island, took the first legal step toward overturning land use changes. The Lee County Board of Commissioners made the changes in September and December. Residents want to overturn amendments to the county comprehensive land use and development codes the commissioners adopted a year after Hurricane Ian slashed through the island. Some say bigger crowds will visit the island as accommodations increase and services and amenities are added. More: South Seas resort warns of lawsuit as Captiva residents seek bill to enforce density limits More: Florida's best: 9 top lists of places to go, things to do if you plan to visit or move here The island sustained more than $1 billion in storm damage. Larger crowds are one issue, but leaders of Captiva Civic Association Inc. fear over-stressed infrastructure and diminished quality of life on its 1.64 square miles nearly 30% of which is water. The group filed a complaint in the county court in January 8, the first day it could legally bring the action, arguing that Captiva residents are substantially affected by the planned redevelopment of South Seas, sprawling resort. It claims the right to file the complaint by virtue of its ownership of real property, very proximate to land that may now be approved for taller and larger buildings and greater hotel room density. We were meeting with county commissioners, asking them to consider what they were saying, to look at the traffic problems and environmental impacts, said Lisa Riordan of the Captiva Civic Association. Once we were not hearing anything that we thought was encouraging, we needed to raise funds to fight the plan. The Captiva residents oppose specific approved changes in the limits on what could be built on Captiva. Ian changed what people think they can do on Captiva outside, Riordan said. Outside the gates of South Seas, people rebuilding (are required) to be under current regulations." Greg Spencer, who heads the South Seas ownership group, defends his companys objective in reconstruction of the resort, referring to the plans as redevelopment and repositioning of South Seas into "a world-class resort." Spencer told residents at a redevelopment information meeting that the resort was in decline 20 years prior to our purchase due to aging structures, dated amenities and lack of investment by its prior owner. Residents are concerned, though, about preserving the quality of life. Some say the new rules could mean taller structures of up to 75 feet. It would change it forever; in their plan, the building at the north end of the hotel would be 64 feet tall thats a six-story building, Riordan said. The water authority here has said that they dont know if water can be provided, because all of their estimates for the future were based on the ordinances that were in place. Residents who have investments on the island worry about South Seas' development plans but the resort's parent company say the resort has been in decline for decades and it plans to replace older buildings and create a more modern vacation resort. South Seas is putting through what they want, there is no talking to them; they have had no involvement in the community since the day they purchased South Seas, Riordan said. There has been not even a response from them this is a group that has no interest in getting feedback from the community Cottage at 'Tween Waters on Captiva Island. There have been no negotiations since the zoning issue was raised between the residents and the owners of the resort since the county amended its code and residents filed a court complaint against the county. "We have not talked about compromise because South Seas (and investors) have had no involvement in the community," Riordan said. A spokeswoman for Lee County said "the county is working on the response to the petition." The courts will not hear the legal case until the county has filed its answer, however there is some general optimism about Captiva. "The recovery is moving along, I think people will understand it is going to take time," Riorden said. "Several of our restaurants have opened, some have been rebuilt, some will be replaced, but in all, the recovery is moving along." This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: As Captiva continues recovery from Hurricane Ian legal battle emerges Is a movie-like rating system the same as book banning? Legislators say no, but some in the education community are still weary. Legislation in the House is targeting books in public schools, with two bills specifically making a rating system for books in public school libraries, much like how there is a rating system for movies. The books, however, would be rated by including a sexually explicit material or sexually relevant material warning on them, so that when they were picked up by students, parents or teachers, they would be notified before starting to read. Rep. Michah Caskey, R-Lexington, one of four sponsors of the Reader Act, said the rating system would rely on existing state-law definitions of what is deemed sexually explicit. It would be another layer of defense to protect children from inappropriate material, he said. Its just similar to the way movies work, said Rep. Brandon Guffey, R-York, another co-sponsor of the bill. Weve seen plenty of situations across the country where you cant even read whats in a book thats being distributed to children. So I mean the simple solution to me would be a rating system, similar to the way we do movies. It would be up to the publisher to initially rate the book, but the Department of Education would also have the ability to rate it, as well as every school district. Caskey said people concerned or worried about the bill should give the legislators feedback. He said the goal is to keep children safe. Im focused narrowly on sexually explicit materials that dont have educational value, Caskey said. Across the country, book banning has become a prominent conversation. School districts in South Carolina have already banned certain books, including in September when 17 were deemed inappropriate by the Lexington 2 school district after complaints from parents were filed. Guffey said he had met with the Palmetto State Teachers Association about the proposed bill. They discussed language as well as concerns surrounding the bill. Were not blocking, say, sex education books or anything of that nature. We just want to make sure things are age appropriate, Guffey said. The other bill, sponsored by April Cromer, is nearly identical to the one sponsored by Caskey, Guffey, Rep. Thomas Pope, R-York, and Rep. Roger Nutt, R-Spartanburg, pushing for a rating system of public school books. Sherry East, President of the South Carolina Education Association, said the bill seems like a good idea. I think this is a good compromise, East said. Even video games even have a maturity level on it, so does music. If you choose to let your child read mature books, thats your parental right to do that. East said if she were a parent she would be glad to see a rating on a book before letting her child read it, as she could be more informed. It seems like we would support this, but I dont know, the devil is in the details, East said. Tamara Cox, president of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, said she couldnt tell whether the bills would be good or bad. Both pose more questions for her, she said. Weve seen so many books challenged and so many other laws across the country, Cox said. Its hard for me to give a strong opinion yet. Cox said ideally the bills would be implemented in a way thats already closely related to what librarians do. She hopes current librarians have input on implementation and process. That books arent already rated is a misconception, Cox said. She and many other librarians take time to look through what kind of books they allow to be in their libraries based on age range, she said. Obviously an elementary librarian is going to purchase a lot different books than a high school librarian because were looking at those age ranges, Cox said. She said she hopes that the government would want to include experts in the field when they are writing bills. While she said she doesnt necessarily have a thumbs up or down, yet for the bills, she is worried there is potential for it to be abused. Our biggest worry is that it would be used to try and ban more materials, but theres also a possibility it can be done well especially if it included educators and child development experts, Cox said. Visitors at the Museum of Tolerance, which is dedicated to opposing antisemitism in L.A., watch a video presentation last March. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) To the editor: I am a Jew of Jewish parents. Relying on the G.I. Bill, my parents tried to buy their first home in 1955. I was 6 years old. They found a new tract in Hacienda Heights. ("Antisemitism has a long history in Los Angeles," column, Jan. 5) We happily drove from our apartment so they could make the purchase. Once there, I remained in our car with my aunt while my parents went into the office on the site of all the gleaming new homes. As if it were yesterday, I remember my mother coming back to our car weeping. When I asked her what's wrong, she said, "They won't sell to Jews." A year later my parents found a new development, this time in El Monte, that would sell to Jews, and we soon moved into our new but very small home. During those years there, except for one antisemitic epithet hurled at me by a fellow high school student, I never encountered any antisemitism. That includes one day in fifth grade when, for no apparent reason, the teacher asked if there were any Jews in our class. I dutifully raised my hand, the only one to go up. I remember thinking then that the jig is up, I have just lost all my friends, and I will be the object of hate from now on. At recess later, my friends invited me to join them in some ballgame, as they always did. It was like nothing happened, and it remained so throughout my many years in El Monte, except for that one unfortunate incident to which I earlier alluded. Yes, antisemitism has a long history in L.A., and at an early age I experienced it firsthand. Thankfully, its ugly tentacles did not reach everywhere. Martin Green, Porter Ranch .. To the editor: How far back does antisemitism extend in Los Angeles, and how deeply was it entwined? In 1935, I was 7 years old when my parents moved the family to a lower middle-class neighborhood in East Los Angeles. The first morning in my new neighborhood, I saw three boys apparently my age playing across the street. I ran over and eagerly greeted them. "What nationality are you?" one of the boys asked me. I told the boys that I had no idea, but I would ask my mother. Running across the street, I asked my mother my nationality, telling her the boys had asked. "You are American," she replied, "100% American." I ran back across the street and told my new friends, "I am American, 100% American." "No, you are not," said one of the boys. "You are Jewish." I answered that indeed I was Jewish. I never saw those kids again. Obviously the word had already gone around the neighborhood that a Jewish family had moved in. I subsequently met other boys some harassed me on the way to elementary school, others questioned whether I was Jewish before selecting me for squads in junior high. Martin A. Brower, Corona del Mar .. To the editor: Patt Morrison's description of antisemitism in Southern California touches a familiar chord in me. I was once an executive in a highly regarded firm in Glendale where the antisemitic slurs were infrequent but still hurtful. Glendale was the main gathering place of the local German American Bund in the 1930s and 40s. It was also a "sundown city," meaning that people of color were not permitted to remain in the city after dark. I was treated to some physical attacks growing up in Connecticut, where Jews were few and far between. The antisemitism followed me to California despite the large Jewish population. The oldest prejudice continues to survive and flourish, here and elsewhere. Antisemites don't need an excuse to target us their hate is in the world's DNA. Barbara H. Bergen, Los Angeles .. To the editor: I am a lifelong resident of L.A. I am also Jewish. I never experienced antisemitism at my wonderful high school, John Marshall in Los Feliz. My parents limited my exposure by trying never to go to places where we were not wanted (and there were plenty of those). My dad, who went to Hollywood High School, never failed to stand up tall when faced with antisemitism. Michael Nasatir, Los Angeles This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) DETROIT (AP) Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is active for the wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, a week after a left knee injury put his status in doubt. Rams safety Jordan Fuller, the team's second-leading tackler, was ruled out after being listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Los Angeles did have tight end Tyler Higbee and right guard Kevin Dotson in the lineup after both were questionable with injuries. The Lions previously ruled out punt returner and receiver Kalif Raymond, who left last week's win over Minnesota with a knee injury. Banged-up tight end James Mitchell and reserve cornerback Jerry Jacobs were also inactive, and placed on injured reserve. Detroit signed cornerback Chase Lucas and tight end Anthony Firsker to add depth, and elevated fullback Jason Cabinda and defensive lineman Tyson Alualu from the practice squad. The Rams bolstered their roster by activating defensive back Duke Shelley and elevating linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi from their practice squad. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been discharged from the hospital after he had a secret surgery to treat prostate cancer and developed subsequent complications, according to the Department of Defense. Following consultation with medical staff, Secretary Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center today, Department of Defense officials said in a statement. The Secretary continues to recover well and, on the advice of doctors, will recuperate and perform his duties remotely for a period of time before returning full-time to the Pentagon. He has full access to required secure communications capabilities. On 22 December, Mr Austin underwent a procedure to treat his prostate cancer. On 1 January, Mr Austin was re-admitted to the hospital after suffering complications from the surgery. His healthcare team later transferred him to intensive care on 2 January. In a statement, Mr Austin said he will continue to work from home and hes eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon. Im grateful for the excellent care I received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and want to thank the outstanding doctors and nursing staff for their professionalism and superb support, Mr Austin said. I also am thankful and appreciative for all the well wishes I received for a speedy recovery. Mr Austins treatment made headlines after it was revealed neither President Joe Biden nor Mr Austins deputy secretary Kathleen Hicks knew about the surgery or subsequent intensive care admission until 4 January. Mr Austin also kept his cancer diagnosis a secret from Mr Biden and senior officials until 9 January. Ms Hicks took on some of Mr Austins duties after he transferred decision-making power to her during the initial surgery and a portion of his hospital stay to treat the complications, according to the Associated Press. However, Mr Austin did orchestrate and then monitor the nations retaliatory attack on Yemen-based Houthi militants on Thursday from the hospital, Pentagon officials revealed last week. Officials from the White House and Pentagon said theyre reviewing Mr Austins lack of disclosure and future procedures for notifying senior officials in the event of an absence that could require the transfer of decision-making capabilities. Mr Biden called Mr Austins failure to disclose a lapse in judgment, but said he still had confidence in the top defence official. In response to a question from The Independents White House Correspondent Andrew Feinberg, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Council will not track the GPS coordinates on cabinet members phones in the wake of this incident. Were not going to plant a microchip in their neck like theyre a poodle, Mr Kirby said. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks at a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, Nov. 22, 2023, at the Pentagon in Washington. Credit - Cliff OwenAP Photo (WASHINGTON) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks. He is expected to work from home as he recovers. Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, which was detected earlier in the month during a routine screening. He developed an infection a week later and was hospitalized Jan. 1 and admitted to intensive care. Doctors said he remained in the hospital due to ongoing leg pain resulting from the infection and so he could get physical therapy. President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were not told about Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis secret until Jan. 9. Biden has said Austin's failure to tell him about the hospitalization was a lapse in judgment, but the Democratic president insists he still has confidence in his Pentagon chief. During Austin's time at Walter Reed, the U.S. launched a series of military strikes late last week on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Working from his hospital bed, Austin juggled calls with senior military leaders, including Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and White House meetings to review, order and ultimately watch the strikes unfold over secure video. The lack of transparency about Austins hospitalization, however, has triggered administration and Defense Department reviews on the procedures for notifying the White House and others if a Cabinet member must transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy, as Austin did during his initial surgery and a portion of his latest hospital stay. And the White House chief of staff ordered Cabinet members to notify his office if they ever cant perform their duties. Austin's secrecy also drew criticism from Congress members on both sides of the political aisle, and Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Others openly called for Austin to resign, but the White House has said the Pentagon chief's job is safe. It is still unclear when Austin will return to his office in the Pentagon or how his cancer treatment will affect his job, travel and other public engagements going forward. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been taking on some of his day-to-day duties as he recovers. Contact us at letters@time.com. Theater, music, dance, comedy: Chicagoans have many reasons to be proud of their citys performing arts scene. But even arts aficionados may not know that the term puppeteer originated in Chicago coined by Little Theater of Chicago director Ellen Van Volkenburg in 1912 and that today, the city is home to the largest puppetry festival in North America. Now in its sixth edition, the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival returns Jan. 18-28 with productions from five continents, as well as acclaimed artists from Chicago and across the U.S. Artistic director Blair Thomas, an award-winning puppeteer, actor, director and faculty member at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, founded the festival in 2015 with the goals of bringing world-class performers to Chicago, showcasing local talent and strengthening connections between artists through training workshops and other events. Although puppetry is often misconstrued to be exclusively childs play, this festival is curated primarily for adults, with a stunning variety of imaginative and complex stagecraft. Many productions deal with mature subject matter; last years lineup included a haunting Moby Dick and an intense play about the experiences of refugees. Theres also plenty of family-friendly fare, including a free neighborhood tour this year featuring the Krystal Puppeteers from Kenya performing the folk tale Tears by the River. Wakka Wakka, a company based in Norway and New York, opens the 2024 festival with its Animalia Trilogy, which spans past, present and future to examine issues of climate change, animal extinction and technological advancement and what it all means for humanity. Chicago audiences will be the first to see the full trilogy when Wakka Wakka premieres the final installment, Dead as a Dodo, and reprises Animal R.I.O.T. a playful show about an anthropomorphic fox on a mission to save all the animals and The Immortal Jellyfish Girl, a sci-fi love story set in 2555. The latter ran off-Broadway to critical acclaim in 2023. The full trilogy can be viewed in a single day at the Biograph and Steppenwolf theaters but play also works as a stand-alone story, said Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock, two of Wakka Wakkas founding members. Surrounded by whimsical skeleton puppets and black sequined set pieces during a rehearsal break, they recently spoke to the Tribune about their work. Song of the North is created and directed by Hamid Rahmanian, and will be part of the 2024 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Warnock described Dead as a Dodo as a dark and magical show set in the underworld and following two skeletal friends, one a Neanderthal and the other a dodo. The play imagines what would happen if the extinct dodo could be brought back to life, a possibility scientists are seriously exploring. The questions were posing are basically, What does it mean to start bringing creatures back curating life?' said Warnock. Which animals are going to be brought back to life and which animals are not, and what does it mean for us and for our new relationship with death? The 2024 lineup also features artists from Belgium, Chile, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and Poland, as well as New York-based companies with roots in Colombia and Iran. At the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building, Iranian American filmmaker and multimedia artist Hamid Rahmanian presents Song of the North, an adaptation of the Persian epic poem Shahnameh (Book of Kings) that blends shadow puppetry, animation and music. My driving force is to promote a highly sophisticated art from a culture that has been demonized for such a long time, Rahmanian said in a 2023 interview with his alma mater, the Pratt Institute. I have a responsibility to promote the beauty of my culture as best as possible. Composer and librettist Huang Ruos opera Book of Mountains and Seas, with puppets by Basil Twist, will be hosted by Chicago Opera Theater and the 2024 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. While Song of the North is billed as family-friendly, those looking for a darker international tale will find just that in Krabat, by Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel (Germany) and Grupa Coincidentia (Poland). In an interview with the Tribune, Blair Thomas described the play as an Eastern European folk tale with some really great energy in it thats very unlike Western European work as well as unlike the work in the States. Also at the Studebaker and hosted by Chicago Opera Theater, Book of Mountains and Seas is by Chinese-born composer and librettist Huang Ruo with puppets by New York puppeteer Basil Twist, inspired by Chinese fables about the natural world. Thomas spoke more broadly about the importance of bringing international artists to Chicago and how this supports the festivals stated mission of promoting peace, equality and justice on a global scale. The astounding thing of going to see work from another country is that you have to enter into their world a little bit and the world of puppetry creates a complete world, he said. Then you end up understanding something more about that country, and whenever we make an empathetic understanding of another culture, this in itself is an act of peace. Lily Emerson, Leah Casey, Sarah Fornace and Anney Fresh in Manual Cinemas production of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster. Playing alongside the international shows are top-notch companies from Chicago, such as the Emmy Award-winning Manual Cinema, which reprises Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Based on the work of beloved childrens author Mo Willems, this adorable show about friendship and empathy played at Chicago Childrens Theatre in 2022 and has toured to Edinburgh, Scotland and across the U.S. The festival offers a rare opportunity for the company to remount a production in its hometown, said Sarah Fornace, co-artistic director of Manual Cinema. I live in Hyde Park, so doing it at the DuSable is such a joy, she told the Tribune. Im excited to get the word out to my local community. Also hailing from Chicago, Theatre Ys youth ensemble presents Little Carl, a play that addresses gun violence through puppets, masks and poetry. The company relocated to North Lawndale in 2022, and its youth program led by multidisciplinary artist Marvin Tate and puppetry artisan Michael Montenegro in partnership with the Firehouse Community Arts Center is one of the ways in which the theater is working to create a community-oriented arts hub in the West Side neighborhood. The aforementioned productions are only a fraction of those on offer, and are complemented by panel discussions with festival performers, book talks by scholars and workshops for artists. In addition, a Puppet Hub at the Fine Arts Building hosts puppetry exhibits, a pop-up cafe and a shop selling books and festival merchandise. With the act of stepping into the theater to see puppetry, youve made an agreement to be open to a new experience, said Sandy Smith Gerding, the festivals executive director. Every time, theres something new, inventive, fascinating, that you may never have seen before and will likely never see again. Its really Chicagos best staycation. The 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival runs Jan. 18-28 at various venues across Chicago. Visit ChicagoPuppetFest.org for schedules and tickets. Eduardo Cardenas grew up feeling isolated. He lost his hearing after getting spinal meningitis at 10 months old. For years, he said, his family didnt even know he was deaf. However, he found another way to express himself through music and religion. Music was really my first language. When I learned music, there were no words required, no grammar. No writing or reading, its just understanding pattern, he said. I grew up learning music first. Through the influence of his father, who led religious worships with music, Cardenas said he was able to survive. He now serves as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Founder of Loud n Clear Ministry, where he can combine religion and music. He led Praise and Worship, a weekend-long church service conducted entirely in American Sign Language. The congregation at Elevate Life Church in Sacramento cheers for Eduardo Cardenas Jr. of Loud n Clear Ministry on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Cameron Clark/cclark@sacbee.com The event, which ended Sunday, was in collaboration with Elevate Life Church, a non-denomination church in south Sacramento. Im doing this event for people who are seeking God, who want to experience and communicate to a living God and to be in his presence to pray, Cardenas said I want to provide this as an opportunity for them to practice their religious belief. Cardenas learned ASL when he was 16, after only communicating in Signing Exact English, a type of sign language based on English vocabulary and grammar. His English and Spanish skills would later catch on in college. Because he struggled to communicate with others, he said, he was left out of society and bullied. But he hopes with events like Praise and Worship, he can support his deaf and hard of hearing peers and give them access to spiritual resources. Cardenas was joined by Jeff Jackson, a pastor from Bakersfield, who delivered a sermon to the church. Jackson was born deaf and said he communicated solely on lip reading until he was 20. Seventy-five percent of (trying to understand others) was all guesswork, I was completely lost, Jackson said. In college, he learned ASL. Jackson said around the time he learned to sign, he was approached by a deaf pastor who inspired him to spread the message of God. Jackson has devoted his life to spreading his religion, from giving sermons to the deaf and hard of hearing community to volunteering as a chaplain for incarcerated deaf people. Its a huge need that is lacking for the deaf community all over the United States, said Jackson. Chelsea Lydell of Roseville said this weekend was the first time she was surrounded by more than 50 deaf people in worship. This truly gave me goosebumps, Lydell said. Ive never seen a hearing church use a deaf pastor as their primary for their sermons. Most hearing churches give a deaf pastor a separate time. They always usually put the deaf person in the basement, if they had one. (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for the India Edition newsletter by Menaka Doshi an insider's guide to the emerging economic powerhouse, and the billionaires and businesses behind its rise, delivered weekly. Most Read from Bloomberg The president of the Maldives told India it must withdraw its troops from the island by March, making good on an election promise as he draws closer to China. Fresh off a five-day visit to Beijing where he met with President Xi Jinping, Maldivian leader Mohamed Muizzu told reporters on the weekend that he made a formal request to New Delhi to remove its military personnel by March 15, the SunOnline newspaper reported. A high level meeting took place on Sunday in the islands capital Male to fast-track the process of troop withdrawal, Maldivess foreign ministry said in a statement. India operates and maintains radars, helicopters and aircraft in the Maldives, some of which are used for medical evacuations. The Indian Navy also patrols surrounding waters. The SunOnline newspaper said there are currently 88 Indian military personnel based on the island. In a statement on Sunday, Indias Ministry of External Affairs didnt directly mention the request to remove the troops, but said both sides held discussions on finding mutually workable solution to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives. Tensions between India and the Maldives have been rising since Muizzu swept into power in September on a campaign to reduce Indias influence in the island. Although small and mostly tourism-dependent, the Maldives sits on a busy Indian Ocean shipping lane. Both India and China have alternatively vied for influence in the country, investing heavily in upgrading Maldives infrastructure and extending loans to the country. Beijing last week upgraded its diplomatic ties with the Maldives to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership during Muizzus visit. Xi said China will seek to boost direct flights to the island nation, and wants to increase cooperation in areas of trade, investment, agriculture and others. Muizzus latest move comes a week after a social media storm in which three of the islands ministers were suspended for alleged derogatory comments made against Indians and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian officials, celebrities and tour companies responded by canceling holidays to the island and vowing to boost tourism to domestic islands instead. --With assistance from Swati Gupta and Sudhi Ranjan Sen. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. KYIV, Ukraine The Ukrainian air force shot down a Russian early warning and control plane that can spot targets up to 650 kilometers (400 miles) away and a key command center aircraft that relays information to troops on the ground in a significant blow for the Kremlins forces, Ukraines military chief said Monday. The planes are fundamental tools in helping orchestrate Russian battlefield movements in Ukraine. Shooting them down, if confirmed, would be a landmark feat for Ukraine in the almost two-year war, as fighting along the front line is largely bogged down in trench and artillery warfare. Russia has largely ensured its air dominance during the war, as Ukraine fights with its fleet of Soviet-era warplanes against Moscows more more modern aircraft. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, didnt say how the two aircraft a Beriev A-50 and an Il-22 were brought down, but Ukraine has received sophisticated air defense systems from its Western allies. Zaluzhnyi also did not say where the interceptions occurred, though he attached a video to his social media post with an airplane tracker showing two targets disappearing above the Azov Sea, which lies between Ukraine and Russia, north of the Crimea Peninsula and the Black Sea. There was no immediate official comment from Moscow. Russian war bloggers said both planes had come under friendly fire, though they presented no evidence of that. They claimed the Il-22 was damaged but made a successful landing. The A-50, which is topped with a large radar, typically carries a crew of 15. The Russian air force reportedly has been operating a fleet of nine such aircraft. A February 2023 drone attack at an airfield in Belarus damaged a parked A-50, but Russian and Belarusian officials described the damage as minor. The Il-22 is an airborne command post. It oversees military operations and sends radio signals to troops on the front line. The Russian air force reportedly has a dozen such planes. Ukraine is eager to impress its Western supporters with its ability in deploying the advanced weapons it has received. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to meet Swiss President Viola Amherd in Bern later Monday before attending the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday. Ukrainian officials are striving to keep world attention on the war amid concerns that the conflict is slipping down the list of global priorities. The United Nations appealed Monday for $4.2 billion to help people in Ukraine and displaced outside the country this year. Martin Griffiths, the U.N.s humanitarian chief, acknowledged that the competition for funding is getting greater because of crises elsewhere, including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Russia, meanwhile, was looking to deepen its ties with North Korea, whose foreign minister began a three-day visit to Moscow on Monday. The Kremlin is eager to replenish its weapons stockpiles. It has in recent times turned to Iran and North Korea for supplies. Pyongyang has likely supplied several types of missiles to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, along with its widely reported shipments of ammunition and shells, the U.S. and its allies have alleged. Russian and Iranian defense and foreign ministers spoke by phone Monday to discuss bilateral military and military technical cooperation and regional security issues, according to official statements. They noted that the two countries are preparing to sign a landmark cooperation treaty. Ukraine is also determined to build up its stocks for a protracted conflict and is dramatically expanding its domestic manufacturing capacity for military items, a U.S. think tank said. Ukraine is well-positioned to succeed in its plans to make up for any shortfall in Western-supplied weaponry, the Institute for the Study of War said. Ukraine is heavily industrialized, with a highly educated and technically sophisticated population, the think tank said late Sunday. It had a massive arms industry during the Soviet period and continued to be a significant arms exporter after independence. A Warren County man has been indicted after allegedly grabbing a 5-year-old boy, pulling down his pants and underwear and touching him inappropriately. >> Several firefighters respond to local house fire Timothy Franklin Back, 22, faces a felony kidnapping charge and a felony gross sexual imposition charge, according to court documents filed in the Lebanon Municipal Court. On Dec. 30, Lebanon police were called to Kroger on 1425 Columbus Ave. on a report of a sexual assault. According to court documents, Back allegedly moved the 5-year-old from where he was to another place and locked the door to restrict the victim, according to court documents. Then, Back allegedly undressed the child and touched his genitalia, according to court documents. >> Area police department awarded over $200K to replace body cameras Back was arrested on Jan. 4 at a house in the 1000 block of Navaho Drive in Lebanon, jail records indicate. He is currently in custody at the Warren County jail with a cash-only bond of $500,000. FALLS CHURCH, Va. (DC News Now) Police said they expected a man to be charged in the stabbing death of a dog that had to be euthanized. Falls Church police said that the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police Department arrested Reyan Hassan Ibrahim, 25. of Broadlands, Va. during a traffic stop near Dulles Airport at 11 a.m. Monday. Falls Church said Ibrahim was being taken to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Police expected him to be extradited to face charges by the City of Falls Church. Ibrahim was previously arrested by the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office in November 2023 for three incidents of destruction of property, causing about $20,000 worth of damage. At the time, he was charged with three felony counts of destruction of property and held without bond. Northern Virginians react to Gov. Youngkins proposed car tax elimination Investigators said Ibrahim stabbed a dog near the intersection of West Broad Street and South Maple Avenue around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. The dogs owner was walking the dog at the time of the attack. The dog had to be euthanized as a result of the injuries. Our hearts go out to the family of this dog, said Acting Police Chief Jiwan Chhetri. Pets are members of the family, and we grieve along with them. We give our thanks to our colleagues at the MWAA Police Department for their swift action. We also thank the community members who took down the license plate Information when they saw this heinous attack it was a critical piece in catching this suspect. Police said witnesses provided the license plate number of Ibrahims vehicle. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. BRUNSWICK, Ohio (WJW) Police said a man broke into a 24/7 laundromat along Pearl Road Saturday, stole about $1,100 in quarters then fled on foot into a nearby residential area. Rare phenomenon on Lake Erie: Photos Officers who responded just after 1 a.m. to a break-in at The Brunswick Laundromat, 1733 Pearl Road, chased down Keith Krakowski, 28, of Brunswick, and found he had taken the quarters from the laundromat as well as several pieces of mail stolen from several local residents, according to a Monday Facebook post. Thats about 55 pounds of quarters, since the weight of a U.S. quarter is 0.0125 pounds, according to U.S. code, and 4,400 quarters equals $1,100. What caused a very large chemical leak in Seville Krakowski is now accused of the break-in, as well as resisting arrest and possession of criminal tools, and was booked into the Medina County jail. No court dates have been set. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Dylan Thomas, 23, appeared at Cardiff magistrates court on Dec 28 and is expected in the citys Crown Court on Feb 2 A man charged with murdering his best friend in Cardiff is the heir to a 230 million pie company fortune. Dylan Thomas, 23, is accused of fatally stabbing William Bush, who was found dead in a car park next to Llandaff Cathedral on Christmas Eve. Thomas is the grandson of Sir Stanley Thomas, a Welsh business tycoon whose empire included Peters Pies, described as one of the countrys most iconic products. He appeared at Cardiff magistrates court on Dec 28 and is expected in the citys Crown Court on Feb 2. Thomas, a computer programmer, is reported to have been best friends with Mr Bush, 23, with the men both attending the same private school in Cardiff. According to The Sun, the friends shared a terraced house owned by Thomas grandparents and Sir Gareth Edwards, the Welsh rugby legend. It is understood that Mr Bush was a keen sportsman who worked as a surveyor with a commercial property firm. William Bush was found dead in a Cardiff car park - South Wales Police In a statement released through South Wales Police following his death, his family said: This week our beloved Will was taken away from us in such a cruel and indescribable way. Will was such a loyal, funny and caring son, brother and boyfriend. We are absolutely devastated and as a family request that our privacy is respected at this difficult time. Thomass great grandfather is Sir Stanley Thomas, who died aged 98 in 2015. He founded a catering venture, Thomas Pies, in the 1950s selling sausage rolls, pies and pasties. His two sons, Stanley and Peter, later joined the business, which was sold for 175,000 in 1965 to the Avana Group. Using the proceeds from the sale, the Thomas family started Peters Savoury Products, which was sold to Grand Metropolitan for 75 million in 1988. The family ended its commercial interest in the business there. It subsequently changed hands several times and last year had a turnover of 57 million. Vision for the meat pie industry The company was famed for supplying baked staples including pies, pasties, sausage rolls and slices into retail, catering and hospitality outlets across the UK. In 1983, the founder of Thomas Pies, nicknamed Stan, was awarded an MBE for services to the food industry and charitable work. At the time of his death, his son, Sir Stanley, who was knighted in 2006 for his charity work and services to business, told BBC Wales: He was a man of great vision, very astute and terrifically hard-working. Hours meant nothing to him and thats the way he brought myself, my brother and sister up. His vision for the meat pie industry was to automate it and he was the first. In 2013, Sir Stanley was reported to have an estimated net worth of 230 million with his brother Peter, according to The Sunday Times. His family also owned a share of the TBI group, which owned several airports, including Cardiff. Peter Thomas died in March last year, aged 79, after being diagnosed with cancer in 2021. Having played for Cardiff RFC in the 1960s, he invested in the club in 1994 and was chairman for more than two decades before stepping down in 2018. He was appointed CBE for services to business, sport and charitable work in Wales in 2012. After his death, Cardiff Rugby said: He began his long and unparalleled association with the Blue and Blacks when he was selected for Cardiff Youth in 1961, alongside the likes of Ian Robinson and Jim Mills. That was the beginning of an immense contribution to the club, spanning more than 60 years as a player, benefactor, patron, chairman, life president and supporter. An unrivalled Arms Park legend, Peter leaves an immeasurable legacy at his beloved club, which would not exist if not for his vast and unwavering generosity and support. 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. FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A 69-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death by his longtime girlfriends adult son after a disagreement Friday night, according to the Fresno Police Department. Police say at 8:02 p.m., officers responded to the 4500 Block of East White Avenue regarding a stabbing victim. When officers arrived they found Gary Bishop inside a home, suffering from a stab wound to his upper body. 69-year-old Gary Bishop Bishop was transported to a local hospital where he later died. Detectives say Bishop resided at the home with his longtime girlfriend and her adult son, 32-year-old Aaron Brown. Before the stabbing, police say Brown was upset due to a disagreement between Bishop and his mother over property. 32-year-old Aaron Brown Investigators say Brown allegedly stabbed Bishop unprovoked in the upper body. Brown fled the scene after the stabbing. Detectives say they arrested Brown Sunday, Jan. 14 at 1:24 a.m., near Downtown Fresno. If you have any information contact the Fresno Police Department at (559) 621-7000. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com. A man has been indicted after allegedly holding a woman against her will, beating her, and sexually assaulting her in Harrison Township. >> Made me very nervous; Woman inside Miami Valley Hospital details water main break Jermaine McIntyre, 25, is facing one count of rape, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of abduction, and one count of having weapons under disability, according to a grand jury report filed in the Vandalia Municipal Court. At approximately 11:27 p.m. on Jan. 1, Montgomery County Regional Dispatch Center received a call reporting a rape. The caller told dispatch that a man beat a woman and had been holding her and another woman hostage in an apartment for several days, court documents report. The documents said the woman escaped and ran to a laundromat in the 5000 block of N Dixie Drive, but the other woman was still at the apartment. It was also noted that the alleged suspect, McIntyre, may be looking for the woman. The woman said McIntyre had a machete and two guns inside the apartment, according to court records. >> Cold temperatures impacting food bank distributions this week Montgomery County Sheriffs deputies responded and spoke with the woman, who was later transported to a local hospital. According to court documents, the woman told deputies that McIntyre was her boyfriend. The woman told deputies that around 11 a.m. on Dec. 31, she got into an argument with McIntyre about cheating. Allegedly, McIntyre became angry was started hitting the woman. He reportedly assaulted her on and off for several hours, according to a law enforcement affidavit. During the reported assault, McIntyre allegedly raped the woman, the affidavit reported. When the woman woke up, she saw McIntyre had taken her phone and purse. Allegedly, McIntyre told the woman that she wasnt allowed to leave, according to the affidavit. While McIntyre was looking through her cell phone, she was able to run out of the back door, according to the affidavit. >> Juvenile in custody after multi-county pursuit Saturday When deputies went to the apartment, they found McIntyre hiding in a closet under clothing. McIntyre was arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail early Tuesday morning. Court documents show that his bond was set at $150,000 on Wednesday. According to jail records, as of Sunday, he is still in custody. McIntyre will appear in court on Jan. 18. Chicago firefighters battled two fires Sunday in Grand Crossing and the East Side neighborhood amid freezing temperatures. In Grand Crossing, firefighters received reports of a house fire at 7115 S. University Ave. around 9:30 a.m., according to Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner Juan Hernandez. Crews rescued four residents from the 11/2-story brick building. Three firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. They were later released and remain good condition, Hernandez said. The house had extensive damage from the blaze. Later, a three-alarm fire tore through a garage at 10251 S. Avenue O in the citys East Side neighborhood around 10:26 a.m., according to Hernandez. The blaze prompted a hazmat response due to several vehicles inside the structure. Firefighters remained on the scene Sunday afternoon, and the garages roof had collapsed. Hernandez said that in frigid conditions, more responders are often needed to extinguish fires. We escalate alarms more quickly to increase personnel, Hernandez said. They have it contained, but its a stubborn fire. karmanini@chicagotribune.com SUNSET BAY, Wis. (WFRV) Officials in Columbia County say one man needed to be rescued out of a lake after two snowmobiles fell through the ice Sunday morning. According to a release from the Columbia County Sheriffs Office, deputies responded to Lake Wisconsin in Sunset Bay after two snowmobiles were reported to have fallen through the ice leaving one person in the water and another on the ice. Once on scene, deputies say they saw a man in the water about 100 yards away from the shore and the civilians attempting to rescue him. One deputy, along with a Lodi firefighter and two civilians, made their way to the man in the water and were able to throw a ski rope to him and pull him towards the shore. Dodge County ATV crash leaves one man and one woman with serious injuries At the time of his rescue, the man was said to be wearing a floatation device designed for snowmobiles that officials say greatly aided them in pulling him out of the water. Once out of the water, the man was looked at by medical personnel and the incident was turned over to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Authorities add that anyone else headed out on the ice should use caution as conditions this season have been poor despite the recent cold temperatures. For those of you venturing onto the ice remember that although it is cold today it has been near freezing temps for the past few weeks causing ice conditions to be poor. Use caution, wear your floatation aids, bring your ice rescue picks and tell your friends/family where you will be and when to expect you home. The Columbia County Sheriffs Office For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Atlanta Police are searching for suspects after a shooting left a man injured while he was on his way home. Police said on Saturday night around 11:47, police were called out to Dupree Avenue Northeast about a person shot. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] They arrived at the scene to find a 45-year-old man who had been shot several times. APD said as the victim was walking home, the suspects drove down the road and shot him several times. The suspects left the scene immediately after the shooting. TRENDING STORIES: The victim was taken to the hospital alert and breathing. Police are still searching for the suspects and the investigation is ongoing. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: A man was airlifted out of a remote Forest Service road in San Bernardino County after a Jeep he was in rolled over during an off-roading excursion that left him trapped beneath the vehicle over the weekend. First responders with the San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to 911 calls about the Jan. 13 incident on Forest Service Road 2N47, east of Interstate 15 in the area of the Cajon Pass at around 10:44 a.m., authorities said. Because of the rugged and remote location of the accident, firefighters requested air resources from the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department to shuttle personnel and equipment to the scene. Firefighters also deployed two of their own all terrain 44 rescue vehicles, fire truck and a medic ambulance. At the crash site, first responders found the overturned Jeep with the male victim trapped beneath the badly damaged off-roading vehicle. First responders on a remote U.S. Forest Service trail work to free man trapped under his jeep on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBC Fire Department) First responders on a remote U.S. Forest Service trail work to free man trapped under his jeep on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBC Fire Department) First responders on a remote U.S. Forest Service trail work to free man trapped under his jeep on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBC Fire Department) First responders on a remote U.S. Forest Service trail work to free man trapped under his jeep on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBC Fire Department) First responders with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department seen airlifting a man from a remote site after an off-roading excursion on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBCSD) All-terrain 44 rescue vehicle used during the rescue of a man trapped under his jeep in a remote area near the Cajon Pass on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBC Fire Department) Map image of the remote location where the off-roading accident occurred on Jan. 13, 2024. (SBC Fire Department) Firefighter-paramedics simultaneously worked on advance lifesaving care and complex rescue operations, officials said. Steep terrain, leaking fuel and an unstable ground complicated rescue operations. 1 dead, 1 wounded after shooting at neighborhood basketball game When crews were eventually able to free the man from beneath the vehicle, he was airlifted to a local trauma center by the sheriffs department. Information about the mans condition was not immediately available. Along with the sheriffs department, officials with the United States Forest Service assisted in the rescue operation. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. The Cincinnati Southern Railway Board, from left: Former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken, Paul Sylvester, Board Chair Paul Muething, former Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, former Councilwoman Amy Murray and Assistant City Solicitor Kaitlyn Geiger meet during a past board meeting. Update, Jan. 22, 4 p.m.: The Cincinnati Southern Railroad Board Monday unanimously selected the international money management firm UBS to oversee the $1.6 billion trust that is being created from the sale of the city-owned railroad. The board determined UBS offered the best return and a fair fee of roughly $1.46 million a year to $2.1 million a year. It also endorsed UBS's commitment to investing in minority communities. Board President Paul Muething will negotiate the final contract. The decision came after a five-hour board meeting last week in which five firms that had been selected from a field of 17 applicants presented a management plan for the trust. Original story, Jan. 15: Ahead of the official March sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern for $1.6 billion, the city board that oversees the railroad has narrowed the list of potential money managers from 17 to five. The Cincinnati Southern Railroad Board will interview the five firms during a public meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday at 950 Eden Park Drive. Two local firms made the list: Fifth Third Bank and FEG Investment Advisors. The selections were made last week during a public meeting at the Walnut Hills branch of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. The board paid a private consultant to assess the 17 bidders, but those scores were only part of what the board used to winnow the list. Sycamore Townships Ascension Wealth Management, the only minority-owned firm that bid on managing the fund, did not make the shortlist of firms to be interviewed. It scored last in a private consultant's assessment of compliance for what the board was seeking, but also had the smallest client portfolio of any of the bidders. The Cincinnati Southen Railway Board, which oversees the railroad and will after the final sale oversee the trust, is choosing the money manager. Members have been clear minority participation in running the trust fund is important, but the focus of the discussion last week to narrow the list was about which firm best understood the city of Cincinnati's needs and presented a plan board members thought would provide the largest return for citizens. The scoring took into consideration experience, size, fees, strategy, thoroughness of response and minority participation. Cincinnati's railroad sale: How we got here The board, with approval from Cincinnati voters, agreed last year to sell the 143-year city-owned railroad, rather than continue to lease the railroad to Norfolk Southern. The $1.6 billion sale proceeds will be put into a trust fund, from which investment proceeds will be used to repair current city infrastructure. The trust is expected to bring in at least $56 million a year into the city's budget, as opposed to the lease, which provides roughly $26.5 million a year now. The lease was set to expire at the end of 2026, which prompted the sale discussion. The board will oversee the money manager and decide how much money each year to give the city, depending on trust earnings. The board hired Davenport & Company, a Virginia-based Wealth Management Firm it has worked with in the past, to assess the firms. The bids are not public under Ohio law, but two Davenport vice presidents last week at the board meeting outlined their findings and shared a scoring system they provided to the board. There was also a discussion about what each firm charged in fees, but the amounts were not shared during the meeting. That information should be public for the winning bidder. Also, not making the cut: Marquette Associates, which manages the city's pension. It was among the top five scorers, but board member and former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken said it was important to keep the trust management and city business separate. 5 finalists Rankings are based on a private consultant's assessment of how the company complied with the bidding requirements set by the Cincinnati Southern Railway Board. Seventeen companies bid to manage the trust and a consultant gave each a score, the highest coming in at 91.25%, the lowest at 47.92%. Two companies ranked fourth with the same score and two companies ranked fifth with the same score. Fifth Third Founded: 1858. Located: Cincinnati. Managed assets under advisement: $12 billion (in the institutional services division) Consultant's score: 12th. Fund Evaluation Group (FEG) Investment Advisors Founded: 1988. Located: Cincinnati. Managed assets under advisement: $73.8 billion. Score: Ninth. UBS Financial Services Founded: 1862. Located: Zurich, Switzerland, but has offices all over the world, including a 236-employee Cincinnati office. Managed assets under advisement: $91 billion under management, $17 billion of it in public funds. Score: Fifth. Northern Trust Founded: 1889. Located: Chicago. Managed assets under advisement: $124 billion. Score: Seventh. NEPC LLC Founded: 1986. Located: Boston . Managed assets under advisement: $1.5 trillion. Score: Second. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Railroad board taps UBS to manage $1.6 billion railroad fund PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) Manassas City Police said a person was shot in Manassas on Sunday afternoon. No pants? No problem! 1st Annual No Pants Subway Ride hosted in Baltimore There was a high police presence at Diggs Rd. near the intersection of Burton Parish Court at about 4:45 p.m. There, police say a person was shot and suffering from an extremity wound. They were taken to a local hospital. Police said they believed the shooting to be an isolated incident and that there was no threat to the community. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Ben Jealous, the first Black executive director of the Sierra Club, couldn't make it to a recent news conference in South L.A., held in the shadow of the monument to Martin Luther King Jr. at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. But if he had, I suspect he would've told the same story he told me. "You know the great actor Louis Gossett Jr.?" he asked. "My last year at the NAACP, at the 2013 Image Awards, he said to me, 'You know, Ben, I've been in this racial justice movement my whole life, but you know, sometimes, brother, I feel like we're fighting over who's in first class. What we should be doing is looking out the window, because the plane has fallen like 20,000 feet in the last two minutes.'" Jealous recalled being confused. "He said, 'The planet is dying. It doesn't matter who's in first class on a dead planet.' And that phrase, it's stuck with me for the last decade, and I just keep coming back to it." This, Jealous explained, is why he decided that his venerable environmental organization would be among the first to support an upstart AM talk radio station in Los Angeles in its campaign to elevate climate change and environmental justice as priorities for people of color. Other backers of the $2-million campaign include the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Metro, CalTrans, the California Endowment and the California Community Foundation. But really, it's the vision of Tavis Smiley, the longtime radio host and founder of KBLA 1580, that could help bring the voices of Black and Latino Americans, who are harmed most often by the climate crisis, more fully into policy discussions about how to solve it. At that news conference Jealous couldn't attend, Smiley went so far as to connect the fight MLK waged for racial equality to the current fight for the future health of the planet. "Climate is king," Smiley declared with a grin. "You see what I did there?" While amusing, I can understand why some people might see this as a stretch. After all, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has always been a holiday dominated by discussions of fairness and freedom, and the barriers to both. Barriers of systemic racism that have left Black people on the worst rungs of the socioeconomic ladder and, as such, with little energy to deal with existential crises, because there are so many immediate ones, like housing discrimination and police brutality. But like Gossett Jr., I'm starting to get the sinking feeling that just fighting all of these immediate racial justice fights is ultimately a little like to extend a bad analogy even further rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Sure, its important to fight the good fight against efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs, for example, and against banning books on Black history in public schools. But its reasonable to wonder what good winning those fights will do if we fail to mitigate the upheaval of a rapidly changing climate that can deliver misery to all of humankind. We've all seen the troubling surge of extreme weather and the way it has crippled or, in some cases, decimated entire communities. Just this month, climate scientists with the European Union announced that 2023 was officially Earths hottest year on record, and, as my Times colleague Hayley Smith reported, this year is likely to be even hotter. Our cities, our roads, our monuments, our farms in practice, all human activities never had to cope with a climate this warm, Carlo Buontempo, director of the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service , told reporters. There were simply no cities, no books, agriculture or domesticated animals on this planet last time the temperature was so high." On top of that, there are man-made environmental disasters, from the tainted drinking water in Flint, Mich., and right here in Compton to the poorly maintained levees that allowed massive flooding in the Monterey County town of Pajaro. As Mayor Karen Bass put it at the news conference: "We know that low-income neighborhoods of color are disproportionately harmed by air and toxic pollution. A few years ago, the leading cause of death of Black babies was asthma that was directly related to freeways and air pollution. So when we say disproportionately impacted, that's not just rhetoric." And yet, politicians rarely bring up climate change or environmental justice as a true priority when they are talking to people of color. Take, for example, the speech President Biden gave earlier this month at Mother Emanuel AME Church, billed as an attempt to repair his relationship with Black voters amid flagging poll numbers. He spent 35 lackluster minutes at the pulpit of the historic church in Charleston, S.C. Priority topics included Donald Trump, the Civil War, white supremacy, the Jan. 6 insurrection, high-speed internet access, prescription drug prices, housing and student loan debt. Finally, Biden got around to some vague and uninspiring statement about how his administration is "producing clean energy" so people can "finally breathe clean air without leaving home." He talked about spending a childhood surrounded by air-polluting oil refineries in Claymont, Del. "I grew up with asthma, and most of us did, because of the prevailing winds," Biden said. "Wed go my mom would drive us to school in the morning ... there would be an oil slick on the wiper. Because, guess what? Its all the fence-line communities who get hurt." Surely, the president can do better than this with his messaging. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to cut $2.9 billion from California's climate programs to help close a massive budget deficit. Notably on the chopping block are several zero-emission vehicle programs, including delayed funding for the Clean Cars 4 All program that helps low-income residents. Getting people of color to care about such things, and demand more from Biden or Newsom, is sure to be a challenge. Many people can't afford to think about problems beyond next week, much less next year or in the next several decades. But it's not impossible. Because with every passing year, every extreme weather event that devastates an already vulnerable community of color and every generation that becomes more aware of the pollution that is ruining their quality of life, it becomes clearer that environmental justice is racial justice. "Poll after poll shows upward of three-quarters of us consider ourselves to be environmentalists," Jealous said of Black people. "What we've been doing wrong as a movement is failing to meet people where they are." 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. Martin Luther King Jr Day 2024: Who was the civil rights leader and how is the holiday celebrated? Each year Americans celebrate the life of the US civil rights movements best-known spokesman and leader on Martin Luther King Jr Day. The movement pioneered by Martin Luther King pressured the American government to end legalised segregation in the United States. Who was Martin Luther King Jr and why is he so important? Born in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist minister best known for using the tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience to combat racial inequality. Mr King led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person. He also helped organise the March on Washington in 1963, where he delivered the I Have a Dream speech he is best known for. Watch: Martin Luther Kings iconic I Have a Dream speech In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his civil rights work. Towards the end of his life, he expanded his campaigning to include opposition to poverty and the Vietnam War. Mr King was assassinated by James Earl Ray on 4 April, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, while he was planning a national occupation of Washington DC. News of his death was followed by riots in many US cities. Who commemorates Martin Luther Kings memory and since when? Martin Luther King Jr Day is a paid federal holiday in the US, meaning civil servants and many school pupils are given the day off. The day is observed on the third Monday of January each year, the day closest to his birthday on 15 January. This year, that date falls on his actual birthday on Monday 15 January. In 1968, Congress was presented with a petition signed by more than three million people which called for the Mr Kings birthday to be commemorated. However, Republicans initially resisted the move, arguing Mr King had ties to communism and an inappropriate sexual past they felt the government should not honour. But in 1983, Ronald Reagan, the US President, signed Martin Luther King Jr Day into law as an official public holiday and it was first observed three years later. Outside of the US, it is observed in Hiroshima, Japan, with a special banquet at the mayors office, and Toronto, Canada, which officially recognised Martin Luther King Jr Day, though not as a paid holiday. How is Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrated? Many Americans use the day as an opportunity to learn about Mr Kings life and achievements. Others spend the day volunteering for a cause they think Mr King would have supported. This year, President Joe Biden is marking the holiday by volunteering at Philabundance, a hunger relief organisation in Philadelphia. This marks the third year in a row that he has observed the holiday this way. In Charlotte and across the nation, people are taking time Monday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in north Charlotte, those efforts extend well beyond the MLK holiday. The hallways are filled with images and quotes from the civil rights leader. In one hallway, youll see the words Faith is taking the steps even when you dont see the whole staircase. In another: Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. SEE MORE: MLK Jr. holiday celebrations are planned across the nation Eighth-grader Mia Molina says it makes coming to school a special experience. Its an honor to me. I love walking into this building, Molina said. A quote that stood out to me in the halls is: Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. Everyone at the school seems to have their favorite quote from King. For school principal Jessica Savage, its Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. Dr. King was an advocate for leading with love, and this quote reminds me to always do that to lead with kindness and compassion and love in our hearts, Savage explained. Sixth-grade social studies teacher Jeremy Littlejohn calls it an honor and a privilege to work at a school that bears Kings name. He says his inspiration comes from the words King is perhaps most famous for -- his I Have a Dream speech. I believe Dr. King basically set a standard when he did his I Have a Dream speech, Littlejohn said. It continues to let me know I still have dreams I have not yet attained. And I still have a chance to have a dream. Several students told Channel 9 that being surrounded by messages that inspire and challenge them helps them to focus on whats right. We should love each other, and respect each other, no matter what we look like or the color of our skin, said eighth-grader Andrew White. CHECK IT OUT >> These are the Charlotte metros top public middle schools for 2024 You see all the quotes that relate to you and how it doesnt matter the skin color you have or how different, were all the same, said eighth-grader Junior Molina. It means a lot to me, to go to this school and represent what he represented in school and stood for, and to follow in his footsteps, said eighth-grader Aniya Harris. (WATCH: Julius L. Chambers HS student pushes through obstacles to reach graduation) Regarding the editorial Better that voters reject Trumpism than judges. But Trump makes that case hard to argue. (Jan. 10): This notion is totally false! This is not a popularity contest. Republican politicians have passed on every opportunity of judging Donald Trump because they are fearful of the blowback from MAGA Republican voters. Now they want to push the heavy lifting decisions of 2024 to the voters. Shameful. Republicans have let the bully run the schoolyard for so long, and now they dont know how to stop him. Just follow the rule of law and stop seeking loopholes for Trump. The editorial board is making matters only worse. Michael Cronin, Riverside Editorial boards heresy I was shocked to read the editorial regarding the U.S. Supreme Courts review of the lawsuits regarding the 14th Amendments restraints on who can run for election. The Tribune Editorial Board states that three of the justices after all, owe their positions to Trump. By definition then, if the justices owe Donald Trump something, they will need to pay that debt, ostensibly by ruling in his favor on any court decision that comes their way. Such a statement is contrary to law and ethics in our democracy. We need to trust all of our judges, regardless of their party affiliations or personal biases, to follow the law and the facts wherever they lead. To normalize anything else, as the editorial boards statement does, is contrary to the rule of law and to the functioning of an independent judiciary, a necessary part of the three separate branches of government. Shame on the editorial board for printing such heresy! Elsa Miller, Evanston Conviction is needed Recent efforts to remove ex-President Donald Trump from the Colorado and Maine Republican primary ballots have asserted that because he helped foment an insurrection against the United States, he is in violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and is thus ineligible for office. The text of that section can be found posted all over social media by enthusiastic supporters of those efforts. However, for those who read the amendment for themselves, they will also see Section 5, which reads, The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. Congress has passed such a law: 18 USC 2383. What that statute means, in short, is that Trump is ineligible to run for office only if he is tried and convicted in federal court of having violated that law. Until then, neither a state official, as in Maine, nor a state court, as in Colorado, has the authority to ban Trump from a ballot. Ronald Fox, Willow Springs Editorials confused opinion Mr. Babich is spinning in his grave. He was my English composition teacher in high school. When we would come to him with our first drafts often a welter of confused and poorly written prose he would simply ask us: What is it you want to say? We would tell him in simple language. So go write that, he would say, handing our paper back to us. On behalf of Mr. Babich, let me hand back to the Tribune Editorial Board its editorial from Jan. 10, in which the board clearly does not know what it wants to say about keeping Trump on the ballot in 2024. Should it be left to the voters to decide? Apparently, yes, based on the editorials opening line. But then that goes nowhere. Or should he be disqualified for various reasons? Apparently yes. Or no. Maybe or maybe not. The editorial seems not to know. The editorial board appears (maybe?) to support disqualifying Trump based on a sympathetic reading of the ruling from Maines secretary of state, deciding that Trump could not appear on the ballot because of his role in an insurrection, as defined by the 14th Amendment. Then theres Trumps refusal to sign Illinoiss pledge to refrain from overthrowing the government. Are these facts disqualifying? Who knows? The editorial notes it as a cause for concern, apparently mimicking the noncommittal rhetorical style of Maines own Susan Collins. Then the editorial seems to justify keeping Trump on the ballot because of the threat of violence. Really? Are we going to submit our electoral decision-making to MAGA threats? Or, back to the beginning, should we let the voters decide, in the face of voter suppression and Republican maneuvering? In general, the editorial is from the maybe this, maybe that school of writing. Ultimately, who knows what the editorial board thinks? In the spirit of Mr. Babich, allow me to ask the Tribune Editorial Board: What is it you want to say? OK, go write that. Craig Mindrum, Oak Park Town hall performance Donald Trump is growing into the presidential role. His recent town hall performance manifested an element of enduring strength and vigor unmatched by those half his age. The mans calm, smart and focused demeanor indeed showed elements of true leadership. Trumps mental, emotional and physical command dominated the stage. He answered each question without a cheat sheet. And he didnt wander aimlessly about the stage. In the meantime, hopefully, the republic will be able survive the current White House occupant and his Trump fearmongering and democracy boogeyman tactics. Earl Beal, Terre Haute, Indiana Former President Donald Trump walks backstage during a campaign event at Clinton Middle School in Clinton, Iowa, on Jan. 6, 2024. Jan. 6 a dress rehearsal To Donald Trump, there is only one issue that really counts and it isnt The Economy, the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, or even the crisis with immigration at the southern border. Although he has criticized the Biden administration as incompetent in its handling of these serious problems, without offering any concrete solutions, he continues at his rallies to raise the issue of the 2020 election and, without any proof, claims that the voting was rigged against him and that Joe Biden is not the legitimate president. So why is it that this issue still persists when all of the challenges raised by his attorneys in the courts have been rejected and with Trump now facing 91 criminal counts related to conduct during and after his time in office? Because all of this doesnt really matter to his base of MAGA supporters who obediently accept what they hear from him, embrace conspiracy theories and reject as fake news anything that is not in line with what they are being fed. Prior to November in 2020, Trump had warned that the election might be stolen by the Democrats and that he would not agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he were not reelected. Most Americans were skeptical and disregarded the threat. The result was the attempted insurrection by Trumps supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. More than 1,200 people to date have been charged, and hundreds have pleaded guilty for crimes ranging from trespass to assault of police officers; some have even been convicted of seditious conspiracy. Trump, who watched the events of Jan. 6 happen on TV before calling off the mob, now calls them patriots and hostages. He claims that he is the victim and that the Justice Department, the FBI and the courts are corrupt. He uses his indictments and mug shot as a further excuse to squeeze more campaign contributions, which he uses to pay his legal bills. Jan. 6 was just a dress rehearsal for what we can expect if Trump loses the election in 2024. By persisting in his claims of fraud, he is telling his MAGA supporters that a loss in 2024 would just be a repeat of what happened to them four years before. If he wins, he promises to be a dictator on day one and pardon them for their crimes, and he will likely try to pardon himself. Trump does not address the real issues that face our nation because he doesnt have any answers. His efforts are directed at keeping himself out of jail, and that means ascending to the presidency by all means possible legally or by insurrection. Edward Margolis, Wilmette What gives Trump a shot There is a single issue that gives Donald Trump a shot at reelection immigration. American voters are not against immigration, but millions of voters see unbridled illegal immigration as a threat to Americas survival. Behind the curtain, voters go largely by emotions. Can my taxes support millions of people from failed societies? I feel for them in their desperation for a better life, but how many can the lifeboat we call America support before the boat sinks? This issue alone may put Trump back in the Oval Office. Can the Joe Biden camp effectively address this issue? Stay tuned. Richard F. Nolan, Park Ridge Dont tar blue states Regarding Dr. Derefe Kimarley Chevannes op-ed America seems intent on repeating its history of Black oppression: You can never win an argument by overgeneralizing your point to include places where your hypothesis is blatantly untrue. So it is with Chevannes America. Every instance of Black oppression he cites took place or is taking place in what is still the Confederacy in states run by Republicans. America is divided into so-called blue and red states. It would be much more informative if Chevannes stuck to the facts and stated red states seem intent on continuing their history of Black oppression. He should not tar blue states with the rampant racism of Republican-run red states. Alan E. Krause, Oak Park Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. In the two months since its launch, Mayor Adams legal defense trust has raised at least $650,000 to help cover lawyer fees he and his associates rack up as part of an FBI investigation into his 2021 campaigns finances. Vito Pitta, Adams longtime campaign compliance attorney who helps run the trust, disclosed the fundraising haul in a statement Monday. The Eric Adams Legal Defense Trust has drawn strong support in a short amount of time, raising more than $650,000 since it was formed just two months ago, Pittas statement said. Pitta confirmed a total of around 220 donors have given cash to the trust. That means the average individual contribution has been roughly $3,000. Pitta declined to immediately provide any more information about the matter, including the names of the donors, saying those details will be spelled out in the first full disclosure the trust is expected to file with the city Conflicts of Interest Board on Tuesday. The $650,000 haul was first reported by NY1. City rules state Adams can accept contributions of up to $5,000 per person for the fund. Hes barred from collecting donations from city government subordinates and those engaged in city business. Donors must also agree their contribution wont affect any future business dealings with the city. Adams launched the trust in mid-November after FBI agents raided the home of Brianna Suggs, his political fundraising chief, as part of a federal investigation into whether the Turkish government funneled illegal contributions into the mayors 2021 campaign coffers. On the heels of the Suggs raid, FBI agents stopped the mayor in the street and seized his electronics, including two cell phones. The FBI has also carried out raids at the homes of Rana Abbasova, an aide to Adams at City Hall, and Cenk Ocal, a former Turkish Airlines executive who served on the mayors 2021 transition team. Neither Adams nor anyone connected to his campaign have been formally accused of wrongdoing. After the FBI raids, Adams retained WilmerHale, a high-powered law firm where his former City Hall chief counsel is a partner, to represent him in any matters related to the ongoing federal probe. According to sources familiar with the matter, federal investigators are, among other issues, looking at whether KSK Construction, a Brooklyn-based contractor founded by Turkish nationals, was used as a vessel to pump illegal foreign cash into the mayors 2021 campaign account. Campaign disclosures show KSK executives donated more than $13,000 to Adams campaign on the same day in May 2021. You didnt give your daughter the MMR, did you? The tone of voice is the first giveaway. Mild incredulity, but not so mild that you would fail to notice it. They need you to notice it so that you can have The Conversation. So that you can be converted. Because like the evangelists standing at your door, brandishing a leaflet, this breed of anti-vaxxer wants to witness the epiphany. I, however, cannot run fast enough from this particular conversation. Ive had it enough times to know exactly how itll go. Theyll tell you the apocryphal tale of a friend of a friends nephews son, who was hitting every developmental milestone until he had the MMR. Shortly after that the behavioural changes started. He was regressing, becoming less sociable in playgroup. He started to develop migraines, or eczema, or constipation all comorbid conditions that go with autism. Theres always a knowing nod and a pause before they then ask whether youre familiar with Andrew Wakefields findings. Thats when you have to find a way to leave the room. Scientific fact will get you nowhere. Neither will statistics. It doesnt matter how many headlines are reporting measles outbreaks like the one hospitals in the West Midlands are currently flagging up, or how many leading immunologists are warning that unless more children are vaccinated, more hospital admissions and even deaths could be expected in the months and years to come, these parents remain resolutely stuck on Wakefield. It doesnt matter that the British anti-vaccine activist who published a case series in The Lancet in 1998 which suggested that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine may predispose children to behavioural regression and pervasive developmental disorder was struck off the UK medical register over a decade ago after being found guilty of misconduct by our General Medical Council. It doesnt matter that The Lancet subsequently retracted the paper or that Wakefields findings were deemed fraudulent after it was established that the case series had no controls, linked three common conditions, and that the children Wakefield had studied were carefully selected. And who cares that some of his pioneering research was funded by lawyers acting for parents who were already involved in lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers? Not the anti-MMR brigade. They know in their heart of hearts that this one-man cautionary tale in the legacy of hubris was right. Deaf to everything but their own beliefs, they will smugly trot out the biggest fallacy of all: theres no smoke without fire. Almost as tragic as the victims of their parents wilful ignorance are the desperate pleas from communicable disease specialists like Dr Naveed Syed, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who said he was seeing cases of measles rising every day in the West Midlands and that there is now a fear of full community transmission. On Friday, Birmingham Childrens Hospital confirmed that it had treated 50 children for measles in the past month it would normally expect zero cases and the NHS is now at pains to point out that an estimated one in five cases will result in a trip to hospital. For that reason, our health service even ran a campaign last year, and I remember watching a Filipino friend shake her head in disbelief as we listened to a radio advert begging rather than urging parents to consider the seriousness of a disease that is almost 100 per cent preventable. Back home, we would be biting their hand off for these free vaccines, she explained. What a spoilt society this is. The sad truth when it comes to the MMR and other vaccines is that health chiefs are battling two new, indomitable forces. The first is social media, which is obviously more reliable than every learned physician in the country combined and would have continued to erode vaccination numbers even without the pandemic. The second is, of course, Covid, which may have permanently damaged the publics trust in vaccines. I have more patience with those who offer up the latter as the main reason behind their vaccine hesitancy. The scale of misinformation out there (much of it, again, online) was unlike anything we have been forced to contend with before. Couple that with the facts we were being given by scientists, no less changing day by day, and you can see how deeply this would dent the publics confidence in the powers that be. Anyone presenting this as their defence, however, is conflating two things. With Covid, it was a moving situation, with scientists piecing together a jigsaw piece by piece the sketchy first moments being at a significant remove from the final picture. But with the MMR, the facts have not changed. They are there in black and white: in the estimated 20 million cases and 4,500 deaths mainly among children the vaccine has prevented in the UK since 1968. They are in the words of Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, who said in the simplest terms yesterday: It would be a tragedy if any child were to die from measles when we have the tools in front of us to stop it. 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. Over 20 Finnish companies managed or owned by Russians have been exporting high technology and other goods that can be used in the military industry to Russia, according to an investigation by Finland's public broadcaster YLE published on Jan. 15. The investigation revealed that at least nine customers of the Finnish companies have direct links to the Russian military sector and intelligence agencies such as Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). These are small logistics firms operating mostly in southeastern Finland, near major logistics hubs, YLE wrote. At least four of them are already subjects of criminal investigations. A Russian-linked company operating in Lappeenranta has sent to Russia "numerous packages" with sensors, diesel engines, fuel pumps, and transmission equipment, which experts have classified as critical supplies in warfare, according to the investigation. According to Russian public procurement data, two of the firm's clients have ties to the FSB, with one of the clients posting a letter on their website thanking the FSB for good cooperation. Read also: Most of 2,500 foreign components Ukraine found in Russian weapons come from US (GRAPHS) Similar components were reportedly found in destroyed Russian weapons and vehicles in Ukraine, but not all of them were subjected to Western sanctions, which has made it easier to export them to Russia. Other products exported to Russia by the Finnish companies include equipment for military research, product development, and intelligence activities, as well as engine parts and electronics, the media outlet wrote. It is not clear, though, whether the Russian military has specifically used the goods exported from the Finnish companies covered in the investigation. According to YLE, some goods were exported from Finland to Russia through Uzbekistan, which Russia has reportedly used to evade Western sanctions. Following the outbreak of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Western countries imposed extensive sanctions against Russia, banning imports of electronics and other goods critical for the production of high-tech weapons like missiles or drones. In spite of these restrictions, Moscow continues to acquire dual-use goods via third-party countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, or China. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian forces allegedly shot down a Russian A-50 military aircraft over the Azov Sea, RBC Ukraine reported on Jan. 14, citing an unnamed source in the Ukrainian military. An additional Russian military plane, the Il-22M, was also allegedly damaged. Reports suggest that the A-50 plane was shot down immediately after it went on duty in the Kyrylivka area of Zaporizhzhia at 9:10 p.m. local time. The aircraft disappeared from radars and stopped responding to requests from tactical aviation. Later that night, the pilot of a Russian Su-30 plane detected ignition and the fall of an unidentified aircraft. The Il-22M was on duty in the Strilkove area before it was reportedly shot down along the coast of the Azov Sea at around 9 p.m. local time. RBC posted an audio recording of what it describes as an "intercepted conversation" between the Russian pilot of the aircraft and the airfield controller in Anapa, Russia. The pilot called for an evacuation, as well as an ambulance and fire services. Russia's A-50 aircraft provides several critical functions for ongoing military actions in Ukraine, such as detecting air defense systems, guided missiles, and coordinating targets for Russian fighter jets. Although critically important, Russia only possesses eight of these planes. If lost in action, it would be incredibly difficult if not impossible to replace. Russia accordingly operates the A-50s at a reasonable distance from Ukrainian air defense systems. Ukraine's successful destruction of the A-50 aircraft would therefore be particularly noteworthy. Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence in the Verkhovna Rada, Yuriy Mysiagin, stated on Telegram that the two planes were destroyed on Sunday evening. However, confirmation by Ukrainian military officials is not yet available. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Defense Minister proposes international working group to withdraw Russian troops Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Charity Watkins sensed something was deeply wrong when she experienced exhaustion after her daughter was born. At times, Watkins, then 30, had to stop on the stairway to catch her breath. Her obstetrician said postpartum depression likely caused the weakness and fatigue. When Watkins, who is Black, complained of a cough, her doctor blamed the flu. About eight weeks after delivery, Watkins thought she was having a heart attack, and her husband took her to the emergency room. After a 5-hour wait in a North Carolina hospital, she returned home to nurse her baby without seeing a doctor. Image: Charity Watkins holds a photo of her, her newborn daughter and her husband. (Kate Medley for KFF Health News) When a physician finally examined Watkins three days later, he immediately noticed her legs and stomach were swollen, a sign that her body was retaining fluid. After a chest X-ray, the doctor diagnosed her with heart failure, a serious condition in which the heart becomes too weak to adequately pump oxygen-rich blood to organs throughout the body. Watkins spent two weeks in intensive care. She said a cardiologist later told her, We almost lost you. Watkins is among 12 million adults misdiagnosed every year in the U.S. In a study published Jan. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 hospital patients who died or were transferred to intensive care had experienced a diagnostic error. Nearly 18% of misdiagnosed patients were harmed or died. In all, an estimated 795,000 patients a year die or are permanently disabled because of misdiagnosis, according to a study published in July in the BMJ Quality & Safety periodical. Some patients are at higher risk than others. Women and racial and ethnic minorities are 20% to 30% more likely than white men to experience a misdiagnosis, said Dr. David Newman-Toker, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the lead author of the BMJ study. Thats significant and inexcusable, he said. Researchers call misdiagnosis an urgent public health problem. The study found that rates of misdiagnosis range from 1.5% of heart attacks to 17.5% of strokes and 22.5% of lung cancers. Weakening of the heart muscle which led to Watkins heart failure is the most common cause of maternal death one week to one year after delivery, and is more common among Black women. Heart failure should have been No. 1 on the list of possible causes for Watkins symptoms, said Dr. Ronald Wyatt, chief science and chief medical officer at the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, a nonprofit research and advocacy group. Maternal mortality for Black mothers has increased dramatically in recent years. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic Black mothers are 2.6 times as likely to die as non-Hispanic white moms. More than half of these deaths take place within a year after delivery. Research shows that Black women with childbirth-related heart failure are typically diagnosed later than white women, said Dr. Jennifer Lewey, co-director of the pregnancy and heart disease program at Penn Medicine. That can allow patients to further deteriorate, making Black women less likely to fully recover and more likely to suffer from weakened hearts for the rest of their lives. Watkins said the diagnosis changed her life. Doctors advised her not to have another baby, or I might need a heart transplant, she said. Being deprived of the chance to have another child, she said, was devastating. Racial and gender disparities are widespread. Women and minority patients suffering from heart attacks are more likely than others to be discharged without diagnosis or treatment. Black people with depression are more likely than others to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Minorities are less likely than whites to be diagnosed early with dementia, depriving them of the opportunities to receive treatments that work best in the early stages of the disease. Misdiagnosis isnt new. Doctors have used autopsy studies to estimate the percentage of patients who died with undiagnosed diseases for more than a century. Although those studies show some improvement over time, life-threatening mistakes remain all too common, despite an array of sophisticated diagnostic tools, said Dr. Hardeep Singh, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine who studies ways to improve diagnosis. The vast majority of diagnoses can be made by getting to know the patients story really well, asking follow-up questions, examining the patient, and ordering basic tests, said Singh, who is also a researcher at Houstons Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. When talking to people whove been misdiagnosed, one of the things we hear over and over is, The doctor didnt listen to me. Racial disparities in misdiagnosis are sometimes explained by noting that minority patients are less likely to be insured than white patients and often lack access to high-quality hospitals. But the picture is more complicated, said Dr. Monika Goyal, an emergency physician at Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C., who has documented racial bias in childrens health care. In a 2020 study, Goyal and her colleagues found that Black kids with appendicitis were less likely than their white peers to be correctly diagnosed, even when both groups of patients visited the same hospital. Although few doctors deliberately discriminate against women or minorities, Goyal said, many are biased without realizing it. Racial bias is baked into our culture, Goyal said. Its important for all of us to start recognizing that. Demanding schedules, which prevent doctors from spending as much time with patients as theyd like, can contribute to diagnostic errors, said Karen Lutfey Spencer, a professor of health and behavioral sciences at the University of Colorado-Denver. Doctors are more likely to make biased decisions when they are busy and overworked, Spencer said. There are some really smart, well-intentioned providers who are getting chewed up in a system thats very unforgiving. Doctors make better treatment decisions when theyre more confident of a diagnosis, Spencer said. In an experiment, researchers asked doctors to view videos of actors pretending to be patients with heart disease or depression, make a diagnosis, and recommend follow-up actions. Doctors felt far more certain diagnosing white men than Black patients or younger women. If they were less certain, they were less likely to take action, such as ordering tests, Spencer said. If they were less certain, they might just wait to prescribe treatment. Its easy to see why doctors are more confident when diagnosing white men, Spencer said. For more than a century, medical textbooks have illustrated diseases with stereotypical images of white men. Only 4.5% of images in general medical textbooks feature patients with dark skin. That may help explain why patients with darker complexions are less likely to receive a timely diagnosis with conditions that affect the skin, from cancer to Lyme disease, which causes a red or pink rash in the earliest stage of infection. Black patients with Lyme disease are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced disease, which can cause arthritis and damage the heart. Black people with melanoma are about three times as likely as whites to die within five years. The Covid pandemic helped raise awareness that pulse oximeters the fingertip devices used to measure a patients pulse and oxygen levels are less accurate for people with dark skin. The devices work by shining light through the skin; their failures have delayed critical care for many Black patients. Seven years after her misdiagnosis, Watkins is an assistant professor of social work at North Carolina Central University in Durham, where she studies the psychosocial effects experienced by Black mothers who survive severe childbirth complications. Sharing my story is part of my healing, said Watkins, who speaks to medical groups to help doctors improve their care. It has helped me reclaim power in my life, just to be able to help others. KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com As Florida's state government continues to crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ+ people, one activist is fighting to create an LGBTQ+ center and safe space for youth. As the founder of the Rose Dynasty Foundation, Jason DeShazo, known as Momma Ashley Rose in the drag community, aims to create an LGBTQ+ center for young people, providing a haven amid an environment where LGBTQ+ people have become targets of hate groups. At the heart of the Rose Dynasty Foundations mission is a commitment to creating a safe space for all ages, DeShazo, 45, said in an interview with The Advocate. tktktk WeRLostboys From its early days of hosting pageants to its expansion into a broader range of events and activities, the foundation has consistently aimed to raise awareness and funds for marginalized groups, DeShazo said. The pandemic brought unique challenges, forcing the foundation to adapt quickly. We moved everything online and did movie nights, game nights, breakout sessions, maintaining community engagement despite physical distancing, he said. Finding a permanent home for the youth center has been a significant struggle, marked by indirect rejections and discrimination. DeShazo said, Its heartbreaking because you think you find the perfect building, and then you get rejected. He added that building owners are aware that in the current political climate, LGBTQ-related groups can become targets for attention by far-right radicals. tktktkt WeRLostboys The political climate exacerbates the adversities faced by DeShazo and the LGBTQ+ community in Florida. The increasing number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws has made it challenging to secure a location for the youth center. This year alone the state has expanded its "don't say gay" law, restricted bathroom access to transgender students, tried to limit drag performances, and restricted gender-affirming care, along with other anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Many of those laws are being challenged in court. Im a fighter, but Im also not one to push the envelope too much, DeShazo told The Advocate. If you tell me no, especially if youre a building owner, Im not going to raise heck about it and cause an issue. Security concerns have been paramount, particularly in light of extremist disruptions. DeShazo emphasized the foundations proactive measures. Weve hired security at all of our events, and we have been fortunate that the Lakeland Police Department has been very kind and supportive, he said. DeShazos personal experiences as a drag performer in Floridas challenging political environment inform his advocacy work. [The shift to demonize drag queens] has been one of the most disheartening experiences of my life, he said, reflecting on the difficulties faced by family-friendly drag performers in the current climate. Despite these challenges, the Rose Dynasty Foundation continues its mission with unwavering determination. Events like bingo fundraisers raise funds and demonstrate the communitys enduring support and the critical need for such a center. tktktktk tktktk We have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars during COVID, he said. "Our organization delivered food to 300 a week for a year and a half. With the surge of anti-LGBTQ+ laws in 2023 there have been increased disturbances from Neo-Nazi protesters at DeShazos shows and efforts by Christian groups to end the shows as well. Laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community and curtailing discussions on gender and identity have sparked fear and uncertainty among community members and their allies. Due to security concerns, DeShazos drag queen story hours are conducted discreetly, with venue windows covered to ensure privacy. The necessity for such measures reflects the severity of the threats faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Florida, further emphasizing the need for safe spaces like the one DeShazo envisions. The foundations activities extend beyond providing a haven; they are about education and empowerment. Our goal has always been not just the LGBTQ+ community, but allies and to enfranchise people who dont feel like they fit in anywhere, he said. And despite the challenges, DeShazo remains undeterred, finding motivation in the positive impact of his work. He explained that he recently participated in a Christmas parade over the holidays, during which he considered what it meant to those who recognized the representation his presence demonstrated. He said it was that moment that fuels him. I remember standing on the back of this float, dressed like Queen Frostine from Candyland, looking out and watching teenagers and adults light up, their faces just light up and glow when they realized it was a drag queen on the float, he said. "Thats why I do this work. One of six people indicted for their role in a drug trafficking ring that distributed thousands of fentanyl pills across Whatcom County and the Lummi Nation was sentenced to federal prison last week. Ahbdurman Ahmed, 33, of Seattle, was sentenced to six years in prison Jan. 5 in the Western District of Washington in U.S. District Court. Ahmed pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to two counts of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. The court dismissed one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl as part of a plea agreement. Ahmed is one of six people who were federally indicted by a grand jury in April for drug trafficking and weapons charges. Three of the six people are from Bellingham, according to federal court records. At Ahmeds sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones said it was critical that he protect the public. I cant imagine how you would feel if someone sold fentanyl to your children, Jones said, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. As part of Ahmeds sentencing, the court made recommendations to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons that Ahmed be incarcerated at a federal correctional institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi. It was also recommended that Ahmed participate in a residential drug abuse program, federal court documents show. This defendant sold thousands of fentanyl pills in Whatcom County, pills that nearly killed him in an overdose. Even after that brush with death, he continued to sell putting others at risk. Drug suppliers must be held accountable for their conduct, whether driven by addiction or by greed in this case it appears it was both, Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a prepared DOJ statement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hobbs, who prosecuted the case, asked the court to sentence Ahmed to seven years in prison. Hobbs wrote to the court that Ahmed was involved in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Whatcom County, and that many of the drugs ended up on the Lummi reservation. The Lummi Nation has been hit particularly hard by fentanyl, and has taken numerous steps to address the crisis. The Court is certainly aware of the dangers that these drugs particularly fentanyl pose to those who use them. Ahmed himself, as a drug user who has overdosed on fentanyl, was obviously aware of the risk of death or injury this drug presents. Ultimately Ahmed for whatever reason was willing to personally profit from the distribution of an addictive and often deadly controlled substance, Hobbs wrote, the DOJ press release states. Ahmed was one of six people who were part of a fentanyl distribution organization that was actively moving fentanyl from the Seattle area to redistributors in Whatcom County. The drug trafficking ring had been under investigation since late 2022, according to previous DOJ press releases and reporting in The Bellingham Herald. Law enforcement officers observed various drug transactions and intercepted the drug loads. On Dec. 30, 2022, law enforcement officers were called to a convenience store in Ferndale, where Ahmed and another person had overdosed on fentanyl. Both people had to be revived and were taken to a hospital. Ten days later, Ahmed was seen trafficking fentanyl pills, the DOJ press release states. In mid-January 2023, law enforcement seized bags filled with 1,000 fentanyl pills from two of Ahmeds customers. Less than two months later in March, law enforcement seized 3,000 fentanyl pills from Ahmed himself. At the time of the drug seizure, a Glock handgun with an extended magazine was found in the car Ahmed was driving, according to the press release. Ahmed was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior criminal convictions. A Glock handgun with an extended magazine was found in a car with a 33-year-old Seattle man who was one of six people federally indicted as part of a drug trafficking ring distributing thousands of fentanyl pills across Whatcom County and the Lummi Nation. U.S. Department of Justice/Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald According to DOJ press releases and federal court records, the five others indicted as part of the fentanyl trafficking ring are: Matthew Anderson, 35, of Bellingham. Anderson is charged with two counts of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. His jury trial is tentatively scheduled for March. Daniel John Faix, 41, of Bellingham. Faix pleaded guilty Jan. 4 to possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of firearms and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. His sentencing is scheduled for March 29. Natasha Parkhill, 38, of Bellingham. Parkhill pleaded not guilty Nov. 30 to one count each of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Parkhill remains detained pending trial at an unspecified future date. Mohamed Abdirisak Mohamed, 35, of Seattle. Mohamed is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Mohameds trial is scheduled for March. Robel Sisay Gebremedhin, also known as Robel Sisay Gebremedhui, 41, of Burien, is charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is currently being sought by law enforcement. The investigation into the fentanyl distribution ring was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Whatcom County Drug and Gang Task Force. Assistance was provided by the Whatcom County Sheriffs Office, Washington State Patrol and the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. The Whatcom County Sheriffs Office is committed and will continue locating dangerous drug traffickers that are poisoning our communities with potentially deadly substances, Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tank Tanksley said in a prepared statement. Losing one community member to an overdose, fatal or otherwise, is one community member too many we are all family. We will continue to work with our community partners to guide those affected by addition to needed resources. New Mexicos Public Education Department is receiving pushback for a proposal to amend the number of required instructional days for the upcoming school year. The proposed amendments, which was introduced in December 2023, mandates two notable changes. It would require all public schools to schedule more than 50% of calendar weeks as 5-day weeks, and enforce enforce 180 calendar days of instructional time. The changes come only months after the New Mexico Legislature passed House Bill 130 signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in March 2023. House Bill 130 extended instructional time to 1,140 hours per year to address truancy and academic shortfalls in reading and math proficiencies. Legislators and school leaders say the proposed calendar change would most impact students, teachers and smaller districts if approved. In this Feb. 23, 2018 file photo a visitor enters the headquarters for the New Mexico Public Education Department in Santa Fe. New Mexico Public Education Department officials say, Monday, Sept. 28, 2021, few grade-school students participated in state testing last year and that it is impossible to measure learning loss from the pandemic. Heres a breakdown of what they said and where PED Secretary Arsenio Romero stands on the issue. Why NM PED wants to require 5-day school weeks In recent years, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Mexico students have struggled with truancy and reading and math proficiencies. According to the latest data from the PEDs school performance dashboard NM VISTAS, 25% of students are proficient in math and 34% in reading. The data shows 60% of students are regularly attending school. PED Secretary Arsenio Romero wrote in an opinion piece for the Sun-News that the calendar changes were already an existing policy that hadnt been enforced and didnt apply to all schools. New Mexico Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero talks with Dona Ana Elementary Principal Cherie Love during his visit on Oct. 20, 2023 to the school. He wrote that enforcement was an important factor in addressing proficiency concerns and to properly utilize education spending passed by the state legislature. The Governor and Legislature have invested record levels of funding for schools. It is now time to ensure that the Public Education Department sets high expectations for schools to see the results of those investments and that we are all accountable for those results, Romero wrote. Las Cruces school leaders concerned over PEDs calendar proposal While the PEDs proposed changes wouldnt impact Las Cruces Public Schools as severely as other New Mexico districts, local union leaders felt the amendment would still pose a threat to LCPS local authority. Jim Maes, president of Las Cruces chapter of the National Education Association, spoke to the LCPS Board of Education on Dec. 13. He explained the issue isnt about extending learning times but rather the flexibility of a school district to implement practices and programs that work for its students. He emphasized that a one-size-fits-all approach would end up hurting most. The part that does affect Las Cruces Public Schools is the autonomy. How much do we want the state to be running our local schools? Do we want them making those decisions? So many times, we have programs that are showing great success and it's decisions like this that wipe a lot of those things out here in Las Cruces Public Schools, Maes said when referring to past trade schools and dual credit programs. There are a lot of teachers that have concerns about local autonomy and being able to make those decisions as a community and what's best for us [is important]. More: These are Las Cruces Public Schools priorities for the 2024 NM Legislative session Irma Valdespino, president of the Classified School Employees Council of Las Cruces, also spoke at the Dec. 13 board meeting and echoed Maes comments about local autonomy. There is a great deal of concern among the schools, the small school districts whereby they have a four-day week and it's working for them. They have their special reasons why they are four days, if not, they hadn't gone to a four day. If this is taken away from them, then again who's who is going to be harmed if it's not the school itself, Valdespino said. Overreach. Republican lawmakers criticize NM PED over calendar change The proposed rule change has also drawn opposition from Republican lawmakers who called the proposal untimely due to the closeness of the 2024 legislative session, according to a Dec. 13, 2023 letter sent to Romero. They urged the secretary to reject the rule and allow the legislature to debate the issue. State Sens. avid Gallegos, Gregory Baca, Craig Brandt and Pat Woods, and Reps. Brian Baca and Tanya Mirabal Moya, signed the letter. They said the change would take away flexibility from school districts and create an undue burden." We all want improvement in our education system in New Mexico. Our declining scores and national rankings are of great concern to us, but we believe those best suited to solve this crisis are those closest to the challengeour local school boards and administrators, a portion of the letter read. In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed an hourly adjustment as part of HB 130 to the school day instead of adjusting the total number of required instructional days. The joint Republican letter states that an hourly adjustment over a day adjustment was preferred because many school districts have aligned schedules to four-day weeks. The fifth day is dedicated to career technical education or other extracurricular activities. This rule change is a direct challenge to local school districts and their ability to act in the best interest of their students. The Legislature was clear when we wrote the law and the hourly unit we chose to define instructional time was intentional, said Sen. David Gallegos in a Dec. 13 news release. State Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, criticizes a bill that would shore up abortion access statewide amid a flurry of local anti-abortion ordinances, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the Capitol building in Santa Fe, N.M. A 23-15 vote of the Senate nearly ensures the bill will reach the desk of supportive Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. New Mexico has one of the country's most liberal abortion access laws, but two local counties and three cities including Eunice have recently adopted abortion restrictions that reflect deep-seated opposition to the procedure. An executive agency like PED should not be able subvert the will of the Legislature and local school districts through rule changes that strip more local control. I urge PED to reject this rule, and if they do not, I call on the Legislature to immediately address this overreach when we convene in January, Gallegos said. Did NM PEDs proposed calendar changes take effect? Whats next? The PED has not released an official decision on the proposed rule change as of publishing this story. However, the department gathered public input and held a public hearing in Santa Fe in December 2023. If adopted, the policy change would take effect Jan. 16, according to the draft document, but implementation would happen in the 2024-2025 school year. Republican Sens. Gregory Baca and Gail Armstrong challenged the amendment with pre-filed House Bill 74. If passed, the bill would allow local school boards and governing bodies of charter schools to determine the number of instructional days per year and per week. 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: New Mexico PED criticized for proposed school calendar changes Senior CPC official, San Francisco mayor discuss implementation of outcomes of Xi-Biden summit Xinhua) 08:26, January 15, 2024 SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Saturday met with San Francisco Mayor London Breed on implementing the outcomes of the San Francisco summit between the two heads of state. Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden held a successful meeting in San Francisco in November last year, said Liu, adding that San Francisco contributed to the success of the summit. Xi pointed out that the hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in the two societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels, Liu said. When delivering a speech at a welcome dinner by friendly organizations in the United States, Xi further expressed the hope for enhancing friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, Liu added. In particular, Liu mentioned, Xi announced that 50,000 young Americans would be invited to visit China in the next five years, which received great attention and a big welcome. It is hoped that the city of San Francisco and other cities in the United States will actively engage in subnational and non-governmental exchanges, strengthen cooperation in various fields, promote the implementation of the San Francisco vision fostered by the two heads of state, and make new contributions to the stable and healthy development of China-U.S. relations, Liu noted. For her part, Breed said that the city of San Francisco is very honored to host the U.S.-China summit and is still excited about the success of the meeting. The mayor said she attended the welcome dinner held by friendly U.S. organizations for Xi, listened to the president's speech, and totally agreed with every initiative put forward by the president in his speech. San Francisco has a deep historical bond with China, and China has been an important factor in the development of San Francisco, Breed said. The city is willing to give full play to its special advantages in U.S.-China relations, promote cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, investment, innovation, tourism and culture through subnational cooperation channels, and take the lead in promoting the implementation of the outcomes of the San Francisco summit between the two heads of state, the mayor said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) LaShawnDa Pittmans book begins with a table of womens names 74, to be exact listing their first name, age, marital or dating status, and the number of children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren they have. The common denominators among the women are that they are Black grandmothers who are raising any number of their childrens offspring, creating what is known as skipped generation households, those consisting of only grandparents and grandchildren. In her book Grandmothering While Black: A Twenty-First Century Story of Love, Coercion and Survival, Pittman, associate professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, plumbs the nuances of the role of contemporary Black grandmothers in todays landscape. The Northwestern University alumna collected data from nearly 100 women on Chicagos South Side for four years through in-depth interviews with the women and ethnographic research via doctors visits, welfare offices, school and day care center appointments, and caseworker meetings. In so doing, Pittman explored the myriad forces that help and hinder their caregiving, taking a deep dive into the relationship between elder and youth where the former is working to fulfill the functions of motherhood without the legal rights of the role. Pittman, a sociologist, showcases the strategies Black grandmothers use to manage their caregiving role among state and federal systems to ensure the well-being of the next generation. This book shows the complexity of what these grandmothers are up against. Its a lot, Pittman said. This long lineage of Black women dealing with a lot and the importance of us in giving voice to what that looks like and giving each other opportunities to share that information its not small. Pittman points out research that found more grandparents are currently raising their grandchildren than at any time in American history. The number of U.S. children living in a grandparents household more than doubled from 3.2% in 1970 to 8.4% in 2019, with 26% of those children in skipped generation households. Two- and three-generational living arrangements are more prevalent in communities of color, with Black families being more likely than any other group to raise grandchildren in skipped generation households. In Grandmothering While Black, sociologist LaShawnDa Pittman explores the lives of Black grandmothers raising their grandchildren. The factors that contribute to this range from changes in social and child-welfare policies and practices to increases in divorce rates and single parenthood and declining birth rates and marriage rates, as well as teen pregnancy, mental and physical health issues, child abuse and neglect. Black children also are the most like-ly to live in a sin-gle-par-ent fam-i-ly. Compound that with some Black-grandmother-household incomes being at or below federal poverty levels and it raises a lot of questions. Why and how do Black womens traditional grandmother roles morph into surrogate parenting? How do they manage the demands of caregiving, including their lack of legal rights, challenges to making ends meet and inability to prioritize their personal lives? Pittman writes in the book. Theres a lot of systemic things that force it upon us. Incarcerated Black men and women, thats had a huge ripple effect it decimated our communities and families, Pittman said. It used to be that a Black man could work in some kind of manufacturing job and send their children to college and buy a home. Now, the physical labor jobs are in the service sector, they pay less, they dont come with benefits, its harder to make it. Theres more discrimination. All of those kinds of things matter. Can you afford to live? Forget moving into the middle class, can you even maintain working class and not slip into poverty? Over the course of more than 300 pages, Pitman pores over the economic survival strategies Black grandmothers employ during the struggle of kinship care. Its a mix of burden and blessing, rewards and consequences that range from an opportunity to parent again and a sense of purpose, to caregiving restricting retirement freedoms and impairing physical and mental health. Raised in a family where her grandparents provided assistance to her immediate family, Pittman became interested in Black women and resilience as a graduate student at Northwestern. It was there that Pittman produced a thesis on Black women and their psychological well-being, and another work on the social capital of children in poverty. All of it revolved around Black grandmothers raising grandchildren. Pittman found her purpose in making sense of the grandmothers perspectives, which eventually led to the book. Sociologist and author LaShawnDa Pittman is an associate professor of American ethnic studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. You can no longer have a conversation about grandparent caregiving without talking about how they create the structure to provide that care, she said. It is not the way that it used to be where Big Mama stepped in, got the baby, enrolled it in school and has this harmonious relationship with parents, where the parent is bettering themselves so they can get their baby back. While that does happen, in too many cases, it does not. When conflict happens, and grandparents have no legal rights to their grandchildren, theres a different set of issues they have to deal with and no book was dealing with that, Pittman said. Do I go over the parent and get legal guardianship, prove that the parent is unfit? Do I want to do that to my own child? Its a complicated set of issues. Caregiving in the 21st century is a story that needs to be told for what it looks like today. How they navigate their lack of legal rights relative to parents, the child welfare system and in some cases, the criminal justice system. How they navigate to get resources, all of that is a big policy story. Pittman has spoken to policymakers around the nation to say: Here are the resources that we say are available to these families, very few, and yet there are still all these barriers that theyre experiencing. She hopes her book highlights the travails Black grandmothers face. Its a written charge for those in positions of power to think about the training of front-line workers who interact with these families. Pittman said the people who work with skip generation families have a sense of what did they do to contribute to this happening? But she says you shouldnt assume you know their story. Dealing with the explicit and implicit bias and misinformation in the training of agency representatives will go a long way, she said. Pittman said too often during her interviews with grandmothers, she found they felt alone in their caregiver role. To help fix that, Pittman is building out her website so Black grandmothers can share resources, knowledge and their stories with one another. She also hopes her book is a shoutout to the Black community. Its raising awareness and providing a sense of solidarity. It is so important for us to understand what we are asking of our mothers, grandmothers and aunts, Pittman said. Understand that these are the kinds of sacrifices, complexities that our mothers and aunties have to deal with. And grandfathers too. Most skip generation households are headed by both grandparents. But Black grandmothers have the distinction of being more likely than all other grandparents of doing this without a parent or a partner. Pittman said reaching out to the Black grandmothers in our communities would go a long way. She said Black matriarchs want to sustain their families and communities, but they also need to take care of their own health, and need respite and support. If you know there are people in your family who are doing this, see what they need. Dont assume that they got it, she said. I hear people say stuff like, They do it out of love. Why should we not make sure that children have what they need in this country regardless of who their caregivers are? We do it for foster parents. She looked at how in pop culture, Black grandmothers tend to be romanticized within the Black community and pathologized outside of it. And she wondered: Where do you go to get a sense of who these women really are? Thats why Pittman is focused on making Real Black Grandmothers, the first digital archive created specifically with their reality in mind. Pittman said society has to continue to make changes that will support skipped generation households because putting together two vulnerable populations and asking them to figure it out themselves is asking too much. The complexity of what theyre dealing with, the brilliance of we will find a way, the brilliance with which they navigated, the strategies they came up with to keep their grandchildren in their care safe and still try to get what they needed, blew me away, Pittman said. Yes, they did that in a miraculous and amazing way and its still not enough. We need to make it so its not so hard. drockett@chicagotribune.com Miss Colorado, Madison Marsh, is crowned by Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke, as this year's winner in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Madison Marsh, the first active duty service member to ever win the annual Miss America title, has taken the crown in Orlando, Fla., while representing the state of Colorado. The 22-year-old U.S. Air Force second lieutenant won the 2024 event on Sunday just months after graduating from the Air Force Academy with a physics degree, according to her Miss Colorado website. The last Miss America winner hailing from Colorado was Rebecca King 50 years ago in 1974. "Pageants are changing and one of the ways is in what being physically fit means to women," Marsh said in a Nov. 2023 Air Force Institute of Technology article. "For me, it's great because I need to stay physically fit and in the gym for the military, so it already coincides with pageant training." Marsh has raised over $250,000 for pancreatic cancer research since 2018 through events like 5K and 10K runs for the Whitney Marsh Foundation, the organization Marsh founded with her father and sister in honor of her mother who died from pancreatic cancer. Confetti flies as Miss Colorado, Madison Marsh, walks the runway as Miss America 2024 after being crowned at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday. The last Miss America from Colorado was in 1974. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI The new Miss America -- a pageant established in 1921 -- has claimed that she cannot sing or dance well and is "not conventionally talented." An Arkansas native, Marsh is pursuing a Master's Degree in Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School on a national scholarship. "Towards the end of my time at USAFA, I started to realize that my bigger passions were in policy making and cancer research so that's why I ended up at the Kennedy School," Marsh stated. Formerly Miss Colorado, Madison Marsh twirls her evening gown Sunday during the Miss America 2024 Pageant. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI She said she wants to learn about the "inner workings and the difficulties of what policy really looks like. Issues like economic environments and other social pressures that might be inhibiting our ability to implement cancer policies that can affect all Americans." Nicole Renard, a pageant veteran from Kennewick who known as the Smoothie Bowl Girl on social media, will compete for the title of Next Level Chef on a Fox reality show helmed by Gordon Ramsay. Renard, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., graduated from Kamiakin High School and will compete in the social media chef category when the third season of the show premiers on Jan. 28. She posted in a YouTube short about two weeks ago that she auditioned for the show and then was shocked when she got the call that she was picked to appear on the show. I am not a chef, she said in the video. I have no formal training. I have never worked in a kitchen and I didnt go to culinary school. She was also scared out of my mind, she said. But competing on the show turned out to be fun and it forever change the way I cooked. Filming took about a month, she said. Renard is a former Miss Tri-Cities Outstanding Teen, Miss Washington Outstanding Teen, Miss City of Orange and Miss Rainier. The Miss Rainier title gave her a shot at the 2017 Miss Washington title, which she won. She competed for the 2018 Miss America title that year. Renard studied television and broadcast journalism at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. She runs a food and travel brand, Nicole the Nomad, and has more than 2.1 million followers on TikTok and 627,000 on YouTube, where she shares her smoothie bowls and snack obsessions. She is also an actress who appeared in Meritorius (2020), Dodgeball Thunderdome (2020) and the 2018 Miss America pageant (2017), according to IMDB. Forecasters with the National Weather Service office in New Orleans/Baton Rouge have issued a four alerts: a Wind Chill Advisory, a Freeze Warning, a Hard Freeze Warning and a Winter Weather Advisory for weather that is expected to arrive in the overnight hours. Their predictions are calling for a chance of rain showers after 7 p.m., which is expected to mix with freezing rain after 3 a.m. Tuesday. Tonights low temperature is expected to fall to 28. degrees, with blustery conditions after midnight. The chance of precipitation is 50 percent tonight, with a light glaze expected. Gov. Tate Reeves declared a State of Emergency on Sunday, with the National Weather Service forecasting freezing rain, sleet, and snow for a significant portion of the state, along with dangerous cold for the week. The state of Mississippi is proactively taking steps to prepare for freezing temperatures and severe winter weather, Reeves said. By declaring this State of Emergency, we can mobilize state assets, and better support response and recovery efforts. All Mississippians in the impacted areas are encouraged to take precautions over the next few days. Prepare your homes now for below-freezing temperatures, bring pets inside, and check in with your loved ones who are most susceptible during this frigid weather. But will schools be closed Tuesday on the Mississippi Coast because of freezing rain, freezing temperatures or wind chill? Eleven public school districts and three private schools have made the decision to cancel classes, with more announcements expected throughout the afternoon and evening. Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Due to uncertain weather conditions with temperatures close to the freezing point, its unclear if well have ice or rain in the morning. A slight change in temperature can make a huge difference. In the interest of caution and to provide convenience for our parents planning, weve decided to close school tomorrow. Biloxi Public School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Due to possible icy road conditions tomorrow morning, we are canceling classes Tuesday, Jan. 16. We are making this call early to give families time to make necessary arrangements. Stay safe and warm and we look forward to seeing all students back on campus Wednesday morning when we resume our regular schedule. Diocese of Biloxi: Closed Tuesday. In a news release, the Diocese said: All Diocese of Biloxi Catholic schools will be closed tomorrow due to the cold weather. Grace Baptist Academy: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the academy said: Due to the severe winter weather, there will be no school Tuesday, Jan. 16. We expect to resume our normal schedule on Wednesday. Gulfport School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: All Gulfport Schools will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16, due to the number of staff living outside the Gulfport School District and for the safety of our students. Hancock County School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Due to a forecast of inclement weather in the area and to ensure the safety of our staff and students, Hancock County School District will be closed on Tuesday. Classes are expected to resume on Wednesday. Harrison County School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Due to the potential of hazardous weather conditions, all schools and offices in the Harrison County School District will be closed tomorrow (Tuesday), Jan. 16. Classes are scheduled to resume on Wednesday. Jackson County School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Due to the uncertainty of the winter weather coming in the morning, Jackson County School District will be closing schools and canceling all athletic events Tuesday Jan. 16. Please watch for updates regarding school changes for Wednesday, Jan. 17. Long Beach School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Based on recommendations of local EMS, and out of an abundance of caution, Long Beach School District will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16. This includes all schools and offices. In addition, all afterschool, extracurricular activities, including practices, and games will be canceled. We will continue to monitor the conditions and be back in touch tomorrow regarding Wednesdays schedule. Moss Point School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: Moss Point School District will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16, due to the conditions forecasted with the incoming winter weather. No students or employees are to report to MPSD tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 16. All after school activities, athletic activities are canceled and the Boys and Girls Club will be closed. The January School Board meeting will be rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 5:30 pm. Please continue to follow the District and school Facebook pages, call out and text message system for updates. Continue to stay safe and enjoy the rest of your evening. Nativity BVM School: Closed Tuesday. In a message to parents, the school said: Due to the predicted weather coming our way and the possibility of icy roads, Nativity BVM Catholic School will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16. Stay safe and warm and we will see you on Wednesday. Ocean Springs School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: OSSD has elected to cancel school and extracurricular activities on Tuesday, Jan. 16, due to anticipated freezing weather and road conditions in our area. We are scheduled to resume normal school operations on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Our Lady Academy: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the academy said: OLA, SSC, and HTCS will close tomorrow due to the winter weather advisory that has been issued for our area. This decision was made in conjunction with the Hancock County EOC, county agencies, and local school districts. Pascagoula-Gautier School District: Closed Tuesday. In a note to parents, the district said: PGSD schools will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16, due to the conditions forecasted with the incoming winter weather. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of students, parents and employees. The district will continue to monitor the weather and a decision about school for Wednesday, Jan. 17 will be posted at 4 p.m. tomorrow on the District and school Facebook pages and through text message. Please stay safe and please share this message. Pass Christian School District: Closed Tuesday. In a post on the social media platform X, the district said: Due to impending freezing weather conditions and out of an abundance of caution, the Pass Christian School District will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 16. We expect to have school using our normal schedule on Wednesday. St. Alphonsus Catholic School: Closed Tuesday. In a message to parents, the school said: Due to the winter weather coming our way and the possibility of icy roads, St. Alphonsus Catholic School will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 16. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday, Jan. 17. Higher education Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College: Closed Tuesday. The school reports: All MGCCC locations and centers will be closed on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, due to inclement weather. All classes will be virtual. Residence halls and dining hall at the Perk Campus will remain open. College administration will continue to monitor the weather and will send out more information via Regroup and the official College social media channels as it becomes available. University of Southern Mississippi: Delayed open. The school reports Due to a Winter Weather Advisory issued from the National Weather Service, the University of Southern Mississippi will delay opening its offices until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, across all locations. Offices supporting students return to campus will be staffed to assist students. Employees driving longer distances, through dangerous conditions or with children impacted by local school closures should use discretion and communicate directly with their supervisors if unable to report. Classes and normal operations will resume Wednesday, Jan. 17, as scheduled. William Carey University: Closed Tuesday. William Carey University reports that all locations will be closed Tuesday. This includes WCU locations in Hattiesburg, Biloxi/Tradition and Baton Rouge, La. All in-person classes will shift to Canvas. As of now, campuses are scheduled to reopen as normal on Wednesday. PANOLA COUNTY, Miss. It was a close call for a Panola County deputy investigating a weather-related crash Sunday afternoon as a winter weather front approached the area. It happened on Highway 6 west of Terza Road when Deputy Steven McLarty stopped to investigate an accident involving a truck that slid off a slick bridge on Highway 6. The deputy was interviewing the truck driver when another vehicle struck the truck while the deputy was standing beside it. Once the car hit the truck, it swung around and the rear of the truck, hit Steven, and knocked him on the ground, said Panola County Sheriff Shane Phelps. Hes gonna be sore. Hes blessed. God was with him. Car crash in Mississippi leaves 17-year-old dead The deputy was transported to the hospital for examination, and doctors found no broken bones. The driver of the vehicle that caused the chain reaction was charged with DUI and a few other charges. Sheriff Phelps stressed that drivers need to be aware of emergency and law enforcement vehicles during this winter. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Many Mississippians are celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday as both a federal and state holiday. But in Mississippi, Monday is also a holiday honoring someone else: Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general. Mississippi is one of just two states along with neighboring Alabama that officially honors Lee on the shared holiday. State Rep. Kabir Karriem, a Democrat from Columbus, said he will again offer legislation this session, as he has in the past, to make MLK Day a standalone holiday. This juxtaposition of two figures who stand at opposite ends of the spectrum of American history and values is not only incongruous but also deeply disrespectful to the legacy of Dr. King and all that he stood for, Karriem said in a statement. After a national holiday was established in the 1980s to honor King, numerous Southern states combined a day for King and Lee, who was already honored with a holiday. Mississippi lawmakers viewed it as a compromise to combine a holiday for King and Lee. In 2022, Louisiana repealed both the holiday for Lee and for Confederate Memorial Day. Mississippi still recognizes Confederate Memorial Day in April, and the holiday anchors Confederate Heritage Month, which the last five governors have signed annually since 1993. It is essential to recognize the stark differences between the two men being celebrated on this shared day, Karriem said. Robert E. Lee is remembered as a Confederate general who fought to preserve the institution of slavery, a cause rooted in oppression and racial injustice. On the other hand, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a champion of civil rights and equality, advocating for a society built on justice, compassion, and the inherent dignity of all individuals. To honor these two figures on the same day is to perpetuate a false equivalence between a defender of oppression and a tireless advocate for freedom and equality. In addition to the holidays, Mississippi has clung to other Confederate imagery. Mississippi remains the only state to display two statues of Confederates Jefferson Davis and James Zachariah George in the nations Capitol. Davis was a slaveowner and president of the Confederacy, and George was a lead architect of the 1890 Mississippi Constitution that stripped voting rights from nearly 150,000 Black Mississippians. Neither man was born in Mississippi. The Mississippi statues were placed in 1931 after they were approved by the state Legislature in 1924. In 1864, Congress authorized each state to donate and display two statues at the Capitol of citizens illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services. The state Legislature can vote to replace the monuments. Legislation has been filed in the past two remove the Mississippi monuments, but it has died in committee. In 2020, the Mississippi Legislature did remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. Had he lived this long, Martin Luther King would have turned 95 Monday. Among the Southlands celebrations of his life Monday was an event hosted by the Victory Apostolic Church and Victory Community Coalition. An estimated 700 people and featured comedian-actor Damon Williams braved the cold to attend event at Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor. Three of the people who helped plan this huge event took turns answering the question what would King think today about the civil rights work he did 60 years ago. Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan, from left, state Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin and Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin helped plan the event. I believe he would have said that a lot has been accomplished, said Matteson Mayor Sheila Chalmers-Currin. But we still have so much more that needs to be done. We cant let this roll back. We have to roll forward. State Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin agreed King would think there is more work to be done. Over the years, we have taken a step forward and three steps back, she said. Many of the things that he accomplished in his lifetime, and the things that our citizens have wanted to move forward, have gone and fallen astray. We stand on his shoulders, and we have to move that ball forward. Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan said residents of the south and southwest suburbs have been willing to work to keep moving civil rights forward. As you recall, when Dr. King gave his speech, he said I might not get to the mountaintop, but he let us know we have work to do, Jordan said. When I look at the work that we do here, the three of us working together, there has been so much that has been done in this community. Were constantly trying to pull things forward. Deven Hawkins of Monee, front, and his brother Trevon, of Tinley Park, perform as Mime4Life. Williams had some fun with the crowd and said he could not imagine the 54-mile protest march from Selma to Montgomery that King and his followers made in 1965. Dr. King marched in Florsheim shoes, Williams said. Thats right. They didnt have nice Nikes to march from Selma to Montgomery. Imagine that. There were no Nikes or sneakers. All they had were Chuck Taylors. And walking on that asphalt. Victory Senior Pastor Andrew Singleton marveled at Kings accomplishments in a short life span. He was 39 years old, Singleton said. Thats unbelievable. Singleton said King fought hard to get equal rights, especially when it came to voting. This year, 2024, is such a critical election year, he said. Dr. King gave us the give us the ballot speech in 1957 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. It is so important to us, who have been given the ballot and knowing the price of blood that was paid for us to get this right, it is so important that we understand the significance of this right to vote. He said the generations that have passed have no sense of the history of Black voting rights. It is up to us that we not only talk about give us the ballot, we now have to talk about use the ballot, Singleton said. District 162 Superintendent Blondean Davis and Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan were recipients of the Bishop Arthur Brazier Award. Some community leaders were honored at the event. Jordan and Blondean Davis, superintendent of District 162 and chief executive of Southland College Preparatory Charter High School, were singled out for the Bishop Arthur Brazier Award for their years of service. Also honored were Sean Howard, the CEO of STH Media Ltd.; Bonita Estelle, the external affairs manager of Commonwealth Edison; Robbie Craig, a Matteson village trustee; Percy Scott, the executive director of Chamber 57; and Judges Bernadette Barrett and Michael Barret of the Cook County Circuit Court. As a community we know all too well of the sacrifices and challenges that these courageous individuals have had to endure, said Victory Community Coalition Executive Director Bryant Warren. Their efforts were geared toward enhancing the quality of life of African Americans throughout the state of Illinois. We honor these heroes during this very precious week for Dr. King and for people of color. Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest champions of American democracy. His accomplishments, along with the other leaders and foot soldiers of the long Black Freedom Struggle and civil rights movement, include securing voting rights for African-Americans and others deprived of the franchise, ending de jure segregation and tearing down the Jim and Jane Crow white supremacist terror regime, and ensuring that the fundamental human and civil rights of all people, on both sides of the color line, are protected by law in America. Historians and other experts have correctly described these accomplishments as constituting a third American founding and a second Reconstruction. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 while supporting a strike by sanitation workers in Memphis because he represented a fundamental threat to the white racial order and American apartheid. Unfortunately, while pushed back by the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, these same forces were never defeated in American society. Instead, they adapted and evolved to maintain their power and influence. With the Age of Trump, ascendant neofascism, and reinvigorated white supremacy the same social and political forces that martyred Dr. King are now reversing the gains of the civil rights movement. Dr. King famously said, The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Donald Trump, his MAGA people, and the other American neofascists and right-wing reactionaries are determined to bend that arc of justice backward and then tie it in a knot to destroy the countrys multiracial pluralistic democracy. To better understand Dr. Kings legacy (and lessons from his life) in this time of democracy crisis and white backlash, I recently spoke with Jonathan Eig. He is the author of six books, including his most recent, King: A Life, nominated for the National Book Award and chosen by President Obama as one of his favorite books of 2023. Eigs previous book, Ali: A Life, was honored with a 2018 PEN America Literary Award. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length. How are you feeling given this tumultuous time? There is an upcoming presidential election where the literal future of the country's democracy will be decided and the neofascist antidemocracy movement. Jan. 6 and King's holiday are within weeks of one another. It's crazy. And it feels like we are really missing the point of the King holiday when we treat it like a day to celebrate King and we ignore the fact that all these other things are going on. Racial justice and the teaching of Black history are under fire. There are people with Confederate flags who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and more people calling the insurrection an act of patriotism. The real meaning of the King holiday is to remind us of the potential of this country to be one of justice and equality and brotherhood and nonviolence. If all we are doing is talking about King's dream, then we are missing much of the point. What is the state of [King's] dream? What is the dream? How do we actually make it concrete? We should have a scorecard for the dream. We should look every year at how much progress we're making on income inequality, war, poverty, and racism for example. If we had a scorecard for King's dream, we could see clearly that we've lost ground in the last few years with voting rights under attack, with racism, war, and income inequality. Ultimately, if we had a report card for King's dream, we wouldn't be getting great grades right now here in the United States. How do you assess the state of that glorious struggle for real multiracial democracy and why so many people actually believe that Dr. King shows up, gives a speech, and then everything is okay with the Black and brown children all living happily together? It is all so much ridiculous magical lazy thinking. We need to remember that every time King talked about his dream, and every time there was a sense of progress being made, there was a backlash. There is the "I Have a Dream" speech and then what happens? Several weeks later there is the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The FBI produced a memo saying that given King's "I Have a Dream" speech we must now rate him as the most dangerous man in America when it comes to race. After Obama's election, we have the rise of Trump. There is always a backlash and a struggle. King famously said that "the arc of history bends toward justice." But King did not say that it bent by itself. King said we have to get out there and bend it. Where are we with that long arc of justice and history? Well, if you look at it close up, and that's how we live our lives close up day to day, it looks like the long arc is bending in the wrong direction where we are losing the ideals and principles of democracy. When King came along in 1955 and spoke at that first meeting of the Montgomery bus boycott he promised that the Black people of America might help make this country live up to the dream of democracy, live up to the promises of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and truly make this a country of where all men are created equal and entitled to the pursuit of life, liberty and justice. But the arc is long, and we have to step back and hope that what we are experiencing now in the country is a temporary setback and that we are going to continue to bend that arc in the right direction. When you think about King, what do we see looking very closely versus what we see from a mile away, that much bigger picture? I believe that when we look up close, we see how much King struggled and how difficult his life was and how unhappy he was much of the time. When you step back, and look at how much King was able to achieve, you see how much one person could change the world, how much hope he could give, and how much he could help people overcome their fears and their anxieties and their sense that they were all alone. King absolutely made an enormous difference in people's lives on an individual and societal level. I like to step back and focus on that. Learning from Brother King, what did he explicitly say about democracy in his writing and speeches? How did he conceptualize democracy? King thought that democracy is the great gift of America to the world and that even with its flaws, such as the sin of slavery and the aftermath of slavery and the long stain of white supremacy, he continued to believe that democracy was the best form of government on Earth. But King also believed that democracy in this country had to change. To that point, King believed that as long as we were focused too much on wealth and on materialism democracy was never going to live up to its potential. During the last years of King's life, in particular, he talked a great deal about reimagining the American democratic experience and American capitalism. King believed that social programs should be boosted greatly as well as income and job guarantees. King was clearly not satisfied with the state of American democracy. Dr. King and his legacy has been so deradicalized, homogenized, and literally whitewashed to such a point that Trump and the other neofascists and white racial authoritarians, "conservatives", and white supremacists are now claiming his legacy and work even though they are fundamentally against everything that King fought and died for. How did we arrive at such an obscene moment in this country? It's absurd. It's infuriating. It's intentional. There are people using King for cover as they express their racist views, and feeling like if they quote, Dr. King saying that "we should be judged by the content of our character," for example, that he must then have been against affirmative action. That is absurd. King supported affirmative action. The problem is that this disingenuous and absurd behavior goes back a long time. The same government that harassed and attempted to destroy King is the government that has created this holiday to honor him. And in doing so, some would say these institutional forces have intentionally watered down King's message, and deradicalized him. As Harry Belafonte said to me, we don't like radicals when they're alive, we only like them when they're dead. We can water down their radical messages and talk about the I Have a Dream speech, but then strategically forget about the fact that in the first half of that speech, King talked about police brutality and reparations. Too many people soften and try to make themselves comfortable with King's message. King would not allow it if he were alive today to see what was happening. He would raise a ruckus. What has been gained and lost by the sacred canonization of Dr. King and his elevation into the pantheon of American heroes? What's been gained is that American society has an appreciation that Black Americans played a huge role in shaping this country, and we should have holidays, and we should have curricula that celebrate and teach and contextualize Black history. We should honor our black heroes. But the loss is that in doing so we capture only the safe version of King, the version that makes us comfortable. Again, too many forget that King was a radical. We need to remember King as he lived. We need to go back and reread King' s actual words. And not just the "I Have a Dream speech", but the words where King described America as "the greatest purveyor of violence on Earth" among others. How is the loss of that entire generation of leaders and activists who were with King and on the ground hope warriors as well, the foot soldiers of the civil rights movement and Black Freedom Struggle impacting us today? It is still a movement of millions. Just because we're losing those elders doesn't mean that we can't create a new generation of change warriors and social activists and I think we are. I believe that it is harder for them today to get the kind of recognition and massive audience that King had because the media is so divided. The echo chambers and how people just listen to what they want to hear also makes it much harder. But that doesn't mean people aren't out there doing the same kind of hard work like King and others in the movement did. How has your journey with Dr. King, getting to know the human being through his writing, his work, his friends, and other people closest to him, impacted you? I came into it with this fairly superficial idea of who King was. As I went on the journey, I came to appreciate just how much King suffered for what he did. When you sit with Belafonte and John Lewis and Reverend James Lawson and Reverend Bernard Lafayette and Jesse Jackson, and you hear what it was like to be around King, you learn how much he struggled. You hear how difficult this all was for him. It's really worth remembering that King had the same kinds of doubts that we have today. He too doubted whether he could make a difference. He persevered despite all those doubts. King wasn't always the man on the monument. King wasn't always standing tall and proud with his arms folded across his chest as if he had conquered the world. Much of the time, King felt like he had failed and yet he kept going. There is the forward public facing King and that strength and then there is the private man and his struggles and his pain. There are great lessons there for the fight today to save American democracy and to make a better society because so many of us doing that work are already exhausted and the struggle is just beginning. King was hospitalized at least a half dozen times for what he called "exhaustion." But his friends and family referred to it as depression. King was just beat up by this experience of being in the struggle, and having to be at the forefront of it all the time and having people expect so much of him. King felt the burden on his shoulders, and yet he kept going. One of the ironies is that the FBI recordings and surveillance really help us to better understand King's own personal struggle because we can read the transcripts of his conversations. We can see what King was saying to his friends in his private and darkest moments, that "I feel like no one's listening to me anymore" and "I can understand why the media is turning on me. Why isn't anybody signing up for this Poor People's Campaign that we're organizing?" King is full of doubts, and he's taking it very hard. But he keeps going, and in fact, he doesn't just keep going, he doubles down. King really commits to the most radical elements of his approach when all of his friends are saying, okay, you know what, let's just scale back, let's just stick to where we're most effective. Let's work on voting rights in the South. And desegregating lunch counters and restaurants because that's what we're best at. And King says, I can't do it, I got to do what's right, over and over again. He has to live up to his religious ideal and not just do what's pragmatic. What was one of King's greatest moments of doubt about the struggle and the future of this country? How did he get himself through it or not? Chicago was certainly one of those great moments of doubt. King felt like he had a responsibility to come to the North, and take on the more subtle, and in some ways, insidious forms of racism and segregation that he saw in the North. King got beaten up, literally, he was hit in the back of the head with a brick or a large stone. King left Chicago without really accomplishing much of what he sought to accomplish. He took a beating there. What does he do? He keeps going. That's when King starts speaking out more on the Vietnam War and planning the Poor People's Campaign so that he can address the issues that he saw in Chicago but on a national level. I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of heroes. To the degree there are a few heroes I honor and find inspiration from, I embrace their full complexity and flaws, their failings and ugliness along with the beauty. They are not perfect. No one is. How did you balance your depiction of Dr. King and his flaws and greatness? I just set out to tell the truth and to present the whole story. I knew that King's heroism would shine through because he's one of our greatest and most courageous heroes. But I felt like if I didn't own up to his failures and his weaknesses then I wouldn't be honest with my readers. I felt like if I just got the balance right that people would respect him and love him and admire him more. As you said we're all flawed, and we all make mistakes. To see King accomplishing what he did, in spite of those flaws and doubts and fears, makes him even braver. Let's consider some of King's flaws. He was not good at recognizing the contributions of women. He did not elevate women's rights to the status of the other rights that he was fighting for. King missed out on opportunities to have women, including his own wife, play a more active role in the civil rights movement. Does that take away from what he did accomplish? No. It just means that he had blind spots like the rest of us. Maybe if King had lived long enough then he would have continued to learn from those smart, passionate, fearless women who surrounded him, including his wife. You can also look at King's failures and look at the mistakes he made in places like St. Augustine and Albany, and even in Birmingham. But what's important isn't that King made mistakes, but that he kept doing the best he could. It has been more than 50 years since Dr. King's martyrdom. What trajectory was he on with his life and work? It's very hard to say obviously. I asked some of King's friends that question. Would he have gone into politics? Would he have gone into education? Been the president of a university? Teaching theology? We just don't know. But you know, what they all agreed on was that he would have remained a radical. If you look at some of the examples of the people who were around King, you see Andrew Young and Harry Belafonte and John Lewis each taking different paths. But in a very real sense, they remained as radical as ever. Sometimes they found more practical ways to go about their work. I asked John Lewis what would have become of King? And he said, All I know is he would have kept fighting. Lewis also told me that King would still be saying what did that day in Montgomery, after the Selma to Montgomery march, that we're still waiting for justice and we're still fighting for justice, and how long will we have to wait? Not long. As long as we keep working, it won't be long. CRASH COURSE Dr. King was one of the most unpopular people in America at the time of his assassination. If King had continued doing that social change work, he would be public enemy number one right now in the eyes of Trump, the MAGA movement and the larger Republican fascists and "conservative" movement. Trump and his forces would likely have declared Dr. King an enemy of the state. Those sentiments help to explain why King was assassinated because that's the image that had been crafted in part by the federal government and by the media. They went after King and made it seem like he was a threat to American society. The real history of Dr. King and the civil rights movement and long Black Freedom Struggle is literally being whitewashed and erased and rewritten in a type of Orwellian thought crime regime across the red states (and parts of the country) to "protect" "white people's feelings". This is not new, and its roots are very old in the white rage and white resistance to King and the civil rights movement and progress along the color line. I see it coming from the same place that J. Edgar Hoover was coming from: It's a fear of change. People who have power have a reason to fear change, because they might have to share some of that power that they've been hoarding, that they've been using to take advantage of others. That's repugnant to them. What do you do when you fear change? You try to keep people from getting educated. You try to keep them from learning the truth around them and that's what we're seeing right now in America. It's the same thing. J. Edgar Hoover recognized that if King and the civil rights movement succeeded that democracy might have to open its doors to some people who've been standing on the outside for a long time. What we're seeing today is the same idea that we don't want to share power. How has the time you spent with Dr. King in writing this book impacted you? This work and journey have made me think a lot more about faith and our relationships to faith and what we're really meant to spend our time doing. We overlook the fact sometimes that King was really driven by his belief in God. I don't know that I've ever believed in anything enough to risk my life the way he did. But it's a great reminder that as King said, if you don't have something that you believe in that you're willing to die for, then you're not really living for anything. So, I've just been spending a lot of time thinking about what it is that I want to live for. It's a challenge. What would a celebration and honoring of the real Dr. King's life and legacy look like on his holiday? It would be a drastic change. It would be a day of marching for what you want to see happen in this world. It would be a day of prayer for some people. It would be a service for other people, but it would be a day where you set out to change the world in whatever way you can and that doesn't mean buying discount tires. When we lost Dr. King, what did we lose? We lost a person who lived up to his ideals, who showed us that you could live for something bigger than yourself. We lost a moral leader. Somebody who never really put himself first. We lost one of our greatest drum majors for justice. Martin Luther King Jr. was just an ersatz pastor and a communist, and the 1960s civil rights movement was crap, according to a series of Facebook posts by Mark Robinson, the leading Republican candidate to be North Carolinas next governor. Robinson, who is currently the states lieutenant governor, regularly criticized King and the civil rights movement for years on Facebook specifically on MLK Day HuffPost found amid a review of his posts. The Black politician also downplayed slavery, rejected the idea that hes part of the African American community, and attacked the late congressman and civil rights icon, John Lewis. These posts are surfacing at a time when Robinson, who is on track to be the GOP nominee for governor in November, has been trying to soften his rhetoric, and celebrate King and the civil rights movement. Last month, former President Donald Trump hailed Robinson as better than Dr. Martin Luther King at a campaign event, and Robinson responded by saying he took it as a compliment and knowing what I know about him, and the history thereof, you know, those are big shoes to fill. His social media posts tell a different story. In January 2018, Robinson mocked people who celebrate King, who he said was just a subpar pastor. He didnt mention King by name, but he was clearly talking about the civil rights leader in his series of messages posted on MLK Day that year. It is at once funny and sad that so many people will follow the lead of a bunch of atheists and worship an ersatz pastor as a deity, he wrote in one post. Robinson also used MLK Day to dismiss the idea that racism is real. The state of race relations exist chiefly within your own mind, he said. Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty we are free at last! Now what? he said in another post that day. Those posts came exactly one year after Robinson wrote that he planned to work on MLK Day, a federal holiday, to show that he wasnt a leach on society and allowing the government to cut him a break. Tomorrow I will do my service to the community by going to work to continue to support myself and my family so Im not a leach on said community, Robinson posted on Jan. 16, 2017. He also wrote on MLK Day that year, I dont like Communist. No matter what color they are. The North Carolina Republican later admitted in his 2022 book, We Are The Majority, that he had been calling King a communist. December of 2007 was when I joined Facebook, he wrote on pages 156-157. Every political thought I had in my head, I put on there, up to and including my posting photos of Martin Luther King and calling him a communist. Officials with Robinsons campaign and in his official government office did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Robinson hasnt limited his Facebook criticisms to King on MLK Day. That same day, in 2017, he attacked Lewis, who nearly lost his life fighting for voting rights. On March 7, 1965, Alabama police officers gassed and brutally beat Lewis and hundreds of other peaceful protesters on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. That day, now known as Bloody Sunday, left Lewis with a fractured skull. Hey John Lewis, Just because you got beat up by some Democrats in 1965 doesnt mean you cant get criticized by some Republicans in 2017, Robinson wrote. That same day, Robinson posted that actual real-life slavery isnt as bad as slavery of the mind, which is Satans greatest tool. Slavery of the mind is FAR worse than physical slavery, the GOP gubernatorial hopeful wrote. Slavery of the mind cannot be seen, cannot be made illegal, and is and always has been the greatest tool of Satan used against man..... and men against each other. The day before, Robinson also posted that he didnt care what Lewis did in the 60s because the problem was what Lewis was doing that year, in 2017. (In fact, in 2017, Lewis was calling out Trump for not being a legitimate president, citing Russias interference in the 2016 elections to help him win.) But wait, theres more! In May of 2017, Robinson posted on Facebook that the 1960s civil rights movement was crap and a communist effort. That same month, in a particularly long post, he wrote that he doesnt consider himself part of the African-American community because this community murders its children and sucks from the putrid tit of the government and then complains about getting sour milk. Going back further on Facebook, Robinson wrote in 2015 that the civil rights movement was never about giving rights to people, but about setting the stage to take peoples rights away. The year before that, he wrote that racial integration was never about freedom but about destroying Black people and the bondage of their minds. Robinson is already known for his wildly offensive comments about women, LGBTQ people and Muslims, in addition to fueling bonkers conspiracy theories. The reason hes still the Republican front-runner for governor is because hes modeled himself after Trump a strategy that some North Carolina political analysts predict will fail him in the general election in this swing state. His GOP challengers include former Rep. Mark Walker, state treasurer Dale Folwell and trial lawyer Bill Graham, a relative newcomer to the race who has vowed to spend millions of dollars of his own money. Josh Stein, the states attorney general, is the leading Democratic candidate. The current governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, is term-limited out this year. A Stein campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Related... As we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King on what would have been his 95th birthday, Im reflecting on how much further we have to go to achieve his vision of racial and economic justice. These two goals are intertwinedyou cant have one without the other, and you cant achieve either without organized labor pushing for dignity for all workers. Its no secret that the labor movement has recently encountered a surge in public attention. The first union leader in more than 60 years just became the senator of California: Laphonza Butler, former President of our long-term care union here in California. And from Hollywood to Detroit, workers joined together across the country to make their voices heard, which has people on both sides of the aisle taking notice. I was born into the labor movement, with parents and grandparents who were leaders in the United Farm Workers union. My grandmother, Jessie De La Cruz, was one of the first female leaders of that union. Ive had the privilege of working for nearly three decades in the world of organized labor, including in my current role as the president SEIU 2015the largest union in California representing nearly 450,000 long-term care workers. Most care providers are women of color and the long-term care industry has been shaped by long-standing racist and sexist policies that led to a lack of investment in these frontline workers. In California, in-home care workers are 80% women, 74% people of color, and 47% immigrants. During my time at SEIU 2015, mobilizing with our care providers who are historically overworked and underpaid, Ive seen the popularity of unions ebb and flow, as they are shaped by macroeconomic factors, cultural moments, and the ever-evolving political landscape. Despite my steadfast belief in the power of organized labor to achieve meaningful progress for workers, I would have never envisioned a day in which the sitting President of the United States would show up to a United Auto Workers picket line. Even more encouraging, the majority of Americans support union workers and in light of recent high profile strikes, Americans are far more likely to side with union workers than with the companies involved. In todays divisive political climate, there is naturally strong partisan politics at play in all issues including union and labor movements. But I think we are missing the larger picture by making support of unions a political issue. At the end of the day, the core mission of organized labor is two-fold: to bring awareness to the realities and challenges that working Americans face every day and to harness the collective power of workers to achieve meaningful change in their lives, their industries, and their communities. It's not just about negotiating better contracts or benefits; it's about improving the lives of working people and their families. Its based on the simple notion that more change can be made when you advocate together rather than alone. Unions are surging in popularity across party lines because working people are tired of receiving poverty wages and struggling to make ends meet. In fact, a recent poll of Republican voterswho historically have supported unions lessshowed that 41 percent of these individuals now believe unions are a positive force that help workers and reduce corporate power. This is a monumental shift in public opinion. And its an exciting time for labor. We have an opportunity to work together and set the ground rules for future political involvement in organized laborand that is: if you are an elected official, regardless of party affiliation, you need to get behind working-class people and cultivate the support of union members. Despite public support for unions, membership is dropping. In 1970, unions represented nearly 30 percent of private sector workers. Today, they represent just six percent. That massive decline in organized labor coincided with a period of growing inequality and civil unrest in our country, which left everyday people and working families behind. Todays moment presents an opportunity for unions to play a role in realizing the American Dream. But in order to grow union membership and sustain the public momentum the labor movement has cultivated in recent years, political leaders on both sides of the aisle must recognize unions as more than just a publicity stunt or campaign stop. Instead, they need to pass legislation that makes it easier for workers to organize and prioritize the interests of workers instead of corporations. It is not enough just to say you are pro-unionelected officials need to act on it by addressing the fundamental issues of fair wages and safe working conditions through their policy choices and actions. We are all in this fight together, regardless of race, religion, political party, or any other demographic divide. Until our country and economy start working for everyone, we will continue to see widespread strikes across the country, and in turn, more political involvement from both the right and left to cultivate support for these workers. As Dr. King said at the Illinois AFL-CIO Convention in October 1965, The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress. We know that the labor movement continues to be that principal force. Now is the time for elected officials and candidates for public office to meet the moment and publicly support the labor movement and pro-union policies. In the end, we know what workers wantquality and affordable health care, respect and dignity at work, living wages, a secure retirementand elected officials must take action. Bipartisanship and unity around supporting our workers and their families is more possible than ever, its time to make it a reality. Russia will again attempt to destabilize Moldova in the spring of 2024, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said during a press conference in the Romanian city of Timisoara on Jan. 13. We know that this spring Russia will renew its attempts to destabilize the situation, Sandu said. Russia has been trying to destabilize the order and power in Chisinau, attempting to use the regime in the Transnistrian region. Read also: If not for Ukraine, Russia would attack Moldova President Sandu Moldavan authorities are aware of these risks and are doing everything possible to prevent such destabilization, she added. We are talking to [the Russian puppet authority in Transnistria] and telling citizens about these risks, as was the case last year when Russia intended to overthrow the government, Sandu said. Read also: Moldova mulls bold move to bar pro-Russian party and criminals from elections There is still work to be done and vulnerabilities still exist, according to Sandu. Moldova counts on the support of Romania and the international community in this matter, Sandu noted. Previously, Sandu had said that Russia was attempting to establish a pro-Russian government in Chisinau to use Moldova against Ukraine in the same way Belarus has been used. In Feb. 2023, Ukraines President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy announced that Moscow was considering orchestrating a coup in Moldova, in order to capture the Chisinau airport and use it to transfer Russian military assets to Ukraine. These claims were later confirmed by Moldovan PM Dorin Recean. 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 Waylon, the 17-month-old baby boy, who was allegedly harmed by police in a mistaken raid. (GoFundMe) A baby has been injured following a police raid in Ohio that the boys mother said was targeted at the homes former tenant. Waylon Price, the 17-month-old child, is currently in the pediatric wing of University Hospitals in Cleveland afollowing the incident in which officials from the Elyria Police Department deployed two flash-bangs. Courtney Price, the childs mother, told cleveland.com that smoke immediately surrounded the infant but she was unable to take care of him because she was taken into custody. He was on a ventilator at the time. I kept yelling for my baby, she said. The officers were in the home, searching the home. The baby was clearly laying there suffocating, turning red, blue and they all just walked by him. Nobody went to him. The baby boy has pre-existing medical conditions and was born prematurely. Mr Price relayed that information to the officers, the outlet reported. Hes since been diagnosed with chemical pneumonitis, has burns all over his body and is struggling to breathe, the woman said. The incident happened on Wednesday around 2.15pm. Mr Price had driven up from Kentucky to stay with her family so her son could undergo treatment at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children. Both her and the infant were inside the residence in the 300 block of Parmely Avenue when officers executed a search warrant at the home. The flash-bangs were activated outside of the home. Police said diversionary devices do not produce a continuous burn and they do not deploy or contain any pepper gas or chemical agent, the outlet reported. In a news release, the Elyria Police Special Response Team said the address was the correct one on the warrant, which was authorised in connection with an ongoing investigation. Additionally, the department said officials examined the child for any apparent injuries and determined at the time that the baby boy had not been harmed. The department added that any allegations or lack of medical attention are false. Redia Jennings, Ms Prices aunt, said officers have repeatedly come to her property looking for a suspect she believes was the previous tenant. The aunt has been in the residence ever since February 2023. Theres been five different occasions that detectives and CPS and officers have showed up at my house looking for (the suspect). Theyve been told numerous times he does not live here, she said. Speaking to cleveland.com, Ms Price said she wants the department to acknowledge their mistake. Theyre trying to cover it up, she told the outlet. At least an apology, something. We have no apology. We had no nothing. They never asked how the baby was. Theyre denying anything ever happened. The investigation in connection with the warrant remains ongoing. View of Triefenstein monastery, home to the Christustrager Brotherhood. A former prior of the German Protestant community is said to have abused fellow brothers for years. The accusations have long been an open secret, but some five years after the leader's death, the monks are finally addressing their community's dark past openly. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa Some 70 kilometres southeast of Germany's buzzing financial hub Frankfurt lies the Triefenstein monastery, located on a secluded estate on the river Main in Bavaria. It's home to the Christustrager Bruderschaft, a Protestant community of monks who are currently trying to tackle the darkest chapter in their monastery's history: Sexual abuse by a former prior. The painful secret was long hidden, until, five years after the death of a co-founder, the Bavarian community accused the former monastic superior of sexual abuse. They say he abused at least eight brothers, including at least one who was not yet of age, between 1963 and 1995. "This is now part of the legacy of our community," says Brother Christian Hauter, speaking from the brotherhood's headquarters in Triefenstein. "We have to own up to what others did wrong." The Christustrager monks are being unusually open about this dark chapter by publicly addressing the issue. But it only comes after a protracted period of suppression and silence. "We were blind to the dark side of our first prior for many years, it took us far too long to see through him as an impostor, especially in spiritual matters," the Brotherhood's leader wrote in an open letter to around 6,000 friends and companions. "We thought that strict obedience was the right thing to do," says Hauter, who worked under the former prior for several years. "I am a perceptive person, but I didn't realise others were suffering." Details of what the victims had to live through can now be read online, thanks to a team of experts commissioned by the community. The 99-page report describes a sophisticated system of abuse, with abuse of power, spiritual abuse and sexual abuse intertwined. Shortly before or after communion, pastoral care or confession, the former prior is said to have acted out his urges on fellow brothers in the ranks below him. "Back then, we brothers were not used to talking to each other or even publicly about problems," says Hauter. Through his authoritarian style of leadership, the former prior created a climate of fear. Canon law expert Thomas Schuller from the University of Munster in western Germany says the events at the Christustrager monastery are not an isolated case. "It shows that there is a high risk of spiritual and sexual abuse in both Catholic and Protestant spiritual communities with particular leadership profiles." However, he says, the fact that the monks are now seeking publicity in such an active manner is to be "positively recognised." The Christustrager brotherhood has been based at Triefenstein monastery since 1986. It is an order-like, ecumenical community within the Protestant church, but it is not part of the regional church. Twelve brothers and other members currently live in the monastery. Their house is also open to external guests, for seminars or camps, for example. They record up to 8,000 overnight stays each year. The co-founder and first prior of the community since its foundation in 1961 was dismissed in 1996 after his alleged abuses became known. But the brotherhood was not ready to go public at that stage. "Even then, we should have called in the police and an independent counselling centre. Neither happened. Today we know that was a mistake," the management says openly in the letter. The suspect died in 2018, so the public prosecutor's office in nearby Wurzburg is not investigating him, a spokesman says. In total, at least four brothers are said to have been perpetrators, according to the external commission. "We received reports of sexual assaults both within the fraternity and against other people," says the report, which was presented to the community last summer. "The majority, as far as we are aware, involved homosexual acts between men," it says. One of the victims is said to have been a minor at the time. There were also alleged sexual assaults on two girls in Switzerland in 1987 and 1991 who did not belong to the community. The public prosecutor's office is investigating whether possible offences committed by the other three suspects are now time-barred. "But I assume so," a spokesman for the authorities said recently. The three suspects no longer belong to the community, but some of the alleged victims still do. According to the brotherhood, the public prosecutor's office had begun to take action in two cases, but then discontinued the proceedings. In spring 2021, the group decided to investigate the issue, Hauter says. A special group made up of two therapists, a lawyer and a theologian spoke to 15 people who were directly or indirectly affected, and also analyzed documents. The documents revealed that many of the assaults took place at the fraternity's former headquarters in Bensheim-Auerbach, in the state of Hesse , and in other places where there are branches. The fraternity informed the public in October 2023. "It took us a very long time to speak publicly," says Hauter. "To find words for the unspeakable and to categorize it spiritually." An ombudsman's office to which victims and those indirectly affected can turn was set up in 2010. "The fraternity has also adopted a prevention policy and formulated a self-commitment that all brothers have signed," Hauter says. This stipulates that all cases of boundary violations and sexualized violence within the context of the work of the Christustrager community are taken very seriously by the management. That would mean calling in independent experts, and depending on the severity of the issue, involving the police and prosecutors. Potential compensation for victims would be clarified on an individual basis. Canon law expert Schuller sees the process of coming to terms with the past as just the beginning. It remains to be seen whether the brotherhood will be prepared to fully and properly compensate the victims, "which means not just handing out charity," he says. "This community still has a long way to go before it can once again be trusted as a Christian community." View of the courtyard of Triefenstein monastery, seat of the Christustrager Brotherhood. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa Aerial view of Triefenstein monastery, the headquarters of the Christustrager Brotherhood. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa Christian Hauter, of the Christustrager Brotherhood, sits in the library of Triefenstein Abbey, the headquarters of the German Protestant community. Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa Demitria, 19 Demitria, 19, is the life of the party. Demitria ("Demi") has an enthusiastic, very outgoing and well-spoken personality. She is mindful of and continues to work on her boundary setting and is not afraid to reach out for help when needed. Demi is very good at expressing her opinion while connecting to others' energy. Some of Demi's favorite activities are hanging out with her friends, doing her makeup/self-care, cleaning her apartment and baking. Demi is good at keeping a clean space, advocating for herself, setting boundaries and goal setting. Demis favorite memories consist of going to Boston and concerts with friends. Demi is of Caucasian descent. Demi graduated from high school and has a plan to attend college or a university in the future. Her plan is to study social work and work at the Department of Children and Families. While in high school Demi enjoyed math class and stayed busy in lots of activities like cross-country and dance. Demi would do best with at least one mother figure in her home and a family who loves and supports her. Demi wants to feel comfortable talking to her family and to help her maintain connections with her birth father and extended family. Can I adopt? If youre at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you wont have to pay any fees; adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts. The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with. To learn more about adoption from foster care, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) at (617) 964-6273 or go to mareinc.org. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Monday's Child: Demitria 'Demi,' 19, is life of party, enthusiastic As Montgomery marked the 95th birthday of the late civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. with a downtown parade and celebrations Monday, work continued in preparation for Fridays 2024 MLK Community Celebration. This was truly the birthplace of the civil rights movement, said Tommie "Tonea" Stewart, creative director of Friends of the Theatre, which is presenting Fridays event at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at Troy Universitys Davis Theatre. Tickets for the morning performance cost $10, and the evening show where awards will be presented to community leaders is $20. Tickets can be purchased this week starting Tuesday by calling Beverly Bassett at 334-272-6933 or Sherry Williams at 334-561-4633. More information is available at keepersofthedream.org. Lanier High School marching band performs during Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on Dexter Ave. in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Stewart said this is an event that has more than 80 churches participating, with help coming from the entire community. That includes local children, who will be on stage singing, joined by Lady Tramaine Hawkins and Americas Got Talent Golden Buzzer winner and finalist Victory Brinker. The Friends of the Theatre use this occasion to gather funds to help young people in the arts, Stewart said. And at this time, were going to also honor those persons today who are carrying on that legacy through their lifes work. Before the Atlanta native stepped into the national world of civil rights and earned a Nobel Peace Prize, King was a pastor at Montgomerys Dexter Avenue Baptist Church starting in 1954, and a year later became president of the Montgomery Improvement Association. Kids get candy during Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on Dexter Ave. in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott, to the marches for voting rights from Selma, to the day of his assassination in 1968 after launching the Poor Peoples Campaign, King served as an example of peace, nonviolence and equality. Its an example thats still needed in 2024. Were still struggling to be as one, to have a beloved community, Stewart said. Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Celebrations of MLK's life continue Friday at Davis Theatre People light up their cell phones with flashlights during a demonstration against the fascist deportation plans of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) called by "Leipzig nimmt Platz". Jan Woitas/dpa More than 10,000 people demonstrated against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the city of Essen in the west of the country and in Leipzig in the east on Monday evening. Many carried banners with slogans such as: "Dont let Nazis march or take part in government" or "Colourful instead of crappy brown." Among the participants were groups like Grandmas Against the Right and the youth wing of the DGB trade union. The AfD has seen its popularity soar as it capitalizes on economic anxiety and migration fears. Poll numbers put the AfD as Germany's second strongest party. An alliance of left-wing and civil organizations had called for the protests against the AfD. In their announcement, the initiators explicitly referred to a recent report by the investigative outlet Correctiv about the participation of AfD officials in a meeting in Potsdam last year in which the concept of "remigration" - the repatriation of immigrants - was discussed. Tens of thousands took to the streets against the right in several demonstrations across the country over the weekend. Police said around 6,700 demonstrators took part in the protest march in Essen. The protest in Leipzig was directed not only against the AfD but also against the arch conservative Werteunion (Values Union) group. The police initially estimated the number of participants at around 5,000. The demonstrators chanted "fascism never again," with banners reading "no AfD" and "AfD = Nazi party." A demonstrator holds up a cardboard "noAfD" sign during a demonstration against the fascist deportation plans of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) called by "Leipzig nimmt Platz". Jan Woitas/dpa A demonstrator holds up a cardboard "Never again!" sign during a demonstration against the fascist deportation plans of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) called by "Leipzig nimmt Platz". Jan Woitas/dpa By Robert Harvey, Natalie Grover and Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) -At least six more oil tankers were steering clear of the southern Red Sea on Monday, as disruptions increase on the vital route for energy shipping in the wake of U.S.-led strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Following the U.S. and British strikes, the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) based in Bahrain on Friday warned all ships to avoid the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the south end of the Red Sea for several days, tanker body INTERTANKO said. Prior to the strikes it had been mostly container ships which were avoiding the Red Sea, with oil tanker traffic largely unchanged in December. But since the CMF's warning, a growing number of oil tankers are avoiding the region, increasing the potential for disruptions to oil supply via the Suez Canal in both directions. Reuters on Monday counted six tankers that had altered their course, making a total of at least fifteen vessels to do so since the start of the strikes, ship tracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed. The tankers Torm Innovation, Proteus Harvonne, and Alfios I appeared to have turned away from the Suez Canal in favour of the longer route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope for voyages to Europe and the U.S.. The Pacific Julia and STI Topaz are also heading straight for the Cape route. The Octa Lune performed a U-turn in the northern part of the Red Sea on Jan. 12 and has returned to the Mediterranean with a Taiwan-bound cargo of naphtha. Tankers tracked by Reuters on Friday that had diverted or paused have either taken the longer Cape route or paused in the Gulf of Aden or northern Red Sea. Tanker owners including Torm, Hafnia and Stena Bulk said they would avoid Bab al-Mandab from Friday, while Euronav reaffirmed its temporary suspension of transits through the Red Sea. WATERBORNE OIL GLUT The disruption is indirectly tightening the market by forcing up oil stocks on water by 35 million barrels, Citi analysts noted. Oil prices gained 2% last week in response to the rising tide of conflict in the region, but the lack of direct impact on oil production could be limiting gains, according to analysts, as prices ticked lower on Monday. The strikes last week across Yemen against Houthi forces came in retaliation for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Houthis said on Monday that their attacks would continue despite the U.S. strikes, and struck a U.S.-owned dry bulk vessel carrying steel products with an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. Houthi militants have been targeting commercial vessels since late last year in attacks which the group says are in support for Palestinian group Hamas in its war with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Those incidents have been concentrated on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Regional shipping tensions also spread to the other side of the peninsula last week when Iran seized a tanker south of the Strait of Hormuz, another key shipping corridor. (Reporting by Robert Harvey, Natalie Grover, Ahmad Ghaddar and Jonathan Saul; editing by Louise Heavens and Jason Neely) The second year of Roberts Yukon Adventure Day at The Grove National Historic Landmark in Glenview on Jan. 13 had snow, giving outdoor Glenbrook community premises a feeling of what it might be like over portions of Alaska. Illinois first naturalist, Robert Kennicott, grew up at The Grove (now at 1421 Milwaukee Ave.) and made two expeditions to the Yukon in 1859 and 1865. A goal of the event was to experience what Kennicotts life was like in that frigid territory and learn about the explorers contributions to science. The purchase of Alaska was also a learning point. Kaya, a female Siberian Husky, is being petted and greeted by fans of all ages at Roberts Yukon Adventure Day on Jan. 13, 2024 at The Grove National Historic Landmark in Glenview. Included were Saturday midday dog sledding team demonstrations by the Adopt A Husky program, a winter ecology walk and scavenger hunt, indoor snowball fights in the program barn, activities and animal encounters plus treats. Many children were seen showing delight while petting Siberian husky breeds. Jennifer Sutherland of Northbrook and children Madeline, 8, a third-grader, Lucas, 5, a kindergartner and Emme, 4, met Adopt A Husky pups up close after sled demonstrations. It was good to get out, good to get out of the house and be in the snow and see the dogs and have a break outside, the childrens mother Jennifer said. For Madeline, Huskies actually are my favorite kind of dog, she said. From left, saying hello to this pup are the Sutherland siblings of Northbrook, Madeline, 8, a third-grader, Emme, 4, and Lucas, 5, a kindergartner, at the Adopt A Husky dog sledding team demonstration at Roberts Yukon Adventure Day on Jan. 13, 2024 at The Grove National Historic Landmark in Glenview. Besides giving a warm welcome to visitors and attendees, the snow was also welcomed as a bonus, said Glenview Park District spokesperson Diane J. Michalski, recreation program supervisor. It feels, awesome to have snow because the dogs are actually able to pull the sleds, Michalski said. So for them to be able to use the snow as Robert Kennicott did in Alaska is very exciting. People lined fences to watch the dog sled teams take paced turns navigating The Groves winterscape in a large secured area. Attendees then could pet the dogs and learn more about dog sledding and various dog breeds. Noel Dagley of Bartlett, treasurer of Adopt A Husky, Inc. of Carol Stream, said of the snow, Its great. This is the first demo that we have done in over five years that weve actually got to use sleds so the dogs are very excited, Dagley said. I am very excited. Using sleds is much more fun than using the wheeled rigs. This is one of several Adopt A Husky dog sledding team demonstrations at Roberts Yukon Adventure Day on Jan. 13, 2024 at The Grove National Historic Landmark in Glenview. Jenn Pesavent of Roselle brought a team of dogs through snowy paths along a section close to Milwaukee Avenue and the Tollway overpass. It is so much fun, Pesavent said of being able to sled on snow with local surface conditions that are so different from sometimes muddy fields to demonstrate on during local events. Its so nice when we actually get the treat of having snow because the dogs, its like they know, like, they sink in even more, theyre so much happier. The weather was partly cloudy to sunny with temperatures about 23 degrees. Kiddies were bundled up, many wearing snow pants. Olivia Kistner, 4, of Glenview attended with Olivias extended family Greg and Rebecca Marker of Glenview and their baby Juliette, 10 months. They indicated looking forward to meeting the dogs after the demonstration. Were excited, Rebecca Marker said. Its a lot of fun. Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets North Korea leader Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a trip to neighbouring North Korea after receiving an invitation from Pyongyang, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. -/Kremlin/dpa Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a trip to neighbouring North Korea after receiving an invitation from Pyongyang, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. "We hope that the visit goes through, and that the Russian president will visit in the foreseeable future," Peskov said. After the West cut ties with Moscow following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow turned to internationally isolated North Korea for support. Putin received North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the autumn when the two leaders are believed to have discussed arms deliveries by Pyongyang to Moscow. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui is currently on a three-day visit to Moscow, where she is scheduled to hold talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Peskov said that a meeting with Putin should not be ruled out. Around 50 countries recently condemned the delivery of North Korean missiles to Russia and their deployment against Ukraine. Observers believe the two countries are seeking to expand their mutual arms trade, despite the criticism. The News DES MOINES Every Republican agrees that this years caucuses wont break the record turnout from 2016. The race is less competitive. Fewer candidates are paying fewer die-hards to turn out voters. And yes, its colder here than in the Arctic Circle. People thought it would be less than that anyways, Ron DeSantis told Fox News on Monday, referring to the 2016 numbers. With the weather, it likely will be less than that. In 2016, with both parties holding competitive races, 186,874 voters turned up for the GOP caucuses. That smashed the totals from 2012, when 121,501 people signed in to vote. There are more Republicans now, with the party adding over 80,000 voters to the rolls since the night Ted Cruz beat Donald Trump. Davids view They could add more, because any Iowan of voting age can show up at a caucus site, which begin proceedings at 7 PM CT, and register as Republican. Thats one factor to watch tonight. Here are a few more. Cruz Country. Cruz was the third caucus-winner in a row to get there by winning evangelicals. They made up two-thirds of the vote in 2016 and two-fifths in 2012, and Cruz turned out more of them than anyone else. Turnout in the states four northwest-most counties doubled between those races from 3,475 votes to 7,247.Trump was a non-starter in Siouxland, running fourth overall in votes across those counties. How many voters turn out there tonight? DeSantis pitched his campaign directly to those voters how many, after eight years, trust a social conservative alternative over Trump? The Rubio Archipelago. Marco Rubios strategy in 2016 became a little notorious among Iowa conservatives. His campaign described a 3-2-1 battle plan third place in Iowa would be enough to place second in New Hampshire then first in South Carolina. (It wasnt.) He concentrated his in-person Iowa stops in vote-rich suburban counties, rejecting a time- and resource-draining trip across all 99. It paid off, a little. Together, the five counties won by Rubio Polk, Story, Dallas, Johnson, and Scott cast a third of the states Republican vote. The first three, containing the Des Moines suburbs and exurbs plus Iowa State University, were particularly weak for Trump. And this was with a competitive Democratic race the same day, and few liberals thinking they needed to pull a GOP ballot to slow Trump down. Plenty think that way now, and a substantial share of Haley voters, according to the Des Moines Registers poll, are moderates or Democrats who want Trump stopped. How motivated are they to turn out in the parts of Iowa where the populations most compact and the commute to caucus sites is easiest? MAGAland. Tens of thousands of Iowans whod never voted Republican before 2016 voted for Donald Trump twice. Their journey started in the 2016 caucuses, when Trump did best among voters without college degrees, and turned out the most new voters in shrinking industrial towns and rural areas. Evangelicals without college degrees went for Cruz; secular voters without them went for Trump. Those voters are everywhere, but if Trumps most passionate voters are coming out, itll be visible in the 10 northeast-most counties, from Cerro Gordo (Mason City) to Clayton (Elkader). In this race, Trump only campaigned in the region once a rally last weekend in Mason City. Haley never traveled northeast of Mason City, either. Did Trump loyalists turn out? Did Ramaswamy and DeSantis make any converts by showing up? The Magic Kingdom of Expectations. You dont even need to leave the house to get there! Trumps rivals have gotten much more cautious about predicting victory, and moved on to the Monday night spin. Haley methodically avoided setting any expectations, which got tougher after the DMR poll showed her moving into second place; today, her campaign put out a compilation of Trump describing polls that put him 60 points ahead. (He was usually referring to national polls, as he never led by that much in Iowa.) DeSantis and top endorser Gov. Kim Reynolds have predicted an upset victory many, many times, and the candidate showed his ground game to reporters at this weekends rallies carfulls of supporters who have been calling voters for months. The conventional wisdom from Republicans who dont want Trump is this: If he falls below 50%, hell look weak. If a majority of voters dont support the president they mostly voted for in 2020, they can speculate anew about an anti-Trump coalition. A win by more than 13 points would break every GOP caucus record, but the race that theyd prefer to think about is 1984, when Walter Mondale won by a landslide, but Gary Harts 15% was good enough for second place, building enough momentum to win New Hampshire. Notable Semafors Shelby Talcott and I reported from on the ground in Iowa last night, tracking the whole fields closing messages. Sandra Alafberg, left, and her daughter, Ashley Wonder, both members of the Covenant United Methodist Church of Worcester, join in singing "We Shall Overcome" at the conclusion of the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. WORCESTER There was plenty of food for breakfast and plenty of food for thought for people to digest at the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday morning at Assumption University. With an estimated 600 people in attendance for this years Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast, Rev. Debora Jackson professor of practice and dean of The Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute got the celebration rolling with a rousing rally cry that addressed the longevity of the breakfast and incredible life of King, which coincidentally share the same number of years, 39, this year. Rattling off Kings amazing accomplishments while referencing his iconic speeches on the day that would have been Kings 95th birthday, Jackson made an impassioned plea to continue to march on until the dream that King preached, prophesized about and died for is fully realized. Rev. Debora Jackson, dean of The Business School at WPI, serves as emcee during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. Thirty-nine years is a long time to sponsor and present an event but 39 years is a short period of time when we talk about the span of a life. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 years old when he was taken from us. But in 39 years he left an indelible mark on the world, Jackson said. Now, 56 years later, we are gathered together because we know that we have yet to get to the 'Promised Land.' Until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream, until we beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, until we realize that the love of community that King thought and for which he died, we will continue to march on. We must press on. We must keep on. We must go on until we reach the 'Promised Land'We must continue to dedicate ourselves." In his greetings to the audience, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D- Massachusetts, and ranking member of the Rules Committee, received a standing ovation from the crowd for his candid commentary on the surge of hatred in our country and his rallying of the crowd to come together and fight racism, ignorance and injustice. We are in a struggle for the heart and soul of this country and we dont have a second to waste. The surge of hate against black and brown people, against our Muslim and Jewish brothers and sisters, against our LBGTQ+ friends and neighbors and against immigrants is alarming, McGovern said. The truth is this country is at a real crossroad and, if you dont believe that, your head is stuck in the sand. The choice is no longer progress versus the status quo. Those who oppose justice, who oppose freedom, who oppose democracy, they want to take us back, to reverse and undo all the progress that have been made. U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern speaks during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, McGovern gave a first-hand account of the U.S. Capitol attack Jan. 6, 2021. I was there that day. And a mob including white supremacists, violently tried to throw out the votes that they didnt like because they didnt get their way, McGovern insisted. And, now, theyre trying to do it in states all across the country. They want to, literally, throw Black votes into the trash so they can win. And that is what we are up against. And, look, none of this is new. Its not even surprising, frankly. Equality feels like oppression for those who are accustomed to always getting their way. Sounding more like a preacher than a politician, McGovern called for the community to get together and work for an end to the injustice. Sharon Henderson, senior leader at the Covenant St. Andrews United Methodist Church of Worcester, cheers during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. Martin Luther King was not universally loved. He was not neutral and we can't be either. He spent many nights in a jail cell. He was a radical, controversial figure in his time and someone who knew that things just dont get better on their own. They get better when like-minded people get together and demand change, McGovern said. So we must realize that were all complicit when we tolerate injustice. We all need to cultivate our moral compass. We need to speak up and speak out when we see something that is wrong. We need to do more. We need to do more than to come to this breakfast every year. U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D- Massachusetts More so than ever, McGovern said we have the strength and courage to carry Kings teachings in our own lives. Chantel (no last name provided), left, and Suzanne Graham-Anderson, both of Worcester, make their way through the buffet line during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. Yes, we do believe in Martin Luther Kings dream. We do believe we have to keep hope alive. And we do believe that working together we can get to that 'Promised Land' that Dr. King spoke so elegantly about, McGovern insisted. We have the power to decide how this story ends. But I ask for all of your help in this work ahead as we build a more just and peaceful, loving country for all and, hopefully, a more just and peaceful world for every single person on this planet. In his keynote address, Vincent D. Rougeau, president of the College of the Holy Cross, said the country is, stuck in a status quo we like to change and path forward is less than clear. We must look to Dr. Kings life and legacy to understand how transformation of the individual, their community and the whole world actually happens, Rougeau said. There is no quick fix. Vincent D. Rougeau, president of the College of the Holy Cross, serves as keynote speaker during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. Furthermore, Rougeau said Worcester is a unique community for its capacity for informative and impactful action. We dont have to become a new city. We simply have to honor who we have always been: A safe haven for people seeking freedom, a community of abolitionists and change-makers, a welcome gateway for immigrating families and newcomersa place that anything is possible because of this rich history, Rougeau said. Worcester is currently experiencing an incredible transformation in its economy and its development. If ever there was a moment to get unstuck and fight the fragmentation, to come together and carry Dr. Kings legacy forward, this is the moment. Mayor Joseph M. Petty, City Manager Eric D. Batista and Greg Weiner, president of Assumption University, also addressed the crowd. Greg Weiner, president of Assumption University, speaks during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. The names (and the schools that they will be attending) of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship recipients of $1,000 were also announced during the breakfast. They are: Sam Aboagye, Assumption University; Ajoa Adu, Georgia State University; Abigail Burbick, Lehigh University; Quinn Cahill, Northeastern University; Saket Damle, New York University; Jerome Kataliko, Clark University; Laura Lee, Carnegie Mellon University; Gabrielle Mahoney, University of Rhode Island; Sydney Mercadante, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Isabella Rodriguez, Stonehill College; Ellery Russell, University of Alabama; Zoey Sandberg, Bentley University; Ashley Slavin, University of South Carolina; and Silas Summers, Tufts University. Other scholarship recipients are: Cameron Marques, Quinsigamond Community College, recipient of the Quinsigamond Community College MLK Scholarship ($1,000); Arop Majak, Quinsigamond Community College, Becky Chicone Memorial Scholarship ($2,000); and Simone Nelson-White, North Carolina A&T State University, recipient of the Janet Schuyler and Stanley Gutridge Scholarship ($3,000). Worcester Fire Lt. Robert LaRose was also honored with the Lt. Herbert A. Wilson Achievement Award for Community Service. Attendees stand during the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast Monday at Assumption University honoring Martin Luther King Jr.. Colin Parsons, a sixth grader at Nelson Place Elementary School, is the winner of the Worcester Historical Museum 2024 MLK Art Contest. His design was used on a commemorative pin that was passed out to all breakfast recipients. This years breakfast was held in the Plourde Recreation Center at Assumption University. The event is traditionally held at Quinsigamond Community College but was moved this year due to construction on the Quinsigamond Community College campus. Plans are to return the event to Quinsigamond Community College next year. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Hundreds at 39th MLK Jr. Community Breakfast at Assumption University Migrant welcome kits were assembled this year at a Northbrook annual MLK Service Day in response to the influx of migrants to Chicagoland. Approximately 40 volunteers, youth and adults, gave of their time at Northbrook United Methodist Church (1190 Western Ave.) on Monday, Jan. 15 with several people working in the churchs library to assemble 39 migrant welcome kits. Our church has already assembled over the past three months 68 of them for a total of 107, said Karen Glazer of Northbrook, the churchs financial secretary and MLK Service Day event co-chair with Karen Wells, also of Northbrook. From left, Karen Glazer of Northbrook, the churchs financial secretary and event co-chair, enters the kitchen where Nancy Cook Metzler of Northbrook is among volunteers at the start of the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Service Day on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). The migrant welcome kits were to be delivered on Jan. 16 to an Evanston church, where a volunteer will then take them into the city (Chicago) and distribute them, Glazer said. I actually havent delivered (to migrants personally) them, I just deliver them to Evanston, but people are so happy when you walk in and theyre (backpacks) clearly labeled, Glazer said. This is the most efficient way to get clothes to migrants, rather than handing out a hat here and a coat there, Glazer said, adding, Separately, Northbrook and Glenview Rotary, I worked with them to get 300 coats donated to migrants. The Northbrook UMC kits are backpacks holding items including a long-sleeved shirt, a jacket or sweatshirt, a pair of sweatpants, lip balm, toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, two pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear, a pair of gloves and a hat. The backpacks are labeled by a persons size. And the idea is that you could give these to people as they get off the bus, you can give them to migrants in police stations or going into shelters, Glazer said. From left, in the church library assembling migrant welcome kits are volunteers Claudia Braden, Donna Lee Gulley, Gretchen Boyer, Rives Collins and Phil Braden, all of Northbrook, during the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Service Day on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). Northbrook UMC used mission funds to purchase items. We also had people making donations and its part of our mission to serve and this is part of service, Glazer said. Wells said Northbrook UMC has a history of assisting people experiencing homelessness, and now were actually getting together whole kits for them to survive this horrible winter. Its making a difference one person at a time, Wells added. Were a small church and thats what matters. Monday, Jan. 15 was the holiday for 2024 when Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered globally. Rives Collins of Northbrook pushed a cart into the churchs parking lot in sub zero weather to load the completed migrant welcome kits into a car for delivery to Evanston. From left, loading completed migrant welcome kits into a car in minus three degree temperatures are volunteers Rives Collins of Northbrook and Gretchen Boyer, also of Northbrook, during the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Service Day on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). The notion of Martin Luther King Day as a day off is a misnomer, Collins said. Its a day on. Its a day for us to come together in community and do what we can. This is all joy, Collins said. Other service activities at the three-hour Northbrook UMC event included cleaning medicine containers, Valentines Day greetings for patients and veterans served by Lovell Federal Health Care, dog biscuit making and fabric pet supply collections for Heartland Animal Shelter in Northbrook and Orphans of the Storm in Riverwoods, cookie and card making for Northbrook first responders and Project Linus blanket making. A food drive was conducted to benefit the Northfield Township Food Pantry in Glenview. A Random Acts of Kindness Pledge is in place at Northbrook UMC as a commitment to practice kindness in 2024. Nicole Strait of Glenview, third-graders Emily Ortiz, 9, Abigail Strait, 8, and Lily Burke, 9, all of Glenview, participated at a table where volunteers could make the dog biscuits from scratch. From left, third-graders among adults also volunteering include Lily Burke, 9, Emily Ortiz, 9, and Abigail Strait, 8, all from Glenview, who are about to make homemade dog biscuits during the Northbrook United Methodist Church MLK Service Day on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in Northbrook (1190 Western Ave.). I think its really important that we build into the next generation and show them the opportunities they have to serve others, Abigails mother Nicole said. Its not every day that you get to go out and you get to make a difference. In the company of friends, Emily Ortiz mixed ingredients in a bowl to produce the biscuits. If you dont help each other, then itll be impossible to survive, Emily said. People need each other. Visit Northbrook UMC at https://www.northbrookumc.org. Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press. ASHEVILLE On a cold, gray and rainy Monday afternoon, parishioners emerged from St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church ready to march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Brass Your Heart, Ashevilles own radical marching band, greeted the churchgoers. The band was ready for the occasion, some dressed in raincoats. One saxophonist wrapped their instrument in a plastic trash bag. Standing outside the church, waiting for the march to begin and wearing a pin affixed to her raincoat commemorating the 2001 march, Catherine Ball told the Citizen Times that she attended the rally in solidarity for peace. We dont have it yet, said Ball about peace and equality. She has lived in Asheville more than 67 years. This was the culminating event of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe Countys annual three-day commemoration of the civil rights leader. The event began Saturday with a prayer breakfast, continued Sunday with a candlelight service and finished with the march and rally. It was the associations 43rd annual celebration of King. Asheville City Council Member Kim Roney, a member of the band, played a headless tambourine. Buncombe County Commissioner Parker Sloan pushed his 3-year-old daughter, who attended the march for the first time, in a stroller. The group began to march down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, spilling into College Street, where cars driving the opposite direction rolled their windows down. One toddler poked their head out to wave at the weather-braving marchers. Wearing a beanie with a crying while laughing emoji, Paul Scott, 56, said he wanted to keep the dream alive, a reference to Kings famous 1963 speech during the March on Washington. Scott and the crowd filed into Pack Square for a rally that more than 300 people attended. It was held steps from the former location of the Vance Gap Monument, which commemorated racist Civil War-era Gov. Zebulon Vance. As a U.S. congressman, Vance disparaged Black people, once saying that their blood contained a putrid stream of African barbarism. Although the Asheville City Council voted to remove the monument in 2021, the obelisks invisible shadow is a not-so-distant reminder of North Carolinas Confederate past. Cassandra Wells, who is Black and teaches second graders at Claxton Elementary, told the Citizen Times that she brings a largely untaught history into her classroom. During math lessons, Wells said she teaches her students about Benjamin Banneker, a Black mathematician, astronomer and surveyor whose father was an ex-slave, according to The White House Historical Association and the Benjamin Banneker Association. Throughout his 18th and early 19th century career, Banneker grappled with people who reduced his work because of his race. Jonathan McCoy, director of the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Mars Hill University and vice chair of the MLK association board, took the stage. McCoy, wearing a black beanie and occasionally looking at the notes in his hands, launched into a rousing speech. He told the Citizen Times he honed the art of captivating a crowd while teaching sleepy students during his early morning history classes at the university. MORE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast 2024 MORE: Asheville desegregation leader at MLK event: US can afford health care, food for all McCoy spoke about how Kings teachings from more than 60 years ago still apply today. Quoting King, McCoy said, "The soft-minded always fears change." Too many folks are soft-minded and are working to create a nation rooted in disunity for they truly believe that We the People of the United States of the Constitution does not include the diversity of race, religion, gender, sexual identity, and the many other aspects of our society, McCoy told the crowd. He would go on to list landmark Supreme Court rulings that have been picked apart, overturned or are under threat, including the 1965 Voting Rights Act and Roe v. Wade, which established womens right to an abortion in 1973. North Carolinas state legislature has made access to voting more difficult and restricted abortion access. McCoy told the crowd, We must be tough-minded to see beyond the weakness of the soft-minded person while being tender-hearted to continue fighting to create a beloved community that even they will have equal place in. The crowd eventually dispersed, giving way to WestSound, another Asheville band, which played the outro for the rally. Oralene Simmons, the founder of the association, told the Citizen Times after the rally that the weekends events exceeded expectations. Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at mblack@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times. This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: 'We must be tough-minded.' Asheville marches for MLK Cold fronts will arrive in the Myrtle Beach area this week, bringing temperatures near or below freezing, according to the National Weather Service. Matt Scalora, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, said temperatures will drop on Wednesday, with a low of 35 and high of 44, warm up on Thursday and Friday and drop again on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 40s during the day and 20s at night on Saturday and Sunday. It will be windy, which means the wind chill may be in the teens or even single digits overnight Saturday, Scalora said. The forecast does not call for snow or frost as the humidity should remain low. Cold weather will continue into the start of next week before warming up by Wednesday Jan. 24. The low temperatures are about 15 degrees below average for this time of year, Scalora said. Although colder than normal, it is not out of the ordinary. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division is urging people to prepare for the cold weather. A social media post recommends checking in on vulnerable people, bringing plants and animals inside and insulating pipes, as water could freeze and cause the pipes to burst. Alien mummies that were found in a Peruvian airport last year are not aliens after all, according to forensic experts. Instead, the aliens have turned out to be dolls made from earthly animal bones stuck together with glue. On Friday, Peruvian forensic experts finally put extraterrestrial claims to bed about two doll-like figures that were seized by customs authorities in Peru last October from a shipment heading to Mexico, The Associated Press reported. Flavio Estrada, the forensic archaeologist who led the analysis, said that some people believed that these figures came from an alien centre or come from another planet, all of which is totally false. The conclusion is simple: they are dolls assembled with bones of animals from this planet, with modern synthetic glues, therefore they were not assembled during pre-Hispanic times, Mr Estrada, from Perus Institute for Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, told reporters at a press conference in Lima. They are not extraterrestrials; they are not aliens. The dolls are reported to be made from the bones of birds, dogs and other animals (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) The experts showed reporters a couple of dolls, around two-foot-long and dressed in multicoloured clothing. Upon examining these objects, they said they were made from the bones of birds, dogs and other animals. An alleged three-fingered hand also found was X-rayed and found to be a very poorly hand-made structure made out of human bones. The prosecutors office has yet to find out who owns the objects, which turned up in a Lima airport in a cardboard box, looking like mummified bodies in traditional Andean dress, Reuters said. The Mexican journalist and ufologist Jaime Maussan, polarised scientists, experts and UFO enthusiasts back in September, when he appeared in front of the Mexican congress with similar objects, claiming they were non-human bodies recovered from Cusco, Peru, and were around 1,000 years old. The experts did not say on Friday if these dolls were related to the alien bodies presented to Congress in Mexico, Reuters reported. However, they emphasise that the remains in Mexico were also not extraterrestrial, the outlet said. Forensic archeologist Flavio Estrada squashed the alien rumours surrounding dolls found in a Peruvian airport (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Mr Maussan testified under oath to Mexican lawmakers that the specimens are not part of our terrestrial evolution. He doubled down on his claims again in November, alleging that over 30 per cent of the specimens DNA is unknown or not from any known species. We are not alone in this vast universe; we should embrace this truth, he said at the time, according to The Daily Star. Scientists have weighed in on the subject, pointing out that there is no substantial evidence that the corpses are either real or extraterrestrial. It is not the first time Mr Maussan has made claims about aliens that have later been debunked, including five mummies found in Peru in 2017 that were later discovered to be human children. The dolls found in the Peruvian airport are most certainly not of a different planet, Mr Estrada told reporters at the conference organised by the Peruvian ministry of culture. "They are not extraterrestrials, they are not intraterrestrials, Mr Estrada argued, according to CBS. They are not a new species, they are not hybrids, they are none of those things that this group of pseudoscientists who for six years have been presenting with these elements. Haley Omeasoo became a forensic anthropologist to help the families of missing and murdered Indigenous people. She saw the problem firsthand growing up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. She hopes to open a dedicated lab tribes in Montana can use to investigate MMIP cases. In the Blackfoot language, "ohkomi" means "to use one's voice." When Haley Omeasoo used her forensics expertise to launch a nonprofit aimed at assisting the families of missing and murdered Indigenous people, the name Ohkomi Forensics seemed fitting. Omeasoo, an enrolled member of the Hopi tribe who grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in northwestern Montana, is a second-year doctoral student in the Univerity of Montana's Forensic and Molecular Anthropology Program. The 27-year-old said she went into forensic anthropology specifically so she could help the families of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP), including those she knew on her own reservation. "I just wanted to help the families and find ways that I can assist in these kinds of cases," Omeasoo told Business Insider. Indigenous people go missing and are murdered at disproportionately high rates in communities throughout the US. In Montana in 2021, Indigenous people made up 30.7% of missing person cases despite making up less than 7% of the state's population, according to the Montana Department of Justice. Montana created a missing and murdered Indigenous people task force in 2019 to address the problem, but activists have pushed for more to be done to provide support and resources to families who are still searching for answers. That's where Omeasoo hopes Ohkomi Forensics can come in. Family members of missing and murdered indigenous women in Montana gather in front of the state Capitol in Helena, Mont., Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Iris Samuels/Associated Press Filling the gap between the families of MMIP and law enforcement The issue is personal for Omeasoo, and not just because she's seen it impact so many in her community. Ashley HeavyRunner Loring, a relative and former high school classmate of Omeasoo's, vanished from the Blackfeet Reservation in 2017 when she was a 20-year-old college student. Despite years of relentless searching by her family, Loring has never been found. "Just in talking with her family more about her case and the things that have gone wrong and ways that I can help with her case kind of led me into this field," Omeasoo said. Some of the services Omeasoo plans to provide families through Ohkomi Forensics, which launched last month, include bone and human remains analysis, identifying signs of trauma, pathology, and identification. She also wants to focus on performing crime-scene searches, locating and excavating burial sites, properly handling evidence, and forensic DNA. One of the challenges with addressing the MMIP crisis is jurisdictional issues. Because tribes are sovereign nations, crimes committed on reservations generally do not fall to state agencies or receive state-level resources. However, tribal law enforcement agencies can be understaffed or underfunded. The FBI typically steps in to investigate cases, but Indigenous families frequently express frustration and say there is a lack of progress and communication. "I just feel like there's kind of this gap between the families that have missing family members and then the law enforcement agencies," Omeasoo said, hoping she can help bridge that gap. Often, she said, families search for their loved ones all on their own. Omeasoo wants to be able to step in wherever families need her. For instance, when families feel like something may have been overlooked in an autopsy, she could come in and reevaluate the case. Kimberly Loring stands in her grandmother's home in Browning, Montana, on July 13, 2018, holding a photo of her sister, Ashley HeavyRunner Loring, who went missing in 2017. David Goldman, File/Associated Press A dedicated lab for tribes in Montana Ohkomi Forensics is starting by focusing on cases involving families that Omeasoo already knows on the Blackfeet Reservation, including some she has already been helping out with. Her plan is to get agreements in place with tribes throughout Montana to provide forensic services. She also wants to engage agencies on the tribal, state, and federal levels to figure out how her company can best fit into the investigative process. Her ultimate goal, which is already in the works, is to open her own lab that can be utilized by any tribe in Montana. She wants to eventually expand to include other states and even Canada. For her dissertation, Omeasoo is also working on creating a genetic database that can be used to compare the remains of deceased individuals with those of living members of the Blackfeet tribe. She said the genetic database tribally owned, controlled, and maintained would be one of the first of its kind. During her work in the University of Montana's forensics lab, Omeasoo typically works with deceased individuals whose back story she does not know. "But doing work back on the reservation, with my own people and knowing the families and knowing the individuals, like in Ashley's case, that are missing, it is a lot harder," she said, adding she tries to remember, "I'm there to do a job and how all my work can go towards helping this family heal." Read the original article on Business Insider Januarys Northwest Indiana weather made director Lisa Formosa-Parmigiano and set designer Allison Granat long for summer while building a water-filled pool and working beach shower at Chicago Street Theatre in Valparaiso. Were letting audiences know when they buy their tickets, if they purchase the front row, they might get a little bit splashed, Formosa-Parmigiano said. It takes a lot of gallons of water to fill the pool, and the working shower effect is created by using a camping shower pump and tank. The splashy scenic design is key to the 4th of July events that unfold during performances 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays Jan. 19-28 at Chicago Street Theatre for Terrence McNallys dark comedy Lips Together, Teeth Apart. The play is next in the theaters 69th season but was originally scheduled for the 2020 season which was paused by the COVID-19 pandemic. McNally is the playwright of the Tony award-winning musical adaptations of Ragtime and Kiss of the Spider Woman, before writing Lips Together, Teeth Apart about two straight couples spending the weekend at Fire Island, the seaside resort community south of Long Island which usually draws gay vacationers. The play is set in the early 1990s, when AIDS was creating a fearful climate. Set designer Granat, sporting double duty, is cast in the role of Sally, the painter who has inherited the beach house belonging to her late brother David, who died of AIDS. Visiting the house for the first time with her husband Sam, played by Michael Glorioso,; sister-in-law Chloe, played by Anne Nicholls,; and Chloes husband John, played by Erik Gollnick,; the holiday quickly devolves into debate, discussion and disclosure, including secrets, mystery and an extramarital affair. Originally intended to open on Broadway in 2010 starring Megan Mullally and Lili Taylor in the female leads, creative differences shelved the run. The original off-Broadway run opened a decade earlier in May 1991 starring Christine Baranski and Swoosie Kurtz opposite Nathan Lane and Anthony Heald. Ive wanted to do this play for quite a while, said Formosa-Parmigiano, who is also the artistic director for Chicago Street Theatre and heads the script selection panel. Its not an easy work to direct, so its not a play thats produced often. Theres a lot of eating and drinking in this story, including grilling real hamburgers which need to be eaten by the cast, which is in itself a challenge while delivering lines. This is a play that deals with strong themes of sexuality, prejudices and social norms, while still very entertaining and fun. Codirecting with Formosa-Parmigiano is Tyler Mills, who reminds that the play contains adult themes, strong language and a mention of suicide. Formosa-Parmigiano said the play is three acts with one intermission and a running time of two hours and 15 minutes. Gollnick said co-director Mills encouraged him to audition for the role of John. I really didnt know much about the play or the characters, said Gollnick, of Kouts. After reading the script, I liked the complex nature of the relationship of all the characters and how the story is presented to the audience. Lips Together, Teeth Apart When: Jan. 19-28 Where: Chicago Street Theatre, 154 W. Chicago St., Valparaiso Cost: $20-$22 Information: 219-464-1636; chicagostreet.org Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for The Post-Tribune. One summer morning, we loaded the van with medical supplies and headed to rural Caswell County, North Carolina. It was my first-day providing primary care to migrant farmworkers as a medical student and an Albert Schweitzer fellow. When an enthusiastic community health worker asked me why I chose this project, I explained that I am an immigrant from Bangladesh who has faced many obstacles since arriving in the U.S., from questions about my identity to navigating college and medical school without money or guidance. Those challenges led to my passion for working with immigrant communities. I believed my immigrant identity would help me relate to migrant farmworkers in a unique way, and that our lived experiences would be identical. I would soon realize that I was completely wrong. Rayad Shams At the farm, we entered two shabby trailer-type homes tucked away behind some trees. Inside were about a dozen farmworkers eating packaged ramen. Everything in the trailer was old: the cramped bunk beds, the sofa, floor and ceiling. Dead cockroaches littered the floor and a bucket was strategically placed below a hole in the ceiling. We gathered each workers health history, took their vitals and performed physical exams. We repeated this at four other farms, and by the end of the day I had my first insights into the hidden lives of migrant farmworkers in North Carolina. Agriculture contributes $103 billion annually to the N.C. economy. Our state is No. 1 in the nation in tobacco, sweet potato, poultry and egg production. Migrant farmworkers, predominantly young males from Latin American countries, are the foundation of this multi-billion-dollar industry. North Carolina employs more than 150,000 of them annually, ranking it sixth in the nation. Yet, this economic boon fails to trickle down to this vulnerable population. Farmworkers in the U.S. have an average annual income of less than $11,000, with those in the eastern U.S. earning 35% less annually than other regions. These statistics dont capture unreported incidences of underpayment and wage theft. Recently in North Carolina, two employers were fined $139,039 for shortchanging farmworkers and seizing their visas. Farmworkers face significant health and safety challenges exacerbated by limited regulations and government oversight. They experience high levels of musculoskeletal discomfort, significant pesticide exposure, heavy metal exposure, and extreme heat. Many farmworkers I spoke to reported dizziness and exhaustion from the heat-related dehydration and frequent headaches and nausea from the pesticides. Two were taking dangerously high doses of Tylenol and ibuprofen daily to keep working through their back pain. In September, farmworker Jose Alberto Gonzalez Mendoza died days after starting work at an N.C. farm due to suspected heat-related cardiac or respiratory arrest. One study showed that a third of N.C. farmworker labor camps are hidden. Another revealed 4 to 22 housing violations per camp. And, multiple studies have found cockroach and rodent infestations, contaminated water, improper fire extinguishers and leaks in the walls or roofing echoing what I saw. Nearly half of N.C. migrant farmworkers are thought to be food insecure. Most of the farm workers I interviewed lacked access to the very fruits and vegetables they were farming. Instead they were consuming ultra-processed foods, cheap pasta or ramen, and sugary drinks the only options available to them that they could afford. So, the next time you are making a sweet potato pie, grilling chicken or making omelets, ask yourself: Whose hands brought it from the farm to my table? And what am I doing to protect those hands? There are many ways to help. Contact state and federal lawmakers and demand greater oversight of migrant farmworker rights and working conditions. Volunteer with or donate to any of these groups: Farmworker Legal Services of North Carolina, Farmworker Unit Legal Aid of North Carolina, North Carolina Farmworker Health Program, or Student Action with Farmworkers. The migrant farmworkers who feed us deserve to be heard and live dignified, safe and fair lives. Rayad Shams is a med student at the UNC School of Medicine and an Albert Schweitzer Fellow. Netflix removed an Indian film after religious viewers criticized meat-eating characters Netflix took down an Indian film after receiving backlash from right-wing Hindu groups. The film depicted a Brahmin woman cooking and eating meat and suggested a Hindu deity ate meat. Netflix and other streaming platforms have faced similar pressures from religious groups in the past. Netflix pulled an Indian film from its platform just days after it began streaming after backlash from right-wing Hindu groups, reports say. "Annapoorani: the Goddess of Food," a film made in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, follows a young woman from the Brahmin caste as she aspires to become one of India's best chefs. It was released in theaters in December and on Netflix later the same month. As part of her journey, the young woman cooks and eats meat, defying the wishes of her family and the traditions of the Brahmin caste, which historically practices vegetarianism. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a hardline right-wing Hindu group with ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, accused the film of being "intentionally released to hurt Hindu sentiments" and promoting "love jihad," according to a complaint it filed to Mumbai's police. The phrase "love jihad" refers to an Islamaphobic conspiracy theory purporting that Muslim men are seducing Hindu women to convert them to Islam. I have filed complain against #AntiHinduZee and #AntiHinduNetflix At a time when the whole world is rejoicing in anticipation of the Pran Pratishtha of Bhagwan Shri Ram Mandir, this anti-Hindu film Annapoorani has been released on Netflix, produced by Zee Studios, Naad Sstudios pic.twitter.com/zM0drX4LMR Ramesh Solanki (@Rajput_Ramesh) January 6, 2024 VHP also condemned the film for implying that the major Hindu deity Lord Rama ate meat while in exile. The group protested outside Netflix offices on Wednesday. Netflix removed the film from international streaming following the controversy, India Today reported. The studio behind the film, Zee Studios, issued a statement apologizing "for the inconvenience caused and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities," The Guardian reported. 'Fanaticism won, creativity lost' It's not the first time Netflix and other streaming platforms have faced pressure from religious Hindu groups. In 2020, Netflix faced boycotts in India after an adaptation of the book "A Suitable Boy" contained a kissing scene between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman, drawing accusations of promoting "love jihad" from some Hindu viewers. And, in 2021, the cast and crew of an Amazon Prime political drama, "Tandav," apologized after hardline Hindu groups accused it of mocking Hindu gods. Netflix has also pulled other titles from its platform after receiving backlash. The streaming giant took down an episode of Hasan Minhaj's "Patriot Act" in Saudi Arabia after it received a legal complaint from the kingdom in 2019. In 2020, a judge in Brazil ordered Netflix to take down a short film depicting Jesus as a gay man. Some in the film industry have criticized Netflix's decision to pull "Annapoorani" from its platform. "Fanaticism won, creativity lost. Shame on @NetflixIndia for giving in to majoritarian bullying," actor Siddharth wrote on X. "A dangerous precedent being set. Censoring left, right, and 'center' until we won't be allowed to breathe," actor Pavarthy Thiruvothu posted on an Instagram story. Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider Last week, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by Houston lawyer Matthew Zorn, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed the rationale for its August 2023 recommendation that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. The document not only contradicts the position that the DEA has long taken on this issue; it contradicts the position that HHS itself took in 2016, when the DEA rejected a 2011 rescheduling petition. The reversal shows that marijuana's classification has always been a political question rather than a legal or scientific matter. On October 7, 2022, the same day he announced a mass pardon for people convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law, President Joe Biden instructed HHS and Attorney General Merrick Garland to "initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law." Biden noted that Schedule I, which includes "heroin and LSD," is "the classification meant for the most dangerous substances" and is "even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetaminethe drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic." On Twitter, he reiterated that "we classify marijuana at the same level as heroin" and treat it as "more serious than fentanyl," which he said "makes no sense." In short, it was clear that Biden did not expect HHS to confirm its previous position that marijuana belongs in Schedule I. He expected HHS to recommend that marijuana be moved to a lower schedule, which is what it ultimately did. As the details of the HHS recommendation clarify, that decision was not based on new scientific evidence. It was based on a reinterpretation of the criteria for Schedule I that could have been implemented much sooner if HHS and the DEA had been open to it, or if a previous president had encouraged it. Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Schedule I supposedly is reserved for drugs with "a high potential for abuse" that have "no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States" and no "accepted safety for useunder medical supervision." The CSA authorizes the attorney general, in consultation with HHS, to decide whether a substance meets those criteria, and the attorney general historically has delegated that authority to the DEA. The DEA has long maintained that a substance can have a "currently accepted medical use" only if there is enough evidence to satisfy the Food and Drug Administration's requirements for approving a prescription drug. In its response to a 2020 rescheduling petition, for example, the DEA conceded "the possibility that drugs containing marijuana or its derivatives might, in the future, be proven to be safe and effective for the treatment of certain conditions and thus approvedby the United States Food and Drug Administration [FDA] for marketing." But "until then," it said, "we will continue to identify opportunities to assist researchers in this area while never losing sight of the need to protect the public," which, as HHS and the DEA saw it, meant keeping marijuana in Schedule I. Strictly speaking, the scenario described by the DEA had already come to pass. Back in 1985, the FDA approved Marinol, gelatin capsules that contain a synthetic version of THC (a.k.a. dronabinol) in sesame oil, as a treatment for the nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy. It 1992, the FDA approved Marinol as a treatment for AIDS wasting syndrome. Marinol was originally placed in Schedule II, but in 1999 the DEA moved it to Schedule III, which also includes prescription drugs such as codeine, buprenorphine, and anabolic steroids. In 2016, the FDA approved Syndros, an oral THC solution, for the same indications as Marinol. Syndros remains in Schedule II. And in 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex, an oral solution of marijuana-derived cannabidiol (CBD), as a treatment for two forms of severe, drug-resistant epilepsy. Epidiolex is a Schedule V drug. Once those medications were approved by the FDA, the DEA had no choice but to place them in a schedule lower than marijuana. But despite the evidence that "drugs containing marijuana or its derivatives" were safe and effective medicines, marijuana itself remained in Schedule I, as required by the DEA's reading of the CSA. The recommendation that HHS produced in response to Biden's instructions rejects that interpretation of the statute, saying a drug can have a "currently accepted medical use" even if there is not enough evidence for it to pass muster with the FDA. In place of the DEA's definition, HHS uses a two-part test. Part 1 asks "whether there is widespread current experience with medical use of marijuana in the United States by licensed HCPs [health care practitioners] operating in accordance with implemented state-authorized programs, where such medical use is recognized by entities that regulate the practice of medicine under these state jurisdictions." Since 38 states have approved medical use of marijuana, it easily satisfies this prong. "More than 30,000 HCPs are authorized to recommend the use of marijuana for more than six million registered patients," HHS notes. That means there is "widespread clinical experience associated with various medical conditions recognized by a substantial number of jurisdictions across the United States." HHS thus embraces one of the main arguments that Zorn and his colleague Shane Pennington made on behalf of marijuana researcher Suzanne Sisley in a 2020 brief asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to reject the DEA's interpretation of the criteria for Schedule I. Zorn and Pennington argued that "widespread acceptance" of medical marijuana by the states, "the traditional gatekeepers of the medical profession" under our federalist system of government, "forecloses placement in Schedule I." In 2021, a 9th Circuit panel rejected that appeal, ruling that the plaintiffs had "failed to exhaust their administrative remedies." But in a concurring opinion, Judge Paul Watford observed that the DEA "may well be obliged to initiate a reclassification proceeding for marijuana, given the strength of petitioners' arguments that the agency has misinterpreted the controlling statute by concluding that marijuana 'has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.'" Part 2 of the new HHS test for that criterion asks "whether there exists some credible scientific support for at least one of the medical conditions for which the Part 1 test is satisfied." After reviewing the relevant literature, HHS concludes that there is "credible scientific support" for marijuana's use as a treatment for pain, for nausea and vomiting, and for "anorexia related to a medical condition." That conclusion, it emphasizes, is "not meant to imply that safety and effectiveness have been established for marijuana that would support FDA approval of a marijuana drug product for a particular indication." What about the other Schedule I criteria? Regarding "potential for abuse," the HHS analysis underlines the slipperiness of the concept, which the CSA does not define. The fact that people like marijuana, for example, counts as one piece of evidence that suggests its potential for abuse. As HHS puts it, "there is ample epidemiological evidence that marijuana is self-administered by humans because of its ability to produce rewarding psychological effects, such as euphoria." But while HHS notes widespread nonmedical use of marijuana, it draws a distinction between use and abuse even in that contexta distinction that has always been anathema to the DEA. "Evidence shows that some individuals are taking marijuana in amounts sufficient to create a hazard to their health and to the safety of other individuals and the community," HHS says. "However, evidence also exists showing that the vast majority of individuals who use marijuana are doing so in a manner that does not lead to dangerous outcomes to themselves or others." Marijuana use "may lead to moderate or low physical dependence, depending on frequency and degree of marijuana exposure," HHS says. "It can produce psychic dependence in some individuals, but the likelihood of serious outcomes is low, suggesting that high psychological dependence does not occur in most individuals who use marijuana." While "experimental data and clinical reports demonstrate that chronic, but not acute, use of marijuana can produce both psychic and physical dependence in humans," it says, "the symptoms associated with both kinds of dependence are relatively mild for most individuals." HHS also notes that "the risks to the public health posed by marijuana are low compared to other drugs of abuse," such as heroin (Schedule I), cocaine (Schedule II), and benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax (Schedule IV). That conclusion is "based on an evaluation of various epidemiological databases for [emergency room] visits, hospitalizations, unintentional exposures, and most importantly, for overdose deaths." Although "abuse of marijuana produces clear evidence of harmful consequences, including substance use disorder," HHS says, they are "less common and less harmful" than the negative consequences associated with other drugs. In "various epidemiological databases" compiled from 2015 to 2021, HHS notes, "the utilization-adjusted rate of adverse outcomes involving marijuana was consistently lower than the respective utilization-adjusted rates of adverse outcomes involving heroin, cocaine, and, for certain outcomes, other comparators. Also, the rank order of the comparators in terms of adverse outcome counts typically placed alcohol or heroin in the first or immediately subsequent positions, with marijuana in a lower place." Given the conclusion that marijuana has a "currently accepted medical use," it plainly does not belong in Schedule I. And given the evidence regarding its relative hazards, HHS now thinks, placement in Schedule III makes sense. "While marijuana is associated with a high prevalence of abuse," it says, "the profile of and propensity for serious outcomes related to that abuse lead to a conclusion that marijuana is most appropriately controlled in Schedule III under the CSA." The practical implications of that change, assuming the DEA agrees to it, are relatively modest. The biggest immediate impact would be felt by state-licensed marijuana suppliers, which under Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code cannot deduct standard business expenses on their federal tax returns. That disability, which applies to illegal suppliers of Schedule I or Schedule II drugs, results in punitively high effective tax rates that make it difficult to turn a profit, let alone invest in expansion. Moving marijuana to Schedule III also would facilitate medical research by eliminating regulatory requirements that are specific to Schedule I. Rescheduling marijuana would not make it legally available as a prescription drug, except in the form of products approved by the FDA. Nor would it address the conflict between state laws that allow medical or recreational use and a federal law that treats state-licensed marijuana businesses as criminal enterprises. Those businesses would still have trouble obtaining financial services, and they would still be subject to criminal penalties and civil forfeiture, outcomes that recreational marijuana suppliers avoid only thanks to prosecutorial discretion. The HHS recommendation is nevertheless significant as an implicit acknowledgment that drug warriors for decades have bent reality and the law to fit a predetermined conclusion that marijuana belongs in Schedule I. The points that HHS is finally conceding about marijuana's risks and medical potential were clear long before last August. Way back in 1988, the DEA's chief administrative law judge, Francis Young, concluded that marijuana did not meet the criteria for Schedule I, only to be overruled by DEA Administrator John Lawn. Meanwhile, the whole controversy about how to classify marijuana has been overtaken by events beyond the control of federal bureaucrats. Three-quarters of the states have legalized the medical use of marijuana, and most Americans now live in states that also have legalized recreational use. And while federal regulators quibble about which schedule is appropriate for marijuana, an overwhelming majority of Americans think it should not be scheduled at all. The post The Newly Unveiled HHS Rationale for Rescheduling Marijuana Underlines Drug Warriors' Dishonesty appeared first on Reason.com. Alyaksandr Mazets, a Belarusian man who has lived in Poland for 15 years, was detained for "spreading extremist material" and allegedly participating in the 2020 anti-government protests, the Viasna human rights group reported on Jan. 15. Repressions against opposition figures and dissenters escalated in Belarus following the 2020 presidential election, in which Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko certified his hold on power through electoral fraud and a violent crackdown. Arrests of those living abroad who return for trips have also become more common. One of the most high-profile incidents occurred in 2021 when Belarusian authorities arrested activist Raman Pratasevich after his commercial flight from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land in Minsk while flying over the country. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found Belarus guilty of orchestrating the forced landing of Ryanair Flight FR4978. Mazets has lived in Poland since 2009 and has a Polish residence permit. He visited Belarus around the last Orthodox Christmas and was detained. A Telegram channel associated with Belarusian security forces shared a video of Mazets being detained and subsequently saying that he "regretted" participating in the protests. Belarusian authorities often use forced video confessions as a means of stifling dissent. Mazets' current whereabouts are unknown. Read also: Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko attacks religious organizations, broadens grounds for their banning Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Nicaraguas government on Sunday confirmed it released two Catholic bishops and 17 other imprisoned clergy members after negotiations with Vatican authorities, The Associated Press reported. Bishop Rolando Alvarez and the other clergy were imprisoned more than a year ago as part of President Daniel Ortegas crackdown on and opposition to the Catholic Church. Ortega accused the group of backing 2018 civic protests that he claimed were part of a plot to overthrow his leadership. The government announced the release of Alvarez and the other clergy Sunday, stating the negotiations with the Vatican were focused on making possible their trip to the Vatican, the news wire reported. Alvarez was among several priests who were arrested in 2022 after he spoke out against the governments closure of several Catholic radio stations and called out the governments human rights record. After refusing to be exiled to the U.S. last year, Alvarez was sentenced to 26 years in prison for undermining the government, spreading false information and obstruction of functions and disobedience, The Associated Press reported. He was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. The group included Bishop Isidoro Mora, who was arrested last month for saying at mass he was praying for Alvarez, per Reuters, along with 15 priests and two seminarians, The Wall Street Journal reported. The U.S. has called out Nicaraguan officials for their participation in restricting Nicaraguans human rights. Last August, the U.S. placed visa restrictions on 100 Nicaraguan municipal officials to promote accountability for the Ortega regime. In the U.S. State Departments announcement last year, Secretary Antony Blinken called on the regime to immediately release Alvarez and others who were unjustly detained. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Bishop Rolando Alvarez was among 19 arbitrarily detained Catholics to be released by Nicaragua over the weekend. Photo by Ramirez 22 nic/Wikimedia Commons Jan. 15 (UPI) -- After spending more than a year behind Nicaraguan bars, Rolando Alvarez, a prominent Catholic bishop and outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega, has been released from prison along with 18 other clergy members. Alvarez, the 58-year-old bishop of Matagalpa province, was placed under house arrest in August 2022 after criticizing the Ortega's government over its attacks on Catholicism as well as its human rights record, and was sentenced to 26 years in February, under charges of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. On Sunday, the Nicaraguan government announced in a statement that following negotiations with the Vatican, two bishops, including Alvarez, 15 priests and two seminarians it had detained during its crackdown on the church have been released. All but one of the Catholic Church representatives have returned to Rome where they are guests of Pope Francis, Vatican News reported. The Nicaraguan government in the statement thanked the pope for the "very respectful and discreet coordination." Among those freed include Father Silvio Fonseca, Bishop Isidro Mora and Father Pablo Villafranca who were detained in December just days before Christmas. The Ortega government has targeted religious institutions, but most notably the Roman Catholic Church, since 2018, according to the USCIRF. In late December, the U.S. State Department added Nicaragua to its list of Countries of Particular Concern over its worsening religious freedom conditions. According to the USCIRF's 2023 report, religious freedom conditions in Nicaragua "worsened considerably" during the previous year as the government escalated its campaign of harassment and persecution of the Catholic church. "Within the context of a widespread crackdown on civil society organizations critical of the government, the Ortega regime has also pressured the Catholic Church by hindering or preventing church-affiliated organizations and services from operating," the report stated. Alvarez's release comes after Nicaragua in October expelled 10 arbitrarily detained Catholic clergymen from the country. In November, U.N. human rights experts said that Alvarez was in solitary confinement and under conditions that "gravely contravene the intergovernmental body's Nelson Mandela Rules on the treatment of prisoners. The Portage City Council acted swiftly last week to put the city in a better financial position next year. On Friday, the last possible day, the council voted unanimously to rescind the 2024 budget it adopted Oct. 24 and replace it with a new one that generates an additional $1.8 million in property tax revenue for the general fund. We got it in the nick of time, Mayor Austin Bonta said. Department heads have been told the extra money isnt a green light to additional spending. Instead, its to have more money left over at the start of the 2025. Bonta used a fishing analogy. To explain it. If youre on a boat and you cast a net, were hoping to cast a wider net in hopes of catching more, he said. On Jan. 25, the city will receive a little over $5 million from a tax anticipation warrant to help the city meet payroll and other needs until June, which is when it receives money from this years property taxes. The additional $1.8 million will allow the city to borrow less next year. Financial consultant Steve Carter said he hopes the city will have $3.4 million to $4 million at the end of the year instead of the originally projected $2 million. The move also smooths the tax rate. Rather than a drop this year followed by a big jump next year, the rate remains relatively consistent, he explained. Clerk-Treasurer Liz Modesto said the city got a notice from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance that the city could ask for additional money next year. On Tuesday, she learned about the ability to collect more tax revenue this year by rescinding the budget and adopting a new one. The city moved swiftly to advertise Friday nights emergency council meeting to give the public sufficient notice. This was just a miscalculation of the levy, said Councilman Collin Czilli, D-5th, the longest-serving member of the council. This isnt a tax increase. Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune. Nigel Farage said he believes that American democracy is in better shape than Britains, even as polls show many Americans expect violence to follow the 2024 election, in a possible repeat of the January 6, 2021 insurrection after the 2020 election. Appearing on the British right-leaning TV news channel GB News from Iowa, the Brexit campaigner said the Trump team are pretty bullish. They really are. If the polls are right ... he's going to win this caucus this evening by quite a big margin. To be here and to see the enthusiasm for the democratic process in America it's such a contrast to our country. It really is remarkable that all these people will turn out at seven o'clock tonight to vote and some will vote for Trump or some a vote for Haley or Ramaswamy. But it really is an exciting thing to be part of, he added. Another side to the enthusiasm Mr Farage, 59, is speaking about is that the strong feelings in US politics at times turn into real-world violence, as seen three years ago during the Capitol riot. 'To see the enthusiasm for the democratic process in America, it's such a contrast to our country' Nigel Farage is live from the US and was greeted very warmly by Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/eQTBYHo10d GB News (@GBNEWS) January 15, 2024 Just 51 per cent of Americans expect the time after the next election to be peaceful, while the remaining 49 per cent think there will be violence yet again, according to a CBS/YouGov poll from earlier this month. This is seldom polled in Britain, Sunder Katwala of the think tank British Future noted on X. As many as 39 per cent of Americans dont believe that President Joe Biden is the legitimate leader of the country, according to the CBS/YouGov poll. When the caucuses take place on Monday night, there will be no polling places. Party activists will instead host meetings in whatever building is available in their precinct churches, gyms, and peoples living rooms will be used. A representative from each campaign will get a moment to make their case and voters then write down their preferred candidate on a blank piece of paper. Volunteers then count the votes and send them along to a central party structure. While Republicans have secret ballots, Democrats physically moved around the space to stand with those supporting their preferred candidates. This year, Democrats will mail in their ballots. The problems with having a caucus become clear if you consider the logistics. Theyre held at 7pm on a weeknight this year they happen to fall on Martin Luther King Day in the middle of winter, which in Iowa often means freezing temperatures and snow, with forecasts for Monday showing temperatures as low as -8F (-22C). Unlike with a primary, where you can leave after casting your ballot, the process often lasts for hours, making it difficult to attend for parents with young children, pet owners, or those who work at night. For Democrats in 2020, the process failed so miserably that it took days to produce a result going against the idea that the caucus is supposed to provide onward momentum for those that do well. Although, the eventual winner, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg, managed to parlay his primary success into a cabinet post leading the Department of Transportation. One day before the Iowa caucuses, Nikki Haley addressed an energized crowd at a barbecue restaurant in Ames, just a few miles from Iowa State University. Despite the freezing temperatures, the room was filled to capacity with campaign volunteers, journalists and a few undecided caucus-goers. This is truly cold, Haley said. But were going to keep on going anywhere and everywhere. Were going to go all the way until the last hour because we know what situation were in. Related: Ron DeSantis makes his pitch before Iowa caucuses amid faltering campaign Haleys own situation has improved in recent days, as the former South Carolina governor and US ambassador to the UN has gained momentum in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. After trailing Florida governor Ron DeSantis for months, the latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll showed Haley in second place in Iowa, winning the support of 20% of likely Republican caucus-goers compared to DeSantiss 16%. But the poll also underscored the profound challenges that Haley and any other Republican not named Donald Trump faces in the quest for the nomination. Trump easily beat all of his opponents in the Iowa poll, capturing the support of 48% of likely caucus-goers. Even if Haley can squeak out a second-place finish in Iowa, the results are unlikely to answer the question that has shaped the entire Republican primary: how can any candidate defeat a former president who remains overwhelmingly popular with the partys base? As she made her final pitch to Iowa voters on Sunday, Haley directly called out Trump, warning that his re-election would only bring more chaos at an already chaotic time for the nation. I think President Trump was the right president at the right time. I agree with a lot of his policies. But rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him, Haley said in Ames. And we cant be a country in disarray in a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We wont survive it. Arguing that she was the most electable Republican candidate, Haley pointed to a Wall Street Journal poll released last month, which showed her defeating Joe Biden by 17 points in a head-to-head match-up. Thats bigger than the presidency. Thats the House. Thats the Senate. Thats governorships all the way down to school board, Haley said. You win by double digits, youre going into DC with a mandate a mandate to stop the wasteful spending and get our economy back on track. Haleys message appeared to be resonating with some voters as she crisscrossed Iowa this weekend. The blizzard that swept through Iowa forced Haley to hold remote events on Friday, but she was back on the campaign trail starting Saturday, holding town halls all across the state in the final days before the caucuses. We just like her ideas. We like her style. Her positions seem to be well thought out, Dennis Hinkle, a voter who attended Haleys event in Iowa City on Saturday, said. Im not a lover of chaos. And I think were living with it every day. Tina Mimnaugh, who attended the Ames event on Sunday and plans to caucus for Haley, said, In the first debate, I just really appreciated the way she answered and the way she stood up for herself. She just had the same kind of values that I do. The argument of Haleys electability also appeared to hold sway with voters. Statistically, I think she has a better chance. And we need someone with a better chance, caucusgoer Nancy Wildanger said in Iowa City. Shes very levelheaded. Shes smart. Shes got a vision. I feel good about her. But Haley has had some stumbles in the weeks leading up to the caucuses. She was widely criticized for initially refusing to acknowledge that slavery was the cause of the civil war, comments that she later had to walk back. In a particularly stinging incident for Iowans, Haley said at a town hall in New Hampshire, which will hold its primary later this month, that the state would correct the results of the caucuses. I trust every single one of you. You know how to do this, Haley said in New Hampshire. You know Iowa starts it. You know that you correct it. Although her opponents criticized her for the gaffe, Haleys comment accurately reflected her campaigns approach to the early voting states. Trump remains well ahead of all of his opponents in Iowa, but Haley has inched closer to him in New Hampshire. According to the FiveThirtyEight average of New Hampshire polls, Haley is now roughly 11 points behind Trump, as she has cut his lead in half over the past month. Rather than being offended by Haleys focus on New Hampshire, some of the Iowa caucus-goers who attended her town halls appeared rather clear-eyed about her strategy. I think shell finish second [in Iowa], Hinkle said. If she comes in second, I think itll springboard her on to New Hampshire. Sam Levine contributed reporting from Iowa City, Iowa A picture released by the North Korean state news agency (KCNA) on 15 January 2024 shows the test-firing of an intermediate-range solid-fuel ballistic missile at an unconfirmed location in North Korea. -/KCNA via YNA/dpa The self-proclaimed nuclear power North Korea has reported that it has made further progress in the development of long-range missiles with hypersonic warheads. The missile authority successfully tested a medium-range missile with a new solid-fuel drive on Sunday, state media reported on Monday. The missile was loaded with a manoeuvrable hypersonic warhead. No details of the flight distance were given. Both South Korea and Japan registered the test. South Korea's military spoke of a suspected medium-range missile. It had flown around 1,000 kilometres before falling into the water in the Sea of Japan, which Korea calls the East Sea. South Korea condemned the test as a clear violation of UN resolutions that prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range. Such missiles can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. According to North Korean reports, the test was intended to demonstrate the gliding and manoeuvrability of a hypersonic warhead and the reliability of newly developed solid-fuel rocket engines. The test was part of "regular activities for the development of high-performance weapon systems", it was said. Solid-fuelled rockets give shorter warning time. The communist leadership in Pyongyang has been pushing ahead with the development of nuclear-capable missiles for years. According to Pyongyang, it has also tested hypersonic missiles on several occasions. Such weapons are particularly difficult to intercept as they reach more than five times the speed of sound and are manoeuvrable. North Korea's first missile test of the new year took place amid growing tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has significantly increased the scale of its missile tests over the past two years and stepped up its rhetoric against the US and South Korea. The two countries have expanded their military co-operation in response to Pyongyang's rhetoric. North Korea said it tested a new intermediate-range solid-fuel hypersonic missile, its first launch of 2024 with a projectile that can reach US bases in Asia. The missile was fired from a launch site near Pyongyang towards waters off the east coast at about 2.55pm local time (0555GMT) on Sunday, the South Korean military said. It flew about 1,000km (600 miles) at a maximum altitude of at least 50km (30 miles), Japanese and South Korean officials said. The test fire was aimed to verify the reliability of new multi-stage, high-thrust solid-fuel engines and an intermediate-range missile loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead, state media KCNA said. Despite their name, analysts say the main feature of hypersonic weapons is not speed which can sometimes be matched or exceeded by traditional ballistic missile warheads but their manoeuvrability, which can help the warhead evade missile defences. Pyongyang said the launch was successful and it did not affect the security of any neighbouring country. The missiles range meant it could theoretically hit all of Japan as well as US military bases in Guam. Hypersonic missiles typically launch a warhead that travels at more than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200km per hour (3,850mph), often manoeuvring at relatively low altitudes. Residents are seen moving through the Toei Subway Higashi-Nakano Station during a security drill for the evacuation of residents and others to underground stations after a J-Alert is issued, in Tokyo (POOL/AFP via Getty Images) The US, Japan and South Korea condemned the launch, which was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and the nuclear envoys of the three countries held a joint phone call. South Koreas military said direct provocations by Pyongyang would be met with an overwhelming response. The latest launch comes against a backdrop of ratcheting tensions in the Korean peninsula, marked by Pyongyangs successive intercontinental ballistic missile launches and the deployment of its inaugural military spy satellite following Kim Jong-uns visit to Russia. The launch also coincided with North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Huis visit to Moscow to meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday. File Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, (AP) Even as it launched its latest missile, in an op-ed run by KCNA on Monday accused Seoul of escalating tensions in the region with joint US military drills. Even a little spark can be a catalyst for enormous physical conflicts between the two most hostile countries, the commentary said. Mr Kim vowed to expand North Koreas nuclear weapons arsenal as he presided over an annual meeting of his ruling party at the end of December. The leadership has recently announced changes to designate the South as a separate, enemy state, breaking with decades of policy, with Mr Kim saying peaceful reunification is no longer possible. Additional reporting by agencies (Bloomberg) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Russia for a trip that could facilitate a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang and enhance arms transfers that have replenished the Kremlins arsenal to attack Ukraine. Most Read from Bloomberg Choe will be in Russia through Wednesday, North Korean state media said. This is her first trip to the country since September, when she joined Kim Jong Un for a visit in which he met Putin, who accepted an invitation from the North Korean leader for a reciprocal trip. The US and South Korea said soon after Kims visit, North Korea began shipping more than a million rounds of artillery and some of its newest ballistic missiles to Russia, which have made their way to the battlefield in Putins assault on Ukraine. The flood of munitions is coming as Kyivs stocks of certain types of weaponry are running thin. Read: Ghost Ships at Reawakened North Korea Port Put Ukraine in Peril Choe is set to have talks with her counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, Russias foreign ministry said to the Tass news wire. Lavrov traveled to Pyongyang in October in his first such trip there in about five years. Kim pledged at the end of last year to develop the relations of strategic cooperation with the anti-imperialist independent countries, and the visit of his foreign minister is worrisome because it could mean North Korea taking a more active role in global conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a regional issues manager at the Vienna-based Open Nuclear Network who worked as an analyst for the CIAs Open Source Enterprise for almost two decades. She also said Choes trip comes during a cooling down of ties with China. Beijing for years has been North Koreas biggest benefactor. North Koreas policy toward China will affect its posturing toward Russia, and if Pyongyang views it has less to gain from Beijing, or that it regards Russia as a more reliable partner in its fight against the United States, it will pivot more to Russia, which is what seems to be happening already, said Lee. The Lavrov trip was part of a series of high-profile meetings between the neighbors that started in July 2023 when Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Pyongyang for an anniversary marking the end of Korean War fighting in 1953. The US and South Korea have for months accused Kim of providing arms and ammunition to aid Putins war in Ukraine, while Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the charges. The cooperation with Russia is likely providing a massive boost to Kims sanctions-hit economy, while helping the North Korean leader with his plans to deploy an array of spy satellites to keep an eye on US troops in the region. North Koreas rubber-stamp legislature known as the Supreme Peoples Assembly is due to convene Monday to approve the state budget. In addition to pledges from Putin to help with the space program, Russian aid could allow Kim to advance some of his other priorities that range from deploying a nuclear-powered submarine to greatly enhancing housing supplies. North Korea could be looking to step up its military cooperation with Russia even further by sending Moscow new types of tactical guided missiles, South Koreas defense minister said in an interview with Yonhap News last week. Meanwhile, Kim has ignored US calls to return to long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks, likely seeing little to gain from any economic aid that might be dangled to entice him into disarmament. A full readout of the meeting of North Koreas parliament will likely come later in the week after it concludes and the countrys propaganda apparatus fine-tunes any messaging. Outside observers will be looking at policies to advance the states nuclear ambitions and a likely rearrangement of its top cadres. Read: North Korea Test-Fires Its First Ballistic Missile of 2024 Just before North Korea announced Choes trip, it tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile designed to strike all of Japan as well as Guam, where the Pentagon says it keeps one of the USs largest munitions depots in the world. --With assistance from Shinhye Kang. (Updates with comments from analyst, plan for meeting of ministers) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Sunday, its neighbors said, in its first missile launch this year, as the North is expected to further raise regional animosities in an election year for its rivals South Korea and the United States. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) MOSCOW (AP) North Korea's foreign minister is visiting Russia on Monday for three days of talks, as international concern grows over an alleged arms cooperation deal between the two countries. A delegation led by Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Moscow on Sunday, according to North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. She is to meet her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. Choe is visiting at Lavrov's invitation, the ministry said. The United States and South Korea say North Korea has provided Russia with arms, including artillery and missiles, to help its fight in Ukraine. The Biden administration said it has evidence that missiles provided by North Korea to Russia have been used in Ukraine. In a joint statement last week, the U.S., South Korea and their partners said the missiles support Russias war, while North Korea receives valuable technical and military insights in return. Koo Byoungsam, spokesperson of South Koreas Unification Ministry, said it is closely watching Choes visit to Russia. He accused North Korea and Russia of maintaining illegal cooperation activities, including arms exchanges following a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jung Un to Russia in September in which he met with President Vladimir Putin. Koo didnt provide a specific answer when asked whether Choe may be arranging a visit by Putin to North Korea. Both Russia and North Korea have denied accusations of North Korean arms transfers to Russia. Silhouette of mobile device user is seen next to a screen projection of binary code are seen in this picture illustration By Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - North Korean hackers are sharing money-laundering and underground banking networks with fraudsters and drug traffickers in Southeast Asia, according to a United Nations report published on Monday, with casinos and crypto exchanges emerging as key venues for organised crime. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said without elaborating it had observed "several instances" of such sharing in the Mekong area - which includes Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - by hackers including North Korea's Lazarus Group. The UNODC said it had identified the activity via analysis of case information and blockchain data. Contacted by phone about the UNODC report, a person at North Korea's mission to the United Nations in Geneva said, without giving his name, that he was "not familiar with the issue" and that previous reporting on Lazarus was "all speculation and misinformation". Lazarus, which the United States has said is controlled by North Korea's primary intelligence bureau, has been accused of involvement in a string of high-profile cyberheists and ransomware attacks. Funds stolen by North Korean hackers are a key source of funding for Pyongyang and its weapons programmes. The UNODC report said Southeast Asia's casinos and junkets, which facilitate gambling by high-wealth players, as well as unregulated cryptocurrency exchanges, have become "foundational pieces" of the banking architecture used by organised crime in the region. Casinos have proven "capable and efficient in moving and laundering massive volumes" of crypto and traditional cash undetected, it said, "creating channels for effectively integrating billions in criminal proceeds into the formal financial system." The junket sector has been infiltrated by organised crime for "industrial-scale money laundering and underground banking operations," with links to drug trafficking and cyberfraud, the report said. It cited licensed casinos and junket operators in the Philippines which helped launder around $81 million stolen in a cyber-attack on Bangladesh's Central Bank in 2016, which was attributed to the Lazarus Group. The proliferation of casinos and crypto have "supercharged" organised crime groups in Southeast Asia, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Jeremy Douglas told Reuters. "It's no surprise sophisticated threat actors would look to leverage the same underground banking systems and service providers," he said. (Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Angus MacSwan) 10th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in Pyongyang 10th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in Pyongyang By Hyunsu Yim SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday called for the constitution to be changed to ensure that South Korea is seen as the "primary foe" and warned his country did not intend to avoid war should it happen, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. In a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, Kim said he had concluded that unification with the South was no longer possible, and accused Seoul of seeking regime collapse and unification by absorption. Kim said the constitution should be amended to educate North Koreans that South Korea is a "primary foe and invariable principal enemy" and define the North's territory as separate from the South. "We don't want war but we have no intention of avoiding it," Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA. North Korea should also plan for "completely occupying, subjugating and reclaiming" South Korea in the event of a war, and South Koreans should also no longer be referred to as fellow countrymen, Kim added, calling for the severing of all inter-Korean communication and the destruction of a monument to reunification in Pyongyang. Three organisations dealing with unification and inter-Korean tourism would also be shut down, state media added. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, at a cabinet meeting, said Pyongyang was being "anti-national" for calling the South a hostile country. Kim's call for constitutional changes come as tensions have worsened in the Korean Peninsula recently amid a series of missile tests and a push by Pyongyang to break with decades of policy and change how it relates to the South. Significant portions of Kim's speech laid out plans for improving livelihoods and he suggested his rhetoric toward South Korea and the US was designed to help maintain internal unity and achieve economic and military goals, while the US was distracted with other crises, said Lim Eul-chul, professor of North Korea studies at South Korea's Kyungnam University. On the other hand, Won Gon Park of Seoul's Ewha Womans University argued that Kim appeared to feel threatened by strengthened extended nuclear deterrence by South Korea and the US, the deployment of US strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, and trilateral military efforts with Japan. "Kim Jong Un's increasingly aggressive language appears to show he feels he's lost the upper hand in the inter-Korean relationship," Park told Reuters. (Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Additional reporting by Josh Smith and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Jonathan Oatis, Miral Fahmy and Michael Perry) Several Culbertson East Highland Neighborhood Association leaders posed for a photo with other community leaders at a recent meeting. From left, are Valerie McMurry, the Rev. Marcus Carruthers, Kimberly Mackall and Jacquelyn Parks. To raise awareness about ongoing challenges facing northeast Oklahoma City, several leaders turned to something they knew would capture the hearts and minds of many residents: prayer. Community leaders Valerie McMurry and Kimberly Mackall said PrayOKC is an initiative to bring together people from the community-at-large to pray about quality-of-life issues in northeast Oklahoma City, particularly those that affect the most vulnerable such as senior adults. Along those lines, the leaders held a prayer vigil at McGuire Plaza, 1316 NE 12, a housing complex for senior adults that is located in the Culbertson East Highland Neighborhood. McMurry is director of community outreach and wellness at MetroTech and a leader in the Culbertson East Highland Neighborhood Association, while Mackall is also a leader with the Culbertson East Highland neighborhood group and a pastor at People's Church. Both said they are committed to working on safety issues and other concerns in their neighborhood as well as the surrounding area. "We're asking for prayer because we need change," McMurry said during the prayer gathering in late 2023 at McGuire Plaza. "We need better streets, better housing, better jobs." Mackall agreed. "When we are in desperate situations, we need to pray. Where there is darkness, we bring the light," she said. How PrayOKC was formed McMurry and Mackall said a shooting at McGuire Plaza prompted them to launch PrayOKC and they were thrilled when numerous community, civic and state leaders joined them for the first prayer vigil. In November 2023, a police officer shot and killed 31-year-old Azjaynee Owens-Bey, who allegedly pointed a gun at numerous people within McGuire Plaza before firing a shot at police that had been called to the site. Leaders who attended the prayer event included Ward 7 Oklahoma City Councilwoman Nikki Nice; the Rev. John A. Reed, president of the Concerned Clergy for Spiritual Renewal and longtime pastor of Fairview Baptist Church; Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City; Wes Lane, founder of Salt and Light Leadership Training; DesJean Jones, executive director of Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC); Lee Roland, education consultant and retired school administrator; and Denyvetta Davis, president of a coalition of northeast Oklahoma City neighborhoods. More: A convenience store owner wants to build apartments in northeast OKC. Why are residents concerned? Mackall said the prayer vigil was spurred by the untimely death of Owens-Bey. Having said that, she said the neighborhood leaders appreciate the assistance and support of local police officers in the neighborhood. The neighborhood leader said the focus is not to point fingers but to partner with agencies and organizations like the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, which operates McGuire Plaza, to find solutions to challenges and concerns. But she said as Christians, she and McMurry knew their initial focus needed to be a call to prayer. "We just believe that in order to do this work, that it starts with prayer," Mackall said. "The overarching theme of the prayers was that there are broken systems in northeast Oklahoma City that require our attention and they need to be fixed. That's why we had those people from different areas praying." For more information about PrayOKC, email cehrising@gmail.com. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Northeast OKC leaders raise awareness through prayer organization Plans call for Niles Central High School to get significantly bigger after the Niles Township High School District 219 Board of Education approved the design draft for a new building at its Jan. 9 meeting. Niles Central is currently housed at the administrative offices of District 219. The design plans approved by the Board of Education would create a new 41,000-square-foot building for the school. An architect involved with the project said the cost to build it would be $28.2 million. In a presentation to the board, Athi Toufexis, an architect from Studio GC, the architecture firm hired by the school to make the designs, described the building as a setting for a therapeutic school that would adopt a neighborhood model. She said each neighborhood within the school, also called a pod, would have a learning lab and an experiential/certificate lab. As a basis for comparison, she noted the current configuration for Central is about 12,600 square feet and has seven traditional classrooms, one lab meant for kitchen classes, two fitness rooms and a gym. She presented three different design plans to the board. Option A would have two stories, encompass almost 41,000 square feet, and have four learning neighborhoods. Each of those would have a learning lab and experiential lab. It would give students an increase of three learning labs and seven experiential/certificate labs over the current facility, she said. This option carries the $28.2 million price tag. Option B would be a partial two-story building with three learning neighborhoods, and Option C would be a single-story building with two learning neighborhoods. Toufexis said the instructional rooms at Central would be a mix of traditional classrooms and learning labs for certificates and experiential lab settings intended for specific programs, including coding, robotics, and cosmetology. She added that Niles West and Niles North High School students could potentially also take those classes at Niles Central. With Option A, a new Niles Central building would be over three times bigger than the current configuration and have 16 instructional rooms, a cafeteria and a multipurpose room, she said. . Athi Toufexis, an architect from Studio GC, presented the plans for a new building for Niles Central High School at the Jan. 9 Board of Education meeting. She pinpointed the differences between the current building and the plans for the new building. Provided by District 219. In the last two and half years that we have been discussing Niles Central, weve taken the boards feedback very much to heart, said Bridget Connolly, the districts assistant superintendent for special education and student services. Option A really looks at supporting the needs of Niles Central, but also fits the needs of all students at Niles West and Niles North. Connolly said administrators have been presenting drafts for a new building since 2021. Assistant Superintendent for Business Tim Neubauer said the first conversations for a redesign at Niles Central did not include a stand-alone structure or having the administrative spaces housed at a district-owned property on Howard St. Theres been a lot of discussions, a lot of different options, not just a stand-alone, and I think weve got some good options here, he said. Before the vote, some board members had comments. Board member Joe Nowik read a statement saying that as the proposal developed over the past few years, it did not have sufficient input from the the Facilities Committee or the Board or community. He said at the beginning, alternative configurations and locations were proposed, but that the 40,000 square foot proposal was the exclusive product of the D219 administration. I do not support the Niles Central building project Option A as presented, he added. Board member Amber Wood said she felt the district should look ahead to the next 10 years, and that she felt Option A was the best course to pursue. Board President Ken Durr went into detail about how members of his family who had learning disabilities could achieve better in life because of the quality of education they had received that catered to their needs. If we are going to be equitable in giving all of our students the appropriate and suitable safe learning spaces, then we cant treat them differently. Regardless of what the footprint is, the size is, this is fit for their needs. If were going to have best in class for Niles North, best in class for Niles West, and best in class for Bridges (School), why would we do something different for Central? said Durr. The board approved going with Option A, the two-story design, on a 5-2 vote. After others commented, Nowik reflected he agreed that students deserved a better Niles Central, and that his objection was with the process and the scope of the project. Board Member David Ko also voted against the design plans. Students from Lincolnwood, Skokie and the eastern portions of Niles and Morton Grove attend District 219 schools. New York City has pulled in more tax revenue than Mayor Adams and his budget team previously predicted. Migrant costs, according to them, have been cut 20%. And as of last week, funding that had been previously slashed from the NYPD, FDNY and the Sanitation and Education departments has been restored. What exactly all that means for the citys next budget, which Adams plans to unveil Tuesday, is still not entirely clear, though. Adams played coy about the details last week, saying more than once that the citys fiscal situation is extremely fluid and that his budget director, Jacques Jiha, would provide more information Tuesday. Budget experts who spoke with the Daily News predicted, however, that some takeaways this week are fairly certain and that from those, they could begin to explore what still isnt known definitively. Youre going to see more revenue, Andrew Rein, the head of the fiscal watchdog Citizens Budget Commission, told The News. What well see on Tuesday is how much. Last week, Adams made three separate announcements in three straight days focused on the restoration of funding to city agencies agencies he said in November would face cuts. Those funding restorations included the reinstatement of a Police Academy class, and a reversal on winnowing down the number of firefighters and funding to the Sanitation Department that, if cut, would have resulted in 9,000 fewer trash bins on city streets. In addition to those restorations, which were presented publicly last Wednesday and Thursday, Adams announced Friday that the city would be restoring $10 million to its community schools program and putting $80 million in additional funds into its Summer Rising program. Adams maintained that the restorations were not preordained and that they came as a result of greater-than-expected tax revenues and the city cutting migrant costs by 20%, from an estimated $12 billion to $10 billion. His critics many of them Democrats in the City Council have countered that the administration was overestimating the projected cost of the migrant crisis and severely lowballing revenue forecasts. Jiha said Friday that in total the restored funding amounts to about $200 million, and stressed that a $7 billion budget gap remains and is real. But some of the mayors critics have voiced skepticism about the size of that gap and how the budget restorations have come about. Nathan Gusdorf, director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, and City Council Finance Committee Chairman Justin Brannan aired some of their concerns last Friday in an op-ed in The News. In a subsequent interview Gusdorf told The News that even in November, when Adams announced the latest round of cuts, it didnt seem likely hed stick to reductions within the NYPD, where the mayor worked until retiring as a police captain. Its much easier politically to do this in two steps, he said referring to the November budget modification and the more recent restorations. Were not surprised this has played out in how these cuts were reversed. Despite those reversals, Gusdorf expects even more cuts will be announced come Tuesday, assuming the administration remains consistent in what he described as its pessimistic fiscal outlook. We would not be surprised if they continue to be pessimistic and issue a substantial PEG for next year, he said, referring to the cost-saving measure known as the Program to Eliminate the Gap. He and Brannan (D-Brooklyn) both described the $7 billion budget gap the administration says exists as exaggerated and suggested that Adams needs to be more transparent with New Yorkers when it comes to the fiscal realities the city is facing. As I predicted, once the mayors budget team finally acknowledged the revenue we knew was already there, harsh cuts to cops, schools and trash pickups were summarily reversed. The Council will continue to push the administration to restore the most harmful cuts in the preliminary plan such as cuts to libraries, composting and CUNY, Brannan said. New York City undeniably faces tough fiscal decisions ahead, but in order to avoid long-term economic harm, we need to approach these challenges grounded in sober reality, not with the embroidery of an unmanageable crisis. Last Friday, Adams said hes looking for ways to minimize cuts. When asked about Brannans criticisms, he said it sends the wrong message and added that hes planning to announce the opening of a migrant shelter in the Democrats southern Brooklyn district, where it is sure to be met with criticism from Brannans constituents. We all have to do more, the mayor said. This is a crisis. Cronyism is the practice of awarding jobs and other advantages to friends and trusted colleagues as in appointing cronies to positions of authority regardless of their qualifications. In other words, its not what you know, but who you know. The majority of us have either experienced or at least heard of this practice in sports, employment, promotions, etc. Cronyism is used to establish a power base and once this base is established it helps to increase the magnitude of said base. There are a myriad of examples I could cite, but the ones that are near and dear to my heart are right here in Ottawa County. Yup, you got it. The Republican, "there is a gay person behind every bush with a pair of scissors and comb" Ottawa Impact-backed commissioners and John Gibbs. This unfortunate incident of cronyism and subsequent power grab started immediately after the aforementioned commissioners assumed power. Actually, it probably happened behind closed doors before the Six Pack was even sworn in. John Shay was fired and John Gibbs was hired. We know John Shay was qualified by virtue of thefact that he was hired, within months of being fired by our enlightened commissioners, as the city manager for Wyoming, Michigan. John Gibbs proved he was unqualified by virtue of the fact that shortly after taking office, he felt the job he had was like drinking from a fire hose. Hence not qualified. It should have stopped there. Tell John nice try, heres your severance package and there's the door, but nope. Gibbs goes out and hires Jordan Epperson as his assistant/body man." The other applicant for the job was Ryan Kimball, whose qualifications by comparison make Epperson look like the least qualified person on the planet. A blatant example of cronyism but an excellent example increasing your power within the county government. Next, we have Adeline Hambley vs. Nathaniel Kelly for Ottawa County health officer. Im not going to go into detail on this because it has been covered extensively by The Sentinel and local news stations. I will say that every commissioner and Gibbs knowsHambley is the best qualified person for the job, but to increase their power and their misdirected political agenda they need to hire Kelly for the job. Cronyism and power. The last example has not happened yet. Wait what? In a previous article, I wrote about Vice Chair Slyvia Rhodea suggesting adding a full-time director for veteran affairs. Veteran Counselor Loren Snippe seemed to think his team is providing a viable service to our veteran community now although certainly wouldn't turn down any money coming his way. Commissioner Bonnema agreed and did a great video about this issue. I guess the position and money was approved and added to the budget because Nov. 3 is the last day to apply for the job. The big question is who gets hired? Lets just see if the pattern continues. My guess is that it does. Bill Fey is a resident of Holland. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: OI is all about cronyism and power The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on Friday provided some details about the agency's severance agreement with its former director. A former state wildlife official received $169,341 in compensation as part of a severance agreement dictating the terms of his departure from a state agency. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on Friday provided some details about the severance agreement the agencys governing commission executed with former executive director J.D. Strong but maintained it will not release a copy of the agreement. The compensation package includes reimbursement for a portion of Strongs accumulated sick leave, money for a health insurance premium payment and a longevity payment owing to his years in state government, according to an agency news release. The wildlife department cited a law that dictates state agencies shall provide severance benefits to employees who lose their jobs as a result of a reorganization or reduction-in-force initiative. That law says agencies can offer severance benefits of up to one week of pay for each year of employment, a maximum lump-sum payment of $5,000 and payment equal to the affected employees current health insurance premium costs for 18 months. Strong also received reimbursement for accrued annual leave, which is not considered a severance payment, according to the news release. The wildlife department maintained it will not publicly release a copy of Strongs severance agreement. The department previously denied an Oklahoma Voice public records request seeking a copy of the agreement. Before Friday, the governing commission had also refused to release details regarding how much severance Strong was to receive. More: Director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation resigns after special meeting After consulting with an attorney from the Attorney Generals Office, which provides legal advice for the agency, the department said its governing commission can consider the agreement to be a confidential personnel record. The agreement also contains an express confidentiality provision, according to the news release. While the Department and Commission value transparency, they are bound by the terms of the Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General-approved severance agreement to maintain its confidentiality, according to the news release. The Department and Commission will always comply with the Oklahoma Open Records Act, including the requirement that it release information pertaining to an employees gross receipt of public funds. Attorney General Gentner Drummond previously said the agency should reverse course and release a copy of the agreement. In December, Strong said he was stepping down as the wildlife departments director to pursue new opportunities. He had worked in state government for more than 31 years and served as the agencys director since 2016. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Wildlife agency releases some, not all, details of severance agreement OLATHE, Kan. The Olathe Fire Department reminds people to install and test smoke alarms and to follow home heating safety guidelines. This comes after firefighters responded to a house fire Sunday morning that an investigator said was caused by fireplace ashes discarded in a plastic trash bin. View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4 The residents were alerted to the fire by a smoke alarm, a great light lifesaving tool to have, Olathe Fire Department Captain Mike Hall said. Nobody was injured in the house fire Sunday morning in Olathe. Firefighters responded to the fire at 131st St. and Arapaho Dr. just after 8 am. The fire was contained to the basement. Hall reminds people to use caution when discarding fireplace ashes. When youre going to use something like a wood stove or a fireplace that youre burning wood in, youve got to make sure that when you discard those ashes that they are completely cool, Hall explained. They may look like theyre okay, but actually, embers down inside that ash can stay hot for days. So when they are completely cool, you get them to a noncombustible container, something like metal. The Missouri Division of Fire Safety urges people to use caution as temperatures remain well below freezing and more people turn to space heaters and other sources for additional heat in their homes. Remember that space heaters need space, Hall said. Keep anything that could burn at least three feet away from it and make sure that before you go to sleep or before you leave home, not only turn them off but as an added step of safety, go ahead and unplug the device as well. You can take steps to ensure your home stays warm and the primary heating system works efficiently. You want to focus on keeping the warm air in and the cold air out, Dawn Tripp, PR Manager for Kansas Gas Service said. So look around for any gaps or cracks that may be around your windows or your doors. You also want to clean or change the air filter on your heating unit; that will help your equipment operate more efficiently. Hall reminds people to check smoke alarms in their homes to ensure they are working properly. You need to make sure that they work. So check them by pressing the test button and replace any alarm that is ten years or older, Hall said. NFL explains why Chiefs-Dolphins wasnt postponed due to weather In a news release, the Missouri Division of Fire Safety also urged caution regarding generators. Generators can also pose a danger. They should only be used outdoors and should be at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the home. Only connect appliances to generators using heavy-duty extension cords. Generators should be kept dry and protected from the weather. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Israeli security and emergency personnel work at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa A woman was killed and more than a dozen people injured in an attack near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on Monday. The 70-year-old woman died of serious injuries, according to the local hospital. The Magen David Adom rescue service said that at least 17 people were injured in the incident in Ra'anana. The Israeli police earlier put the number of injured at 13. Police commander Avi Bitton spoke of a "very serious terrorist attack," according to media reports. Two suspected Palestinian residents of the city of Hebron were detained. The two suspects are said to have rammed into people in several places with stolen cars. According to paramedics, several people were treated for stab wounds. Seven children and young people were among the victims of the attack, the Times of Israel reported, citing a children's hospital. They are currently receiving medical treatment. One 16-year-old is in a serious condition. The Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement welcomed the attack in Ra'anana. It was a reaction to the "ongoing aggression" against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it said. The security situation in Israel and the West Bank has worsened since the start of the Gaza war. A further 132 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. The total number of Palestinians killed since the start of the war has risen to around 24,100, the authority announced on Monday, mostly in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. According to the report, 60,834 people were also injured. The figures could not initially be independently verified. According to Israel's army, around 9,000 members of Hamas and other terrorist groups have been killed since the start of the war. During an operation at a Hamas command centre in Khan Younis, the army said it had confiscated grenades, other weapons and Hamas equipment. The war was triggered by a terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on Israel on October 7. More than 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded to the unprecedented attack with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli security officers are deployed at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa Israeli security officers are deployed at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa Israeli emergency personnel work at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa Biting wind chills and dangerously low temperatures are expected to continue through midweek across the Chicago area, with citys collection site recording 10 degrees below zero Monday morning. A wind chill advisory remains in place and is expected to be lifted at 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. High temperatures Monday ranged from 6 below zero to 1 above, with wind chills hitting 35 to 15 degrees below zero. The freezing air mass is the coldest Chicago has seen in five years, with the last comparable cold snap in January 2019. But in terms of magnitude similar to this, you would probably have to go back to 2014, said meteorologist Ricky Castro. On Monday afternoon, winds battered the lakefront, snow lined the pavement, and the waters surface was frozen and frosted white. Few people walked along the shore. It was just 5 degrees but Adam Greenstein, who was 3 miles into his 8-mile run, barely noticed. I dressed a little warm, actually, Greenstein, 32, said, unzipping his vest. Icicles dotted his mustache and eyelashes. My toes are a little cold, though. Greenstein is training for the Boston Marathon in April. He runs six or seven days a week and doesnt have access to a treadmill, he explained. Like its really not that big of a deal, the South Loop resident said. I ran yesterday, and Ill run tomorrow. Farther down the lakefront, Vincent Cassano, 54, and Carol Paradiso, 56, walked holding hands, bundled in layers. They met on Tinder and have been dating for five weeks. The cold makes me want to go outside, said Paradiso, a hairdresser. Im a true Chicagoan. This is just normal to me. The couple were on their way to the Art Institute, which is free to city residents on the holiday. Most people stay inside. But for us city folk, it means less crowds, Cassano said with a laugh. On State Street, professional dog walker Jonathan Avitia, 32, walked a terrier in pink booties. The cold isnt ideal for his job four of his clients canceled Monday. The dogs that he does walk can only stay outside for 15 minutes. Im working less, but when its this cold, I dont mind, Avitia said. Hes been walking dogs since 2018. Some of his clients like the terrier, 7-year-old Truman have been with him for years. Even in this weather, I like it, because you form relationships, Avitia said while Truman tugged on his leash. I love seeing my dogs everyday. Wind chills are not expected to rise above minus 10 until Wednesday afternoon. The milder temperatures will continue Thursday before another shot of arctic air hits the region this weekend, the weather service said. Up to 1 inch of snow is possible south of Interstate 80 Monday night, which could make for slick travel conditions. The coldest weather in the evening is expected in interior northern Illinois, while the warmest will be south of Kankakee River, according to the weather service. The ongoing bitter cold could continue to cause ice jams in flood-prone areas. At OHare International Airport, 246 flights were canceled and 452 were delayed Monday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Another 161 flights were canceled at Midway Airport and 70 were delayed. The majority of cancellations at both airports were on Southwest. A light dusting of snow is also predicted Thursday night through Friday morning, Castro said. Snow is more likely to accumulate in the southern suburbs. With how cold the temperatures are, that could be problematic for the Friday morning commute, Castro said. Theres still uncertainty on how exactly that plays out. The second blast of arctic air, expected to arrive Friday, will keep temperatures in the single digits over the weekend. The wind chill is anticipated to be less slightly severe, ranging from minus 20 to minus 10. People are urged to stay inside amid the freezing weather, which can cause frostbite to exposed skin in just 10 to 30 minutes. The weather service advised those who do venture out to wear multiple loose, warm layers of clothing. A rider braves freezing weather while waiting for a CTA L Blue Line train at California in Logan Square as temperatures remain near zero on Jan. 15, 2024. The city announced that the Garfield Community Shelter would be open 24/7 to connect residents to emergency shelters. The Harold Washington, Sulzer, Woodson and Legler libraries are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the holiday as warming centers. After the holiday, all six of the citys community service centers will be open as warming centers. Chicago Public Schools canceled Tuesdays classes after canceling Mondays Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. According to an announcement posted to the district website, schools are expected to reopen Wednesday. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also announced that the enforcement of his 60-day migrant shelter limit policy would be delayed until at least Jan. 22. Chicago Tribunes Caroline Kubzansky contributed. karmanini@chicagotribune.com An Israeli security officer stands at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa A woman was killed and more than a dozen people injured in a suspected attack near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on Monday. The 70-year-old woman died of serious injuries, according to the local hospital. The Magen David Adom rescue service said that at least 17 people were injured in the incident in Ra'anana. The Israeli police earlier put the number of injured at 13. Two suspected Palestinian residents of the city of Hebron were detained. The two suspects are said to have rammed into people in several places with stolen cars. According to paramedics, several people were treated for stab wounds. The security situation in Israel and the West Bank has worsened since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas massacres in southern Israel on October 7. A further 132 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. The total number of Palestinians killed since the start of the war has risen to around 24,100, the authority announced on Monday, mostly in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. According to the report, 60,834 people were also injured. The figures could not initially be independently verified. According to Israel's army, around 9,000 members of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement and other terrorist groups have been killed since the start of the war. During an operation at a Hamas command centre in Khan Younis, the army said it had confiscated grenades, other weapons and Hamas equipment. The war was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on Israel on October 7. More than 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. Israel responded to the unprecedented attack with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli security officer stands at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa Israeli emergency personnel stand at the scene of a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa Israeli emergency personnel work next to a damaged car following a ramming attack in Ra'anana. An Israeli woman was killed, and 18 people were injured in a ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Ra'anana. Oren Ziv/dpa Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike on the city of Khan Yunis. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Hundreds of Israeli companies went on strike on Sunday as a sign of solidarity with more than 130 hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, as Hamas fired more rockets into Israel and three Palestinians were killed in the West Bank. A 14-year-old boy was fatally shot in the chest during an Israeli military operation in Jericho, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the report was being investigated. In another incident near Hebron, the IDF said a Palestinian driver had broken through an area cordoned off by the army. The soldiers who pursued the vehicle were fired upon. They returned fire and "eliminated" two of the occupants. "The rifle used by the terrorists, an axe and ammunition were found at the scene," an army statement said. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of the two men. The Israeli military meanwhile shot dead two teenagers near Ramallah in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The Israeli army said late on Sunday that its soldiers had opened fire on two Palestinians who it said had thrown an explosive device at a military base. The Palestinian ministry said those killed were 16 and 17. Since the start of the war on October 7, following a bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas on Israel, violence in the West Bank has worsened, with more than 330 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers or illegal settlers. Meanwhile in the Israeli harbour town of Ashdod north of Gaza, warning sirens blared, the IDF said. It gave no details of damage or casualties. There were also rocket alerts in the nearby towns of Javne and Ben Sakai, Israeli media reported, saying debris from a missile fell over Ashdod. There were no casualties. With the advance of the Israeli armed forces deep into the Gaza Strip, the shelling of Israel from the coastal area has decreased significantly. However, Hamas units and other militant groups are still occasionally firing rockets. In Israel, the umbrella organization of trade unions, Histadrut, marked 100 days since the start of the Gaza war by going on strike and leaving businesses shuttered. At the beginning of the strike, thousands of participants in a rally organized by relatives and supporters of the hostages remained silent for 100 seconds as a sign of solidarity. The 24 hour rally in Tel Aviv was set to end on Sunday evening. Histadrut leader Arnon Ben-David said at the rally: "[Israel is] in the middle of a terrible dream, and I want to wake up from this terrible dream and create a new Israel." "We are striking today to work together to rebuild the land of Israel. We will rebuild everything they have tried to destroy." The Israeli army has been waging a full-scale military campaign in the densely populated Gaza Strip in response to coordinated attacks on Israel by fighters from the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7. The militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped around 240. Israel estimates that 136 hostages are still being held in Gaza and that two dozen of them have died, some killed during Israeli bombardment or shot by Israeli soldiers even as they thought they were being rescued. According to the Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza, about 24,000 Palestinians have been killed and some 60,600 others injured in the sealed-off coastal strip since the beginning of the Israeli campaign. These figures cannot currently be independently verified, but the UN regards them as generally credible. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reaffirmed her hope for the release of all hostages. "We will not give up, we will not let up in our work until all Hamas hostages are back home," Baerbock wrote on the social media platform X on Sunday. "For 100 days, children, parents, brothers, sisters, friends have been missing in Israel. 100 days of uncertainty, despair, grief - and hope." The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) renewed its appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire. "The massive death, destruction, displacement, hunger, loss and grief of the last 100 days are staining our shared humanity," UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini wrote in a statement. Palestinians inspect their home that was damaged after an Israeli air strike on the Shaboura refugee camp. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Palestinian boys inspect their home that was damaged after an Israeli air strike on the Shaboura refugee camp. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Palestinian inspects his home that was damaged after an Israeli air strike on the Shaboura refugee camp. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa A woman in her 70s was killed Monday and 17 other people were injured in twin attacks in the central Israeli city of Raanana, according to hospitals treating the victims. Israeli police said two suspects stole vehicles and ran over a number of people in the city north of Tel Aviv, in what it called a suspected hit-and-run terror attack. The suspects, who were from the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank and were related to each other, have been detained, police said. The attacks came the day after Israels war against Hamas passed the 100-day mark. Without claiming responsibility, Hamas said the attacks were a natural response to the occupations massacres and its continued aggression against our Palestinian people and called for more attacks against Israel. Police said sweeps were still being conducted in the area to ensure there were no further threats. This is a developing story and will be updated. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A woman in her 70s was killed Monday and 17 other people were injured in twin attacks in the central Israeli city of Raanana, according to hospitals treating the victims. Israeli police said two suspects stole vehicles and ran over a number of people in the city north of Tel Aviv, in what it called a suspected hit-and-run terror attack. The suspects, who were from the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank and were related to each other, have been detained, police said. A hospital outside Tel Aviv said it was treating seven children injured in the attacks. A 16-year-old boy who suffered a serious head injury was in surgery, and six other children aged between 10 and 16 were in mild to moderate condition, according to Dr. Ron Barnett, director of the department of emergency medicine at the Schneider Center for Pediatrics. The attacks came the day after Israels war against Hamas passed the 100-day mark. Without claiming responsibility, Hamas said the attacks were a natural response to the occupations massacres and its continued aggression against our Palestinian people and called for more attacks against Israel. Police said sweeps were still being conducted in the area to ensure there were no further threats. At least seven children were injured in the attacks, according to the Schneider Center for Pediatrics. - Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images The French Foreign Ministry said two French citizens were among the injured. We strongly condemn the terrorist attack which left at least one dead and 17 injured, including several children, today in Raanana. Nothing justifies terrorism, the statement said. Two young compatriots are among the injured. Tensions have been heightened in the occupied West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. Israeli settlers or soldiers have killed at least 340 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said last month that 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the territory since it began keeping records in 2005. This is a developing story and will be updated. CNNs Dalal Mawad contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Kennedy once posed the question: What is it to be an American today when our people are divided as never before? Now as then, too many of us have lost our way, our will and our sense of historic purpose. The good and righteous in us knows whats necessary for a renewal. For a healing. For a reclamation of the most important values that have eluded us, but still define our journey as human beings: freedom, democracy and equality of opportunity. The problem is we dont know where to go, or were too afraid of how we get there. Read more: Op-Ed: Martin Luther King Jr. was a trouble-maker. That's why we need him Nov. 7, 1978. I was 10 years old when my father, the headmaster of my Brooklyn independent school, woke me up one morning and told me that school was canceled. Instead, we would be marching over the Brooklyn Bridge in the name of Black solidarity. This would be my first protest, and while I found the cause important a Crown Heights civic leader, a Black man named Arthur Miller, had been killed by police, and the officers were cleared of all blame I was scared. In school, my classmates and I read with horror about the marchers, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, whod walked for five days and 54 miles only to be beaten and bloodied by police as they crossed the Selma bridge. I was terrified, and, in my juvenile mind, Mayor Ed Kochs racist policies that Id heard about at the dinner table and read about in Black News magazine almost ensured that the bridge would be opened up while we were on it and we would fall into the East River. So, I refused to march. Damn freedom and democracy. What good would they be if I were dead? Surely, there had to be a better way to protest. Read more: Op-Ed: King was a critical race theorist before there was a name for it Most people know the speech that King delivered at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery march, on a flatbed truck, as the How long? Not long speech because thats the memorable refrain he chanted five times to quell the frustration of our being sick and tired of being sick and tired of waiting for justice. This was King as blues musician, preaching a naive, if not hopeful, optimism. The actual title, at least according to some scholars, is Our God Is Marching On. Regardless of what we call it, its purpose is clear and indefatigable. Kings words are meant to encourage us, to comfort us, to restore our confidence that victory is inevitable. King amplifies Maya Angelous words, We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated, and elevates its message with a divine calling for the civil rights movement, that in the difficult and challenging moments of protest, in the frustrating hour, let us remain committed to struggle. That we are on the move and no wave of racism can stop us. That the road ahead is not altogether a smooth one, but we must keep going. Easier said than done. Read more: Op-Ed: What King would say to Black Lives Matter activists today My mother pulled me from under the kitchen table, or dragged me from the closet, I dont remember, but my parents had determined that I was going to the march. That I would make the trek with my classmates and community over the Brooklyn Bridge which by the way, does not open, Kwame, my mother had said, laughing, while I cried a river. Our demonstration started at the House of the Lord Pentecostal Church on Atlantic Avenue, about a thousand of us, led by its pastor, the Rev. Herbert Daughtry. As we neared the Brooklyn side of the bridge, my heart sped, my feet tired, and my soul bled. I was frozen in fear. But being near the front of the line, I was forced to keep moving. I could see my end, a horror Id never faced. And, then as we crossed over, eye-to-eye with policemen in riot gear on horses, with barking dogs, with impending doom, the pastor began to melodically and emphatically sing these words: Were fired up, we cant take no more. Were fired up, we cant take no more. And something happened in me. Something that propelled me forward. I stood on that bridge, and before I even knew what I was doing, I sang along. And, I stopped crying. The sight of police batons didnt faze me anymore. The scowling dogs no longer alarmed me. A set of simple words had done that. I couldnt articulate it then, but I did not feel alone anymore. In the 90s, as a student at Virginia Tech, I would use my words to speak the truth about the vestiges of racism on our campus fraternities Halloweening in blackface and around the world apartheid, the institutionalized system of white supremacy in South Africa. I was on the move to the land of freedom, and as King had challenged, I would not get weary. Decades later, when police brutality would kidnap the American dream, turn it into a recurring nightmare for brown and Black boys being blown away like sand in a windstorm, human beings across the globe would heed Kings directive to walk together, children, because we could not allow these travesties to become normal. Between the covers of the Rev. Martin Luther Kings bold speech, there flows a big sea of possibility and promise. In this soft symphony of hope, each line echoes a booming bass of vision. In the war room of our red, white and weary blues, we become pioneers in this renewal by awakening our conscience, summoning our courage, then treading the stony road through a tunnel of hope. Or, as Dr. King put it: Our God is marching on. And so must we. Kwame Alexander is the producer of The Crossover and the editor of This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets. If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Border and asylum policies are some of the harshest ever, and it is about to get worse. With likely White House sign-off, Congress is poised to limit asylum further and allow for more rapid deportations in exchange for aid to Ukraine and Israel. Texas has adopted a law that creates a state-level deportation scheme. So, high numbers of arrivals at the southern border are not a result of generous immigration policies as some politicians claim. Rather than doubling down on failed border enforcement and deterrence strategies, we need a new approach. Migrants journey to the border because of danger in their home countries, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Afghanistan, with horrific human rights situations the United States condemns. According to the U.N. refugee agency, forced displacement worldwide has risen dramatically and is comparable only to the period immediately after World War II. The lack of legal U.S. migration pathways for family reunification or work also pushes migrants to make the trek to the border. Migrants and asylum seekers wait to be picked up and processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the U.S.-Mexico border about a mile west of Lukeville, Ariz., on Dec. 4, 2023. (Credit: Joel Angel Juarez/USA Today Network) Rather than recognizing the humanitarian situation, though, we have seen a decades-long ramp-up of barriers to asylum. Currently, asylum seekers who are unable to secure numerically limited appointments through the glitchy CBP One app are physically prevented from reaching or crossing through border checkpoints. Those who manage to enter the United States outside of official entry points, despite razor wire and floating buoys, generally turn themselves in or are apprehended and are often promptly deported. The federal government and the state of Texas also criminally prosecute many such border crossers. Some succeed in communicating a fear of return home and are labeled as asylum seekers, but they are generally detained or placed on GPS monitors. Asylum seekers then must undergo a high-stakes credible fear screening interview to prevent rapid deportation and win the chance to present their claims in court. New Biden administration rules make this screening much stricter by imposing Trump-era requirements unrelated to a persons fear of harm. Around half of asylum seekers now fail, whereas over 80% previously passed. And those that pass must prove their cases again in court in a trial setting. Asylum grants in immigration court are rare usually fewer than 25,000 each year regardless of the levels of need for protection. These harsh policies do not stop arrivals at the border, but they do have serious negative consequences, since asylum seekers are returned to their home country. The policies also do not make the United States safer. Instead, they force asylum seekers into the hands of smuggling rings, which incentivizes and profits organized crime, making both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border more violent. The U.S. should switch gears to emphasize humanity and efficiency. To begin, we should skip over resource-wasting credible fear screening interviews and detention for migrants arriving from situations that regularly produce viable claims, automatically referring those cases for full asylum adjudication. For example, recently, multiple government offices were involved in GPS monitoring and a five-hour screening interview of my asylum client and his young son who had a straightforward claim based on political repression. The family passed the screening, meaning that the claim will now be heard again in court. A streamlined approach would free up resources for faster and more robust asylum decisions and for real law enforcement priorities. The federal government should also provide an infusion of funding for processing and reception at the border and within the United States. Quicker processing into the United States would reduce the chaos at the border, and numerous organizations stand by to integrate migrants into communities, if funding is available. Additional measures are needed, but these would provide immediate relief. The United States should be known for leadership rather than cruelty at the border. We all would be better off. Gilman is clinical professor of law and co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Opinion: Those oft-repeated claims of open borders aren't true. Worse, they're dangerous. Editors note: This story was originally published Jan 17, 2023. Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemys point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. King spoke these words in the context of the Vietnam War, and yet they still apply today. Learning to see the humanity of others, to allow ourselves to be compassionate toward people who live different lives from our own, to honor others stories, are traits still urgently needed as we move along the path to fulfilling Kings dream, even after Martin Luther King Jr. Day has passed. I am a white, educated woman, with a home that has clean water that comes from the tap anytime I turn it on, the ability to keep the indoor temperature at a comfortable level year-round, the ability to go to stores with an almost unlimited number of choices even mangoes, strawberries and avocados in the dead of winter. Unlike others, Ive never lived in extreme poverty. Ive never been unsheltered, suffered the effects of severe malnutrition or been followed in grocery stores because of the color of my skin. Without even knowing it, we can become stuck in a single story: our own. I recognize that I am blessed. Privileged. I also know that many others have different lived experiences and that they are just as valid and real as mine. When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells her story in her popular TED talk, The danger of a single story, we get a glimpse that our experiences are not, in fact, universal. All the books Adichie read as a child described children who had blue eyes, blonde hair, played in the snow and ate apples even though she lived in Nigeria, ate mangoes and had never seen snow. Related Whose stories are we missing? From the macro-level of state and nation to the micro-level of our own homes, we all have stories that are talked about, laughed or cried over and repeated again and again. But, we also all have stories that have been or are being erased, lost, forgotten. If there is such a thing as collective remembering, there is also collective forgetting. Take the stories of the Chinese immigrants who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. Do you know them? Were you taught those stories in school? How did they live? Why did they immigrate? Who did they love? What were they proud of? What losses did they grieve? Or what about the amazing women of Utah whose stories are being told by Better Days 2020? Women like Mae Timbimboo Parry, who spent a lifetime collecting, preserving and sharing the stories of her Shoshone people, including the real story of the Bear River Massacre. Or Alice Kasai, who was born in the United States, married and living in the Avenues in Salt Lake with her husband Henry and their six children when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Henry was arrested and although he was never charged with a crime, he spent 21 2 years in an internment camp for Japanese people. There are stories of Native Americans who were here to greet the Pilgrims. There are stories of slaves. There are stories of the Irish who came during the Great Potato Famine, and Armenians who fled a genocide and pioneers who crossed the plains in search of religious freedom and slaves who crossed the plains at their owners demands. Stories of the Great Migration, when Black people left the South and spread across the country, sharing safe spaces through the The Negro Motorist Green-Book. Their stories matter. So do yours. When your stories are the ones quashed, forgotten or erased, it takes courage to tell them. It takes some vulnerability to believe that this time, those stories might just be heard. There are many good people working deliberately and proactively to invite people to come to the table and share their stories, people who, for far too long, have not had a seat at the table. Unfortunately, it too often seems that people who have lived lives of privilege dismiss, mock and deny the stories of those with less privilege. By stomping on those stories, by claiming that they are not true, or that the storytellers have an agenda, weve just told them their lived experiences dont matter, that we dont believe them and that we dont really care after all. Just because it hasnt happened to you doesnt mean it hasnt happened. What if we asked ourselves how we could be better at empathy and understanding each others stories. What if we made space for their story to be true and our story to be true? What if we valued each other enough to say Tell me your story and then we truly listened with an open heart? I want to live in that world. I like to think King would have wanted that too. Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy. Editors Note: Lyz Lenz is a writer living in Iowa. She writes the newsletter Men Yell at Me. The views expressed in this commentary are the authors own. View more opinion at CNN. There are life-threatening weather conditions in Iowa this week. Blizzards brought nearly a foot of snow this weekend and arctic temperatures are expected to continue through Tuesday morning. The winter storm has made some roads impassable, which led to the cancellation of several campaign events. Lyz Lenz - Pilsen Photo Co-op And yet, rain, shine or snowstorm, the Iowa caucuses one of Americas storied political traditions will see friends and neighbors across the state gather Monday night to choose who they want to become the 2024 Republican presidential standard-bearer. Iowas caucuses started back in the 1840s but became the center of the nominating process much more recently and pretty much by accident. As The New York Times detailed, after Democratic Party reforms in 1972 to make sure more everyday people were involved in determining the partys presidential nominee, Iowa moved back its nominating process to earlier in the year. This was done to give the state party time to report the results because it faced logistical hurdles in compiling the flood of incoming results, including having only one old mimeograph machine. The Iowa caucuses might have continued to be a nothingburger if New York Times correspondent RW Johnny Apple hadnt pulled a journalistic PT Barnum act by coming to Iowa in the 1970s and making it a show. When Apple came to Iowa in 1976, he wrote about the opinions of farmers in diners and prompted the Democratic Party to set up a phone tree to report caucus results faster. He took the time to understand the process, and the result was that Apple was the one who first reported that a peanut farmer out of Georgia had the chance to become president. Today, journalists salivating for a story will comb the fields for anyone with a coiffure and charisma. But the reality is that Iowa isnt that great at picking presidents. In fact, then-Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter scrambled to a weak second behind that formidable political foe, uncommitted. This political accident and journalistic showmanship now mean that every four years, the press descends and the political theater of politicians stumping on hay bales, at pie auctions and before deep throating corn dogs begins again. Among current or former candidates, Ive seen then-South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg covered in snow in Sioux City, cold greasy chicken falling out of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis mouth at the Dallas County fairgrounds and former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado sitting alone eating a lunch of a single slice of pizza at an indoor market in Cedar Rapids. Horse-race journalism feverishly speculates about the meaning of these moments. Whether businessman Vivek Ramaswamy can make good. Whether former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will outpace DeSantis. But if the Iowa caucuses ever meant anything, they mean less now. The process of caucusing is archaic and flawed. In 2012, Republicans initially reported that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had won, but a closer look at the votes revealed that former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had garnered 34 votes more than him, and some precincts votes were missing altogether. In 2016, the Democratic results were marred by glitchy websites and inconsistencies in reporting data, with some caucus sites determining county delegate winners by coin flip. And then there were the famously flubbed caucuses of 2020, in which unnecessarily convoluted caucus math, and party leadership, made for a frantic scramble. The votes themselves represent only a small portion of the state. In 2016 only 18.5% of registered voters even showed up to caucus, a fraction of the almost 2 million active registered voters at the time. The state as a whole today has only a small population of 3.1 million people (only a little more than one-third of the population of New York City). And Iowa doesnt come close to representing the racial makeup of the rest of America. While the country as a whole is just around 58% non-Hispanic White, Iowa is nearly 90%. Whatever is decided at the caucuses only represents the view of a fraction of a fraction of Iowans brave enough to go weather the sub-zero temperatures and sit in a school gymnasium for a couple of hours on a Monday night. There is no corn-based oracle that can accurately predict the coming political storm. In fact, Iowa consistently gets it wrong in really important ways. After all, Ted Cruz won the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2016, the year Donald Trump won the election; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won in 2008, when Arizona Sen. John McCain was the eventual nominee; and Buttigieg bested future President Joe Biden on the Democratic side last time round. No one knows this better than Trump, who maintains a cult-like grip over the states Republicans. Trump has been treating the pageantry of the caucuses like the farce they are. Hes refused to participate in the debates, the meet and greets, the BBQs where a congresswoman plays the violin. He mocked Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who endorsed DeSantis, and has refused the beck and call of the Iowa party leadership, declining invitations to speak at the Family Leadership Summit, hosted by the right-wing evangelical organization run by Bob Vander Plaats. Trump did show up to the Iowa State Fair, but he pointedly avoided fair-side conversations hosted by Iowas governor. The week before the caucuses, while other candidates were braving the cold and the snow, Trump was in court. Hes been campaigning in the state, but without the toadying obeisance to the gods of corn, carbon pipelines and pork. And hes winning, polling at nearly 30 points ahead of any rival. Its safe to assume that if some of his Iowa supporters will attend a riot at the US Capitol for him, theyll be willing to brave sub-zero temperatures. Trumps strategy seems to see Iowa as one piece of a national campaign. But DeSantis has put his hopes in Iowa, going to all 99 counties and, more importantly, talking about how hes been to all 99 counties. Reynolds endorsement looks like its done nothing for the static numbers of DeSantis campaign. In fact, the endorsement might have hurt Reynolds own popularity. Haley has made a valiant effort to unseat DeSantis from second place, but its all just a scramble for first loser. And the prize is earning a ticket to New Hampshire. Its depressing, but what this race is really about is who can be the second choice if Trump is by hook, crook or an interpretation of the Constitution not on the ballot. Whatever else is decided in the cold, blizzard-like conditions of the caucuses, all we will learn is who is second place in a state that increasingly has fallen out of step with the rest of the nation. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently said he would like the state to get rid of its income tax entirely. | Adobe.com As the late Illinois Sen. Everett Dirksen is often attributed saying, A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon youre talking real money. I dont know if a little more than $6 billion a year is considered real money in Washington, but it is in Utah. Thats how much personal income tax the state collects from its residents every year (plus another $800 million in corporate income taxes). And that would be a heck of a lot to try to find somewhere else. But Utah lawmakers may soon be giving it a try. Gov. Spencer Cox started this conversation recently when he told a group of lobbyists, elected officials and other leaders at a Utah Taxpayers Association conference, I would love not to have income tax in the state. Forget about the penny-ante cuts lawmakers make to the flat-tax rate every year (last year it went from 4.85% to 4.65%, which returned about $400 million to taxpayers). I would rather get rid of the income tax altogether, he said. As the saying goes, if you want less of something, tax it, and if you want more of something, tax it less. The income tax puts a price on productivity, or the fruits of workers labors. The less of that we tax, the more productive labor would become. Businesses would expand or relocate here. The population would grow and people would have more disposable income to pay for things that fill the states sales tax coffers. Unless, that is, the state had to raise the sales tax so high to make up the difference that people stopped buying things. Or if property taxes got so high that people couldnt afford homes. Rents would rise and old folks on fixed incomes would be forced to leave. Surveys show people hate property taxes above all. Pick your poison. Its expensive to run a state, and the money has to come from somewhere. But most Republican lawmakers Ive known through the years believe the state benefits most by lowering the cost of productivity, which makes it easier for people to spend more. Utahs new House speaker, Mike Schultz, recently told the Deseret News/KSL editorial board that the income tax is the most volatile of the three taxes. The worst thing you can do is tie yourself to the income tax, he said, adding that the great recession demonstrated this. Income tax got decimated. Schultz and the governor are not taking a unique position. A lot of states right now see themselves as fierce competitors for business and people. Washington may be drowning in red ink, but a lot of states are enjoying post-pandemic surpluses. A CBS News story last year said 27 states were considering either cutting taxes or eliminating them altogether. The report quoted the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy as saying many states now have tax cut fever. And no one is looking for a vaccine. If I may interject a reality check, here, Utahs recent record seems to illustrate that, while tax rates are indeed important, they arent the sole reason states are attractive. Utah has Nevada to the south and Wyoming to the north, and both have no state income tax. And yet Utah, not the other two, led the nation in population growth during the past decade. Also, there are downsides to all this talk that few seem to be addressing. The sales tax is regressive. In other words, poor people end up paying a larger share of their income for it than do wealthy people. A report for the National Conference of State Legislatures said low-income people tend to spend about 75% of their earnings on things subject to sales taxes, while wealthy people spend about 17% of theirs on similar things. Also, about 70% of all items purchased these days are services, which are not subject to sales taxes in Utah. Lawmakers tried to change that a few years ago with little success. And perhaps the biggest factor for Utah lawmakers this year is that the state no longer has a surplus. Revenues are flat. The governor did not propose a tax cut in his budget. The House is proposing only a modest $160 million income tax cut. And then there is this comment about politicians, from Richard Auxier, senior policy analyst at the Tax Policy Center, to CBS News: Times are good now, but if theres a downturn, what will their response be? I cant answer that, but I imagine what a lot of Utahns would say. If the state no longer had an income tax, at least it couldnt raise it. A person is pictured holding an iPhone. A group of Oregon lawmakers hopes to pass the nations strongest right-to-repair bill during next months legislative session. A group of Oregon lawmakers hopes to pass the nations strongest right-to-repair bill during next months legislative session. The legislation would make it easier for consumers and independent repair shops to fix smartphones, computers and other products containing electronics sold in Oregon. It just makes sense that if you own something you should be able to do what you want with it, and we should be able to fix our stuff, Charlie Fisher, state director of OSPIRG, said during a news conference Thursday. More manufacturers are requiring product repairs to be made at authorized facilities and voiding warranties or disabling features if they arent. Authorized repairs can be more expensive and can encourage people to buy new instead, contributing to e-waste, said Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, one of the bills chief sponsors. We want to make sure we provide the opportunity for Oregonians to have choice in where they have that repaired, Sollman said. The proposal requires electronics manufacturers to make available parts, tools, manuals and documentation consumers and independent repair professionals can use to fix damaged products. It would make Oregon the first in the nation to address the practice of parts pairing, which can increase the cost of repairs and harm small businesses. Some manufacturers assign a serial number to parts and use software locks so that the part can only be used with that one specific device, said Romain Griffith, who co-owns Hyperion Computerworks in southwest Portland. The parts-pairing practice stifles fair competition. Strongest in the nation This will be the fourth time the Oregon Legislature has considered a right-to-repair bill. Oregon was the first state to put forth a proposal, in 2019, with House Bill 2688. That bill died in committee. Backers tried again with HB 2698 in 2021, but that bill also failed to make it out of committee. In 2023, Senate Bill 542 made it to the Senate floor, but it was sent back to committee, where it too died. In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to limit manufacturers ability to restrict independent repairs. And in 2022, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, introduced a right-to-repair bill in Congress. Last year, California became the fourth U.S. state, following Colorado, Minnesota and New York, to pass a right-to-repair law. Thirty-three states and Puerto Rico considered right to repair legislation during 2023. The conversation in Oregon has been informed by what has happened in other states. Weve learned lessons about what to do, as well as what not to do, Fisher said. Im excited to be standing with a really strong coalition supporting what we hope will be the strongest what we hope will be the strongest right-to-repair bill in the country, he said. Who's behind Oregon's proposed right-to-repair bill? In addition to Sollman, the bill is sponsored by Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville. Fixing these devices instead of filling our landfills could save Oregon consumers hundreds of dollars a year, Neron said, And In a time when many Oregonians struggle to stretch their dollars each month, this right-to-repair legislation is the right thing to do. Its also supported by tech giant Google, which manufactures Pixel phones and tablets. This legislation represents an inclusive compromise that brings tech companies, small repair companies, environmental leaders, and legislators to the table to find common ground and support the repair movement, said Steven Nickel, Google's devices and services director of operations Previous versions of the legislation have been opposed by the Repair Done Right Coalition, which has testified against similar bills across the country. Opponents argue consumer or independent shops may not have the training and skills necessary for repairs. And they say unauthorized repair could weaken privacy and security features of electronic products. The legislation will be considered by the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment during the 2024 legislative session, which begins Feb. 5. Tracy Loew covers the environment at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips: tloew@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6779. Follow her on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon lawmakers hope to pass right-to-repair bill Souvenir vendor Sok Sanita was glad to see the launch of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year on Saturday, expressing her hope that this initiative would help attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia. The 28-year-old vendor in Siem Reap City said this significant event is essential because it will enable Chinese people to better understand Cambodia's history, culture and civilization. The Cambodia-China people-to-people exchange will encourage more Chinese people to come and visit Cambodia," she told Xinhua while attending the launching ceremony held at the Terrace of the Elephants in the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park. Sanita said Cambodia is eager to see more Chinese arrivals, saying that their presence is vital to help reinvigorate Cambodia's tourism industry in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. "Cambodia is safe for all tourists and has a good record of security," she said. "I would like to call on all international tourists, especially the Chinese ones, to come and visit Cambodia, a country that is rich in civilization, culture and history." Seang Samrith, a 23-year-old university student, who also attended the launching event, said the initiative is crucial because it will help both peoples to gain insights into each other's traditions, customs, and daily lives. "I think the people-to-people exchange year will provide a lot of benefits to both countries, further deepening their bonds of friendship. As a result, bilateral cooperation in other areas will be better expanded," he told Xinhua. Samrith recommends that Chinese tourists spend their holidays in Siem Reap province to sightsee the Angkor Archaeological Park, which is a treasure trove of history, culture, and marvelous temples. Cheng Juanjuan, a 22-year-old Chinese sophomore in the major of Khmer language at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the event provided an opportunity for the peoples of China and Cambodia to increase their communication. "Cambodia is a country with a long history and I like to study at the university in this country," she told Xinhua. "When free from school, I have visited the Royal Palace, the historical site of Wat Phnom, and the Siem Reap-Angkor, among others." Cheng said Cambodian people are kind and always help others. "I hope to achieve a good result in my Khmer study, so I will be able to help promote China-Cambodia friendship," she said. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Tea Banh, a member of the Supreme Privy Council to His Majesty the King, said the event was designed to further enhance diamond cooperation between the two countries and to signal the kingdom's readiness to welcome more Chinese tourists. "I believe that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will inject fresh momentum into building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era," he said. Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken said the Southeast Asian country recorded 5.4 million international tourists, including some 540,000 Chinese tourists, in 2023. "I'm strongly confident that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will become a new driving force to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia, contributing further to deepening the bonds of friendship between the peoples of the two countries," he said. China was the biggest source of international tourist arrivals to Cambodia in the pre-pandemic era. The kingdom received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, accounting for 35.7 percent of the total international tourist arrivals and generating about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, according to Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism. The Willamette Valley continues to emerge from the snow and ice story this morning. While the winter storm warning for freezing rain and ice lifted early Wednesday and temperatures warmed to above freezing, several school districts are still operating on delayed schedules or remain closed. National Weather Service meteorologist John Liu said warm southerly winds were moving from south to north through the valley, melting the ice build up. Temperatures have already warmed up considerably within the last few hours and will get pretty warm today, into the 40s, he said. I'd say it really starts melting out in a span of hours rather than days. Even with the melt beginning, many roads across northwest Oregon remain very slick and numerous trees are down on roadways. There also are numerous road and highways closures. Officials advise against travel. Check Tripcheck before heading out. Roads this morning remain covered in ice & extremely slick across much of NW Oregon & SW Washington, especially in the Portland/Vancouver metro area. Avoid traveling this morning if you can! Road conditions: OR: https://t.co/ZFDcmqCzuS WA: https://t.co/Kk9AurybMS#ORwx #WAwx pic.twitter.com/Nkn8XYTc6T NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) January 17, 2024 The intersection of Madras St SE and Commercial Street SE to Blue River Rd SE is closed amid icy weather conditions on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in Salem, Ore. Salem-area school closures for Thursday, Jan. 18 Central School District 13J: Closed. Community Action Head Start: Woodburn Duration, Independence morning preschool and EHS, and Dallas morning preschool and EHS are all canceled Thursday. Dallas School District: Closed. Molalla River School District: Closed. Oregon State University: Closed. Salem Academy: Two hours late. Salem Child Development Center: All Salem-Keizer SCDC programs are closed, including Fairgrounds Road, Liberty Gardens and Salem-Keizer school-age programs. Salem-Keizer Public Schools: Closed. Sheridan School District: Closed. Sweet Home School District : Closed. Willamette ESD: Salem sites closed, including WCA. Willamette Valley Christian (Brooks): Closed. Woodburn School District: Closed. Salem-area school and pre-school delays for Thursday, Jan. 18 Amity School District: Two hours late. Cascade School District: Two hours late. Morning buses on snow routes. Chemeketa Community College: All Campuses and Outreach Centers have delayed opening until 10:30 a.m. All in-person and remote classes, activities, work and events prior to that time are canceled. Dayton School District: Two hours late. Gervais School District : Two hours late. Food share closed. Greater Albany School District: Two hours late. Lebanon Community Schools : Morning buses on snow routes. Linn-Benton Community College: All locations will open at 10 a.m. All in-person classes and events that begin before 10 a.m. are canceled. Remote classes will continue as scheduled. Mt. Angel School District : Two hours late. North Marion School District: Two hours late. Middle and high school classes start at 10 a.m. Primary and intermediate classes start at 10:40 a.m. There is no morning preschool classes. Before school child care services may be delayed. OCDC Headstart in Marion County: Administration, Settlemier and Silverton sites two hours late. No morning transportation for any site. Perrydale School District: Morning buses on snow routes. Scio School District: Two hours late. Buses on snow routes. Silver Falls School District : Two hours late. St. Paul School District: Two hours late. Willamette ESD: Woodburn, Dallas, and Monmouth sites two hours late. Morning specialized preschool canceled. Preschool promise on two hours late. Roads closed, travel impacted by numerous downed trees Alerts about downed trees have come in from numerous road across northwest Oregon, according to Tripcheck.com. Officials have strongly warned against travel. The intersection of Madras Street SE and Commercial Street SE closed due to icy conditions and both lanes of Madras Street SE are closed from the intersection to Blue River Drive SE. Interstate 84 reopened Wednesday night between Troutdale and Hood River, with restrictions: Chains are required between milepost 37 to 63. Traction tires allowed in place of chains on vehicles under 10,000 gross vehicle weight and not towing. Vehicles towing must use chains. About 43,500 without power across Willamette Valley on Wednesday afternoon At least 43,500 customers were without power Wednesday afternoon following the latest ice storm that hit northwest Oregon Tuesday night. The largest number of those without power were in the Eugene area, where about 21,383 had outages, according to the Eugene Water & Electric Board. Pacific Power reported Wednesday afternoon that about 13,372 of its customers were without power, also mostly in the Eugene area. Portland General Electric said Wednesday afternoon that about 8,773 of its customers were without power across its service area, mostly in the Portland metro area. PGE reported one customer in Marion County without electricity Wednesday afternoon. Salem Electric had no outages. How to prepare for a power outage Preparation and safety tips for when the power goes out Power knocked out in Santiam Canyon cities Hundreds of people in Santiam Canyon cities like Detroit, Idanha, Lyons and Mehama, as well as hundreds in Falls City, have lost power and may not get it back until Sunday, according to Consumers Power Inc., which provides power to the area. Detroit lost power at 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Mayor Jim Trett said. Consumers Power says that 589 homes in Detroit and Idanha have lost power as of noon on Wednesday. They said they have a guy up here surveying damage today, Trett said. Theyre hoping to have a crew up here tomorrow. Detroit didnt get hit with the ice storm that much of the Willamette Valley did, but still lost power. CPI said 197 homes in Falls City also are without power, as are thousands of homes in Lebanon, Sweet Home and Philomath. Trett said Detroit opened its Community Center as a warming shelter for people Tuesday night, but only he showed up. Trett said people can call city hall at 503-854-3496 to find out if it is open for people to come in. Seed of Faith Ministries warming shelter located at 1230 Winter Street NE in Salem plans to stay open 24 hours a day until Thurday. Salem, warming shelters respond to snow, cold, ice Salem Street Maintenance crews have been working since Friday with two crews operating 12 hours per day. Over a thousand tons of sanding rock and 2,000 gallons of liquid deicer have been applied, with more on standby, city officials said Tuesday. The city warned accumulated ice and wind could lead to downed trees and powerlines. Those with roadway, water or sewer concerns can call the Public Works Dispatch Center at 503-588-6311. The Warming Shelter Networkremains activated and available to anyone who needs a warm place to rest during the day or night. Seed of Faith Ministries warming shelter at 1248 Winter St. NE opened with 140 spaces. Ministry leadership said the warming center will be operating 24 hours a day until Thursday. Light meals are provided. Robert Marshall, program manager with the ARCHES Project, said the warming shelter had 83 guests Friday night and 112 guests on Saturday night. To date, no one has been turned away at any of the available shelters during the storm. Learn more by calling the Shelter Activation Hotline at 971-304-9211, following theARCHES Project on Facebook, or contacting the Seeds of Faith Ministrys Community Recovery and Wellness Living program at 503-881-3939. Supplies like sleeping bags, winter gloves, socks and hand warmers remain in high demand. Donations can be dropped off anytime at the Navigation Center located at 1185 22nd Street SE in Salem. State parks closed due to snow and ice Nine Oregon state parks have closed or partially closed due to ice, snow and downed trees along the north coast and in the Willamette Valley. Visitors are encouraged to check park pages on the state parks website before visiting as well as local forecasts and TripCheck for road conditions. The current closures include: Saddle Mountain State Natural Area Elijah Bristow State Park Jasper State Recreation Site Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint Day-use area at Nehalem Bay State Park Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge Campground at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park (for incoming reservations that have not checked in) and the Buxton Trailhead. Several restrooms have also closed, mostly along the Columbia Gorge. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon winter storm updates: Salem school delays, power outages Dr. Samuel Coleman, the Oshkosh Area School District assistant superintendent of instruction, has been named one of Madison 365's Most Influential Black Leaders in Wisconsin for 2023. He is pictured Tuesday, December 26, 2023, at Perry A Tipler Middle School in Oshkosh, Wis. OSHKOSH I never saw this coming! Dr. Samuel Coleman, Oshkosh Area School District assistant superintendent of instruction, was likely being honest more than trying to be humble with that response to being named one of the most influential Black leaders in the state. After all, he didnt see himself becoming an educator. So how could he envision being recognized as one? Yet, thats exactly what happened less than a month ago when Madison365 named Oshkoshs new kid on the block as one of Wisconsins 51 Most Influential Black Leaders for 2023. I became aware of the list about five years ago, but I never made it a goal to get on the list [and] I didnt make it a goal because I dont pursue recognition for the work I do, the 36-year-old Coleman said of his accolade. Madison365 publishes annual power lists to recognize influential leaders across racial and ethnic groups. A nonprofit online news publication, Madison365 publishes annual power lists to acknowledge the influence of leaders across different racial and ethnic groups. So, it wasnt exactly surprising they eventually pinpointed Coleman following a 16-year career in public education that featured stints in both state and municipal government. The real shocker might be that Coleman's current passion was an afterthought as recently as 2007. It wasnt something that was on my radar, to be honest, but I was looking for ways to have an impact, especially on young people, said Coleman, who was a childrens pastor at a denominational church in Milwaukee at the time. My pastor, whos also my mentor, sat me down for lunch one day and asked if I ever thought about teaching, so then I really began to explore just what it would be like for me as a classroom teacher. From there, I just fell in love with the process of helping students set and reach goals," he said. "So, as I reflect on my own educational experiences and just how important it was to have people in my life holding me accountable, I want to be that to students, knowing that many students may not have that. The unassuming teaching assistant became an ambitious social studies teacher who quickly developed major aspirations in the education ranks. What then followed were roles as the dean of students, chief of staff, director of student services, director for equity, director of curriculum and instruction, and Colemans last position as the chief academic officer for Lynchburg City Schools in Virginia. Dr. Coleman never expected to be recognized as one of Wisconsin's most influential Black leaders. And for all that, Coleman never expected to find himself sandwiched between judges, CEOs and directors on a list of whos who of Wisconsins Black leadership elite. It may sound somewhat pretentious considering this is a man with three masters degrees and a doctorate perfectly aligned behind his desk in a 20-foot-by-20-foot office. Somewhere, though, a kid from the north side of Milwaukee who became a first-generation college graduate would disagree. I felt excited when I got the email that I have been acknowledged [but] immediately following the excitement was a deep sense of humility and gratitude, Coleman recalled. And I say humility and gratitude because this list specifically highlights leaders who have influence within the state. I believe influence in being able to lead in a way that inspires people is a tremendous responsibility, so for me I was deeply honored and grateful that people allow me to lead, and they choose to follow my leadership. This isnt to say Colemans aspirations end here. Coleman hopes to lead educational policy at the national level for the U.S. Department of Education. The paraprofessional-turned assistant superintendent still has a couple transformations up his sleeve, figuring one day he could become a district administrator before reaching his ultimate goal leading educational policy at the national level for the U.S. Department of Education. Im not rushing for those steps just yet because I want to make sure Im here long enough to create an impact and see that work though, Coleman acknowledged. But the Oshkosh community isnt exactly a stranger to their assistant superintendents penchant for the ambitious, despite him being on the job for just six months. Coleman has already made significant waves by saying he wants the city to reset the U.S. standard for literacy by having most, if not all, of Oshkoshs students proficient in reading. Considering the school district is significantly behind the state averages in language arts, its safe to say these are lofty goals. But Coleman acknowledges theres a bigger objective he must first achieve in Oshkosh earning the communitys trust. He knows it wont be easy though. As such, Coleman focuses on the districts pre-K-12 academic programs, alternative programming, student achievement data and improvement efforts. Coleman believes his biggest impact can be made outside of the classroom. Coleman believes its through these administrative efforts that his influence will truly be felt, even if he does feel the itch to return to the classroom. I do miss the day-to-day interactions and relationship-building opportunities with students and their families because that is something that kept me going as a classroom teacher and as a school administrator, Coleman said. But I think from an impact perspective as I continue to develop my own leadership skills, I learned that the greatest impact that I can have on a system is not in the classroom but at the policy level, the strategy level and the resource allocation level of a school system. He added, I can make sure that teachers have what they need and that principals have what they need so they can do the hard and important work that occurs every day in the classroom. Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh educator surprised to be named a Wisconsin top Black leader The situation in the combat zone in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult. Since the beginning of the day there have been 86 combat clashes. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 18:00 on 15 January Quote: "The operational situation in the east and south of Ukraine remains difficult. During the day there were 86 combat clashes recorded during the day. In total, the enemy inflicted 1 missile strike and 31 airstrikes and carried out 51 attacks from multiple-launch missile systems at the positions of our troops and settlements." Details: The General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repelled two attacks on the Kupiansk front (near the settlement of Synkivka), 12 attacks on the Lyman front, and 18 attacks near Serebrianka Forest and Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast), as well as Hrihoriivka and Verkhnokamianske (Donetsk Oblast). On the Bakhmut front, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled six attacks. Sixteen attacks were repelled on the Avdiivka front, and 15 more in the vicinity of Sieverne, Pervomaiske and Nevelske, Donetsk Oblast. On the Marinka front, the Russians unsuccessfully tried to break through the defence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces 11 times. On the Zaporizhzhia front, Ukrainian troops repelled two attacks. Quote: "The enemy does not abandon the intention to oust our units from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro River. During the day, the enemy carried out one unsuccessful assault on the positions of our troops," the General Staff added. Support UP or become our patron! GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Warming centers and overnight shelters are seeing overwhelming demand this week as temperatures hit the single digits in West Michigan. Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids has space for about 600 beds. They are all full for Monday night, Interim CEO Gordon Oosting told News 8. The nonprofit has not had to turn anybody away this week because of a lack of space, Oosting said. But he said overnights remain the big issue with the freezing weather. List: Warming centers in West Michigan Mel Trotter currently has a waitlist for bed space. Oosting said they can lay out extra sleeping mats in their overflow room if they have enough staff on hand. Mel Trotter requires one staff member for every 50 people served at the shelter to keep everybody safe. Security is a huge issue, Oosting said. Keeping staff safe, keeping the guests safe is really a number one priority. Oosting said they will open as much space as they can and stay in touch with other shelters about their availability to avoid turning people away this week. Were gonna do everything possible to get every individual in, Oosting said. Nobody should be out in this weather. About a decade ago, prior to his time at Mel Trotter, Oosting retired after 45 years in the banking industry. It didnt last long. I retired for one day, and it was the worst day, Oosting said. I hated it. He soon found a new calling helping those experiencing homelessness. Today, hes seeing the substantial need firsthand, especially in dangerously cold weather. In this cold weather, its a life and death situation, he said. In zero-degree temperatures, keeping people from freezing to death. Giving them warm meals, warm beds, treating with dignity. Mel Trotters warming center is open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Its been packed so far this week, leading the group to open up overflow rooms. There is still space left during the day. Everybodys just trying to stay warm, Oosting said. Nobody can stay out hearing in just 20 minutes you can get frostbite in these types of temperatures. Its just critical to get people in, and were getting as many as we can and trying to get spots for everybody. Wind chill warnings issued as temps plummet Other churches and libraries around West Michigan are open to keep warm during the day. Oosting said the organization needs extra volunteers and food during dangerously cold weather. But the community really rallies behind us, and were so appreciative of that, he said. We really appreciate the support of the community. If you would like to volunteer or contribute to Mel Trotters mission, visit their website. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Yu Cheng, who is responsible for managing the Hanfu costume society, shows a set of Hanfu costume at the China Cultural Center in Valletta, Malta, on Jan. 12, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Wenxian) Enthusiasts of Chinese culture in Malta can now immerse themselves in the secrets of Hanfu costumes, a style of clothing traditionally worn by the Han people, thanks to a new cultural platform dabbed "Hanfu costume society" that was launched at the China Cultural Center in Malta on Friday. The initiative is expected to further enhance cultural exchanges between China and Malta and showcase the richness of traditional Chinese culture, Yuan Yuan, director of the China Cultural Center, told Xinhua at Friday's launch event. Hanfu clothing is renowned for its distinctive design, exquisite craftsmanship, and its profound cultural significance. It has been re-discovered by young Chinese people, with more and more of them opting to wear it. Yu Cheng, who has lived in Malta for nearly five years, has decided to share her carefully collected more than 40 exquisite Hanfu sets when the China Cultural Center hosts Hanfu-themed activities. On such occasions, participants will have a chance to time-travel by trying on these rare traditional garments. "This is my opportunity to actively participate in the dissemination of Chinese culture, allowing more people to understand and fall in love with Chinese culture through the allure of traditional Chinese clothing," Yu, who is responsible for managing the Hanfu society, told Xinhua. Her passion for Hanfu has led Yu to include styles from the Western Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty in her collection. About half of her collection is custom-made, with some pieces being made from silk and prepared by people who continue to practice the art of making kesi, a kind of Chinese silk tapestry, and Suzhou embroidery. Hanfu has already become Yu's daily attire. She wears various styles of Hanfu when she goes out for a stroll or shopping, inevitably drawing the curiosity of onlookers. "Gradually, more and more people realize that our traditional Chinese clothing is rich and beautiful. Many people are attracted to it, and I feel very proud," she said. "I aspire to contribute with my efforts to preserving and promoting traditional Chinese culture." The China Cultural Center will take Yu's initiative to the next level by getting some more Hanfu sets from China, some for exhibition purposes and some for people to try on. Fifteen years after a Charlotte-bound plane landed in the Hudson River, a local banking executive tells Channel 9 his first-hand experience on the famous flight. Brian Siegel serves on the board of the Sullenburgur Aviation Museum where the infamous U.S. Airways Flight 1549 now sits. Channel 9s Evan Donavan joined him there as he walked around the remains, telling his story. When I joined the board of the museum in 2017 is when I moved to this point of accepting what happened and moving on, Siegel explained. On January 15, 2009, he tried to fly home to Charlotte after a business trip in snowy New York City. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Weather wasnt great, LaGuardia can stack up on a snowy afternoon, the earlier I can get out the better, Siegel remembered. The Bank of America Marketing Executive said he was rebooked but snatched the last standby seat for the 2:45 p.m. flight to Charlotte from LaGuardia. And I remember looking out the window to my right because we were actually taking off over what was then the new Yankee Stadium, he said. And it was right at that moment, as I was kind of peering out the window there was this loud, just kind of thud and the plane dropped, just, you know, a little bit and, you know, gasps from people. Just minutes after takeoff, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese at around 3,000 feet. Both engines caught fire and failed. As hes telling the story to Donovan, he points at the engines. I dont remember which one it was actually fell off, he said. The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, came over the intercom, telling passengers to brace for impact. >>> At 5:30, hear Siegels story aboard the famous Miracle on the Hudson. (WATCH: Are your flights feeling bumpier? Turbulence is on the rise) A Pennsylvania woman retired from McDonalds Friday after working under the golden arches for 45 years. Dot Sharp, 84, took her last order at a Gibsonia, Pennsylvania drive through Friday and reflected on her time working for the company. "I'm really sad about that because it's not so much the food, it's the people," Sharp told Pittsburgh's WTAE. "The people that I work with, they were great, they treated me great all these years, and we have the best customers in the world here. Sharp's granddaughter Dottie Sims, who has also worked at a nearby McDonald's for 20 years, was the octogenarian's final customer. "She was there with me for my first order. I used to go to work with her when I was little, and she would (let me) hand out customers change for them," Sims told the station. McDonald's menu items added since Dot Sharp's first day Since her first day working for McDonald's Sharp has seen a number of items come and go from the menu, including: Happy Meals - 1978 McRib Sandwich - 1982 Chicken Nuggets - 1983 Salad - 1986 McPizza - 1986 McFlurry - 1995 McCafe Coffee - 2001 Oatmeal - 2010 "We started the Happy Meal down (at the first location). Whenever they came out with the Barbie and the Hot Wheel ones, people would come in and order 50 Happy Meals at one time," Sharp said. Sharp's co-workers wished her well in retirement. "She brought a sunny disposition to every shift and always made the customer her top priority. Im hoping Dot enjoys a well-deserved break in her retirement," franchise owner operator Meghan Sweeney told WTAE. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Woman retires after working at Pennsylvania McDonald's for 45 years A 19th century ad for Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. calls one of its products, the Imperial Plow, "The Best Plow In The World." Ken Recker found a decades-old horse-drawn plow, the embossed "B&G Plow Co." still visible on its corroded metal, last fall in an appropriate place in Pennsylvania. Tucked in weeds and forgotten, the farm implement manufactured by Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. in Canton was discovered near Everett, Pennsylvania, in Bedford County, which is at the edge of the Allegheny Mountains. Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. of Canton founded in 1836 as the Joshua Gibbs Plow Co. by inventor and manufacturer Joshua Gibbs, who later partnered with John Rex Bucher was the first plow company west of the Alleghenies. "I saw it in some brush," said Recker, who had been cleaning up a neighbor's property for sale. "I didn't know if it was valuable. I didn't know if it was worth anything to anyone. I didn't know if a museum would want it." Reckert asked his neighbor if she wanted to keep the ancient farm implement, and she said, "No, just take it." So, Reckert, who "didn't want an antique to go to the scrap heap," moved the plow to a corner of his garage where it could be more easily inspected. "We dragged it out, me and my wife," he said, "and when we got it to our garage, we cleaned it up, brushed off the dirt from around the 'B&G', and got rid of all the ants that had been living in the crevices. The wood (handles) had rotted away over the years. "I just thought it was very interesting. I knew it was old and I wanted to know the history of it." The aged Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. walk-behind horse-drawn "flip plow" Ken Recker found last fall in Everett, Pennsylvania, now sits in his garage. Its wooden handles had rotted away over decades, but its historical significance remains intact. Consulting with a neighbor Not long after the plow's removal, Reckert contacted another neighbor, Allen Boyd, who collects vintage tractors and has knowledge of old farm equipment. "My dad, my brother, and I all have old tractors," Boyd said, noting that the family specialty is John Deere. "My sister has tractors, too." Boyd also owns three old plows. "One of them would actually work, he said. So, with his reputation in his region of Pennsylvania as the "plow guy," Boyd was an understandable authority with whom Reckert was wise to consult. "Al said he had never seen one like it before," Reckert recalled. "But, he told me it was a flip plow." According to farmanddairy.com, in an article by Sam Moore who grew up in western Pennsylvania, "some horse-drawn plows throw the furrow to the left, while others (most in fact) throw them to the right." Left- or right-hand plows dig a furrow in one direction. A walk-behind "flip plow" or "swivel plow" or "reversible plow" turns its blades so farmers can plow a return furrow. Boyd did some research and learned that B&G stood for Bucher & Gibbs. "There were a lot of articles about B&G plows and about Mr. Gibbs," Boyd recalled. "I saw pictures of what people said were B&G plows. I was hoping to find some sort of brochure to see what they look like to compare it to what Ken found." A "flip plow" can be swiveled so the plowshares can dig into the ground in the opposite direction. History of the company A "Stark's Famous" piece in The Canton Repository on Jan. 16, 2016, relates how Joshua Gibbs, who was born in 1803 and died in 1875, founded the Joshua Gibbs Plow Co. in 1836. "His plow company made Canton the first center of plow manufacturing west of the Alleghenies," the article reported. Gibbs contributed to the growth of Canton in more ways than with his farm implement manufacturing company, the 2016 mention also said. "Joshua Gibbs' farmland became one of the first of several additions to the original city of Canton in the northeast." A page at the City of Canton website notes that Gibbs was trained as a blacksmith, cooper and woodworker where he was born in Trenton, New Jersey. When he came to Canton he toiled in William Fogle's cooperage, then worked as a blacksmith in a shop on Fourth Street NE, where he "began developing plows, first of wood and then of metal." "In 1836 he received a patent for the bar share plow. He had the metal portion made by the Laird Company. Gibbs then developed a process for manufacturing the metal part in-house and in 1854 he received a patent for the new plow," documented the city's posting. "His plant after his commercial success extended 100 feet on Fourth Street and was 40 feet wide and two stories high. At his retirement at fifty-three years, his sons continued the business at times merging with other manufacturers. The company Bucher and Gibbs in 1880 had 70 employees and sold $120,000 worth of plows." The plow Ken Recker found in weeds a few months ago was manufactured in Canton, Ohio, by the Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. John Rex Bucher, eventually a named partner in the firm, was born in Canton in 1827 in a house at the corner of Tuscarawas Street E and Cherry Street. Bucher manufactured heating and cooking stoves with John Danner before he became a partner in the Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. in 1864. "The most notable product that was made while Bucher was president was the 'Gibbs Imperial Plow,'" noted a history website for Canton Woman's Club an organization based in the Victorian Gothic structure on Market Avenue N which Bucher built as a residence for his family. "The company would be an exhibitor at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago in the agricultural center." What to do with the plow So, by any manner of estimating the time of the manufacture of the plow found in Pennsylvania, it quite obviously old. And, the farm implement arguably is historically significant. B&G Plows of any kind appear to have been well respected. An ad for the "Imperial Plow" of Bucher & Gibbs, for example, calls it "The Best Plow In The World." "Manufactured in steel for loam and prairie," the ad claims, "chilled for sandy land, combination for mixed soil." The ad dates the "Imperial" from 1864 to 1893 and argues that "twenty-nine years of success thoroughly established the 'Imperial' superior to all other plows. Both Recker and Boyd remain avid in their search for information about the plow found in Pennsylvania, bits of history they would gladly accept from those with knowledge of B&G horse-drawn plows. And, they seem in agreement about what eventually should happen to the aged soil-turner. "I would like to work with him (Recker) to get it fixed up and displayed in a museum," said Boyd. "What I'd like to have is some information about the company. I love history, so I'd be interested in anything I can find out." Reckert also can see uses for the plow that are both historical and decorative in nature. "In south-central Pennsylvania, a lot of people like to decorate their yards with old farm equipment," Recker said. "I may put it up for sale and see if anybody wants it." Still, placing the plow in a museum is an idea that intrigues him. There is much to learn about the history of early agriculture in America from this old and suddenly rediscovered earth-turning instrument. "I don't have any plans for it," he said. "But, I like to preserve this kind of stuff and put it somewhere that people can see it." Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On "X" (formerly Twitter): @gbrownREP. This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Pennsylvanian rescues plow from Canton's Bucher & Gibbs Plow Co. WASHINGTON A person called 911 Monday morning falsely claiming that there was a fire at the White House and that someone was trapped inside. Multiple units from Washington's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department responded at just after 7 a.m. ET, and officials determined that it was a false alarm. While no law enforcement team was dispatched, its in the same spirit of "swatting" incidents that have increasingly targeted public officials in recent weeks, said Noah Gray, the communications director for city fire and EMS. In a so-called swatting incident, someone makes a false report of a crime in progress to draw police to a certain location. It's unclear who made the call or where it came from. A Secret Service spokesperson said any fire at the White House would have been detected immediately and there clearly wasnt one. President Joe Biden was at Camp David, Maryland, when the call to 911 was made. He later traveled to Philadelphia to participate in a service event at a food bank to mark the birthday of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. In recent weeks, there has been a spate of swatting attacks against high-profile officials, including special counsel Jack Smith, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, judges on the Colorado Supreme Court and lawmakers, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Chutkan was targeted last week, as was New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over former President Donald Trumps civil fraud case. On the day of closing arguments in the trial Thursday, a call was made about a bomb threat at Engoron's house on Long Island. A Nassau County police spokesman said officials are investigating it as a swatting incident. The FBI created a national online database last year to track such swatting events. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Peter Capaldi has explained why he often struggled being the face of BBC series Doctor Who. The Scottish Thick of It actor, who is currently starring in Apple TV+ drama Criminal Record, played the Time Lord for three series and four specials between 2013 and 2017, replacing Matt Smith in the role. In a new interview, Capaldi has reflected on having a laugh and a gossip with his fellow actors to have played the role, including Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Jodie Whitaker, but said that, contrary to popular belief, playing the Doctor is not all fun and games. You do run into each other, he told The Observer, adding: You have a laugh, a gossip, you share. There arent a lot of people who have been in that role in the centre of that storm. Most people think the job is being on the Tardis and running around with Daleks. Which it is. Thats the fun part. But theres a lot of other stuff you have to do, too. Youre kind of the face of the brand and the brand is very big Capaldi said that, while being in the show, he couldnt be the cynical melancholic he naturally is. You have to pretend to be a version of yourself thats far more amenable, he continued, agreeing with the sentiment that its a bit like being the Queen. Kind of. You embody for a time this folk hero, this icon. I was able to comfort people in a way that would be beyond the powers of Peter. You could walk into a room and people gasped with delight. It doesnt happen any more. The actor also discussed another of his most famous roles Malcolm Tucker, the foul-mouthed spin doctor in Armando Iannuccis sitcom The Thick of It and poured water on the idea of a reboot due to the current political climate. I think these [recent Conservative] governments have been too terrible to make fun of. I think theyve been incompetent and corrupt and Im not going to make jokes to give them time off. Peter Capaldi in new series Criminal Record (Apple TV+) Capaldi stars in Criminal Record alongside Cush Jumbo, best known for her role in The Good Wife. The London-set series follows two detectives in a tug of war over a historic murder conviction. Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff visits Western Command in charge of parts of South China Sea MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will develop islands in the South China Sea that it considers part of its territory to make them more habitable for troops, Manila's military chief Romeo Brawner told reporters on Monday. The plans come amid heightened tensions between the Philippines and China, both of whom claim territory in the South China Sea and have traded accusations of aggressive behaviour in the strategic waterway. Apart from the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, the Philippines occupies eight other features in the South China Sea, and considers them part of its exclusive economic zone. "We'd like to improve all the nine, especially the islands we are occupying," Brawner said after attending a command conference led by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the military headquarters. The features include Thitu island, the biggest and most strategically important in the South China Sea. Known locally as Pag-asa, Thitu lies about 300 miles (480 km) west of the Philippine province of Palawan. The military wants to bring a desalination machine for troops living aboard a warship that the Philippines deliberately grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to assert its sovereignty claim, he said. Besides the Philippines, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea, a conduit for goods in excess of $3 trillion every year. Also included in the military's modernisation plans is the acquisition of more ships, radars and aircraft as the Philippines shifts its focus to territorial from internal defence, Brawner said. (Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Writing by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor) China Development Bank loans 191.3 bln yuan for construction of water conservancy projects in 2023 Xinhua) 08:30, January 15, 2024 BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- China Development Bank said it had issued 191.3 billion yuan (about 26.92 billion U.S. dollars) in loans in 2023 to provide more medium- and long-term financial support for the construction of water conservancy projects. These funds have backed major water conservancy initiatives nationwide, such as the project that channels water from the Yangtze River to the Han River and the Guangdong water resources allocation project in the Beibu Gulf region, the bank said. The loans have also supported a series of other efforts, including integrated water supply for urban and rural areas in Jiangxi and Fujian, and rural water supply initiatives in Yunnan and Hebei. The bank said its next steps will be to prioritize the construction of key projects in the national water network, while providing targeted financial support to water conservancy construction efforts. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) For the first time, portraits and belongings of three emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) namely Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong and three contemporaneous French kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI will be on show at one exhibition in Beijing. Entitled The Palace of Versailles and the Forbidden City, the exhibition will be unveiled at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, from April 1. More than 180 exhibits collected by the two museums will provide a glimpse of the interactions between the Chinese and French royal courts from the end of the 17th century to the end of the 18th century. They will showcase their diplomatic, cultural and artistic exchanges, as well as their mutual trust and respect in political activities, and shared interest in and admiration of each other's cultures, according to Guo Fuxiang, deputy director of the Department of Court History at the Palace Museum and the curator for the exhibition on the Chinese side. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, and the exhibition will be part of the celebration. In 2014, the Palace of Versailles held an exhibition featuring China-related oil paintings, sketches, woodblock paintings, textiles, pottery and lacquerware, among other items, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. It was on the basis of the 2014 exhibition that the two museums decided to host a larger-scale and more comprehensive version, Guo said at a news conference on Jan 4. The Palace of Versailles will bring to Beijing its new collection of Chinese art pieces or those objects inspired by Chinese art, including a Chinese-style silver pot from the envoys of Siam (now Thailand) in 1686 as a tribute to King Louis XIV and Chinese porcelain tableware decorated with armorial bearings of King Louis XV. The 105 pieces of cultural relics from the French museum to be on show represent the French court's fascination with Chinese culture and civilization, and the inspiration French artists and intellectuals got from Chinese art, according to Guo. By seeing another 72 pieces housed at the Palace Museum in Beijing, including French paintings, antique clocks and watches, scientific instruments and books, visitors can feel the French influence at the royal Qing palace. They will learn about direct interactions between Emperor Kangxi and King Louis XIV a pocket watch sent by the French monarch to the Chinese ruler as a gift, for example tailored artworks from France that were ordered by the Qing court and pieces made by French artisans working for the Qing court. To celebrate the 60-year diplomatic bond between the two countries and enhance friendship, a variety of other events for the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism will be held in both countries. France's Ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary says the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism is to demonstrate the fruitful achievements and vitality of cultural and people-to-people exchanges and highlight cooperation. He hopes that these events will make the people in both countries know more about and rediscover each other's cultures and arouse interest in visiting each other's nation to experience travel attractions and cultural heritage in person. On Jan 5, when the 40th International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism was also unveiled, with giant ice sculptures of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which will reopen at the end of the year after restoration, standing shoulder to shoulder at Harbin Ice and Snow World, a landmark theme park. Chinese and French artists will work together to stage French composer Charles Gounod's five-act opera Romeo and Juliet at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing from Jan 25 to 28. A theater version of Les Miserables and popular musicals Notre-Dame de Paris, Don Juan and Mozart, l'Opera Rock will tour the country. Solo exhibitions of French contemporary artists, such as sculptor Jean Cardot, a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts, installation artist Annette Messager and conceptual artist Bernar Venet, will be launched. And an augmented reality show will be leading the audience into an immersive voyage through the 850-year history of Notre-Dame, from its construction to the restoration after the catastrophic fire in 2019. The Tandem festival, featuring Chinese and French contemporary literature, and the award ceremony of the Fu Lei Translation and Publishing Awards, both initiated by the French embassy in China, will mark the yearlong celebration with an insightful ending, according to Nicolas Pillerel, minister counselor for culture, education and scientific affairs of the embassy. Conductor Li Xincao, the China National Traditional Orchestra and the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre will give a concert at the Royal Opera Versailles in Paris, together with its resident orchestra, on Jan 31, as an overture for events spanning the whole year in France, according to Zheng Hao, a first-level inspector at the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun and the China National Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with influential local soloists, will be touring French cities with classical musical pieces from both countries. A Tang Dynasty (618-907) artifact exhibition will be held at the Guimet Museum, also known as the National Museum of Asian Arts, in Paris, featuring more than 200 exhibits, including pottery figurines, tangsancai (tricolored glazed pottery), textiles, calligraphy and paintings, among others. China's regional cultural traditions, such as the lanterns of Zigong, Sichuan province; porcelain from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province; as well as kites from Weifang, Shandong province, will also be highlighted in various events in cities like Paris, Bellac, Amneville and Montauban. This plan has already been discussed before, but now it is being increasingly discussed in expert circles. It has become known that three Republican-led committees of the House of Representatives have released a document severely criticizing the Biden administration for insufficient assistance to Ukraine. It is called the "Plan for Victory in Ukraine". Actually, it has already been discussed before, and now it is being discussed more and more actively in expert circles. Among other things, it is proposed to immediately provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons, both ATACMS and F-16s, and to give Ukraine frozen Russian assets. In Republican circles, most understand this. The combination of these three points - the military assistance that we need, the tightening of sanctions so that the Russian economy begins to collapse as quickly as possible, and frozen Russian assets - if you put it all together, this is the key to our victory. Read also: Biden to Republicans If youre being celebrated by Russian propagandists, time for a rethink In Republican circles, most understand this. There are these hype people who are called Trumpists, but there are a handful of people who are populists who feed on hype and nothing more. The sober-minded part of the Republicans is sane. Nikki Haley is a perfect example of this when she says reasonable things that resonate in the minds and hearts of many Republicans and ordinary Americans. So, it goes to show that we are on the right track. If we work with the Republicans, but do not interfere in any way with their internal party debates and discussions, then the decision to provide us with assistance will be made in the near future. Read also: U.S. suspends military aid to Ukraine - White House In general, their demands are correct. Why can't we still get the same long-range missiles of 300-500 kilometers and not only defend ourselves against those missiles launched from the same Saratov airfield by Russian strategic aviation but also hit those planes on the spot? Why can't we get $300 billion from Russia for a war against Russia itself? These talks about how this could somehow violate international law are for fools. The Russian Federation, which has trampled international law repeatedly, brazenly, and joyfully, should be treated in the same way so that it understands what it is doing. There are a lot of reasonable things in this document. I think that if both Democrats and Republicans unite in their desire to help Ukraine, the situation on the battlefield, and therefore in Russia itself, will begin to change in our favor very, very quickly. Read also: White House signals support for bill legalizing transfer of $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine Turning to the Russian frozen assets that could be provided to Ukraine: There are two ways to use these funds. First, to rebuild what can be rebuilt now, although the risk of the Russian aggressor using the same missiles does not disappear. That money can also be used for the purchase of weapons for Ukraine. This relieves huge internal problems in some countries, such as the United States. Very often, some populist Republicans accuse Biden of spending American money on distant Ukraine. They say we have a lot of problems ourselves. Why should we give money away? This is unimaginable on the scale of the American budget. But even so, for populists, $3 is a lot of money. So, if this confiscated money is used to buy the weapons we need from the Americans, then, sorry, the discussion stops. Maybe, of course, some Republicans don't like this because they will lose a pivotal point in their program of criticizing Biden. Nevertheless, common sense will prevail, and this will not happen. 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 lashed out at GOP primary challenger Vivek Ramaswamy, who calls himself an America first candidate while praising Trump. The fury came after Trumps campaign got upset over Ramaswamys photo with a group of supporters wearing Save Trump, Vote Vivek shirts bearing Trumps mugshot in an apparent reference to Ramaswamy's pledge to pardon the former president. Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, the best President in generations, etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the other side dont get duped by this. Vote for TRUMP, dont waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA. Trump lashed out at Ramaswamy again on Monday ahead of the Iowa caucus, warning that a VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE. I LIKE VIVEK, BUT HE PLAYED IT TOO CUTE WITH US, he wrote. Trump hits Vivek again pic.twitter.com/xVMiM812mT Michael Duncan (@MichaelDuncan) January 15, 2024 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow primary foe, mocked the situation on Monday after Trump threw Ramaswamy under the bus. Ive never seen a candidate run for an office and basically campaign for another candidate in the same race before, and thats whats happening. But the minute he wasnt useful, you know, they dropped the hammer on it. So thats just kind of the way, way they are, DeSantis said. .@RonDeSantis says he noticed that Trump threw @VivekGRamaswamy under the bus. The minute he wasn't useful, you know, they dropped the hammer on it. So that's just kind of the way they are. pic.twitter.com/VcTxThPCsH Kit Maher (@KitMaherCNN) January 14, 2024 PLYMOUTH The nips are staying in liquor stores after all. A small majority of voters at a special referendum election Saturday has overturned the Plymouth ban that was to start July 1. Plymouth town meeting in October had voted to ban the sale of small alcohol bottles known as nips. The measure passed by a 72-62 vote. Saturday's ballot question asked voters if the ban should be allowed to go into effect. The vote to repeal the measure passed by 165 votes, according to the town clerk's office, with 3,682 against the ban and 3,517 in favor of allowing it to take effect. The 7,199 residents who voted represent a little over 15% of Plymouth's 46,565 registered voters, a percentage within the town's average turnout range of the low to mid teens, according to past election results. Plymouth's nip ban has been overturned. Those favoring the ban cited pollution and environmental concerns, saying nips are a common source of litter after being used and tossed out of cars or dropped on the ground. Opponents of the ban said it would have unfairly restricted the ability of liquor store owners to make money and would have reduced customers' choices. Plymouth would have joined a handful of Massachusetts cities and towns that have nip bans, including Chelsea, Newton, Wareham, New Bedford, Mashpee and Falmouth. There has been little push to impose the ban in other South Shore towns. Some at the meeting said the ban should be statewide. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Plymouth voters reject ban on sale of nip bottles Poland's President Andrzej Duda, left, who is allied with the right-wing opposition, and new pro-European Union Prime Minister Donald Tusk shake hands before talks on Poland's security and continuing support for neighbouring Ukraine, at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Monday Jan. 15, 2024. Tusk is to travel to Kyiv in the coming days at the invitation of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) WARSAW, Poland (AP) Polands new Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday crucial elections to choose city mayors and provincial and county administration leaders would be held April 7, with a runoff April 21. The elections will test the new pro-European Union coalition government's popular support, just six months after it won parliamentary elections. Tusk and his Cabinet took office last month, vowing to restore the importance and powers of city mayors and local governments which the previous right-wing government sought to limit. Local administrations suffered slashed funding and stalled projects and investments. I hope that April will prove to be a good month for Poland's local government activists, the premier said. Tensions between the new government and the previously ruling Law and Justice party, now the opposition, and its ally President Andrzej Duda, have escalated. Law and Justice has been delaying government-proposed bills in parliament. Duda has vetoed a bill on state media funding and his aide warned the president will keep rejecting the cabinet's proposals. Investigators work at the site of a shooting in Shikokuchuo City, Ehime prefecture, western Japan Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Japanese police were searching Monday for a suspect who fatally shot a customer at a Starbucks in what was reportedly a gang-related crime. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO (AP) Japanese police were searching Monday for a suspect who shot and killed a customer at a Starbucks the previous day in what was reportedly a gang-related crime. The man was fatally shot in the chest at a shopping mall in the city of Shikokuchuo in Ehime prefecture on the southwestern main island of Shikoku, local police said. He was rushed to a hospital but later pronounced dead, the statement said. The victim, a 49-year-old man, was in a terrace section of a store before he collapsed, police said, declining to confirm reports he was at a Starbucks outlet. The suspected shooter, whom police described as a middle-aged man, is on the run and the motive is not known. Nobody else was hurt and police said they are looking into the possibility that the victim was targeted but declined to confirm Japanese media reports they are investigating the shooting as gang-related. The area is close to elementary and junior high schools, and police and city officials have used community disaster alert system to urge the residents to use caution. Japan has strict gun control laws and its few gun-related crimes are often linked to gangsters. Homemade guns have been used or suspected in some high-profile shootings, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. You are here: Arts A Diplomatic Intangible Cultural Heritage Gala was held on Jan 11 in Beijing. The event was hosted by the Global Cultural Diplomacy Committee, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Institute of Chinese Place Names Magazine Agency and the organizing committee of the World Inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage Conference. The event aimed to create an international platform for the exchange and mutual learning of intangible cultural heritage, fostering international communication and cooperation in this field. Diplomatic envoys from over 80 countries, including Cuba, Colombia, Malawi, Chad, Portugal, Argentina, Slovenia, Spain, and Venezuela, attended the ceremony. Also present were cultural sector leaders, experts, intangible cultural heritage inheritors, industry scholars, representative enterprises, and media from various fields. The event also featured a fashion show of traditional costumes of Chinese ethnic groups, and performances of Chinese folk songs and acrobatics, as well as drum dancing, and traditional dances from Malaysia and Russia. Several young inheritors of intangible cultural heritage also displayed their skills. Two-thirds of Californians most likely to vote in the Republican primary intend to cast their ballots for Trump, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Times. (Associated Press) No matter the results of the Iowa caucus on Monday night, new polling suggests that Republicans vying for the presidential nomination face the equivalent of a brick wall on Super Tuesday, in the form of former President Trump. In California, one of 15 states holding Republican primaries on March 5, two-thirds of voters considered likely to take part in the Republican primary said they would cast their ballot for Trump, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. That's up from an already dominant 57% in October. The poll, taken Jan. 4-8, suggests that California conservatives could provide a significant boost to Trump's efforts to clinch his party's nomination early in the primary season, despite his relatively light presence in early primary states. This year's primary is the first under new "winner-take-all" rules set last summer by the California Republican Party, which allocate all 169 delegates the most of any state to a candidate who wins more than 50% of the vote. California's delegation accounts for nearly 14% of the delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination. "It's now a different ballgame, and it certainly benefits Trump if he can follow through on these numbers," said Mark DiCamillo, the director of the Berkeley IGS poll. "If Trump carries California, he's a long way toward securing the nomination." Previously, Republican presidential candidates received three delegates for each congressional district they won in California, meaning several candidates could make gains in the Golden State. Trump holds similarly large leads in several other Super Tuesday states, according to recent polls. All told, just over one-third of the delegates to the GOP convention will be settled that day. Trump's strategists hope to win enough of them to put the nomination out of contention at that point, which would be before any of the four criminal trials he faces are scheduled to begin. Read more: Schiff takes narrow lead in Senate race; tight contest for second, new poll shows Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley is now Trump's closest competitor in California, but she is running a distant second place, with support from 11% of likely voters, the new poll found. Haley backers hope that a strong showing in Iowa coupled with a possible win in New Hampshire later this month could give her enough momentum to truly challenge Trump for the nomination. The poll suggests why that will be so difficult. She performs best among the relatively small segments of California Republicans who described themselves as politically moderate or liberal and those with a postgraduate education. Among self-described "strongly conservative" voters, who play an outsize role in Republican primaries, 5% back her. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in February of last year was leading Trump in California, is "falling like a stone," DiCamillo said. DeSantis is now the choice of 8% of the state's likely Republican voters. The general election is a different story. The outcome of the race has been clouded by Trump's legal battles, President Biden's sinking popularity among younger voters and Latinos, and the presence of third-party and independent candidates, including progressive activist Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Read more: With her California dream broken, she found a political haven in Iowa The poll suggests that support for Biden in California continues to be tepid, despite the state's deep-blue politics. Half of California voters have a favorable view of Biden, while 48% say their view is unfavorable. His job approval among all registered voters 44% approve and 52% disapprove hasn't moved significantly from October, when, for the first time, a majority of Californians disapproved of Biden's job performance. "Hes underwater, which is not a great place to be in a blue state," DiCamillo said. Biden's support has eroded more among some voter groups, including Latinos. Democrats have a 2-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans among Latinos in California, DiCamillo said. But the poll found that just 38% of likely Latino voters in California have a favorable view of Biden. That number falls to 34% among Latinos for whom Spanish is their dominant language, a group that in past elections has tended to be more Democratic than other Latinos. Biden is also struggling to retain the support of young voters. Just 4 in 10 likely voters younger than 30 have a positive view of Biden, compared with 6 in 10 likely voters older than 75. "Those are big changes, and theyre typically a very key Democratic constituency," DiCamillo said. Asked about a hypothetical five-candidate field that includes West, Kennedy and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, the poll found that Biden would hold a 16-point lead over Trump in California, 47%-31%, significantly less than his 30-point victory margin in 2020. The poll found 6% support for Kennedy, 2% for West, and 1% for Stein, while 12% of likely voters remained undecided. Read more: L.A. Times poll: Younger, older Californians take starkly different views of Israel-Hamas war In a head-to-head contest with no third-party candidates, Biden's lead over Trump would increase to 19 points, 56%-37%, with 7% undecided, the poll found. If Vice President Kamala Harris were the Democratic nominee, she would beat Trump in the state by an almost identical margin, 55%-37%. Biden would also beat Haley in California, 51%-34%, but with 16% of voters undecided, the poll found. Younger voters' and Latinos' souring on Biden is not unique to California. In some swing states, where the contest is much closer, polls have found Biden trailing Trump in hypothetical 2024 matchups. But the mixed reception for Biden's job performance is better than how voters in California see Trump: 34% positively, 63% negatively, including 58% whose view of the former president is "strongly unfavorable." Kennedy, who is running as an independent, has clocked double-digit support in some polls of swing states. That isn't the case in California, where he is polling at 6% among likely voters. Kennedy worked as an environmental lawyer in New York for years, but now lives part-time in Los Angeles with his wife, actor Cheryl Hines. He has played up his California ties since he launched his campaign, recording videos at the Venice Boardwalk and in the Santa Monica Mountains and hosting fundraisers with Westside yoga teachers. That appeal hasn't seemed to have worked in California, where his approval rating is 31%, the poll found. Nearly two-thirds of California Democrats report disliking Kennedy, who spent decades as a Democrat and ran as a Democrat in the presidential primary until he launched his independent bid in October. "Republicans are much more positive in their views of Kennedy" than Democrats or voters with no party preference, DiCamillo said. "It's really interesting." The poll found that 50% of California Republicans have a strongly favorable or somewhat favorable view of Kennedy, who founded the anti-vaccine organization Childrens Health Defense. Among conservative voters, Kennedy is the second most popular political figure, following Trump, suggesting that he could be an option for disaffected Republicans. West, who launched an independent bid for the presidency in October, is far less known among California voters than Kennedy. The poll found 15% of likely California voters with a favorable opinion of the progressive activist, while 27% say they see him unfavorably, and 58% don't have an opinion. The Berkeley IGS poll was conducted Jan. 4-8 online among a random sample of 8,199 registered voters, including a weighted sub-sample of 4,470 likely primary voters and 1,351 likely Republican primary voters. The results were weighted to match census and voter registration benchmarks, so estimates of the margin of error may be imprecise; however, the results have an estimated margin of error of 2 percentage points in either direction for the full likely voter sample and 3.5 percentage points for the Republican primary sample. Get the best of the Los Angeles Times politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The sounds of laughter, music and conversation filled the sunny air as hundreds of people came out Sunday to Tom Triplett Park for Pooler's first farmers' market; a mega collaboration between Live Like Locals Savannah, the City of Pooler and Chatham County Parks and Recreation. The event had more than 100 vendors and stretched along every inch of the 200-acre park. Gabby Washington, a resident of Savannah said she found the event just by searching for "farmers' market" online and stumbled upon this one - which she wasn't expecting to be as massive as it was. "I didn't know it'd be this big and this spread out, and it has been a surprise," Washington said. "I do like it, I love the idea of a farmer's market, as long as they work out some kinks and do some consolidation." She said her favorite vendor had been Books & Black Coffee, a Black-owned bookstore that has partnered with Indulge coffee, which is also Black-owned. It was one of the vendors that was in the author's alley, which featured author's reading and signing their books. There was also an artists' alley, a kids' alley, a cultural corner, which featured both Black and Hispanic vendors and more. This was only their second time being at an event, said Sierra James, the assistant at Books & Black Coffee, but she said so far, so good. Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force receives national designation Former Pooler City Manager Robert Byrd to receive two years' severance pay "We do want to be out and open with the community, and we want to get our business out there, but we also want to have a safe environment for people to enjoy reading," James said. A lot of vendors chose to participate in the farmers' market for a chance to fill in that gap for their businesses during the slower months of December and January. "I'm in the Charleston area, and so I look for markets outside of Charleston," said Sabrina Burrell, the owner of The Other Plate, where she sells plant-based cookies. "It's a good opportunity also to collaborate with people who are from here, to keep ourselves on top of what's coming up in the next season." A jewelry vendor shows a kid some products at Pooler's farmers market. Shawna Junior, the owner of Southern Henna, said that she usually doesn't do markets in January, choosing instead to focus on private parties and clients and corporate events. "I am picky about choosing which markets to do, but I decided to do this one because I'm big on supporting the community, and this is the first one here in Pooler," Junior said. "So I thought, hey, why not come out and support the community. It turned out a lot bigger and better than I expected." There were some concerns from attendees and vendors about the traffic and number of vendors at the event. Some attendees began parking along Highway 80 and jumping out of the cars to walk there. Some complained on Facebook about an hour wait to get in and out of the park. "I definitely wish that all the vendors were closer together," said Hilary Jeffers, the owner of Midnight Menagerie, which offers upcycled clothing and plus-size vintage. "I wish there was more signage indicating where things are, where parking is, where the actual farmers market is. There's also a lot of vendors here so people get overwhelmed and just stay in one area for 30 minutes. I think it's just a lot for people to digest." Jeffers said that she thinks all the kinks could be worked out, but it should be scaled down drastically. It was the largest event she had been a vendor at in the year she's been open. Pooler Mayor Karen Williams welcomes attendees to Pooler's first farmers market. JCB, a primary sponsor of the event, Chatham County Parks and Recreation and Mayor Karen Williams of Pooler welcomed residents. Williams mentioned the traffic as an issue, and asked residents to please be patient as they work out the issues for the next farmer's market, which will be on Feb. 11. Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Pooler's farmers' market sees hundreds in attendance By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday defended a landmark decision approving blessings for same-sex couples, suggesting that those in the Catholic Church who have resisted it have jumped to "ugly conclusions" because they do not understand it. In a television interview, Francis made his first public comments since the Dec. 18 declaration sparked widespread debate in the Church, with bishops in some countries, particularly in Africa, refusing to let their priests implement it. "Sometimes decisions are not accepted, but in most cases when decisions are not accepted, it is because they are not understood," Francis said in response to a specific question about the December declaration. "The danger is that if I don't like something and I put it (the opposition) in my heart, I become a resistance and jump to ugly conclusions," he said during a link from his Vatican residence with the "Che Tempo Che Fa" program on Italy's Channel 9. "This is what happened with these latest decisions on blessings for all," he said, referring to the declaration known by its Latin title Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust). It was issued by the Vatican's doctrinal department and approved by him. Since the original declaration, the Vatican has been at pains to stress that the blessings did not amount to an approval of gay sex and should not be seen as anything remotely equivalent to the sacrament of marriage for heterosexual couples. But even a clarification earlier this month from the Vatican's doctrinal department did not sway bishops in Africa, where in some countries same-sex activity can lead to prison or even the death penalty. They issued a letter last week saying the December declaration had caused "unrest in the minds of many" and could not be applied because of the continent's cultural context. Some bishops in France told their priests they could bless gay individuals but not couples. The Church teaches that gay sex is sinful and disordered and people with same-sex attractions should try to be chaste and the pope appeared to be alluding to this is his response. "The Lord blesses everyone," Francis said. "But then people have to enter into a dialogue with the blessing of the Lord and see the path that the Lord proposes. We (the Church) have to take them by the hand and lead them along that path and not condemn them from the start". Since his election in 2013, Francis has tried to make the Church, with its 1.35 billion members, more welcoming to LGBT people, without changing moral doctrine. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) A Portland, Ore., police car was buried under a fallen tree during a severe winter storm that rocked the Pacific Northwest over the weekend. Police officials said no one was in the cruiser when the tree fell due to high winds and ice accumulation. Photo courtesy Portland Police Bureau/X Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Residents of Portland, Ore., spent Monday assessing the damage from a deadly weekend winter storm even as forecasters warned more freezing rain and likely power outages are on the way. Damage was widespread throughout Oregon in the wake of the wake of the weekend storm that brought high winds, snow, sleet, and freezing rain to swathes of the Pacific Northwest, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. Local officials said the frigid weather contributed to at least four deaths while emergency rooms in Multnomah County, which includes Portland, saw 25 cold-related visits, KGW-TV reported. Downed trees and power lines closed many roads and knocked out power across the northwestern part of the state over the weekend. After reaching a peak of 160,000 homes and businesses without power on Saturday, nearly 94,000 remained without power as of midday Monday, according to PowerOutage.us. Portland General Electric said more than 1,400 employees, crews and support staff from across Oregon, California, Idaho and Washington worked on Sunday to address the multitude of problems around the region. They included at least 850 downed power lines with some lines wrapped around fallen tree limbs, as well as transformer and substation damage with other damaged equipment. Portland's Bureau of Transportation said that as of 11 a.m. Monday, 42 roads were still closed in the city entirely due to downed trees or power lines. "Our snow and ice routes have been well treated and plowed and should be navigable for vehicles with front-wheel drive," transportation officials said on social media. PBT also advised the public to run important errands ahead of the expected continuation of freezing weather and possible worsening of conditions. "Prepare to hunker down and avoid travel one more time before this event is behind us," they said. Multnomah County said it is urgently seeking volunteers to assist at warming shelters, which will remain open through at least noon Tuesday due to the severe weather. National Weather Service forecasters said more freezing rain is forecast across northwest Oregon and southwestern Washington state starting late Tuesday morning, with ice accumulations between 0.10 and 0.50 inch. "Prepare for additional tree damage/power outages. Ice will make for EXTREMELY dangerous travel conditions," they warned. (Bloomberg) -- After years of watching the Czech stock market shrink, its boss now sees the very survival of the bourse hinging on how much politicians meddle with the countrys most prized asset. Most Read from Bloomberg Power producer CEZ AS the biggest traded company in the European Unions eastern wing with a $23 billion valuation is entangled in government efforts to boost control over energy industry. While the cabinet is vague about its plans, the risk is that it will end up carving up the utility and taking part of it off the market. The state has no reason to delist CEZ, or its part, after the energy crisis has abated, Prague Stock Exchange Chief Executive Officer Petr Koblic said in an interview. He called on the government to stop seeking more ownership of power plants, and even urged it to sell some of its 70% stake in the utility to help rein in the budget deficit and rekindle trading. Koblic, 52, warned that without CEZ the bourse would probably be kicked out of emerging-market indexes and reclassified as a frontier market, triggering outflows of tens of billions of euros. As that would mean the end of the Czech capital market, politicians now appear to be moving away from such option, according to the CEO. The whole debate about whether the government should buy out CEZ minorities has been totally misguided, Koblic said. The worst-case scenario facing the market right now is some sort of a split, in which one part of CEZ would remain listed, possibly with a much higher free float, while the other part would be delisted. CEZ shares have been more volatile than peers since mid-2022 on speculations about various revamp options and their potential impact on investors and the exchange. The state might get full ownership of the entire company or its power plants, take over its nuclear-reactor projects, or even do nothing. The stock is down about 20% since its 15-year high reached last year, underperforming other European utilities in the period. CEZ rose 0.2% to 956 koruna as of 12:05 p.m. on Monday. To cut reliance on Russian energy imports following invasion of Ukraine, the Czechs have mostly switched to LNG shipments via western Europe, commissioned by CEZ, while the government has also bought natural gas storage facilities and pipelines. But gaining more ownership of power plants has proved difficult. Plans to curb state debt make the government unlikely to pay the premium investors would demand in any buyout, while a draft law allowing the state to force an uneven split of CEZ assets without the consent of minority owners is nowhere near approval in parliament. Read more: Czechs Delay Verdict on Bill Guiding Revamp of Power Maker CEZ During two decades in his job, Koblic has had to contend with Czech companies preferring to take loans over selling shares, which has kept initial public offerings at minimum. The bourse has also endured some high-profile departures, including drugmaker Zentiva, telecommunications group O2 Czech Republic, coal miner New World Resources and broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises. As a result, the turnover within the main PX Index shrank 87% between a peak in 2007 and last year. That compared with a 24% increase for the S&P 500 Index and a 76% surge in neighboring Poland. To slow the decline, Koblic launched the START platform for small companies, which has hosted 15 IPOs since 2018 but has a total market capitalization of just over $500 million. One of its members has recently moved to the main market, with another company likely to follow soon, a trend that the CEO hopes will encourage more startups to go public. He said the government should also consider an IPO of Pragues international airport, while still keeping majority for strategic reasons. People keep saying the government could boost the capital market by floating more assets, Koblic said. But there is not much more to float, other than the rest of CEZ and the airport. (Updates with additional CEO comment in fifth paragraph, CEZ share price in seventh.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. In this image made from video, volcanic activity is seen in Grindavik, Iceland, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Icelands president says the country is battling tremendous forces of nature after molten lava from a volcano consumed several houses in the evacuated town of Grindavik. (Bjorn Steinbekk via AP) REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) Icelands president said the country is battling tremendous forces of nature after molten lava from a volcano in the islands southwest consumed several houses in the evacuated town of Grindavik. Scientists said Monday that the eruption appeared to be dying down, but it was too soon to declare the danger over. Iceland's Meteorological Office said it is difficult to estimate how long this eruption will last. President Gudni Th. Johannesson said in a televised address late Sunday that a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes Peninsula where a long-dormant volcanic system has awakened. A volcano on the peninsula erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday, with orange lava bursting through two fissures near the fishing town of Grindavik. Authorities had ordered residents to leave hours earlier as a swarm of small earthquakes indicated an imminent eruption. The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa one of Icelands biggest tourist attractions also shut and said that it would remain closed until at least Tuesday. Grindavik, a town of 3,800 people about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, was previously evacuated in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years with a series of earthquakes that opened large cracks in the earth between the town and Sylingarfell, a small mountain to the north. The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. Residents were allowed to return to their homes on Dec. 22. Since then, emergency workers have been building defensive walls that have stopped much of the lava flow from the new eruption short of the town. The Icelandic Met Office said Monday that lava flow has decreased from the eruptive fissures that opened yesterday. Flow from the southern eruptive fissure, which emerged around noon yesterday near the towns border, seems to have ceased. The majority of the remaining lava flow is now directed southwest along the protective barriers, and its trajectory seems to have stabilized. No one has been killed in the eruptions, but a workman is missing after reportedly falling into a crack opened by the volcano. We dont yet know how this eruption will unfold, but we must still take those actions that are within our power, the president said. We will carry on with our responsibilities and we will continue to stand together. We continue to hope for as good an outcome as possible, in the face of these tremendous forces of nature, he added. Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages one eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and disrupted trans-Atlantic air travel for months. The latest eruption isnt expected to release large amounts of ash into the air. Operations at Keflavik Airport are continuing as normal, said Gudjon Helgason, spokesperson for airport operator Isavia. The Princess Royal had warned Coronation organisers that a feather, which made global headlines on the day after obscuring Prince Harrys face, was quite a decent-sized hat but was told to wear it anyway. The Princess raised concerns about the large headpiece, she has said, and had only changed seats to one in front of her nephew at the last minute, seeking a speedy exit. The plume of the Blues and Royals caused amusement worldwide for blocking Prince Harrys view from his third-row seat at his fathers Coronation. In a new book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, by Robert Hardman, the Princess defends herself against allegations she had done it on purpose. At the Coronation itself, Prince Harry was seated in the third row of the royal section, immediately behind Princess Anne, who was wearing a striking red-plumed bicorn hat that remained on her head throughout, he writes. Social media snipers instantly concluded that Harry had been deliberately placed behind his aunts tall hat to obscure his view. This is nonsense. Not only do the Lord Chamberlains Office not think like that, but the Princess Royal had only switched to that seat after her request for a speedy exit. The hat was an interesting question, the Princess recalled later. I said: Are you sure you want me to keep the hat on? Because its quite a decent-sized hat. And the answer was yes. There you go. Not my choice. Prince Harry had attended the Coronation without his wife and two children, who remained at home in California. He made only a brief appearance in public, taking the first possible flight after the ceremony to make it home to see Archie Mountbatten-Windsor on his fourth birthday. Prince Harry relayed in his memoir how it was Princess Anne who was first to greet him at Balmoral after the death of Elizabeth II - RICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images The seating plan had relegated him to the third row, where he took a position between Jack Brooksbank, the husband of Princess Eugenie, and the late Queens cousin Princess Alexandra. Social media had been alight with jokes about the red feather, with critics of the Duke of Sussex claiming she had worn it on purpose to cement his estranged status. The Duke had been seen in pleasant conversation with his aunt beforehand, also talking to Princess Beatrices husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, during the service. There was no known interaction with his brother and sister-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales. Writing in his own memoir Spare, Prince Harry relayed how it was Princess Anne who was first to greet him at Balmoral after the death of Elizabeth II, when he arrived later than most of his family. Meeting him with a hug, she took him to the late Queens bedroom to pay his respects. The book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story by Robert Hardman, is out in hardback on Jan 18, published by Macmillan. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago city officials say they were not expecting any buses to arrive Sunday and that all migrants were housed in some type of shelter. The city also provided an update, saying it has received more than 33,000 asylum seekers in total. Of those, 317 are awaiting placement, with 249 of them at O'Hare International Airport. Sixty-eight were staying at the Harold Washington Library Emergency Warming Shelter Sunday night. With the bitter-cold Chicago area weather in mind, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, took out a full-page ad in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper, publishing a letter he sent to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. The letter urges Abbott to stop sending migrants to Chicago. "The next few days are a threat to the families and children you are sending here. I am pleading with you to at least pause these transports in order to save lives," Pritzker wrote to his Texas counterpart. "I plead with you for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves. Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable people's lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state." Pritzker said continuing to send buses and planes of migrants to Chicago amid heavy snow, with bitter cold on its way, could cost lives. "You are now sending asylum seekers from Texas to the Upper Midwest in the middle of winter many without coats, without shoes to protect them from the snow to a city whose shelters are already overfilled with migrants you sent here. Chicago's temperatures this weekend are forecast to drop below zero. Your callousness, sending buses and planes full of migrants in this weather, is now life-threatening to every one of the arrivals. Hundreds of children's and families' health and survival are at risk due to your actions," Pritzker wrote. Abbott's office was having none of it, the American-Statesman reported. Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris told the newspaper, "Governor Pritzker was all too proud to call Illinois 'the most welcoming state in the nation' until Governor Abbott began transporting migrants to Chicago. Instead of complaining about migrants sent from Texas, where we are also preparing to experience severe winter weather across the state, Governor Pritzker should call on his party leader to finally do his job and secure the border something he continues refusing to do. "Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue transporting migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis." Neurosurgeon pioneers Alzheimer's, addiction treatments using ultrasound | 60 Minutes Reaching the heights of professional cliff diving Pee-cycling: Turning human urine into fertilizer The decision to confiscate frozen Russian assets must be taken on a collective level and is unlikely to happen quickly, U.S. Special Representative for Economic Recovery in Ukraine Penny Pritzker said during the World Economic Forum on Jan. 15, Ukrinform reported. Western countries have frozen over $300 billion in the Russian central bank's sovereign assets since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Last week, Bloomberg reported that the White House backs legislation that would allow the confiscation of Russia's funds. Washington reportedly seeks to coordinate such a step with Group of the Seven (G7) members. "I think there's enormous hope that the Russian sovereign assets could become an easy source of financing," Pritzker said at the sidelines of the Davos summit, according to the Radio France Internationale (RFI). "The whole thing is very complicated. And the first thing you know is a ton of lawyers need to get involved." Around two-thirds of the assets are held in European accounts, while only up to $5 billion are frozen at U.S. institutions. Involved countries have been so far hesitant to outright seize the assets over numerous legal and fiscal pitfalls. Instead, the EU has been discussing ways of providing Ukraine with a windfall tax on profits generated by the frozen assets. In October, Belgium announced it would create a $1.8 billion fund for Ukraine, financed by the tax revenue from interest on frozen Russian assets. The World Bank assessed early in 2023 that the total cost of Ukraine's reconstruction would amount to $411 billion. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba commented earlier this week that the full amount of Russian assets could cover over 80% of recovery costs. The U.S., with the support of the U.K., Japan, and Canada, are reportedly preparing viable options for confiscating the assets, which should be discussed during a G7 meeting in February. Read also: Opinion: Seizing Russias frozen assets is the right move Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. An extremist group that organised a pro-Palestine protest at which there were chants of jihad is to be banned in Britain for allegedly promoting Hamas, James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, has announced. Hizb ut-Tahrir will join a list of more than 50 proscribed organisations, which includes Islamic State, Al-Qaeda, Hamas and the Russian Wagner mercenaries. The move means it becomes an offence to be a member of the group or to support it, and carries a maximum jail sentence of up to 14 years and/or a fine of up to 5,000 for doing so. Officials cited incidents including Hizb ut-Tahrir describing Hamas as heroes on its website, praising the Oct 7 attacks on Israel and celebrating attacks against Israel. Mr Cleverly said: Hizb ut-Tahrir is an anti-Semitic organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling October 7 attacks. Proscribing this terrorist group will ensure that anyone who belongs to and invites supports for them will face consequences. It will curb Hizb ut-Tahrirs ability to operate as it does. Two previous prime ministers, Lord Cameron and Sir Tony Blair, have sought to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir but backed off after protests by campaigners that it was a non-violent group and warnings by legal advisers that a ban would not be enforceable. However, the surge in pro-Palestinian protests following Hamass terror attack on Israel are understood to have led to a review of the position. In October, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement after a demonstration organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, saying it had reviewed footage of a man chanting jihad, jihad. A Met spokesman said: The word has a number of meanings but we know the public will most commonly associate it with terrorism. Specialist officers have assessed the video and have not identified any offences arising from the specific clip. In the same month, The Telegraph revealed how Hizb ut-Tahrir hosted an online event in which prominent members described the massacre of Israelis as good news and egg on the face of the Jewish state. The event was one of several in which prominent UK-based Hizb ut-Tahrir members appeared to celebrate attacks by Hamas, despite the group previously insisting it does not promote fear, criminality or terrorism. Prominent members called for Muslim armies to now move to liberate the whole land of Palestine. One article posted on Hizb ut-Tahrir Britains website, entitled Let 7th October be remembered, claimed Muslims were overjoyed at the events. A draft order banning the group will take effect from Jan 19 if agreed by Parliament. Founded in 1953, Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international political group with a long-term goal of establishing a Caliphate ruled under Islamic law. While their headquarters are in Lebanon, the group operates in at least 32 countries including the UK, United States, Canada and Australia. Proscription makes it a criminal offence to belong to a proscribed organisation, invite support for it (whether financial or moral backing or approval), express an opinion or belief that is supportive of the organisation, or arrange, manage or help organise a meeting of the group. It also bans the wearing of clothing or displaying articles in public such as flags that would arouse reasonable suspicion that the individual is a member or supporter of the group, or publish an image or item of clothing or other article such as a flag or logo in the same circumstances. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer. A key pillar of the economy, China's private sector, comprising more than 50 million enterprises, is expected to see in 2024 a breakout year, riding the policy bonanza that marked last year, industry experts said. A slew of supportive policies announced last year will be implemented with intense focus, generating real benefits for private enterprises this year, they said. They further said private enterprises, which contribute over 50 percent of the country's tax revenue, 60 percent of GDP, 70 percent of technological innovation and 80 percent of urban jobs, are expected to play a bigger role in driving China's economic growth this year. "This year, China's private sector will be less constrained and is expected to receive more encouragement and support from authorities. Private enterprises will also move forward with fewer burdens," said Dong Yu, executive vice-president of the China Institute for Development Planning at Tsinghua University. Dong, who had also worked for the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, made the remarks after reviewing the leadership's vision for this year announced at the Central Economic Work Conference in December. The tone-setting conference said the nation will implement a number of measures to strengthen private enterprises, including better market access, access to factors of production, fair law enforcement, and protection of rights and interests. "In fact, many major tasks envisioned during the conference provide development directions for the private sector to take this year," Dong said. For instance, private enterprises are expected to help China develop new productivity boosters. Wang Peng, a senior researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said potential measures this year could include the removal of institutional barriers restricting market access for private enterprises, strengthened fair law enforcement and increased financial support, including tax reductions and credit assistance. Notably, the conference also emphasized efforts to implement new mechanisms for cooperation between the government and sources of private capital. The country will support the participation of private capital in "new infrastructure "and other areas, the leadership said during the conference. New infrastructure refers to high-tech facilities that use, or are related to, artificial intelligence, the latest telecom formats, the industrial internet and the internet of things (networks of devices that can connect and exchange data). Song Xiangqing, a professor of the School of Government at Beijing Normal University, said private companies are expected to have more opportunities to play a bigger role in major national projects related to infrastructure, new urbanization, transportation and hydraulic engineering in the future. "The government wants to remove those barriers that hinder the development of private enterprises. The government also aims to enable private enterprises to compete in the market at a higher level and in a larger field. It would activate the intrinsic ability of private enterprises to innovate and become more competitive on the global stage," Song said. Against the backdrop of sluggish world economic recovery, the Chinese government made great efforts in guiding the private sector last year and launched a series of supportive policies. In mid-July, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued guidelines, complete with 31 measures, to boost the growth and development of the private sector. Breaking down market barriers and protecting the rights of entrepreneurs abroad figure among the proposed measures. In late July, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic regulator, unveiled 17 measures to further encourage private investment. It also worked with multiple departments and jointly released 28 measures later to boost the growth of private enterprises, in terms of market access, support for factors of production, legal guarantees, enterprise services and business environment. In September, the NDRC set up a special private sector development bureau, which also marked a milestone in the country's efforts in driving the private sector. The main role of the bureau is to focus on the sector's needs, coordinate and organize the formulation of policies and measures to promote its development, and provide policy incentives to boost private investment. Wei Dong, head of the bureau, said the bureau has already effected concrete measures. For instance, it has added the provision of local government support for the development of the private sector to the list of matters to be annually supervised by the State Council. The bureau will reward those excelling in this regard. Industry experts believe that such efforts are expected to propel private enterprises forward. Soon after the unveiling of the 31 measures, Pony Ma, chairman and CEO of tech giant Tencent Holdings, said in a note: "China's platform economy has entered a brand-new development period, with the traditional business development model being transformed and renewed. The value of platform companies in driving (consumption) demand, innovative development, employment, entrepreneurship and public services is waiting to be fully tapped into. It sets clear the goal of platform enterprises to be open and innovative as well as enables future development." Ma also said that Tencent will develop in line with these directions to be a connector, a toolbox and an assistant, and promote its consumer internet business to boost domestic demand, enhance its industrial internet business to help drive innovative development of the country's modernization, and beef up the competitiveness of the company's overseas business. Across England and Wales, 42 per cent of adults back a policy to remove illegal migrants without appeal The public backs a toughening of the Governments Rwanda plan for illegal migrants, a poll suggests on the eve of a crucial Commons vote on Rishi Sunaks flagship immigration policy. More than half of voters in the Prime Ministers constituency believe people who cross the Channel in small boats should be immediately removed with no right of appeal. Across England and Wales, 42 per cent of voting-age adults back such a policy, which the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick is trying to persuade Mr Sunak to adopt. Another 15 per cent of people think cross-Channel illegal migrants should be removed but with some right of appeal, while 27 per cent of those who expressed a preference opted for the current system of allowing migrants to stay in the country while their claims are processed. In 516 of the 575 constituencies in England and Wales, removal without appeal was the most popular option. In 392 of those constituencies, removal without appeal attracted more support than the other two alternatives combined. An outright majority of voters back removal without appeal in 111 constituencies. The results of the YouGov poll, which surveyed 14,000 adults, suggest ministers are out of touch with the views of the electorate when it comes to illegal immigration. Mr Sunaks Rwanda Bill, which comes before Parliament for a series of crucial votes this week, is the subject of a major rebellion by Tory backbenchers who say it does not go far enough. Mr Jenrick has tabled amendments that would make it much harder for migrants to appeal against deportation to Rwanda, partly by ignoring any attempts by the European Court of Human Rights to stop flights to the African nation taking off. Mr Sunak says he is still open to considering adjustments to his Bill, amid reports that several members of his Cabinet, including Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, have told him the Bill needs to go further. Lee Anderson, the Tory deputy chairman, has suggested he will vote for the rebel amendments if the Government does not incorporate them into the Bill. The YouGov poll is the same survey that has predicted a 120-seat majority for Labour in the general election based on current voting intentions. The Telegraph has already reported that the poll, using the gold standard MRP method of predicting outcomes in individual constituencies, forecasts that the Conservatives will lose 196 of the seats they won in 2019 and be left with 169 MPs to Labours 385. The poll also found that 60 per cent of all voters do not believe the Rwanda Bill in its current form will reduce the number of small boats crossing the Channel. It also found that 95 per cent of 2019 Conservative voters, who now say they will vote for Reform UK, back the policy of removing small boat arrivals without the right of appeal. Some 70 per cent of all Tory defectors back the policy. Separately, the poll found that just 38 per cent of people who voted Conservative in 2019 have made up their minds to vote Tory again this year. Of those who intend to vote for another party, 16 per cent have defected to Reform UK and 9 per cent have switched to Labour. A further 32 per cent do not yet know how they will vote. 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. Pueblo County's two public school districts have reason to celebrate both saw improvements to their four-year high school graduation rates between 2022 and 2023. The Colorado Department of Education reported that 92.3% of Pueblo County School District 70 students from the Class of 2023 graduated high school in four years. It was a 2% improvement from 2022 and the highest graduation rate for Pueblo D70 since the Class of 2020, in which 92.6% of students graduated. "District 70 attributes the improvement to the consistent and active engagements on the part of our counselors, teachers and principals in response to individual student need and the services that we are able to provide for them," Pueblo D70 Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Anthony Martinez said in a statement. Pueblo West High School graduates toss their caps at the conclusion of their commencement ceremony on Friday, May 26, 2023. With a four-year graduation rate of 79.8% in 2023, Pueblo School District 60 improved its four-year graduation rate by 3.2%. Like Pueblo D70, Pueblo D60 recorded its highest graduation rate since 2020. Pueblo D60's graduation rate for the 2019-20 school year was 82.6%. "With the understanding that our efforts must continue, we are very pleased that more of our scholars are remaining in the classroom and graduating, said Charlotte Macaluso, Pueblo D60 superintendent. This is a tribute to the entire District team, from the Leadership Team to support personnel, who every day put the needs of our scholars at the forefront." Pueblo East High School graduates wait to be seated at the start of their commencement ceremony on Friday, May 26, 2023. Colorado's 2023 statewide graduation rate was 83.1% an 0.8% improvement from 2022. Which Pueblo schools had the highest graduation rates? Rye High School, a Pueblo D70 school that graduated 48 seniors in 2023, had a four-year graduation rate of 98.0%, according to the Colorado Department of Education. Despite having much larger student bodies, their district counterparts, Pueblo County High School and Pueblo West High School, had graduation rates that weren't far behind Rye. Pueblo County graduated 95.5% of its students in four years and Pueblo West graduated 93.9%. Rye High School graduates make their way out of the gymnasium at the conclusion of their commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Central High School had a 2023 graduation rate of 91.5% the highest rate of any high school in Pueblo D60. Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School, a Pueblo D60 charter high school, graduated 89.1% of its seniors in 2023. Eight Pueblo-area schools had graduation rates above the state average. In Pueblo D70, in addition to Rye, Pueblo County and Pueblo West, Swallows Charter Academy High School saw a graduation rate of 91.7%. In Pueblo D60, in addition to Central and Dolores Huerta, South High School topped the state average with a rate of 87% and East High School saw a rate of 84.2%. Pueblo Central High School graduates clap for a speaker during the school's commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Centennial High School had a graduation rate of 80.5% and the D70 Alternative Learning Academy graduated 68.3% of its students in four years. Dutch Clark Digital Online at Paragon improved its graduation rate 12% from 39.9% in 2022 to 51.9% in 2023. MLK Jr. Bypass: Pueblo City Council approves renaming U.S. 50 roadway Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bypass Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Here's how Pueblo schools improved their graduation rates in 2023 By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) - The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plans to spend more this year than ever before -- $8.6 billion -- as wider health funding for the lowest income countries stutters after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 budget agreed by the foundations board is up 4% on last year and $2 billion more than in 2021. In a statement, the foundation said global health budgets were in decline overall and contributions to health in the lowest-income countries were stalling. The Gates Foundation is already a key global health funder and has faced criticism over its undue influence, but last year chief executive Mark Suzman said it could not back away until others stepped up, with plans to spend $9 billion annually by 2026. We cant talk about the future of humanity without talking about the future of health, said Bill Gates, the technology billionaire who founded the foundation in 2000 with his then-wife Melinda, who still works with him on it. The Gates Foundation has long focused on innovation in healthcare, and the new funding aims in part to open up access to more new technologies for the worlds most vulnerable people. After a pivot to COVID during the pandemic emergency, 2024 will see a return to the foundations long-established priority areas of tackling wider infectious disease threats and the leading causes of child mortality. Gates said mothers and babies dying simply because of where they live keeps me up at night. He and other Gates executives plan to carry backpacks at the World Economic Forum event in Davos, Switzerland, which starts on Monday, showcasing simple health products that could save millions of lives, from vaccine patches to an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled ultrasound tool. Gates will also talk about the potential for AI in health more broadly at the event. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby, Editing by William Maclean) You are here: China China's Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong on Sunday stressed the importance of promoting the modernization of public security work and called on public security organs across the country to contribute to Chinese modernization. Wang, also a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a national meeting attended by police chiefs from across China. Wang urged efforts from public security organs in safeguarding the country's political security and public security, maintaining social stability, serving economic and social development, and promoting reform in the public security sector. ***Related video above: Flooding in Kennebunk, Maine.*** MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) A record high tide in Maine washed away three historic fishing shacks that had stood since the 1800s and formed the backdrop of countless photographs. Michelle Erskine said she was visiting fishermans point at Willard Beach in South Portland on Saturday when she captured video footage of the last two wooden shacks sliding into the ocean. Oh no. Theyre both going. Oh no! she can be heard saying on the video. Erskine, who has lived in South Portland all her life, said her son had his senior photos taken at the shacks and wedding parties often visited them. Its truly a sad day for the community and the residents of South Portland, Erskine said in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday. History is just being washed away. Incredible video of blizzard conditions at Bills stadium The shacks, owned by the city of South Portland, had just undergone a facelift in October when they were repainted. They were the last in a series of fishing shacks that predate the citys incorporation after they were first built along the shore and then moved to their most recent location in the 1880s. Erskine said they once housed lobster traps and fishing gear. Two shacks were destroyed in an earlier storm in 1978. A record 14.57-foot (4.4-meter) high tide was measured in Portland, Maine, just after noon on Saturday, after a storm surge amplified what was already the months highest tide, said National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Cempa. That broke the previous record of 14.17 feet (4.3 meters) set in 1978 and was the highest since measurements began in 1912. Cempa said the tide gauge measures the difference between the high tide and the average low tide. The surge flooded some homes in Old Orchard Beach and Kennebunkport in Maine, and Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. It came just days after a previous storm damaged one of Maines most beloved lighthouses which is featured on the state quarter. What to keep in your car and how to handle the roads Very sadly, all three fishing shacks at Willard Beach have been completely destroyed, the city wrote on its Facebook page. But the South Portland Historical Society sounded a note of hope, saying on social media that it had prepared for such an event by last year enlisting architects and engineers to create drawings so that everything would be in place to build reproductions of the shacks, if needed. The society is asking for donations to rebuild. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) -Guatemala's new liberal president, Bernardo Arevalo, took office early on Monday after an extended delay that underlined the uphill struggle he faces to meet high expectations and enact a sweeping anti-graft agenda in opposition-controlled Congress. Arevalo, an academic and former diplomat, powered to victory in August, vowing to lift up millions of poor Indigenous Guatemalans, crack down on corruption and protect a democracy that has been under attack. But in a sign of the battles to come, Arevalo's foes in Congress delayed his scheduled inauguration on Sunday by nine hours, signaling that efforts underway since before his landslide election victory to undermine his authority are unlikely to stop soon. Chile's leftist President Gabriel Boric, who had planned to attend the formal swearing in ceremony, left the Guatemalan capital late on Sunday before the delay ended. Now Arevalo's upstart Semilla party, which has only 23 lawmakers in the 160-seat legislature, must broker deals with conservative lawmakers who spent months working with right-wing prosecutors to try to thwart him taking office. "Given the institutionalized opposition to the new president, and the government's limited financial resources, he has his work cut out," said Donald J. Planty, a former U.S. ambassador to Guatemala. Arevalo has signaled he plans to follow moderate, centrist policies, Planty noted, but it remains to be seen whether he will be accepted by conservatives suspicious of the political left due to Guatemala's history of leftist insurgent groups. Arevalo's unexpected election victory over two rounds of voting last year was seen as a watershed moment for Guatemala, where the 65-year-old has cast himself as a leader of a people-powered movement bent on reshaping a political landscape long dominated by conservative elites. In a speech early on Monday, Arevalo pledged he would not leave behind Guatemala's Indigenous peoples, saying there would be "no more discrimination, no more racism." More than 40% of Guatemalans are Indigenous, mainly Maya. Guatemala's Indigenous have historically suffered from discrimination and poverty, with 80% of their children facing inadequate access to nutritious food, according to U.N. studies. U.S. AID ANNOUNCED The challenges confronting Arevalo as he takes the helm of Central America's largest economy are formidable, including rampant corruption, the rising cost of living and gang violence - all key drivers of migration to the United States. U.S. President Joe Biden was among several foreign leaders who congratulated Arevalo. Biden vowed to work with Guatemala to advance human rights, improve security, combat corruption, address the root causes of migration and expand economic opportunities for people in the Americas and the rest of the world, according to a White House statement. The U.S. government will spend $6 million to launch a program for financial inclusion in Guatemala, according to a statement by its international aid office. The funds are part of a more than $200 million assistance that will be deployed for this program. "You are not alone," said Samantha Power, the U.S. aid chief who led the delegation from the United States, at a press conference in Guatemala City on Monday afternoon. Arevalo also faces a battle for control of institutions that have been firmly in the grip of conservative adversaries. Last week he said he wanted to see the resignation of Guatemala's attorney general - an ally of former President Alejandro Giammattei - who had moved to hinder his accession, including by attempting to suspend Semilla and annul the election. Still, Arevalo received a boost on Sunday when Semilla's Samuel Perez was elected president of Congress, a move some saw as a dividend of U.S. pressure after Washington last year slapped visa restrictions on 100 outgoing lawmakers for undermining democracy. "It was incredible how it hit the lawmakers when their visas were revoked," said Mario Taracena, a former lawmaker with the center-left UNE party. "The new (legislators) were very afraid their visas would be taken away." Arevalo's father, Juan Jose Arevalo, was Guatemala's first democratically elected president, taking office in 1945. His successor, however, was toppled in a U.S.-backed military coup. (Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Additional reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City, Natalia Siniawski in Gdansk and Frank Jack Daniel in London; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Christopher Cushing) A man throws a ballot paper into a ballot box at a polling station during the 2024 Taiwanese General Election. Taiwan elects a new president and a new parliament. Johannes Neudecker/dpa Taipei has lost yet another ally to pressure from Beijing as it announced on Monday that it was breaking off diplomatic relations with the Pacific island of Nauru, just two days after democratic elections were held in selfgoverning Taiwan. The number of nations that recognize the government in Taipei is now just a dozen - the lowest number ever - after it reacted to Nauru's decision to sever relations with Taiwan and switch diplomatic ties to China. Nauru's government made the announcement on Facebook earlier Monday. Taiwans Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang told a news conference that Taiwan will immediately end collaborative projects and close its embassy in Nauru and other offices, including those involved in technology transfer. "We demand that Nauru immediately close its embassy in Taiwan," Tien said. According to Tien, in 2023, China actively contacted political figures on the Pacific island, trying to induce the diplomatic shift by offering economic assistance. The case of Nauru was made public shortly after Taiwan's free and democratic elections. "The purpose is to attack the democracy and freedom that our people are proud of," Tien said. Following Nauru's decision, Taiwan is now recognized by 12 diplomatic allies, including the Vatican, as a sovereign state. Since Tsai Ing-wen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office in 2016, 10 former Taiwan allies have switched sides and established ties with China, amid economic incentives from Beijing. On Saturday, the DPP won its third term. Taiwan established diplomatic relations with Nauru in 1980. In July 2002, Nauru switched recognition to Beijing but restored ties with Taiwan again in 2005 as promises made by China to aid the country were never kept. People vote at a polling station during the 2024 Taiwanese General Election. Taiwan elects a new president and a new parliament. Johannes Neudecker/dpa A woman throws a ballot paper into a ballot box at a polling station during the 2024 Taiwanese General Election. Taiwan elects a new president and a new parliament. Johannes Neudecker/dpa Idit Ohel, mother of hostage Alon Ohel, holds a photo of herself hugging her son, during a press conference of the relatives of hostages held captive by Hamas since October 7, at the Israeli embassy in Berlin. Christoph Soeder/dpa Relatives of German-Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip have urged efforts to secure their release during a visit to Berlin. "We hope negotiations will close a deal very soon," Efrat Machikawa, whose uncle, Gadi Mozes, was abducted, said at a press conference at the Israeli embassy in Berlin on Monday. She said she plans to ask German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a meeting later on Monday to thank Qatar for its efforts to mediate and negotiate for the release of the hostages. The Palestinian militant group Hamas released 105 of the hostages abducted from Israel during a negotiated pause in fighting in November. Israel in exchange agreed to release 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. But there are currently no concrete prospects for further releases. According to Israeli estimates, more than 130 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip, although 25 of the remaining hostages are believed to be dead. Militants from Hamas and other Palestinian extremist groups abducted around 240 people from Israel during unprecedented Hamas-led attacks on October 7 that included brutal massacres of Israeli civilians. Machikawa is one of 21 relatives of hostages who visited Berlin to mark the 100th day since the devastating October 7 attacks. "Extremists are a global problem," she said. "We should join forces." The relatives include mothers, fathers, wives and siblings of people being held in the Gaza Strip. Some brought hourglasses with them as a sign of dwindling time to secure their release. Hagit Chen said that her son, 19-year-old Itay Chen, does not have access to enough food or medicine. Raz Ben Ami, who herself was held captive by Hamas but was released in November, also made the trip to Berlin. Her husband, Ohad Ben Ami, remains a hostage in the Gaza Strip. Shlomit Sarit Levinson, mother of hostage Shay Levinson, speaks at a press conference of the relatives of hostages held captive by Hamas since October 7, at the Israeli embassy in Berlin. Christoph Soeder/dpa Efrat Machikawa, niece of hostage Gadi Moshe Mozes, speaks at a press conference of the relatives of hostages held captive by Hamas since October 7, at the Israeli embassy in Berlin. Christoph Soeder/dpa Wuqiu villagers board a military transport to the Smaller Qiu Island to vote in the 2024 Taiwanese Presidential Elections on Jan 13. Credit - Mike Kai Chen for TIME As the world held its breath Friday night, on the eve of Taiwans pivotal 2024 elections for president and parliament, a small group boarded an overnight ferry to Taiwans most isolated territory. My father and Ialong with several cousins, aunties, and unclewere sailing six hours across the Taiwan strait to the Wuqiu Islands, just miles off of Chinas coast. It was here that my father was born, and Taiwanese are required to return and cast their ballot in a persons registered hometown. My father, Shaw-Farn Chen, right, recognizes a cousin, Chu Lin Tu, and his daughter, on Jan 12. He had not seen them since his last return to Wuqiu 42 years ago. Mike Kai Chen for TIME The Wuqiu Islands sit not just on Chinas doorstep but also at the frontline of what could be the next major global conflictyet the location remains unknown to most Taiwanese people, let alone the world. Identified as the first target of a Chinese attack during the 1996 missile crisis, the remoteness and perceived irrelevance of Taiwans Wuqiu Islands puts the rural community at the very forefront of the tensions between Taiwan and mainland China. Wuqiu consists of two tiny islands totaling 1.2 square kilometers, with a Marine Corps military base and 18th century lighthouse built by the Dutch on the Greater Qiu Island and a small fishing village on the Smaller Qiu Island. Unlike Taiwans other offshore islands, Kinmen and Matsui, which have thriving tourist industries and direct flights, Wuqiu is cut-off and isolated from the main island, with access limited to members of the military as well as the approximately 500 registered residents. It can only be reached via a boat run by the military every 15 days from Taiwan, which also transports the only available food and drinking water to residents. When the wind comes in too strong, the boat is canceled, and villagers are left to fend for themselves for another 15 days. Read More: Taiwans Election Isnt a Disaster for Xi JinpingUnless He Makes It One Once a fishing village, Chinese military and fishing fleets dominating the Taiwan strait have pushed Wuqius residents to Taiwan to find work, leaving behind a small elderly population of less than 50 people. Wuqius former residents, however, make the long journey back during Chinese New Year and elections to hold onto their homes. A military patrol drives around Greater Qiu Island on Jan. 14. Chinese boats are seen in the distance. Mike Kai Chen for TIME Cai Fu-qiang's sisterLin Yu-mei, who returned to Wuqiu to vote and visit her motherlooks off at mainland China just miles away, on Jan 13. Mike Kai Chen for TIME The son of fishermen who fled communist persecution during the Chinese Civil War, my 66-year-old father was the first of his family to receive education beyond elementary school, and the first of his village to experience the American dream after our family immigrated to Canada and then the U.S., where he was able to pursue his career as an engineer. Read More: Taiwans William Lai Faces a Balancing Act With China Hearing about his childhood trapped on this frontier, awaiting invasion while being battered by typhoons, I saw how Taiwan provided him a lifeline to stabilitysimilar to the lifeline that democracy provides for Taiwan. It had been 42 years since my fathers last return to Wuqiu, and while he didnt want to see the ruins his childhood home had fallen into, this years pivotal presidential election gave him purpose and determination to return. I jumped at the opportunity to accompany him and witness the lengths some 100 people are willing to go to cast their ballot and make their tiny islandwhere it actually does take a villagecount. My father arrives to vote at the polling station in Smaller Qiu Island on Jan 13. Mike Kai Chen for TIME Mao You-lun (, 20), middle, and her mother (my cousin), left, aboard the military transport after voting for the first time on Jan. 13. Residents had a total of 45 minutes on the island to cast their ballots. Chairperson of Township Council Chen Xing-de stands on the left. Mike Kai Chen for TIME Wuqiu residents board a six-hour overnight ferry back to Wuqiu to vote, on Jan. 12. Only Wuqiu residents are permitted to access the military Islands. Mike Kai Chen for TIME Contact us at letters@time.com. A new report lists the 10 most turbulent flight routes in North America take a look Travel tool Turbli analyzed the turbulence levels of 150,000 flights in 2023. The data showed the top 10 bumpiest flight routes in North America. The route from Nashville International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport had the most turbulence. No one likes turbulence, but it's not going anywhere anytime soon. A November 2023 report from Business Insider found that climate change has played a noticeable role in flights becoming more turbulent and bumpy in recent years. Fortunately, a report from travel tool Turbli sheds light on which flight routes experienced the most turbulence in 2023. Turbli provides turbulence, wind, and thunderstorm forecasts for flights, according to its website. "A total of 150,000 routes have been analyzed, from which only those with active airline routes as of December 2023 have been ranked," the report said. The report used eddy dissipation rate (EDR) to define average turbulence levels, with light (0 to 20), moderate (20 to 40), severe (40 to 80), and extreme (80 to 100). Take a look at the 10 bumpiest flight routes in North America in 2023, ranked from least turbulent to most. Boston Logan International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport snagged 10th place. A runway at Philadelphia International Airport. DANIEL SLIM/Getty Images According to the report, Boston Logan International Airport appears twice on the list. Flights traveling from Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts to Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania is North America's 10th bumpiest flight route. The route had an average turbulence of 14.453, per the study. At number nine is Boston Logan International Airport to Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Planes sit on the runway at Boston Logan International Airport. MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images The flight route from the Boston Logan International Airport to Syracuse Hancock International Airport in New York had an average turbulence of 14.453. LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Portland International Jetport clocked in at number eight. A Delta Air Lines plane takes off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Robert Alexander/Getty Images The flight route from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Portland International Jetport in Oregon came in eighth place. Per the report, the route had an average turbulence of 14.457. Pittsburgh International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport was ranked seventh. Planes parked at Pittsburgh International Airport. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images The flight route traveling from Pittsburgh International Airport in Pennsylvania to Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina is ranked seventh, according to Turbli. This specific route's average turbulence was 14.478. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Dulles International Airport is ranked sixth. Planes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images The flight route from Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Dulles International Airport in Virginia had a turbulence average of 14.492. The flight route from T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island to Hancock International Airport was ranked fifth. The flight route from T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick to Hancock International Airport included an average turbulence level of 14.494, per the study. John F. Kennedy International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport ranked fourth on the list. Plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Andrew Burton/Getty Images New York City and Raleigh made their second list appearance at number four. The route from John F. Kennedy International Airport in the Big Apple to Raleigh-Durham International Airport had an average turbulence level of 14.517, per the report. A flight route from Denver International Airport to Puerto Vallarta International Airport is number three. Plane at Denver International Airport. Andy Cross/Getty Images North America's most turbulent flight route departs from Denver International Airport in Colorado to Puerto Vallarta International Airport in Mexico. The report said this flight route's average turbulence levels were 14.535. Number two is a route between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Pittsburgh International Airport. Plane leaving Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The Washington Post/Getty Images Per the report, the flight route from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Pittsburgh International Airport had an average turbulence level of 14.582. The No. 1 spot goes to the flight route from Nashville International Airport to Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Planes at Nashville International Airport. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images The most turbulent, bumpiest flight route in North America during 2023 flew from Nashville International Airport in Tennessee to Raleigh-Durham International Airport marking the third time the latter has appeared on the list. This route's average turbulence came in at 14.728, per the report. Read the original article on Business Insider Senior citizens have meals at a canteen for elderly people at a community in Jin'an District of Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province, June 21, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] China has provided over 235,000 home-based care beds for senior citizens nationwide and aims to supply more with standardized service quality, authorities said on Sunday. Statistics released on the sidelines of the national civil affairs work conference held on Sunday showed that a total of 418,000 senior people had been provided with home-based care services. Provided by workers with professional capabilities, home-based care services can better meet the demands of disabled senior people. The living places of these senior citizens are appropriately modified, including the provision of smart appliances and handrails in bathrooms. Home-based care services for senior people featured as an innovative reform pilot project during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). During the current 14th Five-Year Plan, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Finance are jointly working on a program to improve China's home- and community-based basic care services for senior citizens, pouring considerable assets into providing more care service beds for disabled senior citizens with economic disadvantages. Different from some other countries, over 90 percent of senior people in China prefer to stay at home instead of living in nursing homes. However, this tradition has caused difficulties for the families of disabled senior people. According to official statistics, China has about 40 million senior citizens with either a disability or a half-disability. As of the third quarter of 2023, the country had only 8.2 million beds in all kinds of elderly care facilities. Home-based care services allow senior citizens to enjoy the services of professional institutions without leaving home, reducing the burden on their families and alleviating the scenario of "one person is disabled and the whole family is imbalanced." An unnamed official from the Ministry of Civil Affairs said that in the next phase, the functional positioning, service content, and service quality of home-based care will be further clarified by improving standards and specifications, risk prevention and control will be carried out to effectively solve the professional care needs of disabled elderly at home, while the formation of a sustainable development model will also be promoted. Black children in Michigan are blocked from reaching essential milestones of well-being, hindered by underinvestment and persistent disparities, according to a report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Race for Results report found that children of color nationwide are missing critical developmental milestones as a direct result of failure to invest in policies, programs and services that would support them. In Michigan, the most significant concerns relate to Black children, who, on average, lag particularly far behind their national peers when it comes to fourth grade reading proficiency, graduating high school on time and completing an associates degree. Long-standing discriminatory policies on housing, property tax limits and local funding for neighborhoods served as the backdrop for disinvestment in education that led to persistent disparities for Black kids in Michigan, according to Monique Stanton, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy. Michigan League for Public Policy President and CEO, Monique Stanton. While our recent state budgets have gone a long way toward making sure schools are sufficiently funded, thats coming on the heels of decades of disinvestment, Stanton said in a statement. Those years of inadequate funding mean Black children in Michigan are among the least likely to attend preschool, be proficient in reading and math, graduate high school on time or earn a post-secondary degree. Michigan ranked among the worst in the nation for inequity The Race for Results index standardizes scores across 12 indicators that represent well-being milestones from infancy to adulthood, with indicators across four areas: early childhood, family resources, neighborhood context, and education and early work experiences. No group came close to the indexs maximum score of 1,000; the highest-scoring group in Michigan was Asian and Pacific Islanders, who received an 800. Black children in the state were notably far behind, scoring just 268 on the index. White children were measured at 660, American Indians came in at 565, those identifying as two or more races scored 515 and Latinos had the next-to-lowest index score of 479. Michigan had one of the widest differences in well-being scores between ethnic and racial groups in the country, according to the Michigan League for Public Policy. Overall, report authors wrote that The 2024 Race for Results index and its indicators tell a story of incremental progress against a backdrop of persistent disparities. Policies are leading to improvements The first Race for Results report was released a decade ago and revealed large gaps in overall well-being for children. Nationally, well-being for young people in every racial group improved on six out of 11 indicators for which comparisons can be made over the last 10 years. Anne Kuhnen, policy director of Kids Count in Michigan, pointed out that Michigan has made significant improvement on many indicators since 2014. And she said although the current report reveals great disparities, it was also based on data collected before several important policy changes. Anne Kuhnen, Michigan League for Public PolicyOs Kids Count Policy Director. It wouldnt reflect, for example, some of the really effective policies that were just passed in our budget last summer, she said. Kuhnen said an increase in the earned income tax credit and the elimination of asset tests for food assistance in Michigan should bring more positive outcomes for low-income families. Nationwide, the report reflects improvement on many of the index indicators, notably in the percentage of children living in two-parent households, children living at or above 200% of the federal poverty level and children living in low-poverty areas. Key to recent improvements in child well-being was the expanded federal child tax credit, which experts have credited with lifting millions of families the majority families of color temporarily out of poverty. That, along with the Dependent Care Tax Credit and other relief programs resulted in a historic drop in child poverty in 2021. The rate of children living in poverty in Michigan has decreased by 15% since 2016, according to Kids Count data. Michigan has options to keep reducing disparities Michigan was not one of the 14 states that chose to pass its own version of the Child Tax Credit, something that could make a tangible difference for families with children. Everyone always says, well, how are we going to pay for it? said Kuhnen. And I mean, the answer to that question is really, what are our priorities? Is reducing child poverty a priority for our state? But Michigan did take other actions to help kids, including providing free school meals for every public school student in the last budget. Kuhnen said shed like to see that provision made permanent. The Race for Results report recommended innovative solutions like baby bonds and childrens savings accounts that would be supplemented by public funds to help children pursue higher education, launch businesses or find housing. Kuhnen pointed to the just-launched Rx Kids pilot program in Flint as an example of an innovation with the potential to improve young Michiganders well-being. The first of its kind in the U.S., the program delivers cash assistance to pregnant and new mothers in monthly installments to be spent on whatever they feel best meets their needs. And, she said Michigan could take steps at the state level notably increasing affordable and high-quality early childhood education to create more equitable access down the road to opportunities such as higher education and skills training. To make it all possible, Kuhnen said Michigan will need to have more robust and better-refined data that can inform policy changes. Our state needs to be investing in reliable and accurate data systems so that we have the information we need in order to identify these disparities where they exist and analyze some of the inequities in our system in order to fix them. Jennifer Brookland covers child welfare for the Detroit Free Press in partnership with Report for America. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Reach her at jbrookland@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan has some of the widest race-based disparities in the country Iowans are braving the one of the coldest caucus days on record to support their preferred Republican presidential candidate. The Iowa Caucuses are a big first contest to see who may fly and who may flounder in the 2024 presidential primary race. Check out the USA TODAY Network's list of the Republican candidates hoping to make headway with voters in the Hawkeye State Monday night. You can also learn more about candidates' and where they stand on key issues in the USA TODAY Network's 2024 voting guide. More: Who will win the Iowa Caucuses? 6 GOP candidates' path to victory or defeat on Jan. 15 More: Who are the 2024 presidential candidates? These are the Republicans and Democrats running. Who is left in the Republican primary? There are six candidates left in the Republican party, dwindled down from more than a dozen who threw their hat in the ring. Some White House hopefuls who have dropped out include former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. The candidates who remain are: Former President Donald Trump Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Texas business executive and pastor Ryan Binkley Texas business executive and pastor Ryan Binkley Binkley, 56, is CEO, president, and co-founder of the mergers and acquisitions conglomerate Generational Group. He is also a faith leader, co-founding and serving as the pastor at Create Church in Richardson, Texas. He announced his White House bid in April 2023, and he told the Des Moines Register he believed he could carve a lane in the GOP primary to prioritize unity and potential bipartisanship on financial, immigration and health care policy. See Binkley's approach to key issues like climate change, education and health care in the USA TODAY Network's voting guide. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis DeSantis, 45, currently serves as the 46th governor of Florida. While in law school, DeSantis joined the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer, later deploying to Iraq for active duty. Before his run for governor, he served in the House of Representatives as a congressman for Florida's 6th district for three terms from 2013 to 2018. He entered the the presidential election in May 2023, after emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the countrys most prominent Republicans. The Florida governors campaign has been marked by culture war battles and conflicts with Trump, once one of his top allies. See DeSantis' approach to key issues like climate change, education and health care in the USA TODAY Network's voting guide. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Haley, 51, started her political career in South Carolina's state legislature, where she served for 6 years before mounting a successful campaign for the governor's office in 2010. In 2016, Trump nominated Haley to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a position she held for a year before unexpectedly stepping down in 2018. She announced her presidential bid in February 2023, citing her record of economic growth as governor and deep knowledge of world affairs garnered during her time as U.N. ambassador. See Haley's approach to key issues like climate change, education and health care in the USA TODAY Network's voting guide. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Hutchinson, 73, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to serve Arkansas' 3rd district in 1997. He served until 2001 when he was appointed director for the Drug Enforcement Administration and later undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security in former President George W. Bush's administration. After leaving Washington, he was elected 46th Governor of Arkansas. He served for two terms, from 2015 to 2023. When Hutchinson launched his campaign in April 2023, he pointed to border security and the economy as the primary focus for his campaign. See Hutchinson's approach to key issues like climate change, education and health care in the USA TODAY Network's voting guide. Author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy Ramaswamy is a former biotech investor who founded the pharmaceutical research company Roivant Sciences in 2014. He stepped down as CEO in 2021 after going more public with his opposition to ESG and 'woke' politics in the corporate sector. He moved on to found Strive Asset Management, before stepping down to dedicate time to his 2024 run. Ramaswamy, 38, entered the presidential election in February 2023. He has written multiple books, including Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam. The Ohio resident criticized what he called a national identity crisis as he launched his White House bid, instead touting faith, patriotism and hard work. See Ramaswamy's approach to key issues like climate change, education and health care in the USA TODAY Network's voting guide. Former President Donald Trump There has never been a presidential candidate like Donald Trump, 77. Prior to 2016, Trump dabbled in politics, often sounding off on issues like the birther movement. However, he was still primarily known for real estate and his forays into reality television, famously starring in "The Apprentice." In 2016, Trump won the White House, serving a full four-year term before being defeated by Biden in his reelection bid. Trump, who announced he would seek reelection in November 2022, could become the first ex-president to win back the White House since Grover Cleveland. He is already the first major candidate to face the prospect of four criminal trials during an election year. Throughout his campaign, Trump has proposed giving the president more power to hire and fire government employees, replacing civil servants with political followers. See Trump's approach to key issues like climate change, education and health care in the USA TODAY Network's voting guide. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are the Republican candidates in the Iowa Caucuses? See the list The United Kingdom will deploy 20,000 military personnel across Europe to participate in major NATO exercises in the first half of this year, Reuters reported on Jan. 15, citing the U.K. Defense Ministry. The British military will also provide a number of warships and fighter jets. According to reports, 16,000 British troops will be sent to Eastern Europe in February and will remain there until June. The U.K. will also reportedly commit a carrier strike group, F35B Lightning attack aircraft and surveillance aircraft. "I can announce today that the U.K. will be sending some 20,000 personnel to take part in one of NATOs largest deployments since the end of the Cold War," Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in a speech published by the Defense Ministry. "Exercise Steadfast Defender. It will see our military joining forces with counterparts from 30 NATO countries plus Sweden, providing vital reassurance against the Putin menace." Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a 2.5-billion-pound ($3.2 billion) military aid package during a visit to Kyiv. Just two days earlier, NATO members reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering Ukraine's defenses and promised continued military, economic, and humanitarian assistance in 2024. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Defense Minister proposes international working group to withdraw Russian troops Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ahead of Martin Luther King Day, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his familys role in authorizing government surveillance of the civil rights leader. The presidential hopeful told Politico on Sunday that his father, Robert F. Kennedy, who authorized the wiretapping of Martin Luther King Jr. while attorney general, and President John F. Kennedy had a good reason for doing so. In the interview, Kennedy Jr. claimed the administration permitted the wiretapping because they were making big bets on King, particularly in organizing the March on Washington. He added that the pair knew J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director at the time, saw King as a dangerous radical and was out to ruin him. There was good reason for them doing that at the time, Kennedy said. Because J. Edgar Hoover was out to destroy Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement and Hoover said to them that Martin Luther Kings chief was a communist. My father gave permission to Hoover to wiretap them so he could prove that his suspicions about King were either right or wrong. I think, politically, they had to do it. In 2019, declassified FBI documents revealed that the FBI conducted a sustained campaign of surveillance and harassment targeting the Civil Rights movement, including audio surveillance of King. The FBI even sent King a letter suggesting he should kill himself. Kennedy Jr. said that both his father and the former president were aware that Hoover was a racist, adding that he left no doubt where he stood on those issues. He told Politico that former President Kennedy planned to fire Hoover during his second term, had he not been assassinated in the fall of 1963. He also said he believed President Kennedy alerted King to the surveillance. The half-hearted defense should come as no surprise to those following Kennedy Jr.s recent political ramblings. Last year, he said he didnt know whether or not he believes the official government explanation about 9/11, including whether al-Qaeda was responsible for the attack, asserting strange things happened. He also falsely suggested that millions of deaths in the Great Influenza (or Spanish flu) epidemic of 1918 could be attributed to vaccine experiments. Despite that, Kennedy Jr. is having relative success in his president campaign. The politician announced in October that he was launching an independent, third-party run for the presidency. By November, a new poll showed that Kennedy was polling ahead of Biden and Trump among voters under the age of 45 in key battleground states. The poll, which surveyed 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, found that Kennedy was favored by 24 percent of respondents in a race between himself, Biden, and Trump. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone India, which accounts for roughly a quarter of global world rice production, has been restricting overseas sales of rice. Meanwhile shipping routes have been undermined by Houthi attacks. All this is taking a toll on the cost of a bowl of rice around the world. Saqib Majeed/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Shoppers around the world are facing another year of expensive rice following Indias trade curbs and the re-routing of Europe-bound ships away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Last year saw a 21% increase in the global rice commodity price, according to a January update from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The rise mostly came after India, the worlds biggest supplier nation, sought mid-2023 to restrict overseas sales to make sure it had enough affordable rice for its 1.4 billion people. Demand for rice was already high after 2022 saw prices of wheat and other grains soar in the wake of the invasion by Russia, the worlds biggest wheat exporter, of Ukraine, another major cereals source. Rice prices are expected to jump again in the coming weeks ahead of the Lunar New Year in Asia and the Muslim Eid holiday in April, when demand for food typically spikes. The removal of around 9 million tonnes of Indian rice from international supply has been offset somewhat by the worlds second and third biggest exporters. In 2023, Vietnams rice exports hit a record 8.13 million tonnes, worth almost $5 billion, according to the latest official data from Hanoi. Thai exports topped 8 million tonnes, 10% more than in 2022. But exports of Asian rice to Europe and North America are also being affected by tensions in the Red Sea, where the US and UK have started retaliatory attacks on the Iran-backed Houthi militia which has been attacking commercial shipping, forcing trade to be re-routed. "Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea mark a significant flashpoint in global container shipping as rerouted vessels lead to higher shipping costs and scheduling disruptions," said BMI - A Fitch Solutions Company. Some estimates suggest it takes an extra 10-15 days and costs up $2 million more to send a ship around Africa to Europe from Asia. And while 87% of US rice imports from Asia transit the Red Sea, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, Europe is likely to fare worse. "The Asia-Europe corridor will face the most acute delays given the scarcity of viable alternatives to the essential Suez Canal and the intricate nature of sea-based logistics," warned BMI in a January 12 report. And while the US, Italy and Spain are rice-growing nations, their outputs are not enough to meet demand in North America and Europe. And India is not likely to resume supplying the rest of the world anytime soon, according S&P Global Commodity Insights, which relayed that "most trade sources said that they do not see the government easing the restrictions before the general election that is expected to take place in April-May 2024." (Bloomberg) -- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will address Parliament after his government said its ready to carry out further strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen if the group continues to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Most Read from Bloomberg The strikes by US and allied forces last week have gone some way toward degrading the Houthis capabilities, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, but that the UK is prepared to take action again if necessary. The situation in the region had been deteriorating and Sunak was right to participate before telling lawmakers, he said, adding the premier will make a statement Monday. It will be Sunaks first House of Commons appearance since he also made a surprise visit to Kyiv to announce a new security commitment to Ukraine and a pledge of 2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) of military aid next year. After days of Westminster being dominated by the looming general election and a long-running scandal involving the Post Office, it will mark a dramatic shift in tone to security and geopolitics when Parliament resumes after the weekend. Its hard to think of a time when there has been so much danger, and insecurity and instability in the world, Cameron told Sky News on Sunday. The lights are absolutely flashing red on the global dashboard. But while Sunaks statement on Yemen is unlikely to recreate the kind of theater in the House of Commons around past military interventions especially after the main opposition Labour Party said it also backs the strikes against the Houthis there are still important political calculations in play. Cameron, a former prime minister who Sunak brought back from the political wilderness in November to manage Britains foreign policy, made that clear when he tried to present his boss as a calm leader who grasps a crisis. Whats needed is strong leadership and a clear plan, Cameron, whose decision to intervene in Libya to help oust then-leader Muammar al-Qaddafi in 2011 was pilloried by a parliamentary committee five years later, told Sky. That is what we have with the prime minister and the team in place. The governing Conservatives, who trail the Labour Party by about 20 points in national polls, typically present themselves to voters as supportive of a strong military and with a steady hand on foreign policy. When former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in political trouble over the rule-breaking parties in Downing Street during the pandemic, the way he threw so much political capital behind Ukraine in the aftermath of Russias invasion was perceived in Westminster as buying him more time with restless Tory MPs. Sunaks government announced early Monday it will send 20,000 military personnel to join a NATO military drill this year. The exercise will provide vital reassurance against the Putin menace, Secretary of Defence Grant Shapps will say in a speech warning that the West stands at a crossroads. Speaking on the governments morning broadcast round on Monday, Shapps said the UK is monitoring developments in the Red Sea. If it doesnt stop, well have to take the decisions that have to be taken, he said on Sky News. Still, any attempt by the Tories to gain advantage over Labour will likely be dented by the supportive stance leader Keir Starmer took immediately after the strikes on the Houthis were announced. The justification for action is one most people pretty readily understand, he told the BBC on Sunday. Starmer confirmed that support in another BBC interview, though he said Labours backing was not unconditional. We will look at the case the government puts forward, he said. With a commanding poll lead ahead of a UK election expected in the fall, Starmer has his own political considerations as he tries to present Labour as a government-in-waiting. He has said he will cooperate where possible with the government on defense issues, a stance that played out most obviously when he backed Sunaks support for Israels war on Hamas despite many Labour MPs criticizing Starmer and demanding he call for an immediate cease-fire. Its a sea change from former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was skeptical about NATO and military actions. Labour officials calculate that stance put off voters, and contributed to the partys historic defeat in the 2019 general election won by the Tories. A poll by YouGov published by the Telegraph newspaper predicted a reversal in Tory fortunes in this years election, with a survey of 14,000 respondents putting Labour on course for a 120-seat majority in the House of Commons. Shapps downplayed the poll when questioned on Monday, saying the Conservatives have time to turn their prospects around. We do have a plan and that plan is starting to work, he told Times Radio. But Starmers focus on Downing Street throws up awkward moments for the Labour leader. On Sunday, he was quizzed about his previous pledge that under a Labour government, Parliament would have to approve military action. Having supported the strikes on the Houthis which MPs have yet to be formally informed of Starmer told the BBC that such operations were not what he was referring to when he made the pledge. There is obviously a huge distinction between an operation, the like of which we have seen in the last few days, and military action a sustained campaign, military action usually involving troops on the ground, he said. Meanwhile Sunak is likely to face some criticism on Monday, after both the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party slammed his decision to join the US-led strikes on the Houthis without consulting the House of Commons. The Liberal Democrats called for a retrospective vote. And on Tuesday, any remaining Commons unity will likely vanish when Sunak brings his controversial plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda back for two days of debate and votes. Its likely to pass with enough Conservative votes, though the scale of a potential rebellion on the Tory right could yet cause the prime minister trouble. Its also likely to face challenges in the House of Lords. Sadly I dont have a personal majority in the House of Lords, Cameron, who Sunak made a life peer when he was appointed foreign secretary, told the BBC. But Ill do everything I can to help get it through, because its essential. --With assistance from Joe Mayes. (Updates with comments from Shapps from 11th paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. You are here: China China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) has ordered the arrest of Tang Shuangning, former chairman of China Everbright Group, for alleged embezzlement and bribery. The arrest of Tang, who was also the secretary of the company's committee of the Communist Party of China, followed the conclusion of an investigation carried out by the National Commission of Supervision, the SPP said on Monday. Further investigations into this case are under way. Residents measure one of the potholes on Seawick Road, St Osyth in Essex. They have not been fixed in a year - James Linsell-Clark/SWNS Roadworks that overrun into the weekend will incur 10,000 daily fines under new Government plans. The proposal is part of a crackdown on disruptive maintenance work and ministers hope it will cut congestion and generate up to 100 million, which will be used to resurface roads. The consultation seeks to extend the current 10,000 per day fine for overrunning street works into weekends and bank holidays as a deterrent to working on the busiest days for road travel. Currently, maintenance companies are only fined for disruption on working days. There is also a plan to double fines from 500 to a maximum of 1,000 for companies who breach the conditions of a project, such as working without a permit. In November, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, pledged an extra 8.3 billion of funding over 11 years for local roads maintenance in England using the money saved by scrapping HS2 north of Birmingham. Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, said: Our new measures seek to free up our roads from overrunning street works, cut down traffic jams and generate up to 100 million extra to resurface roads. The Department for Transport said that while it was essential for gas, water and utility companies to carry out maintenance, street works carried out last year cost the economy 4 billion by causing severe road congestion. Held to a high standard Edmund King, president of the AA, welcomed the announcement saying that those who dig up the roads to repair them should be held to a high and timely standard. He added: Overrunning roadworks and poorly reinstated roads from utilities companies frustrate drivers, cause unnecessary congestion, and trench defects can damage vehicles and injure those on two-wheels. The RAC said that while the changes were welcome it was important that utility companies left the roads in a better condition than they found them. Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: Drivers shouldnt have to put up with temporary roadworks for any longer than is necessary, so were pleased to see the Government is looking to do more to guarantee that utility companies minimise disruption by carrying out roadworks as quickly and efficiently as possible. They should also leave roads in better condition than they found them, which unfortunately is hardly ever the case at the moment. 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. Blocked movement of lorries through the Siret and Vicovu de Sus checkpoints on the Ukrainian border. Photo: NEWSBUCOVINA.RO Romanian farmers block the movement of lorries through the Siret and Vicovu de Sus checkpoints on the Ukrainian border. Source: European Pravda; State Border Guard Service of Ukraine At about 12:00, farmers resumed blocking the movement of lorries in the direction of the Siret checkpoint, located opposite the Ukrainian checkpoint in Porubne, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has said in a statement. The agency notes that the blocking of Vicovu de Sus, the Romanian checkpoint located opposite the Ukrainian checkpoint in Krasnoilsk, has also begun. At the same time, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine points out that other types of transport, as well as pedestrians at both checkpoints, are issued per the established procedure for entry and exit from Ukraine. Earlier, it was reported that Romanian hauliers and farmers who spontaneously joined them continue to protest for the sixth day in a row, obstructing the movement seriously. On Sunday, Romanian farmers blocked the movement of lorries through the Siret checkpoint on the Ukrainian border. On the eve of Saturday, a similar blocking of traffic on the territory of Romania lasted for 6 hours. In the evening, Romanian farmers stopped their blockade. Support UP or become our patron! By Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) -Russia will develop ties with North Korea in all areas building on agreements between their leaders in September, the Kremlin said on Monday, as their foreign ministers were set to meet in Moscow. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived on Sunday on a rare visit to Moscow for talks with her counterpart Sergei Lavrov as the two countries deepen economic, political, and military ties, the North's state news agency KCNA said. As Russia's international isolation has grown over its war in Ukraine, analysts say Moscow has seen increasing value in its ties with North Korea. For North Korea's part, relations with Russia have not always been as warm as they were at the height of the Soviet Union, but the country is reaping benefits from Moscow's need for friends. "North Korea is our closest neighbour and partner, with whom we are developing and intend to further develop partnerships in all areas," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The visit is to further discuss agreements reached by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to a space launch facility in the Russian far east in September where Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to help Pyongyang build satellites, he said. "Dialogue at all levels will continue...We look forward to intense and fruitful negotiations." Russia has stepped up ties with North Korea since the start of the war with Ukraine nearly two years ago, relations that are a source of concern to the West, particularly after accusations that Moscow fired North Korean made ballistic missiles against targets in Ukraine. North Korea continues to push ahead with ballistic missile development and tested a new solid-fuel hypersonic missile with intermediate range, KCNA reported, in a move that was condemned by the United States, South Korea and Japan. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied arms deals but have said they would deepen cooperation across the board and have staged a series of high-level meetings since last year, including the summit between Putin and Kim. Peskov said Russia hoped a Putin visit to North Korea, at Kim's invitation, would take place "in the foreseeable future", but he said no date had yet been agreed. "Given that the Russia-North Korea relationship is shaping up to be quite multi-faceted, all kinds of issues can be discussed between Lavrov and Choe," said Artyom Lukin, at Russia's Far Eastern Federal University. "If she meets the Russian president, this may be another indication Putin will visit Pyongyang this year." A striking sign of deepening ties came in July, when Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang and toured a weapons exhibit that included the North's banned ballistic missiles. That was followed by Kim's trip to Russia, his first foreign visit since the COVID-19 pandemic began. "In a nutshell, North Korea feels increasingly insecure and vulnerable vis-a-vis South Korea," Lukin said. "Russia is currently the only power that can help enhance Pyongyang's military-strategic security." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the visit would include negotiations, but did not elaborate. She also predicted the trip would spark speculation by the West. "Westerners are constantly throwing in the story that Russia is somehow behaving differently again, has no right to communicate with North Korea," Zakharova said on state TV channel Rossiya-1 on Sunday. "We have the right to do whatever we consider necessary, taking into account the fact that we constantly declare respect for international law." Choe said in October that criticism by the United States and its allies of North Korea's suspected arms deliveries to Russia was politicised and distorted, while saying ties between Moscow and Pyongyang would reach a "new higher phase." Russia and North Korea have not commented specifically on the allegations of Moscow using North Korean missiles in Ukraine. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Jamie Freed, Jack Kim and Angus MacSwan) Reports appeared on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels on the evening of 14 January about the downing of a Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft and damage to an Il-22M, which was partially confirmed this morning by Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, and Ukrainska Pravdas sources in the Ukrainian government. Source: Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels; Yurii Mysiahin, Deputy Head of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence of the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament]; Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, on Telegram; Ukrainska Pravdas sources Quote from Mysiahin: "At around 21:00, Ukrainian units conducted an attack on two of the Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft, specifically targeting an A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft (AWACS) aircraft and an IL-22 transport plane, which were over the Sea of Azov." Details: Mysiahin said as of the evening of 14 January, the A-50 had been downed, while the IL-22 had been damaged it remained airborne and attempted to reach the nearest airfield but disappeared from radars in the vicinity of Kerch after initiating its descent. Reports about the A-50 incident also appeared on Russian social media channels. The accuracy of the information regarding the downing of the aircraft was partially confirmed by the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. TELEGRAM CHANNEL REPORTS ABOUT THE TRAGEDY. SCREENSHOT: RUSSIAN TELEGRAM CHANNEL Quotes from Oleshchuk:"[Aircraft emoji] This is revenge for [the city of] Dnipro! Burn in hell, non-humans! P.S. No details as of now." Information about the downing of the aircraft was also confirmed by Ukrainska Pravda sources. "A-50 for sure. IL-22 about 98% certain," a source reported. Meanwhile, another version was voiced on social media, suggesting that the Russian aircraft were downed by the Russians themselves using air defence systems. Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian authorities have officially reported anything about the downing of the aircraft so far. Reference: The A-50 aircraft is an airborne early warning and control (AWACS) platform designed for monitoring targets in the air, on the ground, and at sea, and for guiding fighter aircraft toward them. Belaruski Hajun reported earlier that the Russian Aerospace Forces have nine such aircraft at their disposal. Each aircraft is serviced by 19 personnel (5 pilots, 11 radio engineers, and 3 technical engineers) and costs US$330 million. The Il-22M is an airborne command post based on the Il-18 airliner that helps control troops during hostilities. Background: In February 2023, Belarusian activists reported that a Russian A-50 had been damaged in a subversive operation at the Machulishchy military airfield in Belarus. Support UP or become our patron! Russian forces are "experimenting" with different types of missile strikes to adapt their systems and "penetrate" Ukrainian air defences. Source: ISW Quote: "Russian forces likely continue to experiment and adapt their missile and drone strike packages against Ukraine in an effort to penetrate Ukrainian air defences." Details: A Russian military blogger claimed that Russian troops have recently been striking Ukraine using various types of missiles, including hypersonic ballistic Kh-47 Kinzhal missiles. He stated that the Russian forces have been launching unspecified "air decoys" and "Shahed drones" to disable Ukrainian air defence systems and enable Russian forces to launch successful missile strikes. ISW has observed Russian forces experimenting with various combinations of drone and missile strikes in an attempt to penetrate Ukrainian air defence systems as Ukrainian forces adapted to Russian strike patterns. Analysts have previously assessed that Russia may step up efforts to supply ballistic missiles from abroad, as they may be more successful in hitting targets in Ukraine under certain circumstances. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat said on 14 January that sanctions are likely to reduce the quality of Russian missiles. The decline in the quality of Russian missiles could reportedly further complicate Russia's ability to launch a successful series of strikes against Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! Flash Israeli soldiers conduct military operations in Gaza Strip, on Jan. 11, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] The bloody Israel-Hamas conflict entered its 100th day on Sunday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging to continue the military campaign in the Gaza Strip until "total victory" is achieved. "We must conduct this war, and it will yet take many months," said Netanyahu despite growing international calls to halt the war due to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. During his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu presented a 2024 budget proposal to his government, seeking approval for a plan that involves tax hikes and the implementation of a uniform 3 percent reduction in the budgets of all government ministries to secure funding for the ongoing war against Hamas. "At this moment, what is required is, first of all, to cover the expenses of the war and to allow us to continue the war and complete it," Netanyahu told ministers. His remarks came as Israel awaited a ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with a possible decision against its massive and crippling offensive in Gaza. Launched following the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's relentless strikes in the densely-populated Palestinian enclave have killed at least 23,843 people, with approximately 75 percent of them being women, children, and the elderly, according to the Hamas-run government media office. The strikes have displaced most of Gaza's about 2.3 million population and leveled many parts of the territory. Since Saturday, thousands of Israelis have rallied in Tel Aviv and other major cities, calling for the return of the hostages and the replacement of the government. During the Oct. 7 rampage, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, including 790 civilians, and kidnapped over 200 people, 132 of whom are still being held in Gaza. According to figures released by the Israeli military on Sunday, since the commencement of the war, its troops have killed approximately 9,000 militants in Gaza. Additionally, 170 militants from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Palestinian factions were killed in clashes with Israeli forces on the Lebanon front. The Israeli army, mobilizing about 295,000 reservists, has launched attacks on around 30,000 locations in the 365 square km Palestinian enclave and 750 locations in Lebanon. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday in a speech that his group "doesn't fear war, and there are no talks before the war on Gaza ends." According to Nasrallah, "Israel is mired in failure and is in a deep hole ... It has not reached any of its declared and undeclared goals as unanimously stated by the Israelis themselves." NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) The winter weather across the country is already causing flight cancellations at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) on Monday, Jan. 15. How cold is too cold for your dog? According to MSYs flight status, several flights into and out of New Orleans are cancelled. This includes flights to and from Houston, Austin, Dallas and Denver. Travelers should check flight updates at MSY before heading to the airport. Cold air is already moving through the state Monday with 20s south of the I-20 corridor. This will continue moving south to the coast through the day and Monday night. Very cold conditions are on the way through Thursday morning. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for locations north and west of Lake Pontchartrain, where freezing rain is possible from 6 p.m. Monday until 9 a.m. Tuesday. Mutiple organizations are preparing for the cold weather now, like the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the City of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. North Louisiana is already experiencing icy roads and dangerous driving conditions. Stay up to date 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. Latest Posts For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO. Israeli PM vows to continue fighting against Hamas as Gaza conflict hits 100 days Xinhua) 08:45, January 15, 2024 Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Jan. 13, 2024. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua) JERUSALEM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The bloody Israel-Hamas conflict entered its 100th day on Sunday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledging to continue the military campaign in the Gaza Strip until "total victory" is achieved. "We must conduct this war, and it will yet take many months," said Netanyahu despite growing international calls to halt the war due to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. During his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu presented a 2024 budget proposal to his government, seeking approval for a plan that involves tax hikes and the implementation of a uniform 3 percent reduction in the budgets of all government ministries to secure funding for the ongoing war against Hamas. "At this moment, what is required is, first of all, to cover the expenses of the war and to allow us to continue the war and complete it," Netanyahu told ministers. His remarks came as Israel awaited a ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with a possible decision against its massive and crippling offensive in Gaza. Israeli soldiers conduct military operations in Gaza Strip, on Jan. 11, 2024. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua) Launched following the Hamas assault on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's relentless strikes in the densely-populated Palestinian enclave have killed at least 23,843 people, with approximately 75 percent of them being women, children, and the elderly, according to the Hamas-run government media office. The strikes have displaced most of Gaza's about 2.3 million population and leveled many parts of the territory. Since Saturday, thousands of Israelis have rallied in Tel Aviv and other major cities, calling for the return of the hostages and the replacement of the government. During the Oct. 7 rampage, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, including 790 civilians, and kidnapped over 200 people, 132 of whom are still being held in Gaza. According to figures released by the Israeli military on Sunday, since the commencement of the war, its troops have killed approximately 9,000 militants in Gaza. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Kfar Kila, Lebanon, on Dec. 21, 2023. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Additionally, 170 militants from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Palestinian factions were killed in clashes with Israeli forces on the Lebanon front. The Israeli army, mobilizing about 295,000 reservists, has launched attacks on around 30,000 locations in the 365 square km Palestinian enclave and 750 locations in Lebanon. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday in a speech that his group "doesn't fear war, and there are no talks before the war on Gaza ends." According to Nasrallah, "Israel is mired in failure and is in a deep hole ... It has not reached any of its declared and undeclared goals as unanimously stated by the Israelis themselves." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Flash Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday expressed grave concern over the rising tensions in the Red Sea, while calling for an end to the harassment of civilian vessels. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a joint press conference after meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. He called for an end to the harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea, an important international trade route for goods and energy, while stressing the need to safeguard unimpeded global production and supply chains as well as the international trade order. Noting that the UN Security Council has never authorized any country to use force against Yemen, the top Chinese diplomat called for refraining from taking any actions that will "add fuel to the fire" in the Red Sea and raise the overall security risks in the region. Wang said that the current tense situation in the Red Sea shows the spillover effect of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, adding that the priority now is to stop the conflict as soon as possible to prevent it from further escalation or even getting out of control. He added that it is necessary for all parties to jointly safeguard the safety of sea lanes in the Red Sea in accordance with the law, while earnestly respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries along the Red Sea, including Yemen. Italy's government is beating the drum for cucina italiana and want to make it an intangible world cultural heritage. Now, they are even arranging for pasta to be served to astronauts in space. But is there really that much traditional heritage in modern Italian cuisine? Franziska Gabbert/dpa Italians are proud of their cuisine and rightly so, given it's seen as the epitome of tradition and deliciousness. Beyond global fame, Italians are looking a step further, seeking to make their cuisine popular in space. Cucina italiana is to be recognised as an intangible UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of that bid is to serve pasta to the astronauts on the new International Space Station (ISS) mission. Fittingly, one of those astronauts is Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei. The astronauts are set to start their journey into space from Florida on Wednesday January 17, with numerous scientific experiments on their menu. The special "Italian Space Food" project is led by Italy's Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida and envisions astronauts eating pasta on Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). Colonel Villadei is unlikely to have to do much convincing of his fellow travellers, even if the pasta and sauce is a mere ready meal. Plus, he and the three other astronauts have already tried the dish during their pre-blast off quarantine. World 'cucinaitaliana' day and cannelloni in the cosmos The space mission plus pasta is set to launch on International Italian Cuisine Day, a coincidence likely to please the government in Rome. Since taking office more than a year ago, the government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, bent on tradition, has been promoting everything that is "Made in Italy." The World Day of "cucina italiana" and the space project come at just the right time and Meloni was delighted to bring "excellent food and an iconic product like pasta" into the heavens. Meanwhile on Earth, people are preparing to mark "International Italian Cuisine Day" with events and food festivals worldwide. The celebration day is held on the feast day of St Anthony the Great, a Christian monk who is the patron saint of butchers. But how traditional is Italian cuisine? Critics are increasingly saying that "typically Italian" is merely a smart marketing strategy for food that also strengthens the nation's sense of identity, a key concern for the right-wing government. Pasta not so traditional after all? One critic is historian Alberto Grandi, whose comments have repeatedly led to fury in his home country. His thesis on Italian cuisine is that "cucina italiana" is not traditional but just a couple of decades old and that much can be attributed to good marketing. "You could say that almost everything that is said about Italian cuisine is wrong," Grandi told dpa. Grandi shot to fame with his work "Denominazione di Origine Inventata (DOI)" (which translates as "invented designation of origin"), a corruption of the DOP seal for Italian goods meaning protected designation of origin. He has also launched a podcast called DOI. Grandi says most Italians first heard of pizza in the 1950s. As a dish, carbonara originates from the US and he sees tiramisu and panettone as relatively recent inventions. The best Parmesan - named after the northern Italian region of Parma - is actually produced in the US state of Wisconsin, in his view. Furthermore, the popular Pachino tomatoes - named after Pachino in southern Sicily - were bred by researchers in Israel. Grandi says Italians want to halt their cuisine's further development. History shows that dishes considered 100% Italian these days are actually the result of crossbreeding, substitutions and imitations. "Italians didn't teach the world how to cook, they learnt it as migrants in the countries where they worked," he argues. Grandi's theories proving indigestible at home The writer's ideas are causing a stir in Italy and the government in Rome was even driven to action after an interview in the British Financial Times newspaper last year. "I believe that today, cuisine is the last element of their identity that Italians have left. That's why they get very angry when the history of our recipes is called into question," says Grandi. "Italy wants to stop time, to live in an eternal present, with no past and no future. But it is exactly this attitude that will destroy our image." He doubts that a world day and putting pasta in space will do his nation's cuisine any favours. The International Day of Italian Cuisine is simply another advertising initiative, in his view. He says the same of the project of putting pasta in space. But such public relations activities are not merely the work of Meloni's right-wing government, he says. "Tradition and cuisine are cross-cutting issues that even the left rides on to a certain extent." The proof meanwhile is at least partly in the pudding. It remains to be seen whether the food consumed by the ISS astronauts will go down well - and whether that project might bring Italian cuisine a step closer to coveted UNESCO World Heritage status. Pasta on sale at the Campo de' Fiori market. Italy's government is beating the drum for the "cucina italiana". They want it to become an intangible world cultural heritage. Robert Messer/dpa Italian historian Alberto Grandi says that "cucina italiana" is not traditional but just a couple of decades old and that much can be attributed to good marketing. Universitat Parma/dpa Flash Chinese Premier Li Qiang is greeted by Viola Amherd, president of the Swiss Confederation, upon his arrival at Zurich international airport in Zurich, Switzerland, Jan. 14, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] China has always attached great importance to Switzerland's unique role in Europe and on the international stage, standing ready to maintain close communication and coordination with Switzerland in jointly addressing global challenges, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Zurich on Sunday. Li made the remarks upon his arrival for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024 and an official visit to the European country. He was received by President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd at Zurich international airport. Noting that Switzerland is one of the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with China, Li said China-Switzerland relations have maintained sound development since the establishment of diplomatic ties 74 years ago. Especially since the announcement of the establishment of the China-Switzerland innovative strategic partnership by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Swiss leader in 2016, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields have been brought to new levels and yielded new results, Li said. Li said China is ready to work with Switzerland to follow the important strategic guidance reached by the two countries' heads of state, further deepen political mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and cultivate friendship among the two peoples. Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shiting and Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland Chen Xu also greeted Li at the airport. After his stay in Switzerland, Li will also pay an official visit to Ireland. Li's tour is at the invitation of Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, President of the Swiss Confederation Amherd, and Leo Varadkar, Irish prime minister. Armed men stand on the beach as the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, is anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023 Critics complain that the United States and Britain should not be intervening against the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Why are we getting involved, they ask? At a remove, we are escalating the conflict in Gaza in just the way the Houthis want, they allege. These attacks come from the Left: the BBC interviews disapproving professors from Tehran University as if they were neutral experts. They also come from the isolationist Right who grumble that it is not our job to solve the problems of the world. From both sides come self-appointed constitutionalists who argue that only Parliament can instigate such action. It ought to be obvious why these objections are wrong. What the Houthis are doing is piracy. Since the great bulk of world trade passes by sea, this is a genuinely global issue and the interests of most nations are engaged. National and international interests coincide. As a maritime nation, Britain must punish piracy. It has done so prominently for 300 years. Since the 1940s, it has ceded primacy to the United States, but continued to help in this vital task. The Houthis may claim to be helping suffering Palestinians by their attacks, but this does not make those attacks any less piratical. Parliamentary scruples are also misplaced. Rightly, no military campaign can continue for long without parliamentary approval, but it does not follow that Parliament, which is not an executive body, can direct military action in advance. If it did, the element of surprise would disappear, and politics would mess up military planning. On this occasion, we have, if anything, signalled our intentions too clearly in advance: fearing escalation, the Government decided to give time to warn the Iranian trainers of the Houthis to leave before they get bombed. Love and faith Rather belatedly, I have been studying the new Prayers of Love and Faith recently made available for use by the Church of England. The title is somewhat misleading. Love and faith are both things that Anglicans have always prayed for, privately and in church. But in this case the love under consideration is that between same-sex couples. The faith spoken of is not belief in God, but faithfulness in a same-sex relationship. Although the accompanying literature is coy on what exactly is being blessed, I do not think the Church of England has formally departed from its teaching that sexual relations are permissible only between a man and a woman, and only in marriage. Yet what is the same-sex faithfulness here celebrated, if not a sexual one? It is true that ordinary, non-sexual friendship greatly values faithfulness (though not in an exclusive sense), but in that case, why is the service explicitly aimed at same-sex couples? Why can these prayers not be valid for any two pals, or indeed relations, who are fond of one another? Are they available only to a couple that has a formal civil partnership or same-sex marriage? My old friends, Virginia and Catherine Utley, are sisters who have lived together for many years. They are, in that sense, a same-sex couple, but have always missed out on the bonanza of social and ecclesiastical approval which is now conferred on gay and lesbian pairs. I asked Virginia if she and Catherine would like to turn up at an Anglican church and ask it (using the official phrase accompanying the new prayers) to recognise the commitment same-sex couples make to each other. Although both sisters are Christians, Virginia thanked me, but said she thought they could manage without. On merit There is much criticism of the honours system because Paula Vennells, of Post Office notoriety, was given a CBE. The system is corrupt, people say. This is a massive exaggeration, although Ms Vennells was, even at the time, undeserving. If you study the very long twice-yearly lists of people who get damehoods, knighthoods, CBEs, OBEs, MBEs and BEMs, you find a procession of persons from all parts of the country who have done good things. On several occasions, I have helped a few others put someone forward for an honour. We have quite often succeeded. In all cases, I was backing a person a writer, a journalist, an artist, a businessman, and several leaders of small charities who did not live off the taxpayer. These honours tend to go to people in the later part of their lives (sporting heroes being the main exception), because their achievements have accumulated over time. When you are over 60, recognition is more precious than a pay rise. The modest investitures with senior members of the royal family presenting the decorations are happy occasions for many proud families. Honours are a very cheap means of encouraging the deserving. It is true that a few dodgy people get through the net, but the only general fault is that the system is over-managed by civil servants, who over-reward their own kind. I do not even think it is wrong to confer honours on people who contribute money to political parties: it is, in principle, a public-spirited act. PS I am aware the above may attract criticism since I am a life peer. So I should explain that the system of peerage creation is entirely different from that of honours. The honours system is designed to reward specific achievements, which are publicly stated. The peerage system is far more random and in the words of Lord Melbourne about the Order of the Garter has no damnd merit about it. 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. Flash China is ready to work with Egypt to support an equal and orderly multipolar world and economic globalization that benefits all, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday. China and Egypt, as representatives of major developing countries and emerging forces, pursue independent foreign policies and support genuine multilateralism, Wang said. In a turbulent and intertwined world, China and Egypt are important factors for maintaining strategic stability, he noted. China is ready to work with Egypt to support an equal and orderly multipolar world and economic globalization that benefits all, promote global governance in a more just and reasonable direction, and safeguard the common interests and legitimate rights of developing countries, he said. Yemen's Houthis vow more operations against Israel despite U.S., British airstrikes Xinhua) 08:55, January 15, 2024 SANAA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said Saturday that the recent airstrikes on their positions by the United States and Britain will not deter them from continuing their attacks on Israel, vowing to launch more strikes soon. In a statement, the rebels, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, denounced the airstrikes as a violation of Yemen's sovereignty and a "blatant aggression" in support of Israel. The Houthi group vowed to continue its military operation against the "Israeli enemy" in the statement carried by the state-run Saba news agency. A U.S. Navy destroyer fired a Tomahawk cruise missile before Saturday dawn at a radar site in northern Sanaa, according to the U.S. Central Command. The strike followed a series of similar attacks by the U.S. and British naval and air forces a day earlier. The U.S. and Britain said their strikes were aimed at deterring the Houthi group from launching further attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, a vital waterway for global trade. The rebel group has recently intensified attacks on what it called "Israeli-linked ships" passing through the Red Sea to show support for the Palestinians and to pressure Israel to end its attacks and blockade on the Gaza Strip. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) BERN, Switzerland, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Amidst the picturesque Swiss landscape draped in a pristine blanket of snow, a red carpet was unfurled on Sunday to welcome Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who chose Europe for his inaugural overseas visit in the new year. The Swiss leg of Li's tour marks the commencement of high-level interactions between China and Europe in 2024. During his four-day trip, Li is slated to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024 and pay official visits to Switzerland and Ireland. Li was received by President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd at Zurich international airport. During their train journey from Zurich to the Swiss capital, Bern, the two leaders had a chat over tea "in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere." Li told Amherd that "China will open its door wider and wider to the outside world and welcomes more Swiss investors." While Davos, the venue for the WEF annual meeting, enjoys the limelight, Swiss media outlet SWI swissinfo.ch suggests that the most important meeting during Li's visit, from a Swiss perspective, could be the one taking place some 270 km away in Bern, where the Chinese premier is scheduled to hold more meetings with Amherd and other members of the Federal Council. The WEF has highlighted Li's participation by placing his name first among the political leaders taking part. This year's WEF theme, "Rebuilding Trust," aligns with China's aspirations to increase exchanges and communication and enhance mutual understanding and trust with other parties in face of the "de-risking" rhetoric peddled by the U.S.-led West. In Dublin, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said ahead of Li's visit to Ireland that the country recognizes China as a major country politically and economically and Ireland's "important economic partner," and looks forward to extending a "warm welcome" to Li and holding "in-depth and constructive discussions" with the Chinese guest, according to the Department of the Taoiseach. The emphasis on Li's visit can be partially explained by the value placed on certainty in this uncertain world. For many European countries, one thing they can be certain about is that their cooperation with China has been mutually beneficial. The Chinese market holds significant importance for Europe's post-pandemic recovery. In 2022, China-EU trade reached 847.3 billion U.S. dollars, implying that in every minute, trade exchanges between China and the EU valued over 1.6 million dollars on average. As for Switzerland, the Central European country has the distinction of being among the earliest Western countries to recognize the People's Republic of China, and stands out as one of the pioneering European nations to formalize a free trade agreement with China. Cooperation between the two countries in areas such as trade, finance, innovation, and culture has immense potential. This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Ireland. The China-Ireland strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation has grown steadily, seeing frequent interactions at various levels, with deepening cooperation in trade and investment, green development, culture, education and other fields. In Switzerland and Ireland, the shelves of many stores display a myriad of products bearing the label "Made in China," as the local tourism industry eagerly anticipates the arrival of Chinese visitors. However, challenges and tests loom over China-Europe relations as the U.S. government disrupts and reshapes the global supply chains, and lures Europe to label China as a "systemic rival" in certain areas and weaponize the "de-risking" strategy as tools disrupting China-Europe relations. Such actions could undermine trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, leading to greater turbulence and problems. An anti-subsidy investigation by Brussels into Chinese electric vehicles is an alarming manifestation of this trend. Regarding concerns in Europe, Li addressed what he considered to be the real risks during his visit to Europe in June last year. In a dialogue with representatives from the German business community in Berlin, he said that "failure to cooperate is the biggest risk, and failure to develop is the biggest insecurity." Guarding against risks and cooperation are not opposite to each other, he said, adding that for some specific problems, all parties should analyze them case by case, and jointly prevent and respond to them through consultation and cooperation. Li's perspective has been gaining more affirmation and resonance. Concerning the EU's protectionist measures against Chinese electric cars, there is increasing reflection within Europe. Days ago, The Economist published an article pointing out that the successes of Chinese cars should be celebrated, not feared as "the potential gains to the West from a ready supply of cheap, green vehicles are simply enormous." Simultaneously, many European businesses, defying political pressures, are increasing their investments in China and expanding their operations, signaling that China is viewed as an opportunity rather than a risk. Last July, German automaker VW declared a substantial 700-million-dollar investment in the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer XPeng, acquiring a nearly 5-percent stake in the company to collaboratively develop and manufacture electric vehicles. In September of the same year, Airbus broke ground on its second final assembly line in north China's Tianjin as the European aircraft manufacturing consortium seeks expansion in the Chinese market. "De-risking" China-reliant supply chains doesn't solve problems but, as The Wall Street Journal puts it, is "creating new risks." CAIRO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to work with Egypt to support an equal and orderly multipolar world and economic globalization that benefits all, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday. China and Egypt, as representatives of major developing countries and emerging forces, pursue independent foreign policies and support genuine multilateralism, Wang said. In a turbulent and intertwined world, China and Egypt are important factors for maintaining strategic stability, he noted. China is ready to work with Egypt to support an equal and orderly multipolar world and economic globalization that benefits all, promote global governance in a more just and reasonable direction, and safeguard the common interests and legitimate rights of developing countries, he said. Enditem. BERN, Switzerland, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- China and Switzerland have completed the joint feasibility study on upgrading the China-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and agreed to support the early launch of formal FTA upgrade negotiations, the two sides announced here on Monday. The announcement was made during talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd. Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, attended the talks. The two sides will hold a new round of China-Switzerland strategic dialogue of foreign minister level, working group meetings on finance and energy, education policy dialogue, as well as consultations on UN Security Council affairs within this year. China will apply unilateral visa-free policy to Switzerland, and the Swiss side will provide more visa facilitation for Chinese citizens as well as Chinese enterprises investing in Switzerland, the two countries announced. The two sides will take the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, they added. BAGHDAD, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Monday reiterated that Iraq wants to end the presence of the U.S.-led international coalition in the country. Al-Sudani made the remarks during his meeting with the Dutch Ambassador to Iraq Hans Sandee, whose country is scheduled to assume the presidency of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Iraq in mid-May, according to a statement issued by al-Sudani's media office. Al-Sudani said that the next mission of the coalition countries must include joint technical work to end the coalition's presence in Iraq and move to bilateral security and military cooperation with Iraq, according to the statement. For his part, Sandee delivered during the meeting an official invitation to al-Sudani from his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, to visit the Netherlands to discuss partnership opportunities between the two countries, the statement said, without giving further details about the date of the visit. The Netherlands is part of the U.S.-led international coalition tasked with training and advising the Iraqi security forces in their fight against the Islamic State terrorist group. NICOSIA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of demonstrators protested against the use of a British airbase in Cyprus for military activities related to the Gaza conflict. The Cyprus Peace Council, the organizer of the event, said that around 500 people marched to the gate of the Akrotiri airbase on the fringes of the southern port city of Limassol. During the demonstration, the organization repeated its appeal for an immediate closure of the British airbases in Cyprus, saying they have been posing a constant danger to the security of the island country and its people. The demonstrators held banners calling against the involvement of the base in the Gaza conflict. They handed a written message to a British officer at the gate of the base, saying that the Cypriot people do not want their country "to be involved in any way in the bloody massacre taking place in the Gaza Strip," according to local media. It is reported that the Akrotiri airbase was used to transfer military equipment to Israel, and four Royal Airforce Typhoon planes took off from the base overnight on Friday to carry out bomb attacks on the Houthi militia in Yemen, which claimed that they support Hamas. "We once again denounce the use and involvement of the British bases in Cyprus in the murderous airstrikes being launched against the people of the region," the council was quoted by English-language daily newspaper Cyprus Mail as saying. The Akrotiri airbase, with an area of almost 254 square kilometers, is one of the two military bases that the United Kingdom retained as "British sovereign areas" when it granted independence to Cyprus in 1960 after 100 years of colonial rule. 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year officially launched Xinhua) 09:00, January 15, 2024 Chinese artists perform during the launching ceremony of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Jan. 13, 2024. The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua) SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples. Held at the Terrace of the Elephants in the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park and live broadcast on the state-run TVK, the two-and-a-half hour launching ceremony started with speeches, a video clip featuring Cambodia-China relations, and a glittering arts performance. In a congratulatory message to the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the relationship between the two countries and peoples had begun and is deeply rooted in a long history of no less than two millennia. He said the two countries forged diplomatic ties on July 19, 1958 under the then-leaders, Cambodian King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Chinese older generation leaders, and the ties were elevated to the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2010 and now evolved into the "diamond hexagon cooperation." "I'm optimistic that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will provide a new great opportunity to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia, and the bonds of solidarity, friendship and diamond cooperation between our two countries and peoples will be even stronger," Hun Manet said. "It will also help boost tourism and exchanges among youths and next-generation leaders of the two countries towards building a Cambodia-China community with a shared future," he added. Meanwhile, Hun Manet said that as the current leader of Cambodia, he would continue to provide staunch support to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for the benefit of the countries and peoples. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Tea Banh, a member of the Supreme Privy Council to His Majesty the King, said the event was designed to further enhance diamond cooperation between the two countries and to signal the kingdom's readiness to welcome more Chinese tourists. "I believe that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will inject fresh momentum into building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era," he said. "It will become a key catalyst for boosting Cambodia-China relations in tourism, culture and people-to-people exchange," he added. Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken said the Southeast Asian country recorded 5.4 million international tourists, including some 540,000 Chinese tourists, in 2023. "I'm strongly confident that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will become a new driving force to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia, contributing further to deepening the bonds of friendship between the peoples of the two countries," he said. Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter, said the event would play a vital role in promoting and attracting more Chinese tourists to the kingdom. "It marks a significant opportunity to strengthen cultural and educational ties between the two nations," he told Xinhua. He added that effective promotion and genuine cross-cultural understanding from the event could potentially increase Chinese arrivals. He added that Cambodia offers a wealth of history, breathtaking landscapes, and unique cultural experiences. Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate. Cambodian artists perform during the launching ceremony of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Jan. 13, 2024. The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua) Chinese artists perform during the launching ceremony of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Jan. 13, 2024. The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) This photo taken with a mobile phone on Jan. 15, 2024 shows the Parliament of Nauru. The Republic of Nauru announced Monday that it will recognize the one-China principle and sever "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. (Photo by Liang Bijiao/Xinhua) SYDNEY, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Nauru announced Monday that it will recognize the one-China principle and sever "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. In a post on Facebook, the government of Nauru said that it will follow the UN Resolution 2758, which recognizes the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of China's territory. Nauru will no longer develop any official relations or official exchanges with Taiwan, stated the government. Nauru's President David Adeang will deliver a statement in this regard at the next parliament sitting, and a national address on local television and radio channels, the post said. China appreciates and welcomes the decision of the government of the Republic of Nauru to recognize the one-China principle, break the so-called diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and to reestablish diplomatic ties with China, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday. China stands ready to work with Nauru to open new chapters of bilateral relations on the basis of the one-China principle, said the spokesperson. Nauru is an island country in the central Pacific, with a land area of 21.1 square kilometers and a population of about 13,000. Related: China appreciates Nauru's decision to sever "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan: FM spokesperson Nauru makes right decision: China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office Backgroungder: The Republic of Nauru This photo taken with a mobile phone on Jan. 15, 2024 shows the Parliament of Nauru. The Republic of Nauru announced Monday that it will recognize the one-China principle and sever "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. (Photo by Liang Bijiao/Xinhua) BERN, Switzerland, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to promote continuous development of bilateral relations with Switzerland to achieve more practical results in mutually beneficial cooperation, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here on Monday. Li made the remarks during talks with President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd. Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, attended the talks. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 74 years ago, bilateral relations have made great progress and set many "firsts," Li said. He recalled that back in 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Swiss leader jointly announced the establishment of the China-Switzerland innovative strategic partnership, which has provided important guidance for the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Switzerland to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further consolidate the foundation of political mutual trust and carry forward the cooperative spirit of "equality, innovation and mutual benefit," the premier said. China stands ready to continue to push for closer high-level exchanges with Switzerland, better play the role of the dialogue and cooperation mechanism between the two governments, and accelerate the resumption of exchanges at various levels and in diverse fields, Li said. Both sides should explore more converging interests, bolster cooperation in free trade, customs and other fields, and foster and strengthen new growth areas of cooperation in green development, finance and digital economy, thereby elevating and upgrading bilateral economic and trade cooperation, he noted. Li also expressed the hope that the Swiss side will continue to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in Switzerland. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Switzerland in the fields of cultural relics, education, youth and sports, said Li. Li called on the two sides to closely communicate and coordinate within multilateral mechanisms such as those within the United Nations, strengthen cooperation in the fields of connectivity infrastructure financing, international development assistance and climate change response, and jointly make positive contributions to the cause of world peace and development. More and more these days, local governments are saying thanks but no thanks to the big arrays of solar panels that are key to Virginias move to a clean energy future. Its a growing concern in a state where theres a now-four-year-old law that says Dominion Energy must have 16,100 megawatts of solar facilities tied into its grid enough to power more than 4 million homes by 2035. Dominion currently has about 1,600 megawatts of solar facilities. Youve got to do something to get there, said state Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, who as the newly appointed chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee said finding a comprehensive answer to the challenge of finding sites for solar facilities will be a major focus this year. Either you have a real policy or you just have a bright shiny thing you can take out and admire without doing anything about it, he said. Its an issue that can pit rural Virginians against urban and suburban neighbors, because solar farms can take up a lot of space hundreds of acres for some of the biggest and there is more so far unbuilt-upon acreage in rural Virginia than in cities and suburbs, Marsden said. As part of a package of bills aimed at speeding up Virginias move to reduce fossil fuel use, Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, is proposing in House Bill 636. It would let the state step in to approve sites for solar facilities if local officials dont act in a timely way on a request to install them. Even if local governments in rural Virginia, with their limited streams of property and business taxes, like the idea of the additional tax revenue a solar facility could bring, they dont like flouting voters who are have been saying they dont want to look at a field full of solar panels, that theyre worried that rainwater running off the panels will pollute streams and groundwater, that the facilities will destroy the rural nature of their communities. Residents' objections Theyre saying quite loudly: Not In My Back Yard. Weve put all kinds of money into the house to make it our home, our oasis, Prince George County resident Michelle Coker told the county's supervisors last month, as they considered and eventually rejected a 100-megawatt facility that RWE wanted to erect on 506 acres of a 1,295 acre site. I currently work from home, so this eyesore will be at my back door every day, she said, adding that she has cancer and will soon be unable to travel from home. Thats all well see. It will be solar farms next to us please keep it rural. County resident Chris Brooks told the supervisors: These solar farms do not benefit our properties in any way, saying he has three properties in three counties all within a mile of solar farms. The value of those properties has declined, and the buffers do not block the sight of them. What about the long-term effect of these panels after 30 years what about wildlife in these areas these solar farms do not provide power direct to Prince George, it is sent upstream and then sold," he said. It can take years to get a solar facility approved RWE started development work on the Prince George project in 2017. In Madison County, the board rejected a solar facility proposed for 59 acres of a 92-acre site in July. Fauquier County supervisors in August pulled the plug on Torch Clean Energys proposal for an 80-megawatt, utility-scale solar farm, dubbed the Sowego Energy Facility, deciding it is not in accordance with the countys Comprehensive Plan. Mecklenburg County supervisors last year did the same with a proposed 90-megawatt project proposed for more than 1,000 acres, arguing that it would remove nearly 490 acres of farmland while runoff would send dirt and mud into nearly Allen creek and from there to Lake Gaston, contaminating water that local cattle ranchers use to water their animals. In Dinwiddie County, Energix Renewables second effort to win a greenlight for its Lily Pond solar facility, to be built on 500 acres of a 1,900-acre tract, ran into such strong local opposition that it withdrew its bid for supervisors approval in June. It is trying again, with a revised proposal slated for the county planning commissions review next month. Sullivans bill sets timelines for various steps a locality would take in considering a large solar, wind or battery project if that locality has an existing ordinance allowing such facilities and setting standards for them. If the locality cannot act in a timely manner, the bill would allow the State Corporation Commission to review and decide whether to approve the project. The commission could also step in if the local government rejects a project that complies with State Corporation Commission requirements for its approval of a project. In addition, it could if the locality enacts a zoning or land use ordinance after a renewable energy developer first proposes a project. The Virginia Association of Counties opposes the bill. The group argues that local review and approval of utility-scale solar, wind and battery storage projects is necessary to make sure they fit the locality's land use objectives. The state should not usurp local authority to make that decision, the association said. Greg Habeeb, a lobbyist how represents solar interests, said the bill is an effort to find a balance between the state's renewable energy goals and local authority. "This is not about preemption," he said. Along with the bill, Sullivan is proposing measures to facilitate more shared solar facilities the kind of facility that an apartment or condominium community might set up. Here, hes proposing that the bills customers pay would reflect their actual use reduced because of what they receive from the solar panels as well as the basic cost of being connected to the system. Current law says the minimum bill has to include the costs of all utility infrastructure and services used to provide electric service. Hes also proposing measures that say data centers major energy users cant get a promised sales tax break unless they can procure energy that does not create carbon emissions equal to 90% of their electricity use. Dominion says the energy demands from data centers mean it will need to keep operating gas-fired plants Another bill would create an Electric Vehicle Rural Infrastructure Program and Fund to assist private developers with non-utility costs associated with the installation of electric vehicle charging stations. Yet another would levy a daily charge of 33 cents per kilowatt hour on electric companies if they take too long to process requests for interconnections where a customers own renewable generators solar panels on a roof, or a wind turbine, for example require the utility to track how much electricity from the customers facilities flows into the grid where others can tap it. After four years, were finding where the pinch points are, said Sullivan, who sponsored the 2020 Virginia Clean Energy Act, which commits electric utilities to stop burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon as they generate electricity. Weve got state goals and we need to think as a state about how we get there. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy made campaign stops in Eastern Iowa late last week as part of their sprint to the finish just ahead of the first-in-the-nation, 2024 Iowa Republican presidential precinct caucuses on Monday. Former President Donald Trump is popular among Iowas youth as well, according to early returns from the Iowa Secretary of States latest informal Iowa Youth Straw Poll. As of noon Friday, with 41 schools reporting, Trump was the runaway leader in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll, with 58.1% of the votes cast. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley was a distant second at 17.8%, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was third at 9.5%. Schools were encouraged to report results by the end of the day Friday, but those results are not the final tally. More than 20,000 students across the state are expected to participate, according to a news release from Iowa Secretary of States office. The Iowa Youth Straw Poll also is open to Democratic candidate selections, and President Joe Biden thus far is in third place. As of Friday, author Marianne Williamson was at 38.5%, former Congressman Dean Philips was second at 33%, and Biden was at 29.3%. It is exciting to see so many students participate in this years Iowa Youth Straw Poll, Pate said in a news release. This is a great opportunity for students to experience firsthand the caucus and voting experience, and we look forward to seeing these students register to vote and participating in Iowas elections process once they are eligible. Chinas recent announcement that it was expanding its tariff-free policy to additional African countries, namely Angola, Gambia, Congo, Madagascar, Mali and Mauritania, may be a catalyst for new opportunities amid criticisms about the trade imbalance, according to experts. The Chinese government announced on 25 December 2023 that it was granting the additional six African states with tariff-free access for goods on 98% of taxable products. This has increased the number of African countries on the zero-tariff policy to 27, as Beijing had earlier announced similar cuts for 21 other African countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) 2021 summit in Dakar that China aims to import products worth $30 billion from Africa by the end of 2024 and $300 billion by 2035, which will be a major economic boost for countries considered the least developed. Yet, despite Xis announcement in 2021, China still maintains a trade surplus with its exports to Africa dominated by finished goods such as textile, machinery and electronics. But experts believe that the policy will go a long way for Africa, which has the paradox of being both a resource-rich continent and arguably the poorest continent on the earth a phenomenon commonly known as resource curse. For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) supplies 60% of Chinas cobalt imports, Zambia is a major supplier of copper to China, Angola is a major exporter of petroleum and diamonds while Nigeria is endowed with large oil and gas resources, to mention but a few. Each country is pursuing their national interest; you cant vilify China or any country for pursuing their interest. You have to look at each policy and take the opportunity for your own national interest, Olalekan Babatunde of the National Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies in Nigeria said. Yehia Zakariya, chairman of the Board of Directors of the EgyptAir Holding Company, has confirmed the operation of new direct flights from Cairo to Misrata in Libya, starting from January 25, Libya Observer reports. Misrata become the third city the Egyptian carrier will be flying to, after Tripoli and Benghazi. Zakariya reportedly on companys Facebook page indicated that the new route is scheduled with one flight per week every Thursday. The carrier according to the chairman is offering a discount on the first four flights of this route, with the first flight at a 50% discount and the other three flights at a 25% discount, if tickets are purchased until January 20. The new route brings the number of flights to Libya per week to 15. The company already operates 7 flights to Benghazi, 7 flights to Mitigia (Tripoli). The launch of the new route is the result of the increase in traffic between Libya and Egypt, especially with the presence of Egyptians residing and working in Libyan territories. It is also in line with the aim of enhancing trade and economic exchange between the two countries. The Namibian presidency has condemned Germanys shocking decision to reject the genocide case at the UNs top court, accusing the former colonial ruler of not learning lessons of its horrific history in the African country in the early 20th centry, and calling South Africas accusation at The Hague as morally upright. Namibias President Hage Geingob has urged Germany to reconsider its untimely decision to intervene as a third-party in defense in response to Berlins rejection of the South Africas filed case at the the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Germany has chosen to defend in the ICJ the genocidal and gruesome acts of the Israeli government against innocent civilians in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian Territories, Namibias president said in a statement on X on Saturday (13 January). According to President Geingob, its former colonial master could not morally express commitment to the United Nations Convention against genocide, including atonement for the genocide in Namibia and at the same time support Israel. In 2021, Berlin acknowledged committing genocide in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 when German colonizers massacred more than 70,000 Herero and Nama indigenous people. Historians consider this to be the first genocide of the 20th century. The German Government is yet to fully atone for the genocide it committed on Namibian soil, Geingob added. Berlin on Friday (12 January) said the accusation of genocide against Israel was completely unfounded and amounted to a political instrumentalization of the UN genocide convention. In view of Germanys history and the crime against humanity of the Holocaust, the government sees itself as particularly committed to the genocide convention, it said. In a swift response to the memorandum of understanding inked between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region, the Arab League will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday Jan.17. The meeting, to be chaired by Morocco, will gather foreign ministers to deliberate on the potential ramifications of this diplomatic development. The Arab League, in a statement released on Sunday, underscored the seriousness of the situation and declared its decision to hold an emergency session via video conference at the League Councils level. The focus will be on the aftermath of the illegally signed memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and the region of Somaliland. Elias Cheikh Omar Abu Bakr, the Ambassador of Somalia in Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, disclosed on January 4 that Somalia had formally approached the Arab League. The purpose was to call for an urgent meeting of the League Council, specifically among Arab foreign ministers. The aim is to examine the consequences of the MoU, which grants Ethiopia rights to exploit a 20 km-area northwest of Somalia in the Red Sea, along with a designated port and military base in the region. The Somali diplomat stressed the necessity of a unified Arab response to what he labeled a blatant violation by Ethiopia against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. He argued that Ethiopias unilateral actions pose a threat to Arab security and navigation in the Red Sea, as well as an overt attempt to undermine the sovereignty, independence, and unity of Somalia. Emphasizing the significance of adhering to principles of neighborliness, the diplomat highlighted the need to strengthen peace, security, and stability in the Horn of Africa region. Moreover, Abu Bakr warned against the dangerous repercussions of Ethiopias move, characterizing it as a flagrant violation of Somali sovereignty that could further destabilize the already tense situation in the region. Continuing violence against religious minorities in Pakistan belies the governments Jan. 8 statement that it promotes religious freedom and protects the members of non-Muslim faiths, rights activists said. The U.S. State Department on Jan. 4 designated Pakistan among countries such as Burma, China and Iran as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. It called on governments to end communal violence, attacks on religious minorities and lengthy prison terms for peaceful expression. In response, Pakistans Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement expressing dismay over inclusion on the list, asserting that it was based on biased and arbitrary assessment and was detached from ground realities. Pakistan is a pluralistic country, with a rich tradition of interfaith harmony, the ministrys statement read. Pakistan has undertaken wide-ranging measures to promote religious freedom and protect minority rights. A senior church leader and a prominent rights advocate, however, cited ongoing abuses that show Pakistan is not a safe place for religious minorities: violent attacks on multiple churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad District on Aug. 16, unabated blasphemy allegations against Christians as well as Muslims, increasing number of underage Christian and Hindu girls falling victim to forced conversion to Islam in the guise of Islamic marriages, and attacks on minorities worship places. The day-long attacks on Christians in Jaranwala as law enforcement personnel looked on as mere spectators, and the provincial governments persistent refusal to launch a judicial inquiry into the incident to hold the negligent officials accountable, is in itself a charge sheet against the government, Bishop Azad Marshall, president of the Church of Pakistan, told Chistian Daily International-Morning Star News. Instigated by mosque leaders, Muslim mobs on Aug. 16 burned 20 church buildings and ransacked scores of Christian homes and businesses in Jaranwala after a Muslim framed two Christians in a false blasphemy case. The rioting began after Muslim residents of Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala, Faisalabad District, accused Umar Saleeem, known as Rocky, of desecrating pages of the Quran and writing blasphemous comments. Marshall filed a petition in the Lahore High Court in September for the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the attacks, but the Punjab government told the court there was no need for a judicial inquiry as it had already formed joint investigation teams to probe the incident. In December, the court directed the Punjab government to review its decision, but subsequent adjournments have kept the crucial matter pending. Marshall said the Pakistani government also has ignored calls to criminalize false allegations of blasphemy, resulting in a steep increase in fake cases that land Christians in jail for months and years awaiting trial outcomes. The government has also failed to legislate against forced conversions and forced marriages of underage girls from the Christian and Hindu communities, he said. The fear of our minor daughters being abducted by Muslim men for sexual exploitation in cover of marriage continues to haunt us, yet theres no sign that the government is committed to preventing this barbarity against children. Marshall expressed the hope that a general election on Feb. 8 would lead to a new government that would focus on addressing challenges religious minorities face. We are hoping and praying for a leadership that not only hears our problems but also acts on the solutions, he added. Samson Salamat, chairman of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality), echoed Marshalls points. There are prominent signs and indicators that prove that religious freedom has been squeezed significantly in Pakistan, making the lives of religious minorities more difficult and unpredictable in terms of their safety and security, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Salamat said hollow statements by government officials and cosmetic measures like the establishment of mediation centers in Punjab, along with formation of a toothless National Commission on Minorities and high-profile meetings with minorities leadership, would not ensure minorities protection. Nothing will help in stopping the mob violence against religious minorities in the presence of the blasphemy laws and impunity for extremist outfits like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), he said. We were expecting a major crackdown against TLP and other extremist outfits who are using blasphemy laws as a tool to persecute religious minorities, but instead the group has been allowed to make a successful entry into politics. Salamat said the country needs to reset policies in order to improve religious freedom. If the state apparatus is serious about improving Pakistans image, he said, it should make a constitutional amendment to ensure that religious minorities are equal citizens of Pakistan in letter and spirit; initiate a grand parliamentary debate to stop the misuse of the blasphemy laws and formulate a strategy to prevent religiously-motivated mob violence; show zero tolerance against hate speech; and effectively crack down on extremist outfits. Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors 2023 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, up from eighth the previous year. Strengthening cooperation in the field of agriculture was at the heart of recent discussions between Akwa Ibom State, in southeastern Nigeria, OCP Africa, a subsidiary of the OCP Group, world leader in the production and export of phosphates, and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). The strategic meeting was held at the request of the Akwa Ibom State Government. The meeting between Akwa Ibom State, OCP Africa Nigeria team, and NSIA, was aimed at discussing the progress of ongoing industrial projects and strengthening collaboration in the field of agriculture. The meeting, attended by senior government officials of Ibom State and representatives of the two companies, was highly productive. The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, expressed his sincere thanks to OCP Africa for the various actions previously carried out in the region, noting that previous projects and initiatives had made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of the State. The Akwa Ibom State government also expressed its willingness to further strengthen this fruitful collaboration. At the meeting, the parties exchanged information on the progress of the ongoing industrial project in Akwa Ibom State, adding that significant progress had been made. All parties are committed to continuing to work together to ensure the successful completion of this major project. A cold night in Des Moines is on tap. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images After a long run-up that reduced the field to Donald Trump and just three significant rivals Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy the voting phase of the 2024 Republican-presidential-nomination race begins with the Iowa caucuses on the evening of Monday, January 15 (yes, Iowa Republicans scheduled their caucus for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, seemingly by accident). Heres everything you need to know about this time-honored and arcane event, which has kicked off the GOP contest (and until this year, the Democratic contest) since 1976, from how voting works to how the results will impact the rest of the 2024 contest. (And dont forget to follow Intelligencers live coverage of caucus night and the results here.) . Primaries are typically state-sponsored elections at regular polling places open to registered party voters and sometimes independents. At the presidential level, delegates to the national convention are bound (tightly among Democrats, more variably among Republicans) by primary results. A caucus, however, is a party-sponsored event almost invariably limited to party members, staffed by volunteers rather than election officials, and with a less uniform relationship to delegate selection. Because of these differences, caucuses generally attract significantly lower turnout than primaries and are often dominated by party stalwarts who tend to be more ideologically inclined than the average primary participant. Democrats have all but banned caucuses as part of the presidential nominating process as, well, non-democratic (this is part of the reason Iowa has lost its first-in-the-nation status in that party). Meanwhile, Republicans have done little to discourage caucuses; eight state Republican Parties currently plan to use them in the presidential race this year. . While primary voting last all day, caucuses, which are actually meetings, occur at a fixed time. This year the GOP caucus will take place on Monday, January 15, at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. ET). With the very limited exception of military-service members and registered Republicans living overseas, theres no early or remote voting. . One important reason for the lower turnout in caucuses is that they involve a much greater time commitment. In a primary, you show up, vote, and go home. Caucuses, particularly in Iowa, are party-business events. Among Republicans, votes are often held on resolutions and other non-election matters, and in presidential years, representatives of candidates are allowed to make brief speeches. The caucuses also elect delegates to county conventions as the first step in naming national-convention delegates. But Iowa Republicans emphatically do not follow the complex, multistage affinity groups system of first and second candidate preferences that helped make Iowa Democratic caucuses notoriously difficult to understand and also helped bring them down when the state party could not report results on Caucus Night in 2020. Republicans have a simple candidate-preference ballot (cast secretly), and the national-convention delegates, whoever they are, will be bound by the results. . Barring a seismic upset, Donald Trump is going to win the Iowa caucuses handily. Hes leading in the RealClearPolitics averages of Iowa polls by 33.8 points; hes at 52.5 percent, followed by Nikki Haley at 18.7 percent and Ron DeSantis at 15.5 percent. By most accounts, Trump abundantly addressed the organizational deficiencies that led to his loss to Ted Cruz in the 2016 caucuses. The question most pundits are asking about Trumps performance is whether he can actually win a majority of caucusgoers. But even if he doesnt top 50 percent, his win will probably be historic: the largest margin of victory in any contested Iowa Republican caucuses was Bob Doles 12.8 percent in 1988. . Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are in close competition for second place. The ancient saying is that there are three tickets out of Iowa, meaning the top three candidates in the caucuses will survive at least until the New Hampshire primary (which is on January 23). But that may not be true in 2024. DeSantis has placed such an enormous emphasis on Iowa, and has become so weak in other states, that a third-place finish might be curtains for him. Haley, on the other hand, is surging in New Hampshire, and while finishing second in Iowa could help her convey a sense of momentum, its not essential. The big question in the race for second place is whether DeSantiss vaunted Iowa field organization (buttressed by endorsements from opinion leaders like Governor Kim Reynolds and conservative Evangelical kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats) will enable him to overperform his standing in the polls. Haley has relied on heavy late TV advertising in Iowa in the absence of a major field presence, and she has benefited from an endorsement by the Koch networks Americans for Prosperity group, which has its own Iowa operation. Haley could also be helped marginally by Chris Christies withdrawal from the race, though he doesnt have much of a following in Iowa, having largely conceded the state to others. But as the vaunted Iowa Poll (sponsored by the Des Moines Register, NBC News and Mediacom and released on January 13) explained, Haleys Iowa supporters are low in enthusiasm, and indeed, a good number are apparently Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents. . There are just over 752,000 registered Republicans in Iowa who are eligible to participate in the caucus. Registered Democrats and independents are excluded, but Iowa law makes it possible for voters to change their party-registration status on Caucus Night. In the last contested Republican caucus in 2016, a record 187,000 votes were cast. Prospects for beating that record in 2024 were initially good given the steady growth of the Iowa GOP in recent years and the fact that this years caucuses are being held on the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. But forecasts of brutally cold subzero temperatures (the coldest in caucus history) on January 15 make that problematic. Iowans can handle very cold weather, but if icy conditions occur, it could seriously affect turnout among the elderly voters who typically dominate caucuses. . Democrats are caucusing on January 15 as well, but only to conduct routine party business. As part of the reforms by which the Democratic National Committee juggled the primary schedule and excluded Iowa from the early states allowed to hold contests before March 1, Iowa Democrats will express their presidential preferences via a mail-in primary on March 5. So presidential preference has been disconnected from the caucuses entirely. The low stakes of the Democratic caucus has led to some buzz about Democrats changing their party registration on Caucus Night and voting in the GOP caucus, particularly for Nikki Haley as the least right wing of viable Trump rivals. But its unclear whether a significant number of voters will go to that much trouble to meddle with the other partys process. . New Hampshire votes just eight days after Iowa, and though occasionally Iowa winners get a bounce in the Granite State, just as often New Hampshire goes in a different direction (a tendency buttressed by the states very different demographics, which lean less Evangelical and better educated than Iowas). Nevada has a February 6 primary and February 8 caucus, but theres no real contest there since Haley is running only in the former and Trump is totally dominating the latter. So theres a monthlong break between New Hampshire and the February 24 primary in Haleys home state of South Carolina, where Trump is very strong. If the nomination hasnt been decided by then, it likely will be in March, when about two-thirds of all Republican delegates will be awarded. 8 items in this article 2 items on sale! Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers In our newsletter advice column, Ask the Strategist, we answer your most burning shopping questions by surveying friends, calling up experts, and drawing on our own personal experience. But we liked this weeks edition so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. To get the next edition in your inbox, sign up here. And if you have an online-shopping question of your own, please send it to strategist@nymag.com with the subject Ask the Strategist. Were here to help. In your 2022 story on down comforters, you talked about a down comforter you slept on in a hotel somewhere in Scandinavia. I was about to purchase it for my husband (whod specifically asked for this) but saw its not on your 2023 list! Could you please help guide me? Dewoolfson Cambric Down Comforter $619 $619 Youre referring to the down comforters from Dewoolfson, which were unavailable at the time of my last update. Interior designer Elizabeth Strianese discovered it a few years ago when she stayed at a luxury hotel in Sweden, describing the experience of slumbering underneath it like sleeping under meringue. They seem to be back in stock, and there are several options to choose from. The North Carolinabased brands most popular comforter is the Austrian Cambric, which is made from a chambraylike fabric densely woven in Austria from specialized cotton yarn thats supposed to be downproof. Its filled with 650 or 750 fill-power responsibly sourced European white-goose down and comes in four warmth levels, from Florida Light to Mountain Air. Lauren Ro $619 at Dewoolfson Buy I am a small human. I want to dress in trousers a la Sofia Coppola, but I have a 24-inch waist and am five-feet-four. When I find good mens items they just are too big for a tailor to make them look believably fitting. I tried boys twill trousers, but often theyre just not made well enough to last. I work in film and need to move around a lot; I need them to sit high on the waist, do a pretty little cinch a la Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, and not do the butt-hugging thing. Help! Im trying to find a thin, nonslip, water-resistant mat for under my front door. I thought Porte + Hall was going to be the answer, but many reviews say that it looks cheap and chintzy. Plus the patterns arent that great. Everyspace Recycled Waterhog Doormat $35 $35 Photo: Retailer Im going to assume youre looking for an indoor mat since you want something not too thick that looks nice. These Waterhog mats from L.L.Bean might be your answer. They come in a bunch of patterns, colors, and sizes and are cheaper than the Porte + Hall ones (in the equivalent size) you mentioned. Theyre made in the U.S.; have a rubber backing; can be vacuumed, swept, or hosed off; and have a door clearance of a quarter inch. (They can be used indoors and out.) Lauren Ro $35 at L.L. Bean Buy I am having the hardest time trying to find a good dresser. I had the Ikea Tarva for quite a while, but within a year, drawers broke and the bottoms fell out. After two drawers completely broke, I purchased a dresser from Wayfair. It was my second choice because it had hard particleboard bottoms. I put it together and the drawers were misaligned. I contacted the company to get a replacement. It came from Thailand, so I had to wait. After a lot of back-and-forth, I got a refund. If I had a car and money, Id likely just spend it to get a nice all-wood one. Can you help? I am a floor nurse and its time for new sneakers. The best pair Ive tried is Hoka Arahi womens wide, size 9 it offers the best kind of support that my body needs; everyone is different, and my joints benefit from a wide base of support, and thats a big limitation in my quest for ideal nursing shoes. The limitation of these Hokas is that theyre not anti-microbial or fluid resistant sometimes I spill someones pee on my shoes! I tried the Hoka Transport shoe, but it doesnt come in wide. I tried the Hoka Bondi shoe for professionals, but its too stiff with its leather structure. Can you help?! Thank you so much. On Cloudrunner Mesh Sneakers $150 $150 If that doesnt fit the bill in terms of looks, consider a pair of On sneakers. My friend, who is a nurse, said that Ons Cloud shoes are the most popular shes seen among her colleagues at the hospital. The Cloud 5 has a breathable, anti-microbial mesh. It doesnt come in wide sizing, but the Cloudrunner does. May your feet stay dry and stink-free! $150 at On Buy get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change. WASHINGTON Ancient DNA helps explain why northern Europeans have a higher risk of multiple sclerosis than other ancestries: Its a genetic legacy of horseback-riding cattle herders who swept into the region about 5,000 years ago. The findings come from a huge project to compare modern DNA with that culled from ancient humans teeth and bones allowing scientists to trace both prehistoric migration and disease-linked genes that tagged along. When a Bronze Age people called the Yamnaya moved from the steppes of what are now Ukraine and Russia into northwestern Europe, they carried gene variants that today are known to increase peoples risk of multiple sclerosis, researchers reported last week. Yet the Yamnaya flourished, widely spreading those variants. Those genes probably also protected the nomadic herders from infections carried by their cattle and sheep, concluded the research published in the journal Nature. What we found surprised everyone, said study co-author William Barrie, a genetics researcher at the University of Cambridge. These variants were giving these people an advantage of some kind. Its one of several findings from a first-of-its-kind gene bank with thousands of samples from early humans in Europe and western Asia, a project headed by Eske Willerslev of Cambridge and the University of Copenhagen who helped pioneer the study of ancient DNA. Similar research has traced even earlier cousins of humans such as Neanderthals. Using the new gene bank to explore MS was a logical first step. That's because although MS can strike any population, it is most common among white descendants of northern Europeans and scientists have been unable to explain why. The potentially disabling disease occurs when immune system cells mistakenly attack the protective coating on nerve fibers, gradually eroding them. It causes varying symptoms numbness and tingling in one person, impaired walking and vision loss in another that often wax and wane. Its not clear what causes MS, although a leading theory is that certain infections could trigger it in people who are genetically susceptible. More than 230 genetic variants have been found that can increase someones risk. The researchers first examined DNA from about 1,600 ancient Eurasians, mapping some major shifts in northern Europes population. First, farmers from the Middle East began supplanting hunter-gatherers and then, nearly 5,000 years ago, the Yamnaya began moving in traveling with horses and wagons as they herded cattle and sheep. The research team compared the ancient DNA to about 400,000 present-day people stored in a UK gene bank, to see the MS-linked genetic variations persist in the north, the direction the Yamnaya moved, rather than in southern Europe. In what is now Denmark, the Yamnaya rapidly replaced ancient farmers, making them the closest ancestors of modern Danes, Willerslev said. MS rates are particularly high in Scandinavian countries. Why would gene variants presumed to have strengthened ancient immunity later play a role in an autoimmune disease? Differences in how modern humans are exposed to animal germs may play a role, knocking the immune system out of balance, said study co-author Dr. Astrid Iversen of Oxford University. The findings finally offer an explanation for the north-south MS divide in Europe but more work is needed to confirm the link, cautioned genetic expert Samira Asgari of New Yorks Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who wasnt involved with the research, in an accompanying commentary. Medical care costs are up 30% in the past decade here's what it means for Americans Medical care costs are up 30% in the past decadehere's what it means for Americans How various health care costs have changed in 10 years Oil and gas companies plan to boost exploration activity and spending offshore Norway this year as Western Europes top oil and gas producer looks to maintain production and raise exports to the rest of Europe. Currently, most exploration efforts are focused on areas around existing infrastructure so discoveries can be tied back quickly and create value while the fields are still in operation, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said in its annual report this week. While this is important for maintaining production levels in the near and medium term, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said it would like to see companies exploring actively in more frontier areas. In order to realise more of the resource potential, companies must to a greater degree commit to testing new ideas in frontier areas, the Norwegian authority said. The robust exploration and production activity of the past year is set to continue into 2024, it noted in the report. Last year, operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf spudded 34 exploration wells, which is on par with recent years, and 14 oil and gas discoveries were made 11 in the North Sea, two in the Norwegian Sea, and one in the Barents Sea, the directorate said. This year, exploration activity will pick up, with 40 to 50 exploration wells planned by operators, according to the authority. Overall, Norways oil and gas production was slightly lower than expected in 2023, largely due to unplanned and extended maintenance shutdowns at multiple fields and onshore facilities during the summer. Related: Citi Cuts Brent Oil Price Forecast to $74 in 2024 on Ample Supply Gas production resumed full force starting from early autumn, with November and December being particularly good months for gas exports, Norway said. According to the directorates preliminary figures, a new export record for a single month was set in December, with just under 12 billion standard cubic meters of gas exported. Currently, Norway has as many as 27 projects under development, contributing to robust activity in the supplier industry. The high development activity since 2022 means that Norways oil and gas production is expected to remain stable for the next few years. Over the short term, the new fields coming on stream will offset lower production from aging fields, the directorate said. It also highlighted that The Norwegian shelf will continue to play an extremely important role for energy security in Europe for many years to come. Norway became Europes top natural gas supplier in 2023, replacing Russia, whose pipeline gas volumes to European customers plunged after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Norway, a key ally of the EU and a founding member of NATO, expects to continue exporting large volumes of natural gas and oil to Europe, but it will need more exploration, discoveries, and investments by 2030 to maintain the current high level of activity and production. Investments in 2023 and 2024 are rising more than expected at this time last year due to high activity, a weaker Norwegian currency, and growing costs, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said. An expectation of increased exploration activity moving forward contributes to growth in exploration investments from 2024, the authority said, adding that New investment decisions will be necessary to maintain activity leading up to 2030. ADVERTISEMENT Last year, the Norwegian government approved the development of 19 offshore oil and gas projects worth more than $18 billion (200 billion Norwegian crowns) in investments. The projects include new developments, additional development of producing oil and gas fields, and investments to increase resource recovery in producing fields. Norway has been betting on the continued development of its oil and gas resources and has raised its natural gas production over the past year and a half to send more gas via pipelines to Europe. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Kazakhstans Ministry of Water Resources is engaging in negotiations with China over water usage of the regions increasingly stressed rivers. Astana has established a 20-member working group to haggle with Chinese officials over a water-distribution framework covering approximately 20 cross-border rivers, including the Irtysh and Ili. According to a ministry statement, the two states have already agreed on a number of points as of late December. A ministry representative, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, indicated that a water-sharing mechanism covering the Khorgos River could serve as a model for similar arrangements on other waterways. Along the [Khorgos] river that separates the two states, a common hydraulic facility was built jointly with China, Nurzhigitov was quoted . Its operation is 100 percent automated, and its locks are designed in such a way that water flows equally on both sides of the border. When one party wants to change the amount of water coming through the sluice, the other party automatically receives the same amount of water. Related: Surging Tanker Rates Make U.S Oil Too Expensive for Asia Despite the apparent negotiating progress, getting a satisfactory water-management deal done with China will not be easy. Kazakhstan in recent years has complained about excessive Chinese water consumption. Last summer, for example, the Irtysh River experienced some of its lowest water levels in generations. Though drought was acknowledged as a contributing factor, Kazakh experts blamed China for exacerbating the problem by diverting excessive amounts of water from the Irtysh basin. The low water levels on the Irtysh caused economic disruption not only for Kazakhstan but also Russia. In late 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed concern that intensive water diversion by China of the Ili River was a factor in the shrinking of Lake Balkhash. In a 2018 academic study, the authors contended that Kazakh officials have limited leverage when negotiating with Beijing on water-related issues. The study notes that Astana has faced difficult trade-offs as Kazakh officials attempt to balance access to adequate water with all the other aspects of its national interest that are connected to its relationships with China. By Eurasianet.org More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The World Bank said at the end of October that a large disruption in the global supply of crude oil which it equated to between 6 and 8 million barrels per day (bpd) would result in a 56-75 percent increase in prices to between $140 and $157 a barrel. However, as analysed by OilPrice.com at the time, a significant escalation in the Israel-Hamas War could lead to a much greater loss of crude oil supplies than that, and consequently much higher oil prices than even the top of that World Bank range. Following the U.S. and U.K. air and sea strikes in the last few days on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to a series of attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, such a significant escalation may well occur in the next few days. It is certainly what Iran wants. It may also be what Russia wants. But whether it is what China wants is open to question, and the answer to that will determine where the War, oil prices, and security across the Middle East go from here. Iran wants to widen the Israel-Hamas War because it will advance its core objective in place since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, as analysed in full in my new book on the new global oil market order. Quite simply, this is to be the spearhead of a wider Islamic Revolution across the globe that ultimately supplants the democratic Judeo-Christian order that prevails in the U.S. and its key allies. Everything Iran has done since 1979 has been geared to that single objective, with the guardians of the Revolution the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps tasked with achieving it through three key strategies. All three are equally important as they all complement each other when in full operational mode. The first is to be the architect of the withdrawal of the U.S. and its allies from the entire Middle East. The second is to destroy the state of Israel. And the third is to spread its own version of Shia Islam across the Middle East and then into the rest of the world. To accomplish all three, Iran needs weapons, training, and money. This means that, although not a key strategy in itself, maintaining good relations with Russia and China is an important means to these ends. A perfect example of this realpolitik in action has been providing China with as much cheap oil and gas as it needs (including from Iraq, over which Iran has enormous control), in exchange for tacit military and political support, as also analysed in full in my new book. Another has been providing Russia with high-volume, low-price missiles and drones to use in its war against Ukraine, in exchange for the continued push to secure Iran a land bridge to the Mediterranean coast of Syria. Both of these allies also have a Permanent Member seat (out of only five in total) on the United Nations Security Council, which protects Iran from UN-mandated military actions against it by the West. Their money, weapons, training, and access to financial networks allows Iran to fund its global network of political, economic, and military proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, and the Houthis in Yemen. Related: Geopolitical Risks Push Oil Prices Higher After Hamass murder of hundreds of Israeli citizens on Israeli soil on 7 October, it is crucial to note that Irans initial plan to create further chaos for the U.S. and its allies was to cause oil prices to spike. This it attempted to do by calling for an embargo by Islamic states on oil exports to Israel in the first instance. Given that Israel buys virtually none of its oil from Islamic states - purchasing mainly from Azerbaijan, the U.S., Brazil, Nigeria, and Angola instead this call was just a precursor to Irans plan to inveigle OPEC to embargo oil exports to Israel and all its supporters. Iran intended this to be a re-run of the 1973/74 Oil Crisis, which had seen the price of oil increase around 267 percent, and had stoked the fire of an economic slowdown in the West, as also analysed in full in my new book on the new global oil market order. The embargo had been placed on supporters of Israel (the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands) in the 1973 Yom Kippur War that had also started when hostile Middle East forces (beginning with Egypt and Syria) had invaded Israel on the holiest day in Judaism, just as Hamas did on 7 October last year. Russia would have been delighted to see such an embargo in place for two key reasons. First, increasing tension in the Middle East in a way that directly impacts the U.S. and its allies would divert their attention away from Russias own war in Ukraine. The less focus there is on that, the greater the chance of support ebbing away for Ukraine, and the greater the chance of a Russian victory of one sort or another. Second, dramatically rising oil prices would allow Russia to sell its own oil at much higher prices as well, despite various caps and discounts put into place following its invasion of Ukraine. As also analysed in my new book on the new global oil market order, Russia earned nearly US$100 billion from oil and gas exports during the first 100 days of the war in Ukraine. Overall, revenues from the higher post-invasion oil and gas prices were much greater than the cost for Russia of continuing to fight the war. However, as prices started to weaken again, Russias finances and its ability to secure an outright military victory have been significantly reduced. So desperate has the situation become for President Vladimir Putin that he risked arrest in December to visit Saudi Arabias Mohammed bin Salman, and the UAEs Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, to plead for greater cuts in OPEC oil production in order to push prices up. Ultimately, he did not obtain the result he wanted. A principal reason why he did not get what he wanted was China, and it is China that holds the key to where the Iran-Houthi retaliation for the recent U.S.-U.K. attacks, and the Israel-Hamas War, goes now. Quite simply, the financial and political bar for China to give its blessing to a major escalation of the War into a wider Middle East conflict has been lifted a lot higher recently. Following three financially disastrous years of Covid, Chinas economic recovery remains fragile, and this will not be helped by long spikes in the oil price. It is true that China can still buy oil and gas at 30 percent or more discounts from its key Middle Eastern suppliers through various deals agreed in the past few years. However, it is also the case that the economies of the West remain its key export bloc, with the U.S. still accounting for over 16 percent of Chinas export revenues on its own. According to a senior source in the European Unions (E.U.) energy security complex spoken to exclusively by OilPrice.com recently, economic damage to China would dangerously increase if the Brent oil price remained over US$90-95 pb for more than one quarter of a year. Indeed, Beijings lack of appetite for an outright superpower showdown in the Middle East right now was signalled clearly by the recent visit to the U.S. of its President, Xi Jinping his first in six years. The danger here is if China changes its broadly cooperative posture towards Western interests in light of the escalation by the U.S. and U.K. last week. Through various hard-won agreements with several Middle Eastern states over the past few years, China has gained effective control over the regions key shipping routes, as also analysed in my new book on the new global oil market order, so being seen to relinquish any significant element of this influence might be too much for Beijing to accept. The U.S. and U.K. attacks on Yemen may be seen by China as an unacceptable expansion of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian the new multinational security initiative announced recently by the World Shipping Council. This came shortly after the U.S. Department of Defense stated that the initiative was being launched under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153. The Force so far comprises only countries allied to the U.S., including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain. If China did take its foot off the brake with Iran, then the chances of an embargo on oil exports first to Israel and then to its allies would dramatically increase, bringing with it the prospect of a re-run of the events of the 1973 Oil Crisis, as examined in detail in my new book. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: The Dangote Refinery in Nigeria, Africas biggest, has launched production of fuels, the Dangote Group of Africas richest man, Aliko Dangote, said this weekend, marking the start-up of the refinery that has seen years of delays. Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced production of diesel and aviation fuel, the group said in a statement, adding that the new refinery is a game changer for our country. The Refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the Refinery will conform to Euro V specifications. The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and DPR emission/effluent norms, the Nigerian group said. The refinery, which was commissioned last year, received 1 million barrels of Agbami crude from Shells trading unit in early December. The cargo was one of 6 million barrels of crude which will enable the start-up of the refinery, Earlier this month, the refinery received the sixth crude cargo that would allow it to start initial runs, Dangote Ports Operations managing director Akin Omole told Argus last week. The refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), will meet 100% of Nigerias demand for all refined petroleum products and will also have a surplus of each of the products for export. The project, which has cost around $20 billion, up from initial cost estimates of between $12 billion and $14 billion, has seen years of delays. Nigeria hopes the new refinery will alleviate its chronic fuel shortage that has turned Africas biggest oil producer into a fuel importer. Nigeria, OPECs top crude oil producer in Africa, has had to rely on fuel imports due to a lack of enough capacity at its refineries, some of which had to undergo refurbishment in recent years. ADVERTISEMENT The Dangote refinery expects to export diesel to customers in Europe, as well as gasoline to Latin American and African markets. However, production of Euro V gasoline, the gasoline complying with Europes emissions standards, is not expected to be produced until late 2024, according to analysts at Facts Global Energy. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Europes benchmark natural gas prices dipped on Monday morning in Amsterdam by 4.8% amid weak industrial demand and bigger-than-average stockpiles for this time of year, despite a prolonged cold snap in northwestern Europe and signs that Qatar may have paused at least five LNG tankers in and around the Red Sea. The front-month February Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures, the benchmark for Europes gas trading, had slid by 4.82% at $33.35 (30.45 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh) as of 9:47 a.m. in Amsterdam on Monday. The prices have largely ignored the deep freeze of the past week in most of Europe as traders believe the market is well supplied to finish this winter season which we are now halfway through with sufficient natural gas in storage sites. Gas withdrawals across Europe have accelerated in the past 10 days, but storage in the EU is still nearly 80% full, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe. As of January 13, EU gas storage sites were 79.7% full, the data showed. Last weeks below-average freezing temperatures saw the biggest withdrawals in a week so far this winter season. However, storage remains above the 5-year average of 68% full for this time of year, ING strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note on Monday. For now, we are still assuming that European storage will finish this heating season at around 52% full, which suggests limited upside for European gas prices, the analysts added. High level of inventories, weak demand from industry, and increased confidence that Europe could go through the winter without major supply disruptions have all led to traders becoming more bearish on Europes natural gas prices. Thats despite the cold weather and ship-tracking data reported by Bloomberg on Monday that Qatar looks to have paused LNG cargo shipments via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Red Sea/Suez Canal route. ADVERTISEMENT By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Hours after targeting a U.S. warship with a cruise missile in the Red Sea, Yemens Iran-backed Houthis fired a missile and struck a U.S.-owned merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, giving further momentum to the escalation of this conflict. Early on Monday, the Houthis fired a missile at the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier, the Eagle Gibraltar, hitting the port side of the vessel, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, as reported by the Associated Press. The vessel has reported no casualties in the incident. The bulk carrier is owned by Connecticut-based Eagle Bulk, and AP satellite tracking analysis showed the vessel heading for the Suez Canal before it turned around after being attacked. "All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured," Eagle Bulk said in a statement. "The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products. Eagle Bulk management is in close contact with all relevant authorities concerning this matter." Following the attack, the U.S. Maritime Administration warned U.S.-flagged vessels from sailing near Yemen. The attack follows on the heels of another attack late on Sunday in which the Houthis targeted the USS Laboon warship. On Friday, the U.S. began targeting Houthi positions in Yemen with dozens of targeted cruise missile attacks launched from fighter jets, warships and submarines. ADVERTISEMENT Last week, ongoing missile strikes by the Houthis on merchant vessels pushed Brent crude oil prices to $80 briefly as operators increasingly diverted commodities away from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. On Monday, Qatar joined the ranks of those avoiding the Red Sea, announcing it would no longer send its LNG carriers on this route through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen. According to Bloomberg, since Friday, at least five LNG carriers scheduled to traverse the Strait have been halted. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Amendments to Belaruss religion law are likely to curtail practice and expression of belief by Christians and people of other faiths, according to rights advocates. Instead of repealing its highly restrictive religion law enacted over two decades ago, which did not meet international human rights standards, Belarusian officials have doubled down and implemented a more repressive religion law that grants the government unbridled control over religious communities and their affairs, Abraham Cooper, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said in a press statement. The amendments, which Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed on Dec. 30 and were publicly announced on Jan. 3, increase requirements for religious bodies to operate legally. Faith communities must re-register between July 5 and July 5, 2025, or risk criminal or administrative punishment, according to Forum 18. Religious communities will face the daunting choice of practicing their religion or belief illegally or submitting to a brutal regime that uses indiscriminate force and intimidation against its own people, Cooper said. Lukashenka said in a press statement that the amendments will increase requirements for the creation of a republican religious association: the presence in its composition of religious communities operating in all regions and in Minsk. The number of religious communities required to create a republican association has also been increased, the Belarus president said. Moreover, at least one of them must have been operating for at least 30 years. He said that religious groups providing social services for the elderly, disabled, orphans and others could be created only if religious organizations obtained permission from the regional Minsk city executive committee. These organizations must also re-register with authorities within a year. The document consolidates modern approaches in relations between the state and religious organizations, Lukashenka said. USCIRF expressed concern that smaller religious communities will be forced to deregister or else face fines or prison terms of up to three years. Leonid Mikhovich, head of the Baptist Union in Belarus, said the final version of the amendments looked better than initial drafts. He welcomed the removal of a requirement for religious bodies to report details of their childrens religious education to local executive committees. Mikhovich told Forum 18 of his concern about the ban on religious communities with fewer than 20 adult members. He also thought the amount of information needed by authorities was excessive. It is still necessary during registration to submit information about their place of work, he said. The legal amendments continue to require registration from all religious communities, within a one-year time frame. Unregistered faith organizations are banned. The terms and conditions of the registration are stricter and freedom of religion activities curtailed under the premise of extremism and ideology of the Belarusian state, noted Forum 18. The regime is allowed to both monitor and inspect religious bodies, with powers to close such communities. Faith-based literature is also censored and restricted. Religious education is allowed in the Belarusian or Russian language but with various restrictions. State control and surveillance of Belarusians have increased since popular protests broke out after fraudulent 2020 elections, according to USCIRF. In 2023, Belarusian authorities have bulldozed and liquidated the Pentecostal New Life Church, detained and fined dozens of Christian religious leaders for perceived political activities, and blacklisted human rights organizations working on religious freedom issues, USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie noted in the commissions annual report. The Biden administration and Congress must prioritize religious freedom as part of U.S. government efforts to hold Belarus accountable for its gross human rights violations. Prior to the announcements of the new amendments, Belarus officials had begun pressuring Christians leaders. Minsk officials on Dec. 20 threatened hundreds of clergy from the Minsk Orthodox Diocese with imprisonment if they violated state restrictions, Forum 18 reported. Olga Chemodanova, head of the Minsk City Executive Committees Ideology Department, and Aleksandr Rumak, plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, issued the threats at a meeting of the Minsk Orthodox Diocese clergy on Dec. 20. Chemodanova told the priests to expect prison if their ideology opposed the states rules. She told them that state agencies had monitored more than 500 religious communities in the past year, and that officials blocked distribution of extremist literature. Rumak also warned the clergy, saying non-religious symbols in church buildings were prohibited that there was to be no politics in church. The Rev. Aleksandr Shramko, who served in the Minsk Orthodox Diocese until November 2019, told Forum 18 that officials from the Ideology Department had attended clergy meetings before, but that the Dec. 20 gathering marked the first time that officials issued public threats. Mass protests in 2020 prompted the state actions, he said. Until then, the authorities believed that all was under control, he told Forum 18. They had contact with the hierarchy and believed the church was under control, but they discovered it wasnt so. They understood that they needed to step up the pressure, not just on the hierarchy but on the lower clergy. Chemodanova and Rumak declined to respond to questions by Forum 18 about the clergy meeting. The bulldozing of the Pentecostal New Life Church building in Minsk in June followed the Minsk City Committees liquidation of the church in 2022. The church building was demolished after a lower court directive that the Supreme Court upheld on Dec. 12. Yekaterina Kaverina, deputy head of Minsk City Executive Committees Ideology, Religion, and Ethnic Affairs Coordination Department, supported the liquidation in court. She claimed local courts deemed the churchs online materials to be extremist, and that activities allegedly failed to follow the original church statutes. The church, founded in 1992, is a member of the Full Gospel Union. State officials previously tried to close the church building on several occasions. Some 30 police officers and bailiffs evicted the congregation on Feb. 17, 2021, using an angle grinder to cut the door lock and enter the building, according to Forum 18. Pastor Vyacheslav Goncharenko then organized worship meetings in the nearby car park. The Minsk City Executive Committee subsequently banned these meetings. Pastor Goncharenko was later detained and fined in September 2022 for violation of the procedure for organizing or conducting a mass event or demonstration (Administrative Code Article 24.23), according to Forum 18. He was also jailed for 10 days in August after 20 armed police officers raided his home. At the same time, the churchs youth pastor was jailed for five days, Forum 18 reported. The religious freedom watchdog listed 11 Belarusians who were fined up to two months average wages or received 10-day jail sentences in 2023 for expressing freedom of religion without permission by authorities, including: Seven young Christians fined between 3,330 and 3,700 Belarusian rubles (US$1,129 and US$1,016) on April 28 for sharing their faith on the streets. Vladimir Burshtyn, a retired Baptist pastor, who was fined 555 Belarusian rubles (US$169) at Drogichin District Court in Brest Region on June 2 for holding an outdoor meeting. A leader of an unregistered church was fined 925 Belarusian (US$282) rubles by Molodechno District Court on July 26. Nikolai Bondar, an Orthodox believer, was fined 740 Belarusian rubles (US$226) by Beshenkovichi District Court, Vitebsk Region on Sept. 15 for leading a pilgrimage. Another unnamed Christian was given a 10-day jail term for leading an outdoor religious event. Irans consumption of low-quality residual heavy fuel oil has jumped at cement factories in recent months amid natural gas shortages in the winter, a cement industry executive has told Iranian news agency ILNA. As cement factories in the Islamic Republic have significantly reduced consumption of natural gas, they now rely mostly on the much more polluting heavy fuel oil, the so-called mazut, as a feedstock for production, Ali-Akbar Alvandian, the secretary of the Association of Employers of the Cement Industry in Iran, said. Irans heavy fuel oil consumption at cement factories has jumped sevenfold and around 70% of cement production now relies on that type of fuel. At the same time, consumption of natural gas has slumped to 6 million cubic meters per day in the winter, compared to a usual daily consumption of around 27 million cubic meters, according to Alvandian. Iran uses residual heavy fuel oil at the cement production facilities even in the summer, according to a document from the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), obtained by Iran International. Despite huge natural gas reserves, Iran faces shortages of the fuel as demand for power plants, households, and small industries has grown. To cope with the rise in gas demand in these sectors, Iran has reduced natural gas supplies to heavy industries such as cement production, steelmaking, and petrochemicals, Iran International reports. Iran lost $800 million in petrochemical exports due to gas supply shortages last year, Mehdi Mahdavi Abhari, the Secretary-General of the Petrochemical Employers Association, said last week, per Iran International. Last year, Iran began production from the Phase 11 development stage of its South Pars gas field, part of the worlds largest natural gas resource. The shortage of gas in Iran could also threaten to leave some oilfields unproductive with not enough gas to re-inject to boost oil flows, according to Arash Najafi, the head of the Energy Commission of Irans Chamber of Commerce, Iran International reported in November. ADVERTISEMENT By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Polands new government signaled on Monday it would be looking to set an end date for using coal for power generation, a senior government official said. Only with an end date we can plan and only with an end date industry can plan, people can plan. So yes, absolutely, we will be looking to set an end date, Urszula Zielinska, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, said in Brussels on Monday, as carried by Reuters. Zielinska, who was appointed just a few weeks ago in the new Polish government, struck a tone in Brussels today thats different from the previous governments position and from all previous positions by Poland, which relies on coal for more than 70% of its electricity supply and has refused so far to set an end date to phase out coal-powered electricity. Poland has previously agreed with trade unions that it would keep coal mining as an industry until 2049. Many EU countries have planned to phase out coal much earlier. In setting an end date for coal-fired electricity, Poland will seek to support the affected industries and workers, the new secretary of state for climate said on Monday. It's all under revision and with a view to step up the efforts, but also to secure the people who may be most impacted, the industries as well, to make sure that the industries are really smoothly transitioned into new green branches, Zielinska told reporters in Brussels. Last year, renewables led by onshore wind generated a record share of Polands electricity26%, but coal continued to dominate the power generating mix, per the German research organization Fraunhofer Society. Polands new government should rethink its approach to coal, Poland-based think tank Forum Energii said in a report last week. ADVERTISEMENT The strategy should be to set a date for phasing out coal by 2035, determine the role of state companies in the transition, and improve transmission planning, according to Forum Energii. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Sub-zero temperatures in much of the United States have frozen gas wells, leading to the drop in production to the lowest in 11 months, Reuters has reported, citing local data. The report added that demand for electricity, on the other hand, was heading for a record-high in some states, notably Texas. There, the grid regulator had to issue a conservation call for Monday morning on expectations that demand will break last summers record. "Operating reserves are expected to be low Monday morning due to continued freezing temperatures, record-breaking demand, unseasonably low wind," ERCOT said in the call. Demand for electricity in the state with the biggest gas output and the largest wind generation capacity is seen reaching 85.56 GW on Tuesday, according to federal energy data, cited by Reuters. Supply, meanwhile, could fall short of that by 1 GW, ERCOT has estimated. Reuters also cited data from LSEG, its market research unit, which suggested demand for natural gas in the U.S., including for exports, could hit 164.6 billion cu ft today, rising further to 171.9 billion cu ft on Tuesday. Both figures would be record-breaking. Output, meanwhile, has fallen in North Dakota, according to the states Pipeline Authority. The authority reported that gas production was down by between 700 and 800 million cu ft daily, while oil production had declined by some 250,000-280,000 barrels daily. As a result of these developments, gas prices are soaring. Per Bloomberg, citing unnamed trading sources, the Henry Hub spot price surged by 400% last Friday, hitting $17 per million British thermal units. This compares with $3 per mmBtu for the most traded futures contract for February delivery, the report noted. ADVERTISEMENT The stage appears set for a potential repeat of the winter of 2021 that left hundreds of thousands of people without power for an extended period of time, with Texas bearing the brunt of the freeze. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Two school board incumbents are running for the two seats in an upcoming caucus election for the Westside Community Schools. Sarah Rider and Meagan Van Gelder were the only candidates to send in letters of intent to qualify for the caucus, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Westside High School, 8701 Pacific St. Voters will be able to vote for both incumbents, but can also nominate someone else as a write-in candidate. Anyone who is a write-in candidate has to be nominated on the floor of the caucus and receive a second for votes cast for them to be valid. Rider, senior director of donor experience at the University of Nebraska Foundation, was appointed to the board in July 2023 to fill a vacancy after the death of board member Doug Krenzer. The term she filled expires this year. Van Gelder, a senior advisor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, was first elected in 2018. Only registered Westside voters will be able to vote in the caucus. Early voting during the day will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Westside High School. At the caucus, ballots will be accepted after each candidate gives a speech. Up to four people receiving the most votes will on the ballot for the May 14 primary election, which serves as the general election for the Westside district. The two elected candidates will serve six-year terms. Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2024 Nebraskans are being asked to restrict travel and save energy whenever possible as extremely cold weather lingers across the Great Plains. If travel is necessary, be prepared for the possibility that you may become stranded, Col John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, said Sunday. "As temperatures and wind chills remain critically low, it is imperative that anyone who becomes stranded stays in their vehicle and calls for help immediately" Travelers who become stranded are advised to dial *55 or 911 on their cellphone. The closest first responder will work to reach you as quickly as possible, Bolduc said. Since Monday, troopers have responded to more than 1,200 stranded vehicles. They have performed more than 400 motorist assists since Saturday. According to a statement from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency on Sunday, Gov. Jim Pillen's emergency declaration has allowed the state to seek assistance from South Dakota. As a result, Nebraska will receive two truck-mounted blowers and two loader blowers as well as crew support as early as Monday. The road clearing assistance from South Dakota will supplement crews from the Nebraska Department of Transportation, who have been working non-stop to reopen highways and local roads. The partnership with South Dakota through the (Emergency Management Assistance Compact) will allow us to attack those sections of highway that remain closed at this time, Pillen said. We appreciate the assistance from South Dakota as well as the coordinated efforts of our state and local agencies." So far, Nebraska Department of Transportation crews have put in 35,000 man-hours over the last seven days, with only a one-day break. Throughout the weather event, shifts have lasted 16 hours or more. NDOT has been all-hands-on-deck 24/7 for a week now, bringing in equipment and people from other areas of the state, said Vicki Kramer, the director of the Department of Transportation. I thank each and every one of them for their dedication and selflessness. OPPD issued a statement Sunday asking customers to conserve power to avoid outages. Robocalls from OPPD were made Sunday to customers warning them that the dangerously low temperatures could have an impact on its electrical system. The utility company said the weather "came on faster and has been more prolonged" than anticipated. "As of this time, our regional transmission organization, Southwest Power Pool, has not called upon member utilities in 14 states to curtail energy usage," OPPD said in a statement to news organizations. "Rather, Omaha Public Power District is proactively asking our customers to conserve energy today and for the next several days to help keep our systems and your homes and businesses safe and energized." Lincoln Electric System said it continues to "see high electric use due to the extreme cold temperatures." Both utility companies recommend that customers consider energy saving tips in their homes and businesses. Small lifestyle changes can translate into energy and cost savings on a customers bill, said Paul Crist of Lincoln Electric System. We want customers to know how to positively impact their bill, especially during prolonged periods of extreme cold. Consumers are encouraged to consider the following energy-saving tips: Lower thermostats 2 to 4 degrees. Make sure air registers are not obstructed by furniture, carpeting or drapes. Keep windows tightly latched. Seal windows and external doors. Turn off electric lights and appliances not in use. Avoid using appliances like your washer or dryer or dishwasher, especially during the peak usage times of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Prepare for the potential of power outages related to weather or other causes over the next several days by ensuring you have supplies like flashlights, warm clothes and blankets handy. OPPD asked that outages be reported its OPPDConnect app, at OPPD.com or by calling 800-554-6773. Follow OPPDs Facebook and Twitter pages for more information. The continuing sub-zero temperatures also caused Omaha's Metro Transit to reduce bus service Monday and Tuesday. Service Monday will start "around 8 a.m. and end at about 6 p.m.," according to statement from the bus company. Metro Transit also said will be no express service; Routes 3, 13, and 24 will move to 30-minute service; and ORBT will move to service every 20 minutes. Bus service on Tuesday service "will start around 6 a.m. and end around 9 p.m.," the company said. Riders should check myride.ometro.com/News for the most up-to-date information. Photos: Cold, snow and wind batter the Omaha area RAFAH, Gaza Strip For a few hours every day or night, Dr. Suhaib Alhamss tries to sleep on a thin mattress in an operating room. He swings in and out of half-consciousness too tired to open his eyes and too tense to let go. Thunderous shellfire often rattles the windows of the hospital he directs in the southern Gaza Strip. But the worst sounds, Alhamss said, come from inside Kuwaiti Hospital: the cries of tiny children with no parents and enormous wounds. The panicked screams of patients jolted awake to the realization they've lost a limb. The Israel-Hamas war, which started about 100 days ago, exposed him, his staff and the people of Gaza to a scale of violence and horror unlike anything they had seen before. It has rendered his hometown unrecognizable. "This is a disaster that's bigger than all of us," Alhamss, 35, said by phone between surgeries. His hospital, donated and funded by Kuwait's government, is one of two in the city of Rafah. With just four intensive care beds before the war, it now receives some 1,500 wounded patients each day and at least 50 people dead on arrival adults and children with shrapnel-shattered limbs and pulped bodies, bone-exposing wounds and tattered flesh. Nearly 24,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the war as of Saturday, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The count does not distinguish between civilians and militants. Israel, which mounted its blistering air and ground campaign in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that saw 1,200 people killed and 250 others abducted, holds the group responsible for civilian deaths by embedding militants in buildings used by non-combatants. To make room for the daily rush of war-wounded, Alhamss has crammed a few dozen extra beds into the intensive care unit. He cleared out the pharmacy, which was largely empty since Israel's siege deprived the hospital of IV lines and most medicines. Still, patients sprawl on the floors. "The situation is completely out of control," he said. A urologist by training and a father of three, Alhamss watched aghast as his city and hospital transformed over the course of the war. With its low-rise concrete buildings and trash-strewn alleys teeming with unemployed men, Rafah, the strip's southernmost city, long has been a squalid place straddling the Egyptian frontier. Notorious as a smuggling capital during the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, it contains Gaza's only border crossing that doesn't lead into Israel. Now it's the flashpoint in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Apartment towers have been blasted into flat, smoldering ruins. Israel's evacuation orders and expanding offensive swelled Rafah's population from 280,000 to 1.4 million, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians jammed into flimsy tents smothering the streets. Most people spend hours each day in search of food, waiting in motionless lines outside aid distribution centers and sometimes plodding miles on foot to carry back canned beans and rice. The faces he sees around the city changed, too, as Israel presses on with its goal of destroying Hamas. Fear and strain crease the features of his colleagues, Alhamss says. Blood and dust smear the faces of the incoming wounded, while waxy gray skin and eyes circled by darkening rings are marks of the dying. "You can see the exhaustion, the nervousness, the hunger on everyone's faces," Alhamss said. "It's a strange place now. It's not the city I know." Aid trucks have trickled through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt but it's nowhere near enough to meet the besieged enclave's surging needs, humanitarian officials say. In the absence of vital equipment, medical staff applied their ingenuity to new ends. Alhamss dresses patients' wounds with burial shrouds. "Each day I have people who die before my eyes because I don't have medicine or burn ointment or supplies to help them," he said. He is too overwhelmed to dwell on all that he's seen, but some images spring up unbidden: the stare of a young boy who survived a strike that killed his entire family, a newborn rescued from his dead mother's womb. "I think, how will they go on? They have no one left in this world," Alhamss said. His thoughts turn to his own children 12-year-old Jenna, 8-year-old Hala and 7-year-old Hudhayfa sheltering at their grandmother's Rafah apartment. He sees them once a week, on Thursdays, when they come to the hospital to give him a hug. "I am terrified for them," he said. Alhamss knows fellow doctors and nurses who were killed in their homes or on the way to work by artillery, missiles, exploding drones so many kinds of incoming fire. He has lost dozens of his medical students at the Islamic University of Gaza where he teaches, ambitious men and women "with so much life left to live," he said. Grief is a luxury he cannot afford. When asked how he felt, he answered with a simple, "It's God's will." "We all will die in the end, why be afraid of it?" Alhamss asked. "We have no choice but to try to live in dignity, to help those we can." Israel-Hamas war at 100 days An unprecedented number of frostbite injuries have been seen by the CHI Health St. Elizabeth Regional Burn and Wound Center in Lincoln since cold and snow smothered the Midwest. Esther Rathjen, burn unit manager and clinical nurse specialist, said Monday that in her 23 years of experience she has never seen a year worse than this one already has been. As of Monday, 12 patients have been admitted for frostbite in the Omaha metro, 12 in Lincoln and one in Kearney, plus more than 40 calls to the burn center from other facilities seeking advice on treatment or asking to send patients to Lincoln. I have not seen a frostbite season so busy, Rathjen said, adding that she doesnt know why. I dont know, I cant explain. Its the worst year Ive seen. According to the National Weather Service, the severe cold air and windy conditions can be a lethal combination. The wind chill on Monday was 20 below zero, which can cause frostbite in 10 minutes. The severity of frostbite can range from reddened skin all the way down to bone damage. Being able to treat it within 24 hours of being injured is key to reduce the risk of amputation. Anything with limited blood supply can get frostbite, Rathjen said. Some of the patients we have seen have been outside for 45 minutes. Some (were outside) for six hours. Sometimes its overnight. People who are homeless, she added, are very much at risk as they have nowhere to go at times. Eric Jensen, burn nurse and community educator, said the burn clinic has received calls from as far away as Sioux City, Iowa and Lexington, Nebraska. Staff members in Lincoln were able to view images of patients injuries so they could recommend the best treatment. (Some are) work-related injuries including those who work outside like police, fire, construction anyone outside for a long time has a risk of exposure, Jenson said. That includes those who are doing something like shoveling snow. The center has had to add more clinic hours twice in order to respond to the increased demand. St. Elizabeths burn unit is the only one in Nebraska and serves several states in the Midwest. Jensen said people in the region may struggle to get the needed help because there may not be a trauma center equipped to handle such injuries in their area. People with medical conditions that could impact their circulation stand a greater risk of frostbite as well, Jensen said. Rathjen advised that anyone spending time outside should make sure to layer up, leave as much skin covered as possible and to warm up inside when they get cold. People also should check on their neighbors especially the elderly. The older population going outside to get the mail they have a fall, and it takes them longer to get back in. Or they get stuck, Rathjen said. If pain in your hands or face begins to fade, its time to go back inside, she added. Also, if youre traveling, make sure you have supplies in your car, she said. If stranded, people should conserve gas by running their engine just 10 minutes an hour. Photos: Omaha deals with cold temperatures Monday When Nurudeen Akorede, 24, showed up in an Indian hemp smoking joint in Alakuko area of Lagos State for the first time, he never knew that visit would plunge him deep into crime and criminality. He had gone in search of his girl friend, Toyin. Akorede, a member of a six-man armed robbery gang, whom the police say had adopted a new method of cutting off victims fingers and wrist to make them part with huge sums and valuables, alleged that his step mother used her witchcraft powers to force him into crime. The man, according to the police, is not only vicious but also impatient with any victim who is without good phone or cash at home when the gang visits. Akorede and his gang members were arrested following outcry by residents of Aboru. In his statement to the police, Akorede said that his father had good plans for himself and his siblings but everything crashed when his father remarried after he divorced his mother. He said: My step mother used her witchcraft power to stall my future and made me a criminal. My dad had good plans for us but everything changed after my mother left him. She is also remarried. My problems started after my parents separated. My mother and father both remarried, I was still in secondary school then, and my mother took me along while my younger brothers stayed with my father. After secondary school, I learnt how to fix aluminum doors and windows. My fathers new wife started tormenting me. She made my younger brother go insane and she also poisoned my fathers mind against us. Not satisfied, she turned me into an armed robber. I started smoking in 2017. Before then, I used to attend church services with my mother and I was warned in my church not to smoke cigarette or Indian helm by a prophet, because enemies were planning to ruin my life through smoking. The prophet told me that anything I wanted in life God would give me, so I adhered to the instructions. Two years ago, my story changed when I went to look for a girl at Egbatedo area of Alakuko. I met some people smoking Indian hemp and other hard drugs. It was there I met Kunle Poly, who thought me how to smoke. He also introduced me to his robbery gang. I stopped going to church and my shop because I was always spending time at the joint with Kunle Poly and his gang. Kunle introduced me to two other guys Rafiu and Olamide, one is dead now. I joined their gang and we went to four operations together. On how they started cutting off victims fingers and wrists, Akorede alleged that his colleagues brought the idea. They said how we can go out to rob without coming back with something reasonable. They were the ones who chopped off victims hands with cutlass. We robbed four buildings in our last operation. I was given only N20, 000 in that operation. I wasnt even aware that Kunle Poly stole a gold necklace in one of our operations and the victims disclosed that they were robbed of N400,000. My gang members were just using me; they would go inside the houses and ask me to stay outside and watch out for the police. After stealing huge amounts of money from our victims, theyd hand over peanuts to me, he added. Kunle Poly, a native of Ekiti State, told our correspondent that he went into crime because he had no job. He said he bought his first gun for N20,000 and that he founded his first gang solely to terrorize residents of Aboru area of Lagos State. The 29-year-old, in an interview, said Because I have no job, I was always spending my time at the Indian hemp joint in my area. It was Akorede who brought the idea of armed robbery and that we should buy a gun. Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, who confirmed the arrest, said that residents would now know peace after the arrest of gang. He said before their arrest, the gang had attacked residents of about six buildings and had threatened to return to the area. from dailytrust.com.ng A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, has backed the recent decision to relocate the apex banks key departments to Lagos. The CBN during the week announced plans to decongest its Abuja head office by moving 1,533 staff to other facilities in the city, Lagos, and understaffed branches. READ ALSO: Emefiele will go down in history as worst CBN governorMoghalu According to a memo released by CBN, the affected departments include Banking Supervision, Other Financial Institutions Supervision, Consumer Protection, Payment System Management, and Financial Policy Regulations, among others. Moghalu, who reacted to the development in a post on his X handle on Sunday, described the move as rational. He said the market entities supervised by the affected departments are mostly in Lagos State. He also voiced concern over the disquiet caused by the move among staff of the apex bank. Moghalu wrote: I have seen reports of disquiet among some @cenbank staffers over the Bank managements decision to move some of its departments to the CBN Lagos office. I dont see any serious basis for such disquiet. A new Lagos Office for the Bank was completed and inaugurated about 12 years ago while I was at the bank. As far as I can remember, it was under-utilized. Moghalu is the founder of Sogato Strategies LLC, a global investment advisory firm, and the president of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET), a public policy think tank. He is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Council on Emerging Market Enterprises at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and has served as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Special Envoy on Post-Covid Development Finance for Africa. Moghalu is the chairman of the board of directors of the Africa Private Sector Summit (APSS)[9][10] and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), a network of global asset management firms, sovereign wealth and pension funds. Two agencies of the Federal Government, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) have issued conflicting figures on the revenue allocation to the three tiers of government in November 2023. FAAC in a communique issued at the end of a meeting held in Abuja on December 15, 2023, said the federal, state and 774 local government areas shared N1.088 trillion in November 2023, the NBS in a report released on January 12, 2024, revealed that the three tiers of government went home with N1.35 trillion during the period. This was N262 billion lower than the figure presented by FAAC. FAAC said in the communique that the N1.088 trillion distributable revenue comprised a distributable statutory revenue of N376.306 billion, distributable Value Added Tax revenue of N335.656 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N11.952 billion, and Exchange Difference revenue of N364.869 billion. READ ALSO: FAAC: FG, States, LGs Share N966 Billion Analysis of the figures unearthed further discrepancies in the breakdown of the earnings for the month in review. While FAAC figures put VAT-generated revenues at N335.656 billion, NBS said 347.34 billion was generated as VAT for the period. NBS added that 16.2 billion was generated from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) while FAAC put the revenue generated from EMTL at N11.952 billion, a difference of N4.3 billion. This glaring discrepancy brings to question the veracity of data released by agencies of government saddled with the responsibility of providing Nigerians with verifiable and accurate data. FAAC disburses revenues generated into the Federations Accounts which comprise multiple accounts specific to a Revenue Generating Agency RGA or a sector/ business type. At the same time, the NBS is expected to coordinate Statistical Operations of the National Statistical System in the production of Official Statistics in all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), State Statistical Agencies (SSAs), and Local Government Councils (LGCs). On Sunday, January 14, Evangelical Alliances across Europe kicked off the annual Week of Prayer where local churches from diverse denominational backgrounds come together each year to pray for greater unity in the body of Christ. Marking the 50th anniversary since the historic International Congress on World Evangelization held in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974, this years prayer material features reflections on the Lausanne Covenant and its continued relevance today. Evangelicals are Good News People, and we readily share the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone and yearn to make disciples of all nations, European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) co-General Secretaries Jan Wessels and Connie Main Duarte write in their introduction to this years prayer guide. That is why they are also prayer-warriors. 50 years of the Lausanne movement within the evangelical family have taught us that we cannot be witnesses of Jesus Christ without the power of the Holy Spirit. Called by a committee headed by the late evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, the global congress in 1974 brought together some 2,700 participants from 150 nations. The gathering produced the Lausanne Covenant, a declaration of evangelical beliefs and a commitment to renewed focus on the Great Commission. We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the gospel is Gods good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his grace to obey Christs commission to proclaim it to all mankind and to make disciples of every nation, the covenant stated at that time. It concluded by declaring: Therefore, in the light of this our faith and our resolve, we enter into a solemn covenant with God and with each other, to pray, to plan and to work together for the evangelization of the whole world. Inspired to renew the same commitment today, the EEA themed this years week of prayer material Onward with the Great Commission. 50 years later, this International Week of Prayer of the European Evangelical Alliance gives us the opportunity to reconsider the Covenant, wanting to fuel the movement of fidelity to the Gospel and the passion for mission. With the same spirit of humility and contrition that characterized Lausanne, we want to pray and commit ourselves to being together on a mission to respond to the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus, revisiting the articles that make up the Lausanne Covenant, Wessels and Duarte comment. The week of prayer itself is a tradition that goes back to the year after the founding of the World Evangelical Alliance in London in 1846 and continues to be observed today in many countries across Europe. The EEA commissions a different national Evangelical Alliance each year to prepare a prayer guide that is then translated and, in some cases, adapted to the contexts in other countries. This years material was prepared by the Italian Evangelical Alliance with daily reflections on topics from the Lausanne Covenant, such as the triune God, submission to the Word of God, Jesus Christ - the one and only, the holistic gospel, unity in mission, the cost of discipleship, perseverance, and finally a determination to continue with the Great Commission. It also references the upcoming global congress in Seoul, Korea, which marks the 4th global congress of the Lausanne Movement. Among the groups that translated and adapted the material are the German speaking Evangelical Alliances in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In Germany alone, some 300,000 believers in around 1,000 cities, towns and villages are expected to participate again this year. The country has a special appreciation for the week of prayer as it was the only activity the Evangelical Alliance in Germany continued without interruption even during the communist era in Eastern Germany. In comments to German evangelical magazine Pro, the head of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany Reinhard Schink called the week of prayer a signal of hope for our country. Germany is in need for a sign of Gods love, reconciliation and unity in this time of strife, upheaval and all the enormous social challenges, he said, and added that prayer can become a powerful impulse for change and bring about positive developments. "Especially in these times of social challenges, the prayer of Christians to the God of peace is more necessary than ever before and a safe anchor for many people," said Schink. God admonishes his people to unity, which he brought into the world through Jesus Christ. "This does not mean having the same opinion on all issues but remaining united in all differences." Prayer material in various languages, including YouVersion study plans, is available on the EEA's website at https://www.europeanea.org/week-of-prayer/week-of-prayer-2024/. Gov Francis Nwifuru The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has stated that he was duly voted into power by indigenes of the state during the gubernatorial polls, hence no one can remove him from power. Nwifuru was one of the governors whom the Supreme Court ruling on Friday favoured. Nwifuru contested and won the March 18, 2023 election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but his victory was contested in court. However, Supreme Court judge, Justice Tijani Abubakar, who read the lead judgment of the apex court last week Friday, held that the appeal filed by Chukwuma Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is unmeritorious. Justice Abubakar held that the appellants failed to prove their case before the trial court that the election was marred by non-compliance with relevant laws and that Nwifuru was not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the time of the election. The Judge affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on November 24, which upheld the tribunal judgment that okayed Nwifurus election. Speaking, however, days after the court judgement, Nwifuru said he has forgiven the governorship candidates of the PDP, Chief Ifeanyi Odii, and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Bernard Odoh, for their attempts to undermine his victory in the election. The Ebonyi State governor urged his supporters to also forgive the politicians. Speaking at the State Executive Council Chamber in the Government House, Centenary City Abakaliki, upon his return from Abuja following the Supreme Courts judgment, Nwifuru stated that he has a remaining term of seven years and six months in office. He further pledged to provide a comprehensive account of his accomplishments as governor upon the conclusion of his tenure. Expressing concern over the lack of industries in the state, apart from politics, Nwifuru vowed to establish more industries to promote economic growth. His words reads: To those who fought against us, especially the unfriendly friends, may they be forgiven. Ebonyi people voted me into power and I dont think anybody can remove me. No matter the conspiracy, we must definitely defeat our enemies. I am confident that we have the strength to take up our responsibility to rewrite the story of our dear state. No functional industry in Ebonyi State. The only industry in the state is politics and it will not continue to be so. By the special grace of God, we will be here for the next seven and half months and when we are bowing out, we will outline what we have achieved. You came out and voted for me and some people wanted to truncate my victory but God said no, Tribune quoted Nwifuru saying. The Men and Officers of Nigeria Army were admonished to imbibe the spirits of contentment in their day to day activities while in service in order to appreciated God Almighty blessings. The called was made by Captain Rev. Emmanuel Maidawa at his special sermon to commemorate the 2024 Army Forces Rememberance Day at St. Johns Military Church (Protestant) 33 Artillery Brigade Shadawanka Barracks, Sunday in Bauchi. According to the clergyman, who said: Jesus Christ told his companions to be contentment on what God has done for them, being a contentment is being successful accomplishment in ones life,. He urged the Soldiers to always make their budgets within the limit of their resources salaries/wages to aviod being creating artificial problems and prevented from extorting people to accommodate illegal wealth. Rev. Maidawa preached to couples to alway encourage each other and defend on their salaries to leave a simple life rather than high life to aviod being accused after retirement urging them to always look below them and appreciated God blessings. The clergy equally used the occasion to prayed for eternal rest to the fallen Heroes and seek God to provide for their families needs and protection for the serving soldiers against all forms of enemies attack in discharging their responsibilities. In their separate goodwill messages, the Commandant Nigerian Army Armour School Bauchi, Major General A. A Adekeye urged the officers to redouble efforts in tackling activities of crime and criminality in the State. Pledge to Strengthen Partnership Ties From Mba Nnenna Abakaliki The Executive Chairman, Ikwo Local Government Council, Mr Sunday Nwankwo has unveiled the Forwarding Operational Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Army with assurance of strengthening existing partnership with the Nigeria Army for optimal performance. Mr. Nwankwo flanked by the Commanding Officer of Nkwagu Military Cantonment, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Atomode performed the ceremony at Ndiechi Echara, Ikwo Local Government Area, Ebonyi state. The Council Chairman while thanking the Nigerian Army for its watertight security in the Council, said since the establishment of the FOB, insecurity has reduced drastically across the Council Area. Mr. Nwankwo while acknowledging the gains recorded by the administration of the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru in every sector of the State economy especially security of lives and property, said his administration would ensure that all policies and programmes of the State government touches every part of Ikwo. The Commanding Officer, Nkwagu Military Cantonment, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Atomode commended Ikwo Council Chairman, Mr. Sunday Nwankwo for the synergy and cordial relationship existing between the Council and the Nigerian Army. He said the Army would continue to live above board in discharging its statutory duties. The event was witnessed by some Senior Military Officers of the Nigerian Army and Stakeholders of Ikwo.. Related File Photo The Nigerian Navy on Friday arrested nine suspected illegal petroleum dealers during their operation on the Igbokoda coastal-line in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspects were arrested with 92 drums of illegally-refined and adulterated Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), which were presented as exhibits. The suspects were: Marvelous Kalejaiye, Chuckwuma Oyeyemi, Olajide Omoseni, Ogunfeyinmi Oriade, Omotua Uyimigar. Kola Ogungbare, Wale Ogunfeyinmi, Ario Sama and Dayo Ojomo. Navy Capt. Danjuma Ndanusa, the Commanding Officer, Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base (FOB), Igbokoda, who paraded the suspects, reiterated the Navys commitment to stem illegal business transactions on waterways across the country. He said that criminal activities on waterways in the country, particularly in Ondo state, would no longer succeed as his men were battle-ready and had taken up the fight against such criminality with utmost priority. According to him, the mandate of the Nigeria Navy, as enshrined in the law, is to make sure that the nations maritime domain is free of illegalities such as illegal oil bunkering, piracy and sea robbery. Illegal bunkering, as you are aware, is not just inimical to the economy of the nation, but equally highly inimical to the well-being of our environment. I warn criminal elements to stay clear of the coastal area and at the same time, law abiding citizens of the area should join hands in riddling it of acts of criminality, he said. While handing over the suspects to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for onward prosecution, he urged governments at all levels to provide jobs for the youth to stem criminal activities. In his response, Asst. Commander, Diko Ibrahim, the Area Commander, NSCDC, Okitipupa Command, commended the Navy for its unwavering efforts at ensuring that criminal activities were reduced. He affirmed that the synergy between the two security agencies in curbing criminality on the waterways would yield more fruits in no distance time. He also assured the Nigeria Navy that the suspects would be prosecuted, in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, some of the suspects, who confessed to the crime, disclosed that it was their first involvement in the illegal business but it was as a result of the high rate of unemployment in the country. The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the arrest of former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina. In a statement on Wednesday by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Peter Afunaya, the DSS revealed that it arrested Maina and his 20 year-old-son, Faisal, in a combined operation with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to the statement, they were arrested at the Pennsylvania Avenue Hotel, Utako, Abuja following a request by the EFCC for the Service to assist in the apprehension of the suspect. Maina was arrested in company of his 20-year-old son, Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, who unsuccessfully tried to resist the arrest. The lad even pulled a pistol against the security agents involved in the operation. He was, however, disarmed and arrested. He is a final year student at the Canadian University of Dubai where he is studying Telecoms Engineering. Items recovered from the suspects include a pistol with live ammunition, a bulletproof Range Rover SUV, a BMW Saloon car, foreign currencies, a phantom 7 drone and sensitive documents. The suspects and the recovered items will be handed over to the EFCC for further investigations and appropriate necessary actions. It is instructive to note that the operation is as a result of a renewed interagency collaboration among security and law enforcement agencies. The Service has always subscribed to such collaboration believed to be important in national security management and therefore, hopes to sustain the initiative in mitigating the current threats against public safety and national critical assets. Maina, who is facing trial over a questionable N2billion biometrics contract, has been wanted by the DSS for about four years. Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has presented a cash gift of N100, 000 to each of the 20 South African returnees of the state origin to enable them re-settle them in their various communities. KanyiDaily recalls that some Nigerians were evacuated from South Africa following the violent xenophobic attacks against foreign nationals in the country. While presenting the cash gift to returnees over the weekend in his office, Governor Akeredolu promised to give the necessary support and provide an enabling environment for them to start a new life. The governor who was represented by his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, condemned the attacks in South Africa which he described as barbaric. He charged the returnees not to be discouraged by what happened to them but be ready to start a new life. Because of what happened to you, dont be hostile to any foreigner around you so that African countries could be a better place for all, he said. Akeredolu assured the returnees of his administrations readiness to assist them in settling down in their various communities and ameliorate their present conditions. Mike Igini, the Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), has denied manipulating the Presidential and National Assembly election results in the state. Mr Igini made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo on Saturday. He said the allegation was not true and that the election was not manipulated. Mr Igini said that elections were won and lost at the polling units, saying the REC would not be at the polling units from the beginning to the close of the polls. The allegations are incorrect, we have a total of 2,980 polling units, I was not in any these polling units from the opening to the close of the polls. I have no vote to give nor will I allow anybody to manipulate the election process, Mr Igini said. He noted that the commission had put in place anti-rigging devices to check election malpractice in the state. Mr Igini explained that the strength of the political parties were determined on the election day at the polling units. No politician will know the level of presiding and collation officers in the state, he said. They can no longer be the ones to supply ad-hoc staff that function in those categories, Mr Igini said. The Akwa Ibom REC noted that the era when politicians were writing results had ended in Akwa Ibom, saying that politicians before now carried result sheets to their houses, thumb print and re-write results. What they used to do in time past is to write results but it is now that they allow people to vote their conscience, he said. The era of writing results on behalf of the good people of Akwa Ibom is gone forever, Mr Igini said. Reacting, Ita Enang, the Senior Special Adviser to President Buhari on National Assembly Matters, said there were several irregularities during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state. The results in Akwa Ibom do not in any manner reflect the true voting and will of the people of the state. It was heavily and massively manipulated by the PDP in collusion with with INECs permanent and Ad-hoc staff in the state. Throughout the course of the campaign, I tried to personally avoid castigating INEC, I have aligned myself with all the complaints that we as a party made against the Akwa Ibom REC. And I have thought that in the course of the elections that he will display what I thought I knew about him in terms of integrity but the last elections of February 23, is the lowest low, Mr Enang alleged. (NAN) Reports reaching Breaking Times, reveals that a woman, Professor Mrs. Lilian I. Salami, has emerged as the new Vice Chancellor, VC, of the University of Benin, UNIBEN. The announcement was made a few minutes ago after some meeting as it had been previously announced that a new VC would be appointed today. Professor Salami takes over from Professor Faraday Orumwense whos been VC for the past few years. She becomes the second woman to become the universitys Vice chancellor since Professor Grace Alele Williams, who was Nigerias first female Vice chancellor, in 1985. See profile below: Prof. Lilian I. Salami, (Nee Emovon,) Ph.D. Professor of Home Economics/Nutritional Education is a Benin woman and hails from Edo State, Nigeria, West Africa. She was born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria on the 8th of August, 1956. Her early schooling started in Jos but was truncated by the Nigerian Civil War. Both her primary and secondary education were then completed in Edo State. She obtained her West African School Certificate (O levels) from Baptist High School, Benin City. In 1975 she travelled to the United States of America to University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point Campus and had her summer schooling in the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. She later transferred to North Dakota State University, Fargo after she got married in 1977. There she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in 1979 in Home Economics and Masters degree in Nutrition in 1982. She returned back to Nigeria in 1983 and enrolled to serve in the National Youth Service Corps in Benin City. Upon completion of the national service, she made a brief start of her teaching career with the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo, Nigeria. Between 1985 and 1994 she lectured Nutrition at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. This was interjected when she gained admission into University of Nigeria, Nsukka for a doctoral degree in Human Nutrition in 1989 which she obtained in 1991. In 1994, she was appointed a Senior Lecturer with the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria and acted as a Head of Department between 1996 and 1998 and rose to the rank of Professor in 2005. In her desire to be well-grounded in teaching, she gained and obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in 2001 from the University of Benin. In 2004, Prof. Salami proceeded to the Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa as a post-doctoral fellow which she obtained in 2005. She has held numerous positions at the prestigious University of Benin, Director of General Studies, Part-time programme and Chairman of the Board of University of Benin Integrated Enterprise. She has also served as a member in many other committees. She is the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Education and was a member of the apex body of the University, the Governing Council. Prof. Salami has taught numerous undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Home Economics and Nutrition. She has successfully supervised over 40 masters and 15 PhD students. She is a fellow of Nutrition Society of Nigeria and International Federation of Home Economics/Home Professional Association of Nigeria. As an administrator, she has held numerous administrative positions in the University of Benin and currently the Director General/Chief Executive of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA, Ondo). She has to her credit over 75 peer reviewed articles in national and international Journals. Outside academic, she is a member of the Advisory council to his royal majesty, the Oba of Benin, Omo NOba NEdo, Ukukpolokpolo, Ogidigan, Oba Ewuare II. File photo The Nation reports that tragedy struck in ancient city of Kano on Sunday, following a ghastly auto crash that perished a family of four in the city. The city is now thrown into mourning. The incident which occurred at Gaida outskirts of the metropolis was allegedly caused by Dangote truck along the ever busy highway that linked Sharada Industrial area with Chalawa zone. The 40 years old victim who was identified as Muhammad Sagir was said to be riding on a motorbike with his wife, three children when the incident occurred. DSP Abdullahi Haruna, the Police Public relations officer in Kano while confirming the incident said five victims were evacuated from the site to Murtala Muhammad Hospital, adding that the man, his wife, two children died, while one escaped unhurt. DSP Haruna said the police has launched manhunt for the truck driver who fled the site immediately after the incident The police spokesperson revealed that the truck has been moved and detained at the police headquarter at Bompai, adding that investigation is on to track down the fleeing driver. The Presidency has clarified that President Muhammadu Buhari has no involvement in the dethronement of Muhammadu Sanusi as the Emir of Kano. KanyiDaily had reported that Kano State Government dethroned Sanusi on Monday over alleged insubordination, and immediately appointed Aminu Ado Bayero as his successor. In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, debunked insinuations that Buhari approved the sacking of Sanusi as Kano Emir. He said that it was within the jurisdiction of governors to appoint and remove Emirs. President Muhammadu Buhari has no involvement whatsoever in the dethronement of HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II from the position of Emir of Kano. All such insinuations are untrue, malicious and politically motivated. Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) March 11, 2020 President Muhammadu Buhari has no involvement whatsoever in the dethronement of HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II from the position of Emir of Kano. All such insinuations are untrue, malicious and politically motivated, he wrote. The President does not have a history of intervening in the affairs of any state in the country, unless the issue at hand is of national consequence. On such matters which impinge on national security, he has a duty of involvement as the law stipulates. As outlined in the Constitution, the appointment or removal of emirs and other traditional leaders is strictly within the jurisdiction of state governments. It is unfair and disingenuous of opposition politicians to try to link the situation in Kano State to the federal government and the Nigerian President. Although a retired General and fmr. Military Head of State, Pres. Buhari clearly understands that under the current democratic dispensation, the government at the centre cannot read instructions or twist the arms of all or any of the 36 state governments making up the federation. They all have their powers specified under the Constitution. President Buhari commends the people of Kano for keeping calm in the past few days of the dethronement announcement. He prays that the will of Allah will be done at all times, and that the emirate/state and its people continue to experience progress irrespective of who is on the throne. Meanwhile, Nelson Mandelas wife, Graca Machel has expressed sadness over the dethronement of Muhammadu Sanusi as Emir of Kano. Machel reassured Sanusi that he is not alone in the struggle to confront corruption affecting Northern Nigeria. She stressed that she would continue to stand with the dethroned Emir in his courage to always speak the truth to those in power. Every year on the third Monday in January, the United States celebrates the life of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King is widely known and respected for his commitment to racial equality, advocating for a nonviolent method of social changes, and preaching unforgettable words to mass audiences. While popular memory has enshrined this image of King, the late civil rights leader was a man of many positions and actions, as well as the occasional flaw. 1. King opposed the Vietnam War In 1967, one year before his assassination, King delivered a speech titled "Beyond Vietnam" at New York City's Riverside Church. King took exception to the war in part because of the belief that resources being used to fight in Vietnam were being taken from domestic improvement programs. "We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem," stated King. 2. King opposed homosexuality During the 1950s, King was an advice columnist for the African American publication Ebony magazine. In 1958, an unnamed teenager wrote a letter to King, noting that he was struggling with homosexual thoughts. "I am a boy, but I feel about boys the way I ought to feel about girls. I don't want my parents to know about me. What can I do?" queried the young man. King responded to the question, referring to homosexuality as a "problem" and encouraging the youth to seek counseling. "Your problem is not at all an uncommon one. However, it does require careful attention. The type of feeling that you have toward boys is probably not an innate tendency, but something that has been culturally acquired," wrote King. "Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this problem by getting back to some of the experiences and circumstances that lead to the habit. In order to do this I would suggest that you see a good psychiatrist who can assist you in bringing to the forefront of conscience all of those experiences and circumstances that lead to the habit." 3. King held a negative opinion of Malcolm X King and Malcolm X have oftentimes been grouped together, most likely because they had a common enemy in white supremacy. Yet the two charismatic and influential activists were hardly on the same page when it came to each other, especially regarding tactics and ethics. In Chapter 25 of his autobiography, King noted that he had met Malcolm X briefly at one point in Washington but found the Nation of Islam member disagreeable. "I totally disagree with many of his political and philosophical views at least insofar as I understand where he now stands," wrote King. "I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice. Fiery, demagogic oratory in the black ghettos, urging Negroes to arm themselves and prepare to engage in violence, as he has done, can reap nothing but grief." Given that Malcolm X called the famous March on Washington for jobs and freedom the "Farce on Washington" and called King "Rev. Dr. Chicken-wing," the feeling of disagreeableness might have been mutual. 4. King plagiarized his doctoral dissertation A man known for his compelling rhetoric and memorable quotes, an academe with years of college under his belt, it might come as a shock that King once engaged in plagiarism. In October of 1991, Boston University announced that King plagiarized portions of his doctoral dissertation 36 years before. "Despite its finding, the committee said that 'no thought should be given to the revocation of Dr. King's doctoral degree,' an action that the panel said would serve no purpose," reported The New York Times. "But the committee did recommend that a letter stating its finding be placed with the official copy of Dr. King's dissertation in the university's library." For their part, The Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project addressed the plagiarism in Volume II of The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr. titled "Rediscovering Precious Values, July 1951-November 1955": Although the extent of King's plagiaries suggest he knew that he was at least skirting academic norms, the extant documents offer no direct evidence in this matter," stated the Project. "King's actions during his early adulthood indicate that he increasingly saw himself as a preacher appropriating theological scholarship rather than as an academic producing such scholarship." 5. King opposed Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign While oftentimes having to deal with the wrath of southern sheriffs who belonged to the Democratic Party, Dr. King did not necessarily spare the Republican Party any criticism. When limited government proponent Barry Goldwater became the Republican nominee for president in 1964, King called on blacks and whites to vote against him. "On the urgent issue of civil rights, Senator Goldwater represented a philosophy that was morally indefensible and socially suicidal," wrote King in his autobiography. "While not himself a racist, Mr. Goldwater articulated a philosophy which gave aid and comfort to the racist. His candidacy and philosophy would serve as an umbrella under which extremists of all stripes would stand." King even took these complaints internationally. On a trip to the Netherlands in August of 1964, he again took time to criticize Goldwater. "For the first time a major political party has nominated a man who articulates views that are totally out of harmony with the mainstream of American thought and views that are more in line with the 18th century than the 20th century," said King. 6. King supported the removal of faculty-led prayer in public schools King was a clergyman, an activist who very much believed that churches should be involved in social change movements. He headed an advocacy group called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; but that did not mean he did not have limits on how much church and state could mingle. In an interview published by Playboy in 1965, King explained that he supported the then recent U.S. Supreme Court decision removing faculty-led prayer from public schools. "Contrary to what many have said, it sought to outlaw neither prayer nor belief in God. In a pluralistic society such as ours, who is to determine what prayer shall be spoken, and by whom? Legally, constitutionally or otherwise, the state certainly has no such right," said King. "I am strongly opposed to the efforts that have been made to nullify the decision. They have been motivated, I think, by little more than the wish to embarrass the Supreme Court." 7. King used to be a Michael How different history would be indeed! There is evidence to indicate that Martin Luther King Sr., father of King, was originally Michael Luther King. Furthermore, there is a murky possibility that official records involved the men doting the names Michael Luther King Sr. and Michael Luther King Jr. Snopes.com vetted the claim and was able to turn up remarks from King Sr. that came from a speech given in 1957: "I had been known as Michael Luther King or 'Mike' up until I was 22 ... when one day my father, James Albert King, told me: 'You aren't named Mike or Michael either. Your name is Martin Luther King. Your mother just called you Mike for short,'" said King Sr. "I gladly accepted Martin Luther King as my real name and when M.L. was born, I proudly named him Martin Luther King Jr. But it was not until 1934, when I was seeking my first passport ... that I found out that Dr. Johnson, who delivered M.L., had listed him in the city records as Michael Luther King Jr., because he thought that was my real name." Originally posted by The Christian Post The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has approved the production of Chloroquine for clinical trials in tackling the deadly Coronavirus. Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, agencys Director-General, who spoke in Lagos on Friday, stated that NAFDAC was not approving Chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 but for clinical trials to find treatment for the virus. She said in the case of Chloroquine, it had been demonstrated in the literature and with clinical research which is still ongoing, that Chloroquine is superior to the Placebo. NAFDAC is not approving Chloroquine as a product that can be used for Coronavirus because there is no submission to us for registration but because it is under clinical trials, NAFDAC approves medicines meant for clinical trials. Therefore the medicine is being approved just for the clinical trials, Adeyeye said. According to Channels TV, she, therefore, called on experts and researchers that were interested in doing a clinical trial on Chloroquine to approach approved outlets, adding that a drug company had been given an approval to produce chloroquine in batches. Right now, we have asked one company to make a batch of Chloroquine for the purpose of clinical trial, Adeyeye added. T A shocking video from scene where a Police Officer Sunny attached to Police Nsukka Enugu was shooting and attempting to harm an unarmed civilian right in the UNN campus, has emerged online. The video was shared by Harrison Gwamnishu, founder of Behind Bars Initiative. Harrison Gwamnishu gives details of what happened. Read below: ATTEMPT TO MURDER A NIGERIAN BY NIGERIA POLICE (SIIB AREA COMMAND NZUKKA (URBAN POLICE). This is how DJ Agbo chuka Solomon escaped been killed by the Nigeria Police and tagged Kidnapper. We call the attention of Inspector General of Nigeria Police Force, IGP X-Squad, Complaint Response Unit CRU, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Bar Association Enugu Branch to quickly order for the arrest and prosecution of SGT Sunny attached to SIIB Area Command Nsukka Enugu State. DJ Agbo Solomon was in company of his brother to University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) to retrieve N500,000 obtained by Barr. Eze Crescent under false pretense of giving them Admission. They met with Barr. Eze Crescent in UNN School premises and he instructed them to wait while he source for the money not knowing hes working with SGT Sunny. The Police officer duties is to scare away scammed victims of Barr. Eze Crescent. After scamming his victims, he will raise alarm of Attempt kidnapped. From the video you could see DJ chuka Solomon been shot at and chased by SGT Sunny and others. Attach: (Evidence of bank transfer to Barr. Eze Crescent). DJ Solomons brother was later arrested and released after paying N20,000. The Nigerian Police are becoming notorious for Rights Abuse against the Nigeria people who employed them. We all know the Government of today is full of Impunity, which has really no respect for the views and values of the Nigerian People, so we must collectively come out as concerned Nigerians to ensure Nigerians rights are respected and protected. We hereby appeal to Inspector General of Police to quickly order for the arrest and prosecution of SGT Sunny SIIB Area Command Nsukka (Urban Police) and others involved in this unholy act. Gwamnishu Emefiena Harrison DG Behind Bars Kelly (@Kelly_goodman1) April 15, 2019 . BLOOMINGTON Bitter cold temperatures throughout Central Illinois are expected to continue into Tuesday, with some relief coming later in the week. Martin Luther King Jr. Day remained dangerously cold throughout Monday with a high of 7 degrees after a morning low of minus 6, marked by a wind chill factor 10 to 20 degrees colder than the actual temperatures. Tuesdays high is expected to be around 5 degrees, with the temperature rising above zero in the late morning. Alex Erwin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Lincoln, said the wind chill will not be as extreme as the previous two days, but it is still expected to be around minus 25 on Tuesday morning. Were looking at a low temperature for Tuesday night into Wednesday near zero, with wind chills around 15 below, Erwin said. Arctic air pushing south has brought frigid temperatures sweeping across the country in the last few days, setting record lows in some areas, including Logan County where, in Lincoln, a reading of minus 13 degrees was recorded Sunday morning. In the Northwest, the winter storms have proven fatal, leaving four dead and knocking out power for tens of thousands of people. Blizzard conditions hit the Northeast and the South has seen significant snowfall as well. In Central Illinois, the air is expected to get a little warmer Wednesday and Thursday but not above freezing, with a highs forecast in the low 20s. Wind will continue to plan a role throughout the week, with gusts up to 30 mph possible Wednesday and 18 mph Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Erwin said there is a chance for light snow Wednesday night into Thursday, with the Bloomington-Normal area expecting accumulations of around 1 inch. On Thursday, we do cool down yet again; low temperatures Friday night could fall back below zero with 20 below wind chill Friday night into Saturday, he said. Several Central Illinois schools planned to be closed Tuesday because of the weather, with some opting for a traditional weather day and some using e-learning. Identifiable groups at Central Markets in Kumasi of the Ashanti Region have debunked standstill claims made by some traders about the redevelopment of Central Market. These traders said the government has not sidelined the project as announced by some other traders in an earlier press conference. In a rebuttal conference, members of the identifiable groups at the Central Market said its unacceptable on the part of those traders calling on the leader of the Movement for Change, Hon Alan Kwadwo Kyeremateng to take over the project to the extent of threatening to boycott the 2024 General elections. We were happy when the first group of traders earlier announced their intention to call the governments attention on the halted project only for them to twist the entire idea to politicize it one trader said to Sampson Kwame Nyamekye. These traders have expressed their confidence in the NPP government as far as the completion of ongoing projects in the Ashanti region is concerned. They recounted how the government over the years has improved on infrastructure and other amenities, especially in the Ashanti Region from road network, schools, and hospitals among others which according to them has depended on their trust in the government when it comes to project provision. As to whether to participate in the general elections in December or not, they hinted at their willingness to cast their votes. On Thursday, 2nd May 2019, at Kejetia, President Akufo-Addo cut sod for the construction of the Kejetia Central Market phase 2 project to boost economic growth in the region. The redevelopment of the Kumasi Central Market is a two hundred and forty- eight-million-euro (248 million) project, and it is being financed by Deutsche Bank of Germany, with export credit guarantee from the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF). The construction will be undertaken by Messrs Contracta Construction Ltd, UK, and will be finished within 48 months. Upon completion, the redeveloped market will have 6,500 leasable commercial spaces; 5,400 closed stores; 800 kiosks; 50 restaurants; 210 fishmonger and butcher stores; forty 40 livestock stores; and 1,800m2 of community facilities. Source: Samson Kwame Nyamekye/ Hello Fm Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, has replied to the leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress, former President John Dramani Mahama, on the issue of dumsor under the Akufo-Addo administration. The former President and members of the opposition party have lashed out at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government for the recurrence of irregular power supply across the nation. Some communities days ago suffered power outages, resulting in a barrage of complaints and an influx of social media posts about the return of Dumsor, which was the bane of the nation under the Mahama regime. Speaking in an interview with Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Egyapa Mercer explained what has led to the power cuts under the current administration. According to him, the challenges experienced with power outages in Ghana in the last few days were a result of some financial challenges on the part of Ghana with West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo), thereby causing WAGPCo to cut gas supply to the country. He, however, emphasized that the Energy Ministry has resolved this issue and assured Ghanaians that there is no other problem to cause power outages in Ghana again. "There's nothing to hide, but on this issue that occurred two days ago, we have found a solution, and it will not recur," he said. In his response to Mr. Mahama and the political opponents of the government, the Deputy Minister sounded that "dumsor is not back." "I heard President Mahama saying we are delaying the dumsor in the unlikely event that he will win the 2024 elections, and we create that problem. How is that even possible?" he queried. Defining dumsor as a "protracted and sustained power outage without litigation," Egyapa Mercer pledged the government's commitment to supplying regular power to the nation. Watch video below Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Deputy Minority Chief Whip Ahmed Ibrahim says the Akufo-Addo-led government spends too much money on his ministers while the masses suffer. He did not make known the amount government spent on his appointees but noted that too much money is spent than they generate." The Banda Member of Parliament (MP) suggested a lean government is what Ghana needs to revive its economy, not excessive taxes that will rather burden Ghanaians. This is what President Mahama will do when elected President, he told NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie, in an interview. Listen to the interview below Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video "What I would want to tell the doomsday prophets is that Dumsor is not back," says Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer. Some parts of the country experienced power outages, popularly known as 'Dumsor', which led to calls for an explanation from the government. The government has attributed the recent power outages in the country to financial difficulties with the West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo). As a result, WAGPCo was forced to cut off gas supply to Ghana, leading to the power outages. Egyapa Mercer speaking in an interview on Peace FM's morning show, 'Kokrokoo' gave further details but assured Ghanaians that the challenges have been resolved. Doomsday prophets The Deputy Energy Minister however, expressed disappointment over the fact that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was jubilating over the 'return of dumsor' "Dumsor is not back. Dumsor is former President Mahamas legacy; it was dead with him and will remain buried with him. Issues regarding the power outages have been resolved he told sit-in host, Nana Yaw Kesseh Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Salam Mustapha has given a shocking revelation about the Members of Parliament which may form part of the reasons why some have decided to leave the House. Ghana's House of Parliament will in January, 2025 see the exit of some senior members as 18 long-term law makers have declared their decision not to contest their seats again. The 18 Members of Parliament are on the side of the New Patriotic Party; it is also rumored that some Parliamentarians on the political divide, particularly the National Democratic Congress, are also planning to follow their NPP colleagues. The NPP MPs who will not join the next Parliament include the Majority Leader and MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who has served in the House for seven terms, First Deputy Speaker and MP, Bekwai, Joseph Osei-Owusu with four terms, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Assin Central with six terms, Joe Ghartey, Essikado-Ketan (five terms), Samuel Atta Akyea, Akyem Abuakwa South (four terms) and Dan Botwe, Okere (four terms) among others. Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", Salam Mustapha, the National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party, revealed that most of the MPs depend on "pressure pills" in their daily living. He explained that the MPs receive so much pressure from their constituents and Ghanaians at large that by the time they leave office, they are worn out and due to the amount of pressure on them, they have resorted to taking pills to steady their nerves. "What happens in the course of service when the pressure comes to take everything away from you and leaves you virtually with nothing?", he rhetorically asked. "When you go to the House of Parliament, a lot of them are running on pressure pills because everyday they wake up to demands...Any time you will see a former MP, you don't see them in a state that they are happy", he stated. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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: Geographic distribution of effort to monitor population genetic diversity (GME), for purposes of conservation or management, among COST full-member countries. ad, The tally of genetic monitoring programs for amphibians (a), birds (b), carnivorans (c) and forest trees (d). Credit: Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02260-0 Genetic diversity is crucial if species are to adapt to climate change. An international study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution that includes researchers from the University of Helsinki shows that current efforts to monitor genetic diversity in Europe are incomplete and insufficient. The study proposes a novel approach for identifying and pinpointing important geographical areas on which to focus. Every living thing on our planet is distinguished from its fellow creatures by small differences in its hereditary material. So, when the environment changes and becomes unfavorable to populations of species, such as plants and animals, this genetic variability can enable them to adapt to the new conditions, rather than becoming extinct or having to migrate to other habitats. In simple terms, gene diversity is one of the keys to species survival. In 2022, the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) placed increased emphasis on the need to protect the genetic diversity found in wild species, a fundamental component of biological diversity and one that has been generally neglected previously. "This is particularly the case in Finland, where relatively few species have genetic diversity monitoring programs, an exception being, for example, wolves," says Professor Craig Primmer from the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki. Global warming is already putting a great deal of pressure on many species in Europe, particularly those having populations at the climatic limits of their range. The ability of species to resist greater heat or drought, as well as new species colonizing their environment, therefore determines their survival. It is in these borderline situations that it is most urgent to measure genetic diversity, in order to assess the ability of the species in question to persist. The Nature Ecology & Evolution study examines the monitoring of genetic diversity in Europe. Professor Primmer coordinated the collection of information about genetic monitoring programs that are ongoing in Finland. He has also been involved in genetic monitoring of Finnish salmonid fish populations. By analyzing all genetic monitoring programs in Europe, the study showed the geographic areas in which greater monitoring efforts are needed. "Unfortunately, Finland was identified as a country having fewer genetic diversity monitoring programs than expected compared to other European countries, given its size and GDP," Primmer says. "Without better European monitoring of genetic diversity, we risk losing important genetic variants," says Peter Pearman, lead author of the study. Improved monitoring would make it possible to detect areas favorable to these variants, and to protect them in order to maintain the genetic diversity that is essential to the long-term survival of species. Some of these threatened species also provide invaluable services to humans, such as crop pollination, pest control, water purification and climate regulation. More information: Peter B. Pearman et al, Monitoring of species' genetic diversity in Europe varies greatly and overlooks potential climate change impacts, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02260-0 Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution 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: Schematic experimental setup. The qudit signal encoded in POV mode via SLM 1 and lens L1 is mapped into the atomic ensemble for subsequent storage. Here, the signal and control fields are both circularly polarized (+), and the control field is beam expanded to have a waist of 4 mm to completely cover the signal field at the center of medium. Credit: Dong et al, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.240801 Many physicists and engineers have been trying to develop highly efficient quantum technologies that can perform similar functions to conventional electronics leveraging quantum mechanical effects. This includes high-dimensional quantum memories, storage devices with a greater information capacity and noise resilience than two-dimensional quantum memories. So far, developing these high-dimensional memories has proved challenging, and most attempts have not yielded satisfactory efficiencies. In a paper published in Physical Review Letters, a research team at University of Science and Technology of China and Hefei Normal University recently introduced an approach to realize a highly efficient 25-dimensional memory based on cold atoms. "Our group has been using the orbital angular momentum mode in the space channel to study high-dimensional quantum storage and has accumulated a wealth of research experience and technology," Dong Sheng Ding, co-author of the paper, told Phys.org. "Achieving high-dimensional and high-efficiency quantum storage has always been our goal." In their previous studies, Ding and his colleagues found that the singular properties of a spatial pattern known as the perfect vortex optical field could be particularly advantageous for the development of high-dimensional quantum memories. This inspired them to leverage the mode-independent interaction between light and matter associated with this pattern to realize high-dimensional and efficient quantum storage. "The basic principle of our storage device is based on the electromagnetic induced transparency phenomenon, which is the interaction between light and matter," Ding explained. "In simple terms, the signal photons are slowed down to zero velocity in the medium and stored for a period of time. Then, the stored information of signal photons can be retrieved by the control light." The quantum system created by the researchers is made up of signal photons, a control light beam, a Rubidium cold atomic ensemble that serves as the storage medium and a spatial light modulator that encodes and decodes high-dimensional quantum information. The team's memory encodes high-dimensional information on the signal photons, ultimately realizing the high-dimensional storage of information in the medium. "Prior to our work, efficient quantum memory was limited to two-dimensional storage quantum systems," Ding said. "The advantage of our work lies in extending the storage dimension from two to 25, allowing for the preparation of high-dimensional memory that operates in high-dimensional Hilbert space. This not only greatly expands the capacity of the memory and increases the transmittable capacity of quantum communication but also has potential implications for fault-tolerant quantum computing." In initial tests, the researchers demonstrated that their quantum memory can store 25-dimensional high-dimensional states. Notably, however, their system can also store arbitrary high-dimensional states ranging from 1 to 25 dimensions (i.e., including 3-dimensional, 5-dimensional, 10-dimensional states, and so on). "Our results demonstrate the compatibility of our memory with programmable high-dimensional quantum states in the range of 1 to 25 dimensions," Ding said. "In addition, we have theoretically analyzed the scalability of our memory's dimensionality. By further optimizing the optical path design, we can achieve efficient storage of up to 100 or even higher-dimensional states, showcasing the unique advantages of our high-dimensional storage scheme." The recent work by Ding and his colleagues introduced a new highly promising method to achieve efficient high-dimensional quantum storage. In the future, this approach could be used to create various high-dimensional quantum memories, which could in turn help to realize other quantum technologies, such as high-dimensional quantum repeaters. "Notably, through our approach, it is possible to realize a practical high-dimensional quantum memory," Ding added. "In the future, we will establish high-dimensional quantum repeaters using high-dimensional quantum memories, enabling high-dimensional quantum communication between two or more remote quantum nodes." More information: Ming-Xin Dong et al, Highly Efficient Storage of 25-Dimensional Photonic Qudit in a Cold-Atom-Based Quantum Memory, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.240801 Journal information: Physical Review Letters 2024 Science X Network An American youth ministry group has reported that over 7,800 young people accepted Jesus as their Lord in the last fiscal year. Youth for Christ, a national parachurch group based in Englewood, Colorado, recently released its 2023 Ministry Report, which shows that 7,855 youths accepted Christ during the fiscal year 2022-2023 through its ministry work. This was a 7% increase compared to the 7,323 kids who accepted Christ during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Youth For Christ describes itself as a ministry that "engages young people ages 11 to 19 wherever they are to uncover God's story of hope in their story through authentic relationships, shared experiences, outdoor adventure, mentoring, small groups and more." The ministry stated that more children are sharing their faith with their peers, reporting that it is up by 25% in comparison to 2022. There was a 26% increase in new-believing kids who began what the ministry calls 3Story faith relationships with peers (3,027). According to the report's "Summer In Review" section, which highlights the ministry's work in its youth summer camps, they "redirected our resources towards training and equipping all 130 of our chapters to provide local trips based on what their youth need." "We are already seeing evidence that our new strategy is leading to exponentially more kids being able to experience YFC camps and trips through every chapter across the mission. We can't wait to see what God does through the rest of the school year," the report said. "Generation Z seems to be much more open to discussions about faith among their peers than the generations that immediately preceded them," Youth for Christ CEO and President Jake Bland wrote. "They are living out YFC's '3Story way of life,' and it's this rising metric of young leaders that has our full attention," Bland added. "It's clear that this is a strategic opportunity God is creating for ministries like YFC and our Kingdom partners." Bland said that due to "God's faithfulness," 2,907 children involved in the ministry "became multipliers of the hope of Christ." "In YFC, we aren't celebrating numbers or scope or scale. We celebrate how Christ is moving. These are more than numbers every number has a name, and every name has a story," Bland said. "The harvest is ripe among this generation and Jesus is still calling us to pray earnestly and trust Him as Lord of the harvest, the solution for every soul, every story." Youth for Christ was founded in 1944, stemming from a series of youth evangelism rallies held in Canada, England and the United States. The Rev. Billy Graham was the organization's first full-time staff member. Originally published by The Christian Post This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) is on the rise among Canadian youth. In an international study that included Canada, over half of the young women and girls surveyed reported being sexually threatened and/or sexually harassed online. This kind of sexual violence can include online sexual harassment, extortion, receiving unsolicited explicit images and non-consensual distribution of intimate images. More than four in five undergraduate students in Canada have reported experiencing online sexual violence, including sexually explicit comments, emails or messages. Not all youth face the same risks with online harms. People with marginalized races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations are significantly more likely to experience TFSV. A recent report from Statistics Canada found that young women and non-binary youth are more likely to be targets of online abuse than young men. Black people, Muslim people and LGBTQ+ people experience higher rates of online harassment than their peers. Technology-facilitated sexual violence can have significant consequences on a person's health and well-being. Young people who experience TFSV have reported increased social isolation, fear and psychological distress, and adverse effects on their mental health. Given these negative impacts, it is imperative that schools take steps to address and prevent technology-facilitated sexual violence. Digital sexual violence in Canada Our team at the DIY: Digital Safety research project, along with the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, recently released a report outlining how secondary schools across Canada can address TFSV in their curricula and policies. We found that TFSV-related concepts are insufficiently addressed in Canadian schools, and that when TFSV is addressed, there are major gaps that need improvement. Within educational curricula, very few provinces and territories recognize that sexual violence can occur online. Many do not include content on TFSV-specific online behaviors or discuss the legal consequences of online behavior. Three provinces and one territoryOntario, British Columbia and Yukon (which uses B.C.'s curriculum)provide students with the most comprehensive understanding of TFSV. Students there learn about the potential harms related to technology (like cyberbullying, sexual predators and sexting risks) and that people can be targeted because of their gender or sexual orientation. Students also learn about the legal ramifications of cyberbullying and TFSV-related behaviors. Although Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon are the most thorough in addressing TFSV, educational approaches across the provinces and territories are not comprehensive. We recommend that all Canadian secondary schools teach their students that sexual violence can occur online, inform them about the online and offline impacts of TFSV and educate them about the harms and legal consequences related to TFSV. Specific legislation needed Twelve provinces and territories (all but Nunavut) have some form of anti-bullying provisions in their educational legislation, which often includes cyber, electronic or written bullying. Only Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador currently have specific legislative provisions that prohibit TFSV-related behaviors, like sharing or distributing intimate images without consent. These legislative provisions are not directly related to educational policy, but they are tools that young people and schools may choose to engage with. Provincial non-consensual intimate image laws can help students respond to TFSV. British Columbia is the most recent province to introduce such legislation, as well as criminal laws such as the extortion, child luring and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. It is necessary to recognize the power of language used in legislation, educational curricula and policies. Using cyberbullying as an umbrella term to refer to TFSV-related behaviors may diminish or dismiss the harms experienced by young people. This may also impact the help that students receive and the resources available to them, such as their ability to access legal or policy supports related to sexual violence. Our analysis found that TFSV-related behaviors are rarely addressed within the context of intersectionality. Educational curricula in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. recognize how unequal power dynamics and control contribute to violence and abuse, while Ontario considers how power dynamics contribute to discrimination and biases. However, educational curricula in these provinces do not consider how power dynamics and oppression experienced by people from marginalized groups can contribute to technology-facilitated sexual violence. British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Quebec consider intersectionality in supplemental or optional resources, but not in core curricular documents. Considerations of equity and diversity should not be optional in students' education. An intersectional approach to TFSV is necessary to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of this problem and its impacts on diverse populations. How schools can address TFSV Secondary schools should include specific references to TFSV in their curricula and policies. It is important that schools empower students and refrain from taking a risk-based approach to technology. A risk-based approach emphasizes potential harms, and it can stigmatize students or make them feel ashamed when they experience TFSV. We encourage schools to empower students and help them understand what tools and resources are available when they want to seek support or help others respond to TFSV. We also recommend that students learn about their technology-related rights and responsibilities, as well as what resources and supports are available to them when they need help. Lastly, schools need to include information on how power and intersecting forms of oppression factor into students' experiences with TFSV. Our research team is developing resources for youth, translated into 13 languages, including Indigenous languages, to help them learn about TFSV. With new technologies being developed and the rise of artificial intelligence, there is a growing concern about how students in Canada learn about online sexual harms and how youth are protected from such harms. Secondary schools across the country should update their curricula and enact policies to protect young people and teach them how to respond to TFSV. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Artists rendition of Astrobotics Peregrine lander on the surface of the moon. Credit: Astrobiotic On Jan. 9, NASA announced it would be shifting the launch of Artemis II to September 2025. Artemis IIIthe first mission to land humans on the surface of the moon since 1972was moved to September 2026. What do these delays mean for Canada's plans to explore the moon? I am a professor, an explorer and a planetary geologist. For the past decade, I have been helping to train Canadian and U.S. astronauts in geology. I am also the principal investigator for Canada's first ever rover mission, and a member of the Artemis III Geology Team. The Artemis program It has been 52 years since humans last walked on the surface of the moon. Since then, humanity has not ventured beyond low Earth orbit, about the distance from Halifax to Fredericton, or Toronto to Ottawa. In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apolloa fitting name for the program that will take humans back to the moon. Unlike Apollo, the Artemis program also has the explicit goals of establishing the first long-term presence on the moonsimilar to Antarctica research outpostsand sending the first astronauts to Mars. The Artemis missions are ambitious to say the least, and represent the next major collaborative international effort, building on the success of the International Space Station. Indeed, with the addition of Angola in November, 33 nations have now signed the Artemis Accords. The Accords lay out a common set of principles for the exploration and use of outer space. Canada was one of the original eight countries to sign these accords. Global News reports on NASAs announcement to delay Artemis II and III missions. A core principle of the Artemis Accords is to enhance peaceful relationships between nations, which is needed now, perhaps more than ever since the Cold War. Failure is not an option After the success of the Artemis I mission in late 2022, most people probably thought there would be a quick succession of missions and we would be back on the lunar surface in no time. While the originally planned two years between Artemis I and II may sound like a long time, it isn't in terms of space exploration, where the development of missions is often measured in decades. The major reason for this is that space is incredibly unforgiving. From withstanding the huge G-forces and vibrations as the rocket accelerates to over 40,000 kilometers an hour during launchthe velocity needed to escape Earth's gravityto the extremes of temperature, designing technologies for space is hard and costly. Every piece of the Artemis infrastructure must be tested and tested again to make sure it can withstand the rigors of space. The environment of the moon is a particularly challenging thermal environment, with a staggering 300 C temperature difference between the lunar day and night. Some of this testing can be done in a laboratory; however, once a certain scale is reached, this becomes impossible. Take SpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever flown and a key part of the architecture for Artemis. On Nov. 18, its second launch, the Starship exploded after reaching its goal of entering space. SpaceX engineers gathered a wealth of data to improve the design of Starship. However, this test made it clear that this rocket, which will be used to land the Artemis III crew on the surface of the moon, simply wasn't going to be ready for a 2025 launch. The second test flight of Starship from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Nov. 18, 2023. The astronauts' long wait The stakes could not be higher for the Artemis II mission as onboard, for the first time, will be four astronauts, including Canadian Jeremy Hansen. While not scheduled to land on the surface of the moon, Artemis II is still an incredibly challenging mission that carries with it an element of risk that comes with any "first." Indeed, this will be the first time humans will fly in NASA's Orion spacecraft and the first mission to take humans beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. If this mission is successful, these four astronauts will have boldly gone farther from our home planet than any other humans, ever. So it makes sense to take time, especially considering some of the obstacles still facing Artemis II. On the plus side, the Artemis II crew will have more time for training. Having been involved in providing geology training to two of the Artemis II crew last SeptemberHansen and Christina Kochhaving an additional few months for training will definitely not go to waste. This delay will also give Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons time to come up to speed with training as part of the back-up crew for Artemis 2a job she was only assigned in November. Robots to the moon On the same day that NASA announced the delays to the Artemis program, the U.S. company Astrobotic announced that its Peregrine lunar lander suffered a "critical loss of propellent" not long after launch. This means there is no chance of it being able to land successfully on the moon. The lander has been gathering valuable data while its fuel supplies lasted, so all is not lost. This is also the first launch as part of NASA's new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. An artists concept of Canadarm3 located on the exterior of the Gateway. Credit: Canadian Space Agency, NASA Despite the failures and setbacks in the Artemis and CLPS programs, 2024 promises to be the most exciting year for lunar exploration in decades. Astrobotic is planning two more launches, including NASA's ambitious Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). Two other U.S. companies, Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace, are also scheduled to launch their first lunar missions. And even sooner, the Japanese space agency JAXA has scheduled the landing of its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on Jan. 19if successful, this would make Japan only the fifth country to do so. I will be watching these upcoming CLPS missions closely, as one of these companies will take the Canadian Lunar Rover to the moon no earlier than 2026. Even before this mission, thanks to the Canadian Space Agency's Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program, Canadian companies such as Mission Control Space Services and Canadensys are working on software and hardware to contribute to various CLPS missions. Canadarm3 and the Lunar Gateway Almost lost in the details of NASA's announcement about Artemis II and III was the statement that Artemis IV remains on track to launch in September 2028. In addition to landing two astronauts on the lunar surface, a major objective for Artemis IV will be the continued assembly of the Lunar Gateway. The Gateway is a small space station that will act as an outpost orbiting the moon, providing support for lunar surface missions and, in the longer term, as a staging point for further deep space exploration. The Gateway will be the home for Canada's biggest financial contribution to Artemis: Canadarm3. Currently being built by Canadian company MDA Space with the support of dozens of Canadian partners and suppliers, Canadarm3 represents the next generation of space robotics. In contrast to the ISS, astronauts will not always be present on the Gateway, so Canadarm3 is being built with advanced AI-enabled sensors to enable autonomous operations. Just like what Canadarm did for the Space Shuttle Program and Canadarm2 did for the International Space Station, Canadarm3 will be an iconic reminder of Canada's international status as a spacefaring nation. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The lunar meteorite sample Tara Hayden investigated and successfully discovered the water-bearing mineral apatite. Credit: Tara Hayden New research from a Western University postdoctoral fellow shows the early lunar crust, which makes up the surface of the moon, was considerably enriched in water more than 4 billion years ago, counter to previously held understanding. The discovery is outlined in a study published today (Jan. 15) in the journal Nature Astronomy. Working with a meteorite she classified as one that came from the moon while a graduate student at The Open University (U.K.), Tara Hayden identified, for the first time, the mineral apatite (the most common phosphate) in a sample of early lunar crust. The research offers exciting new evidence that the moon's early crust contained more water than was originally thought, opening new doors into the study of lunar history. "The discovery of apatite in the moon's early crust for the first time is incredibly excitingas we can finally start to piece together this unknown stage of lunar history. We find the moon's early crust was richer in water than we expected, and its volatile stable isotopes reveal an even more complex history than we knew before," said Hayden, currently working as a cosmochemist with renowned planetary geologist Gordon "Oz" Osinski in Western's department of Earth sciences. "Lunar meteorites are revealing new, exciting parts of the moon's evolution and expanding our knowledge beyond the samples collected during the Apollo missions. As the new stage of lunar exploration begins, I am eager to see what we will learn from the lunar far side," said Hayden. The Apollo samples were first assumed to be "volatile-poor" upon their return from the moon, leading to the wide-known description of the moon as "bone dry." In 2008, Alberto Saal and other researchers discovered the presence of significant amounts of water and other volatiles in glass beads from the Apollo sample collection. This set forth fifteen years of re-analysis of the Apollo samples while newly found lunar meteorites have revealed the moon had much more water across its surface. "We know most about the history of water on the moon from the Apollo samples, but those samples are thought to only represent about five percent of the entire moon surface," said Hayden. "Until we get more samples back in the upcoming Artemis missions, the only other samples from the surface we have are meteorites." Hayden made the discovery at The Open University during her Ph.D. studies while verifying a rock sample for a collector as a lunar meteorite. Beyond its identification, the sample proved to be holding a key piece of data about water on the moon. "I was so lucky the meteorite not only came from the moon but remarkably, featured chemistry so vital to our understanding about lunar water-bearing minerals," said Hayden. This work was focused primarily on the mineral apatite, which contains volatile elements in its mineral structure. Apatite was found in all lunar rock types except glass beads and ferroan anorthosites, the latter representing the moon's early crust. The Ferroan Anorthosite group is known to be incredibly old (4.54.3 billion years old) and is the only rock type known to have formed directly from the Lunar Magma Oceanwhen the moon was almost entirely molten. The discovery of apatite in this rock type has allowed for the direct examination of this unknown stage in lunar evolution for the first time. "Unraveling the history of water in the earliest-formed lunar crust approximately 4.5 billion years ago is important for improving our understanding of the origin of water in the solar system. Ancient rock samples from the moon in the form of lunar meteorites provide an excellent opportunity for undertaking such investigations," said Mahesh Anand, professor of planetary science and exploration at The Open University and Hayden's formal lead supervisor. Future Artemis missions Hayden says the timing of the discovery is perfect as the NASA Artemis missions are preparing for launch and researchers, including her current supervisor, are developing programming and targets for the astronauts. "It has been long believed the lunar surface has been dried out for thousands and even millions of years, but maybe there might be more water available than we thought on the surface of the moon and we just need to find a way to extract it," said Hayden. Osinski is equally excited for the potential opportunities of this new discovery. Last year, Osinski was selected for the NASA geology team that is developing the surface science plan for the first crewed lunar landing mission in more than 50 years. He will join his colleagues in mission control's science backroom at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston providing support throughout the Artemis III mission. "Tara's discoveries are super exciting and will feed into our sampling strategy for the Artemis III mission where we hope to identify and sample some of the earliest crust on the moon," said Osinski. More information: Tara S. Hayden et al, Detection of apatite in ferroan anorthosite indicative of a volatile-rich early lunar crust, Nature Astronomy (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-023-02185-5 Journal information: Nature Astronomy This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A schematic illustrating the branched flow of light in an NLC film. The random orientation of NLC molecules within a glass cell can be adjusted using an electrical voltage bias. Credit: Chang, Ss., Wu, KH., Liu, Sj. et al/ Nature Communications. 10.1038/s41467-023-44500-8. A new study in Nature Communications investigates the electrical tuning of branched light flow in nematic liquid crystal (NLC) films, revealing controlled patterns and statistical characteristics with potential applications in optics and photonics. Branched light flow manifests as intricate patterns in light waves navigating through a disordered medium, forming multiple branching pathways. Positioned between ballistic and diffusive transport phenomenawhere ballistic implies unhindered straight-line movement akin to a laser beam, and diffusive involves scattered, chaotic behaviorthe phenomenon gains significance for its potential in controlling physical processes, particularly optics, and photonics. Acting as a transitional state between ordered and disordered light propagation, it provides a platform for controlled and intricate light steering. This manipulation becomes a focal point in a study conducted by Dr. Jin-hui Chen from Xiamen University in China and Dr. Jian-Hua Jiang from the University of Science and Technology of China, where they specifically explore the electrical tuning of branched light flow within NLC films. "Owing to their erratic nature and rich behaviors, manipulation of branched flows in a controllable manner has never been realized in experiments. We find that disordered liquid crystal films with electro-optic effect provide an excellent platform for the generation and regulation of branched flow of light," Dr. Chen told Phys.org. "During my visit to Prof. Chen at Xiamen University, he was researching the branched flow of light in liquid crystals. Recognizing the significance of topological defects in this context, I understood that their stability under electrical fields contributes to system stability, allowing the repeatable on-and-off switching of branched light flow," added Dr. Jiang. Topological defects in NLCs Liquid crystals display characteristics of both fluid and solid states. Their molecules can flow like a liquid while maintaining some degree of order akin to a solid. This distinctive behavior arises from the delicate balance between intermolecular forces and thermal energy. The researchers focused on the behavior of NLC in particular. Nematic liquid crystals are characterized by the alignment of their molecules in a specific direction, creating a distinct order within the material. This alignment is sensitive to external factors, such as electrical fields. The electrical tuning of branched light flow within NLC films involves manipulating the orientation of these liquid crystal molecules. When an electrical field is applied, it induces a reorientation of the molecules, altering the properties of the NLC film. This process is crucial for generating and regulating the intricate patterns of branched light flow. Topological defects in the NLC film play a dual role in the phenomenon. Dr. Chen explained, "Firstly, they contribute to the spontaneous formation of structured patterns called schlieren textures, resulting from disordered orientations of NLC molecules and uneven dielectric anisotropy. This acts as a weak disordered potential for propagating light." "Secondly, under a small electrical voltage, the reorientation of liquid crystal molecules occurs without disrupting the schlieren textures. The robustness of topological defects, possibly pinned by surface forces at the interface, ensures good recoverability of the branched flow generated by light waves in the system." Observing branched light flow in NLC films The researchers employed a meticulous experimental setup to investigate the electrical tuning of branched light flow in NLC films. A high-precision three-dimensional translation stage allowed for precise tuning of the light coupling into the NLC film. This involved manipulating a 532 nm laser's polarized field with a polarizer and a half-wave plate. Observations of the light flow were facilitated by a microscope with a 10x objective lens, and an optical camera collected intrinsic light scattering from the NLC film. Additionally, the researchers used simulations to explore liquid crystal orientations in response to the gating (control) electrical field. One of the most surprising findings by the researchers was the robustness of the topological defects that pinned the schlieren textures in the liquid crystal and, therefore, the light scattering patterns. Dr. Jiang explained, "Even with a notable electrical voltage that tilts the orientation of liquid crystal molecules very much, after switching off the electrical voltage, the topological defects are recovered, and so are the schlieren textures." "This enables the electrical tuning (switch on and off) of the scattering potentials, and the branched flow of light can be repeated many times. It is really out of expectation. It tells us how stable the topological defects in liquid crystals are." A noteworthy observation was the variation in the scintillation index, a crucial statistical property of branched flow, with changes in input light polarization, noted Dr. Chen. This polarization dependency, previously unachievable in other platforms, added an extra layer of complexity and control to the branched light flow generated in the NLC film. In addition to the topological defects and the relationship between the scintillation index and polarization, a third factor held importance: the correlation length of the disordered potential, a measure of how structured or ordered the disorder is within the material, in relation to the wavelength of propagating light. The correlation length of the disordered potential must be larger than the wavelength of the propagating light for the appearance of branched flow. A larger correlation length implies a more extended and coherent pattern of disorder. "Due to the robustness of the topological defects, the schlieren textures and the scattering potential are quite coherent. These factors make everything controllable and enable us to demonstrate the beautiful tuning of the branched flow of light," explained Dr. Jiang. Optical neural networks and sensors Explaining potential applications and future work, Dr. Chen said, "Liquid crystals can create programmable hierarchical superstructures for light-matter interactions, showing high sensitivity to external fields." "Future research from our group will delve into the interaction of light with disordered liquid crystal systems, exploring in-plane and out-of-plane transport configurations with potential applications like optical neural networks." From a technological perspective, Dr. Jiang pointed out that this phenomenon could be enhanced for manipulating light beams. "The electrical tuning is quite promising for device operations. For instance, it can be used as a switch for sensors or detectors when linked to the liquid crystal film," he concluded. More information: Shan-shan Chang et al, Electrical tuning of branched flow of light, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44500-8 Journal information: Nature Communications 2024 Science X Network 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: The Conversation, CC-BY-ND Paraguay's Ciudad del Este is a busy South American contraband hub where scrappy Paraguayan vendors and Brazilian traders mix with businessmen from places as far away as Lebanon and South Korea. This hive of activity moves billions of dollars' worth of consumer goodseverything from smartphones to whiskey. The city was built as a commercial hub around low taxes and tariffs, benefiting both well-to-do traders and poor workers. In its bustling main marketeight square blocks packed with street vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses and cavernous shopping galleriesthousands of Paraguayans eke out a living selling fake Gucci handbags, fishing poles and even contact lenses. As a scholar of urban planning, I wanted to learn how this remote city of 300,000 people near South America's spectacular Iguazu Falls blossomed into a key node along a global trade route. I also wanted to understand the role that thousands of informal Brazilian traders and Paraguayan street vendors have played in trading systems shaped by powerful countries and corporations. While informal markets are common, poor workers in Ciudad del Este helped build an entire city oriented around global trade. As I explain in my new book, "Outlaw Capital: Everyday Illegalities and the Making of Uneven Development," policies aiming to legalize trade in Ciudad del Este have hurt these vendors and traders while protecting the illegal commercial activities conducted by more powerful people. Informal work Globally, more than 2 billion people work informally, or about 2 in every 5 people who are of working age. Informal work includes a wide range of jobs and gigs without state recognition or benefits, like health care or retirement payments. In Paraguay, an estimated 70% of all workers are informal. Yet because law is biased toward formal economies, informal workers often must break rules for their livelihoods. Stroessner's creation Traders, small and large, profit through arbitrage. That is, they take advantage of price differences. To create arbitrage opportunities in Ciudad del Este, the Paraguayan government has long kept its taxes and tariffs low. This strategy, recommended by the International Monetary Fund in 1956, has promoted the legal reexportation of merchandise, where goods imported into Paraguay are speedily exported to neighbors. Alfredo Stroessner, a brutal dictator who ruled Paraguay from 1954 to 1989, inaugurated Paraguay's tradition of state-sanctioned smuggling. He even called it the "price of peace" because he gained allies by allocating contraband routes to potential rivals. In the decades since Stroessner founded Ciudad del Este in 1957, a regional alliance of traders and local politicians gained control of its contraband networks. As I explain in my book, they continue to have powerful backers in the national government. The volume of this trade is astounding, at times exceeding the country's gross domestic product. At its peak in 2011, the value of imported goods legally reexported from Paraguay to its neighbors reached US$5 billion. The estimated value of contraband that year was twice as high: $10 billion. Alongside contraband and legal commerce, there are also allegations of human trafficking, weapons trafficking and other criminal activity tied to Ciudad del Este. 'Globalization from below' Tens of thousands of Paraguayan vendors and small-scale Brazilian traders do business in Ciudad del Este. While many are poor, I found that some had gained a foothold in the middle class. Gustavo Lins Ribeiro, a Brazilian anthropologist, argues that the city exemplifies "globalization from below" because poor workers can profit from global trade, not just international corporations. I heard one local leader call street vendors the "the lungs of Paraguay" because they draw in money from the global economy and circulate it to poor communities across the country. By the 1990s and 2000s, thousands of independent Brazilian traders, called "sacoleiros"a Portuguese word meaning "people hauling big bags"crossed the Friendship Bridge into Paraguay every day. They resold fake leather jackets, linens, watches, CDs and other merchandise they bought in Ciudad del Este in street markets across Brazil. To gather these goods, sacoleiros traveled from all over Brazil to trade in Ciudad del Este, sometimes journeying for days on buses. Eyeing 'notorious markets' In the 2000s, powerful countries promoted trade liberalization and trade rule enforcement through the newly established World Trade Organization. The U.S. government and Brazilian trade groups worried that the flow of counterfeit goods and contraband from Paraguay curbed corporate profits and harmed the U.S. economy. Since 2011, the State Department has expressed these concerns in annual reports on what it calls "notorious markets." The people engaged in this bustling border commerce and their advocates counter that free trade advocates write trade rules to suit their own interests. Under pressure from the U.S., Brazil sought to curtail smuggling, but failed to distinguish between sacoleiros struggling to make a living and big-time contraband and drug runners. Instead, Brazil treated them all as dangerous criminals. Brazilian officials cracked down on sacoleiros, enforcing laws that they had previously ignored, increasing border surveillance and confiscating sacoleiros' merchandise in raids, and casting them into debt. This pushed informal traders onto riskier routes, like the networks of clandestine ports along the Parana River and Lake Itaipu, which they need to navigate with small wooden skiffs. Formalizing sacoleiros As Brazil criminalized sacoleiros, these informal workers fought for policies that would protect their livelihoods. A Brazil-Paraguay plan called the Unified Trade RegimeRegimen de Tributo Unificado in Spanishsought to integrate the sacoleiros into the formal economy and transform them into "micro-entrepreneurs." In the new system, registered sacoleiros pay lower taxes on specific consumer goods purchased from registered shops and tracked through an electronic system. The system was designed to differentiate between two flows of goods sold to foreigners: merchandise purchased by bargain-hunting tourists for their own use, and items sacoleiros buy in bulk in Paraguay to sell across the border in Brazil. Before this system took effect, all visitors could buy merchandise duty-free up to an official limit that fluctuated between $150 and $500. Despite U.S. attempts to sink the plan, it went into effect in 2012; afterward, only registered businesses could participate in the Unified Trade Regime. Informal street vendors could not meet these requirements, and were excluded. Another glitch: Negotiators ignored research recommending a total tax rate of no more than 22%, so as to make smuggling not worth the costs and risks, I learned from a Paraguayan official. Instead, they set the total tax rate at 25%. Few businesses registered, and the plan faltered. While the U.S. opposed formalizing sacoleiros, the U.S. Agency of International Development funded the research behind a similar plan to formalize trade in the electronic goods sold by more affluent businesses. I found this plan reduced their tax burden to just over 5%. Differential treatment for informal workers and wealthy traders reflects an imbalance in their negotiating power. I also argue it reflects common biases against informal workers and their economic realities. Protecting some illegal transactions Yet state officials protected some illegal arrangements, like ex-President Horacio Cartes' contraband cigarette trade. Despite multiple international complaints, political pacts protected the clandestine networks transporting his cigarettes to regional markets. Informal economies can provide livelihood for the millions excluded from formal work, enliven cities and provide important urban services. I believe efforts to force everyone to follow the rules must be matched by a commitment to protect the livelihoods of poor workers. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (2023). DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2023525 Croplivestock integration, the practice of combining crop planting and livestock breeding, is recognized as a fundamental approach to fostering a circular and green economy in agriculture. Throughout China's agricultural development history, the concept of croplivestock integration has played a pivotal role in enabling the nation to sustainably provide for its expanding population, despite the constraints of limited arable land. Nevertheless, as agricultural production methods have evolved, the development of croplivestock integration has undergone dynamic transformations. Associate researchers Danmeng Feng and Yu Hu from the Research Center for Rural Economy Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, along with their team, collaborated with Professor KouRay Mao from Colorado State University to explore the historical evolution of croplivestock integration for sustainable agriculture in China from the perspectives of state policy goals, reform opportunities, and institutional constraints. Their research is published in the journal Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering. Extensive examination of existing literature has unearthed the roots of croplivestock integration dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 B.C.771 B.C.), ultimately culminating in a multifaceted and intricately woven system of rural development policies seen in contemporary China. This study identifies and characterizes four distinct stages in the historical trajectory of croplivestock integration: the era of self-sufficient subsistence production in traditional times (1046 B.C.1948); the period where croplivestock integration emerged as a pivotal strategy for augmenting grain and meat production under collectivist policies (19491977); the phase marked by the industrialization and expansion of the livestock sector during the early years of economic reforms (19782011); and the present era in which croplivestock integration is harnessed as a mechanism for pollution control and ecological preservation in contemporary China (2012present). As human civilization advanced and agriculture developed, the exchange of substances and energy between crop planting and livestock breeding became increasingly significant. Historically, farmers employed various methods of pen-raising sheep, pigs, or cattle to produce valuable manure fertilizers. The cyclic flow of nutrients and a commitment to environmental stewardship formed the bedrock of food productivity maintenance. Consequently, an array of distinct integration techniques evolved over time, drawing upon the creation and preservation of traditional knowledge and customs. With the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC), rapid economic growth and a burgeoning population have generated heightened demands for both the quantity and quality of food production. The introduction of concentrated husbandry and specialization has disrupted traditional croplivestock integration, resulting in a range of challenges for non-point source pollution control. These issues encompass the improper use of chemical fertilizers, livestock-related manure pollution, and significant misallocation of agricultural resources. Consequently, both agricultural resources and rural environments face substantial pressures. Acknowledging the imperative of sustainable development, the Chinese Central government incorporated the concept of ecological civilization into its national development and environmental protection agendas in 2012. Subsequently, a series of government policies has been implemented to provide state support for croplivestock integration and the promotion of a circular economy. These policies encompass initiatives focused on non-point-source pollution mitigation, the encouragement of green agricultural production, and intensified efforts to combat pollution. During this period, a market-driven new era of croplivestock integration cycle mechanism was gradually established. This study sheds light on the diverse roles played by croplivestock integration in different epochs of rural development within China, which contributes to a nuanced and more theoretically grounded comprehension of circular agriculture. This understanding has the potential to be leveraged to promote sustainable rural development in broader contexts. More information: Danmeng FENG et al, Crop-livestock integration for sustainable agriculture in China: the history of state policy goals, reform opportunities and institutional constraints, Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering (2023). DOI: 10.15302/J-FASE-2023525 Provided by Frontiers Journals This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain New research has identified a complex interplay of child, parental, and contextual factors associated with the maltreatment of children by their families. The comprehensive findings by researchers from Australian Catholic University (ACU) identify key areas that could be targeted with support and parental education to reverse the trend. The research also highlights a variety of protective factors which keep children safe from harm. The research follows the release of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) last year showing 62.2% of Australians aged 16 and over experienced sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, neglect, or exposure to domestic violence. Almost two-thirds of those were subjected to more than one child maltreatment type. ACU Institute of Child Protection Studies Director Professor Daryl Higgins, the lead author of the new rapid review research based on 52 studies, and an ACMS chief investigator, said while the associated factors were not necessarily causative, they highlighted key areas that needed to be targeted to better safeguard children. "This new research has pinpointed multiple issues associated with experiences of child maltreatment and contact with a child protection service that we need to address as a matter of urgency," Professor Higgins said. "This is not about shaming or targeting individuals or circumstances, but rather about listening to the evidence and providing the supports needed to keep children safe and help families, in all their diversity, to thrive. "For example, First Nations families were overrepresented in our child protection systems, but this is likely due to systemic issues such as racism, ableism, disadvantage, and violence which has disproportionately affected this group. It does not mean the risk of maltreatment is inherent in this group. What we are seeing is an interplay of associated factors." The research, published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues was conducted by ACU Ph.D. student Gabrielle Hunt in coordination with the Australian Institute of Family Studies. It identified a range of factors associated with child abuse and neglect including: Child-level factors: Children from First Nations and minority groups, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, having a physical or intellectual disability, low birthweight, experiencing two or more health problems before the age of three, prior maltreatment, a history of foster care or group home placements. Family/ parent characteristics: Substance abuse, domestic or interpersonal violence, intergenerational involvement from child protection systems, mental health issues, criminality, maternal age, poor parenting skills including authoritarian attitudes, poor supervision of children, and failing to meet a child's care needs. Structural or Environmental Factors: Housing instability and homelessness, single parent households, isolation, a lack of support for child rearing, and parental exposure to traumatic events such as war, or natural disaster. Protective factors: Access to services and support, including participation in therapy, middle and high income, parental education attainment, the support of two parents, positive family relationships, and older maternal age. Professor Higgins said parent characteristics were the strongest association and better supports were needed. "Government and community efforts must target specific strategies to combat child maltreatment towards these known associated factors, as well as investing in supports across the whole population," he said. More information: Daryl J. Higgins et al, Child, parent and contextual factors associated with child protection system involvement and child maltreatment in the family: A rapid evidence review, Australian Journal of Social Issues (2023). DOI: 10.1002/ajs4.306 Provided by Australian Catholic University This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The 30-m land cover map of China. The solid brown circle represents the Huailai site. The solid pink circle indicates the Saihanba site. The solid red circles symbolize the 151 plots of the Chinese soil and water conservation monitoring stations in 22 small watersheds. The solid green circles depict the BELMANIP2 sites. The Chinese ecological and geographical zones are numbered using Roman numerals. Credit: Journal of Remote Sensing (2023). DOI: 10.34133/remotesensing.0101 For a study published in the Journal of Remote Sensing, a team of scientists led by Xihan Mu from Beijing Normal University has made a leap forward in environmental monitoring and ecological research. They have created seamless maps of Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) over China at 30-meter resolution and semimonthly intervals, covering the years 2010-2020. The researchers adopted an adaptive time-series model for creating clear, seamless, and radiometrically consistent Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) image composites using all available Landsat images in Google Earth Engine. Using an improved VI-based mixture model, they have developed a method that transforms Landsat NDVI datasets into a detailed Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) map. This innovation's heart is the MultiVI algorithm, which precisely calculates pixel-wise coefficients to transform NDVI into FVC. This method marks a major advancement over traditional VI-based mixture models, which typically depend on less accurate, statistically derived endmember VI values. MultiVI, on the other hand, employs multiangle data to generate pixel-wise endmember VI values, resulting in a more refined and accurate FVC calculation. The researchers validated this approach by comparing the generated FVC with ground measurements and existing global FVC products, demonstrating its good spatial and temporal consistency. The results underscored the method's superiority in accurately capturing detailed vegetation patterns and dynamics, surpassing traditional models. This intricate mapping process fosters a more nuanced understanding of the Earth's vegetation cover and has potential applications in environmental monitoring, agricultural management, and climate change studies. Dr. Xihan Mu, the lead researcher, said, "This method not only refines the spatial resolution of FVC mapping with good accuracy but also captures the temporal changes in vegetation cover, marking a technological progress in remote sensing and ecological monitoring." The 30-m/15-day FVC mapping carries profound implications for various applications, significantly enhancing ecological assessments, crop monitoring, and detailed vegetation analysisall crucial for understanding and mitigating climate change effects. Additionally, it provides invaluable data for precision agriculture, urban ecosystem research, and soil erosion risk assessments, thereby boosting our capacity to monitor and respond effectively to environmental changes. This research represents a new advancement in high-resolution vegetation mapping, offering a fresh perspective on Earth's terrestrial ecosystems. As this method continues to be adopted and refined, it promises to enhance environmental monitoring and management, unlocking new possibilities for a sustainable future. More information: Tian Zhao et al, Mapping Spatially Seamless Fractional Vegetation Cover over China at a 30-m Resolution and Semimonthly Intervals in 20102020 Based on Google Earth Engine, Journal of Remote Sensing (2023). DOI: 10.34133/remotesensing.0101 Provided by TranSpread 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: Homogenizing and differentiating trends in floristic similarity for each site. Proportions for each site of BrayCurtis similarity homogenizing trends (<0 slope coefficients) in blue and differentiating trends (>0 slope coefficients) in yellow over time based on the standardization-1 dataset. The Andesite Line is shown as a green dashed line. Circles with solid leader lines indicate sites settled 3,000 cal years BP, and squares with dashed leader lines indicate sites settled 700 cal years BP. Island names follow site names in parentheses. The x axis and y axis represent longitude and latitude, respectively. Credit: Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02306-3 New research by the University of Southampton shows that human settlement increases the similarity of flora growing across island groupsimpacting ecosystems and the wildlife that relies upon them. Researchers have found that during approximately the last 3,000 years, the distinctiveness of the range of plant species on any one island in the many groups of islands in the South Pacific has reduceda process that scientists call "homogenization." This coincides with human migration to the region. Findings from the study are published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Dr. Nichola Strandberg, who led the research while studying at the University of Southampton, comments, "Our study demonstrates that in small island groups, human occupation is a driving force behind the homogenization of flora. Human actions seem to contribute to a diminished uniqueness in the variety of plants growing across the region." "Although our research is limited to the South Pacific Islands, there are many hundreds of thousands of other small islands around the world to which this may be relevant." A team from across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.led by the University of Southampton with the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and the University of Bayreuth examined datasets of fossil pollen records from 15 swamp and lake sites on 13 islands in the South Pacific. They compared the composition of plant life prior to, and after humans moved there. People moved to the South Pacific in two stages. The main migration event was to western Polynesia, Melanesia, and Samoa around 3,500 to 2,800 years ago. Later, around 1,000 to 700 years ago, people spread further east to the remaining islands, such as French Polynesia and Rapa Nui (Easter Island), north to Hawaii and south to Aotearoa (New Zealand). None of the islands had previously been inhabited. The researchers conclude that humans modify flora soon after they settle within an area. They introduce new, non-native plants and animals which they have brought with them and undertake activities to help them survive, such as agriculture, the building of settlements and the use of fire to clear land. This all contributes to some plant species disappearing from an area, others being driven to extinction and less distinctiveness across all the islands in those species which remain. Interestingly, the study also showed that areas of land at a higher elevation retained more distinctive flora, probably because they were less likely to have been inhabited and impacted by humans. Professor David Sear of the University of Southampton co-supervised the research with Professor Mary Edwards, Professor Peter Langdon, and Dr. Sandra Nogue, and he heads up a wider project to better understand the impact of climate and other natural disturbance events on the migration and settlement of the Pacific islands. Professor Sear comments, "The implications of this research are that human arrival rapidly impacted the floral communities on tropical islands that previously showed great variety in their native flora, owing to their dispersed and isolated locations. The Polynesian and Lapita peoples, in effect, manipulated their islands to support their populationsin so doing, they homogenized a previously biodiverse archipelago of tropical islands." "Our findings will help Pacific islanders better understand how their ancestors adapted to climate and natural hazards, but also gain a richer knowledge of the ways in which they altered the islands they inhabit." More information: Nichola A. Strandberg et al, Floristic homogenization of South Pacific islands commenced with human arrival, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02306-3 Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution 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: Image shows astronaut-geologist standing next to a huge lunar boulder during NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The scientists in this research used rock samples from this Apollo mission. Credit: NASA/Eugene Cernan New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the moon. The discovery explains its signature composition and very presence on the lunar surface at all, unraveling a mystery that has long eluded scientists. The study, published today in Nature Geoscience, reveals a key step in the genesis of these distinctive magmas. A combination of high-temperature laboratory experiments using molten rocks and sophisticated isotopic analyses of lunar samples identify a critical reaction that controls their composition. This reaction took place in the deep lunar interior some three and a half billion years ago, involving the exchange of the element iron (Fe) in the magma with the element magnesium (Mg) in the surrounding rocks, modifying the chemical and physical properties of the melt. Co-lead author Tim Elliott, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, said, "The origin of volcanic lunar rocks is a fascinating tale involving an 'avalanche' of an unstable, planetary-scale crystal pile created by the cooling of a primordial magma ocean." "Central to constraining this epic history is the presence of a magma type unique to the moon, but explaining how such magmas could even have got to the surface, to be sampled by Space missions, has been a troublesome problem. It is great to have resolved this dilemma." Image shows moon rock, known as high-Ti basalt, sample from Apollo 17 mission like those analyzed in this study. Credit: NASA Image shows a map of the Titanium abundances of the moon's surface, obtained from NASA's Clementine spacecraft. The red parts indicate extremely high concentrations compared to terrestrial rocks. Credit: Lunar and Planetary Institute An electron-microscope image of an experiment from this study. Melt (brown color) reacts with surrounding crystals (green colors), resulting in a less Fe-rich melt. Credit: University of Bristol/University of Munster Surprisingly high concentrations of the element titanium (Ti) in parts of the lunar surface have been known since the NASA Apollo missions, back in the 1960s and 1970s, which successfully returned solidified, ancient lava samples from the moon's crust. More recent mapping by orbiting satellites shows these magmas, known as 'high-Ti basalts,' to be widespread on the moon. "Until now, models have been unable to recreate magma compositions that match essential chemical and physical characteristics of the high-Ti basalts. It has proven particularly hard to explain their low density, which allowed them to erupt some three and a half billion years ago," added co-lead author Dr. Martijn Klaver, Research Fellow at the University of Munster Institute of Mineralogy. The international team of scientists, led by the Universities of Bristol in the UK and Munster in Germany managed to mimic the high-Ti basalts in the process in the lab using high-temperature experiments. Measurements of the high-Ti basalts also revealed a distinctive isotopic composition that provides a fingerprint of the reactions reproduced by the experiments. Both results clearly demonstrate how the melt-solid reaction is integral in understanding the formation of these unique magmas. More information: Martijn Klaver et al, Titanium-rich basaltic melts on the Moon modulated by reactive flow processes, Nature Geoscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01362-5 , www.nature.com/articles/s41561-023-01362-5 Journal information: Nature Geoscience Using a brilliant and innovative integration of AI and acoustic instruments, a new self-playing piano dubbed "Anybody's Piano" has been created which enables a wide range of musical opportunities for Tokyo pianists with disabilities. Its capabilities, which include the transformation of singular notes performed by physically limited soloists into complete harmonious chord voicings, have already been showcased in a local concert held in the city's famed Suntory Hall last Dec. 21, as reported by The Japan Times. Kiwa Usami Performs 'Ode to Joy' With the Yokohama Sinfonietta Reverberating amongst the wood panels of one of Tokyo's most hallowed concert halls are the fully voiced chords played by the 24-year-old pianist, Kiwa Usami, as assisted by "Anybody's Piano." Even with a press of only one key, Usami creates beautiful harmonies for Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" piece that she performed alongside the Yokohama Sinfonietta, through appropriate additions made by an AI algorithm which it executes by tracking the music being played. The musician, who has cerebral palsy, is among three total pianists who performed the master's "Symphony No. 9" in the Tokyo concert back in December. Usami herself was one of the principal inspirations for the project, as her dedication to playing the piano with one finger motivated her music teachers to pursue a collaboration with the musical industry giant that is Yamaha. The result of their joint effort was an augmented iteration of the company's auto-playing piano, originally released back in 2015. Sufficed to say, it was a successful project considering the beautiful performances of Usami and her contemporaries. Read Also: 'A Night At The Symphony': Laufey Confirms Back-to-Back Concerts in the Philippines this Coming May 'A Really Powerful Experience' Joining usami is the 39-year-old performer Hiroko Higashino who was born with only three fingers on her right hand. Shortly after the "Anybody's Symphony No. 9" program was announced, Higashino started practicing how to play the keys. "If the piano helps me and adds two missing keys for me, I can more faithfully recreate the rich harmony, the music that Beethoven intended to express," she shared. Among the three is 10-year-old soloist Yurina Furukawa, whose rare genetic muscle disorder called congenital myopathy inhibits her movement and breathing, requiring her to receive assistance. That said, through "Anybody's Piano," she was able to perform in front of a 130-person audience on her specialized bed station, pressing each key rhythmically using the back of her hand. "It's a really powerful experience to play with an orchestra," said the 10-year-old who performed the slower part of Beethoven's latter movement. According to one of the concert-goers who was in her 60s, Teruko Imai, it had been a long while since she last had "such a heart-trembling experience," saying, "It was the best Christmas present, for me." Read More: Apple Music Classical to Launch in Six Asian Markets This Month, Including Japan, China, and South Korea 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Carbohydrate Polymers (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121440 Synthetic, non-biodegradable plastics are major sources of environmental pollution and have prompted rising interest in sustainable, biodegradable alternatives derived from natural polymers. "Tara gum," derived from the seeds of the tara tree (Caesalpinia spinosa), stands out as a promising solution. This natural, water-soluble substance contains polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates), including the widely used "galactomannan," which is employed in coatings, edible films, and as a stabilizer and thickener. The biocompatibility, biodegradability, and safety of tara gum also make it valuable in industries like food and drug delivery. Moreover, the adaptable nature of the groups within tara gum polysaccharides renders it valuable for tailoring physicochemical and mechanical properties for specific applications. In a study published in Carbohydrate Polymers on 1 January 2024, a team of researchers, led by Professor Sangkil Lee from Chung-Ang University in the Republic of Korea, has now conducted a thorough and critical examination of modification methods ("grafting") applied to tara gum. The study explores the applications of these modifications in the food and drug industry, including the development of pH-sensitive food packaging and drug delivery systems. Prof. Lee explains, "Our team has a keen interest in natural polysaccharides and their role in drug delivery, and we have been working on tara gum and other natural polysaccharides to extend their applications. Various researchers have explored the wide range of applications for its various modified forms. However, this is the first review article on recent advancements in tara gum and its modified materials, and their potential role in food and drug delivery." The team presents a systematic and detailed overview of various advancements in tara gum research. They describe methods for the extraction, isolation, and characterization of tara gum polysaccharides. Additionally, the toxicology and rheological (deformation) behavior of tara gum, along with its behavior in the presence of other polysaccharides, are thoroughly examined. The review paper also delves into the applications of tara gum and its modified derivatives in the food industry. These include the use in biopolymer packaging, monitoring seafood and milk spoilage, acting as a gelation agent, providing short-term protection of food from oxidation, and safeguarding fatty foods. The applications of tara gum and its modified materials have been detailed for the pharmaceutical industry as well, including the controlled release of vitamin D-3, antibacterial hydrogel development, iron delivery in both infants and adults, controlled release of drugs, and restoration of the physiological barrier of the gut. "The physicochemical property of tara gum and its products can be enhanced using various kinds of monomers, crosslinkers, or other polysaccharides. Furthermore, the improvement of antibacterial properties might be achieved through the incorporation of chitosan or other natural polymers, as well as inorganic materials such as copper and zinc nanoparticles," says Prof. Lee. More information: Vinit Raj et al, State-of-the-art advancement in tara gum polysaccharide (Caesalpinia spinosa) modifications and their potential applications for drug delivery and the food industry, Carbohydrate Polymers (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121440 Provided by Chung Ang University This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A center-pivot irrigation system waters a cornfield near Adams, Nebraska, about 45 minutes south of Lincoln. A new Husker-led study shows how the depletion of groundwaterthe same that many farmers rely on for irrigationcan threaten food production amid drought and drier climes. Due in part to the challenges of extracting groundwater, an aquifer's depletion can curb crop yields even when it appears saturated enough to continue meeting the demands of irrigation, the study found. Credit: Craig Chandler, University of NebraskaLincoln Three decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that shows how the depletion of groundwaterthe same that many farmers rely on for irrigationcan threaten food production amid drought and drier climes. The study found that, due in part to the challenges of extracting groundwater, an aquifer's depletion can curb crop yields even when it appears saturated enough to continue meeting the demands of irrigation. Those agricultural losses escalate as an aquifer dwindles, the researchers reported, so that its depletion exerts a greater toll on corn and soybean yields when waning from, say, 100 feet thick to 50 than from 200 feet to 150. That reality should encourage policymakers, resource managers, and growers to reconsider the volume of crop-quenching groundwater they have at their disposal, the team said, especially in the face of fiercer, more frequent drought. "As you draw down an aquifer to the point that it's quite thin, very small changes in the aquifer thickness will then have progressively larger and larger impacts on your crop production and resilience," said Nick Brozovic, director of policy at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. "And that's a thing that we don't predict well because we tend to predict based on the past. So if we base what's going to happen on our past experience, we're always going to underpredict. We're always going to be surprised by how bad things get." The team came to its conclusions after analyzing yields, weather, and groundwater data from the High Plains Aquifer, which, as the largest in the United States, underlies portions of eight statesincluding nearly all of Nebraska. Some areas of the aquifer, especially those beneath Texas and Kansas but also the Cornhusker State, have diminished considerably over the past several decades, pumped for the sake of irrigating land that would otherwise stand little chance of sustaining crops. "In terms of things that let you address food security under extreme conditionsin particular, drought and climate changewe really can't do without irrigation," said Brozovic, professor of agricultural economics at the University of NebraskaLincoln. "If we want to feed the world with high-quality, nutritious food and a stable food supply, we need to irrigate." Brozovic and Husker colleague Taro Mieno had already constructed plenty of models and run plenty of simulations on how the High Plains Aquifer responds to drought and dry conditions. Talking with farmers revealed that the models were not addressing their primary concern: well yield or the amount of groundwater that growers can expect to draw when trying to buffer their crops against drought continuously. "Everybody's interested in how aquifer depletion affects the resiliency of irrigated agriculture in the region," said Mieno, an associate professor of agricultural economics and lead author of the study, which was published in the journal Nature Water. So the researchers consulted annual estimates of the High Plains Aquifer's thickness, which date back to 1935, along with county-level yields of corn and soybean from 1985 through 2016. Meteorological data, meanwhile, allowed the team to calculate seasonal water deficits, or the difference between the water gained from precipitation and the amount that crops lost via evaporation and transpiration. When the latter exceeds the former, farmers often turn to aquifers for help in making up the difference, the researchers knew. What they didn't know: Under what conditions, and to what extent, would an aquifer's depletion make pumping its water too difficult or expensive to undertake? And how much would the resulting decisionsto reduce the amount of irrigation per acre, to cease irrigating certain plots all togetherinfluence corn and soybean yields? Farmers fortunate enough to be growing corn and soybean above the most saturated swaths of the High Plains Aquiferroughly 220 to 700 feet thickcontinued to enjoy high irrigated yields even in times of extreme water deficits, the team found. By contrast, those depending on the least saturated areasbetween 30 and 100 feetsaw their irrigated yields begin trending downward when water deficits reached just 400 millimeters, a common occurrence in Nebraska and other Midwestern states. In years when the deficit approached or exceeded 700 millimeters, irrigated fields residing above the thickest groundwater yielded markedly more corn than those sitting above the thinnest. The results were starker during a 950-millimeter water deficit, which corresponds with extreme drought: Fields atop the least saturated stretches of aquifer yielded roughly 19.5 fewer bushels per acre. "Because of the way that aquifers work, even if there's a lot of water there, as they deplete, you actually lose the ability to meet those crop water needs during the driest periods, because well yield tends to decline as you deplete an aquifer," Brozovic said. "That has an economic consequence and a resilience consequence." The study captured another telling link between the water residing underground and that applied at the surface. When atop groundwater roughly 330 feet thick, farmers irrigated 89% of their acres dedicated to growing corn. Where the aquifer was a mere 30 feet thick? Just 70% of those acres received irrigation. That's likely a result of lower well yield driving farmers to irrigate only some of their fields, Taro said, or even give up on irrigation. To better understand how that reduced irrigation was contributing to agricultural losses amid dry conditions, the researchers then factored in yields from both irrigated and non-irrigated fields, the latter of which rely on precipitation alone. That analysis pegged yields as even more sensitive to even smaller water deficits, suggesting that the decline in irrigated land was compounding the losses endured on still-irrigated plots. And it illustrated the runaway threat posed when an aquifer's average thickness drops below certain thresholds. At a water deficit of 950 millimeters, reducing an aquifer's thickness from roughly 330 to 230 feet was estimated to initiate an average loss of about 2.5 corn bushels per acre, what the authors called a "negligible difference." The same absolute decrease, but from 230 to 130 feet, led to an estimated loss of 15 bushels per acre. "As a consequence, your resilience to climate decreases rapidly," Mieno said. "So when you're operating on an aquifer that is very thick right now, you're relatively safe. But you want to manage it in a way that you don't go past that threshold, because from there, it's all downhill. "And the importance of aquifers is going to increase as climate change progresses in the future, for sure. As it gets hotter, you typically need more water. That means you need more irrigation, and you're going to deplete the aquifer even faster, and things can get worse and worse." Nebraska is lucky, Brozovic said, in that it sits above such a massive reservoir and has established a governance system designed to conserve it at a local scale. However, most regulations focus on mandating how much and when groundwater gets pumped, not safeguarding the aquifer's saturation level or the corresponding ability to extract water from it. Brozovic conceded that convincing policymakers to consider revising those parameters now, when much of the state still boasts sufficient groundwater, is "perhaps a tough sell." He's hopeful that the new study can at least help put that conversation on the table. "Once you have a problemonce well yields are already declining, and the aquifer's really thineven if you put in policies, you still get a lot of the (negative) impacts," he said. "So the time to really put in meaningful policies is before things have gone off the cliff. "First, you have to understand, you have to measure, you have to educate. You have to understand what you're preserving and why. The more you can provide the quantitative evidence for why it's worth going to the trouble of doing all of this and what's at stake," he said, "the easier that conversation is." Brozovic and Mieno authored the Nature Water study with the University of Manchester's Timothy Foster and the University of Minnesota's Shunkei Kakimoto. More information: Taro Mieno et al, Aquifer depletion exacerbates agricultural drought losses in the US High Plains, Nature Water (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s44221-023-00173-7 , dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00173-7 Journal information: Nature Water 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: Chromosome satellite for both species (Chinese chestnut on the left, American chestnut on the right). Like all chromosomes, these are made of chromatina mix of DNA molecules and proteins. There are several types of chromatin. The bright blue tip in the Chinese chestnut indicates heterochromatic DNA, and the lighter purple color on the tip may represent the euchromatic DNA. The entire region of the American chestnut satellite appears to be euchromatic. Credit: USDA Forest Service image by Nurul Faridi. The chromosomes of American and Chinese chestnut are not so similar after all, at least in one key region of the genomethe nucleolus organizing region (NOR). The finding, published in Scientific Reports, has major implications for anyone with the goal of conferring blight resistance to American chestnuts through hybridization with the Chinese chestnut. "This is an unprecedented finding in the field of plant cytology," says Nurul Faridi, a Forest Service geneticist and lead author of the study. Traditional backcross breeding, involving hybridization between two species, aims to combine an ideal mix of traits from two species without genetic engineering. Backcross breeding can only succeed when the chromosomes of both species are compatible. Because Chinese-American chestnut hybrids are viable, people have assumed that the two species are highly compatible. But the new study reveals significant differences in the NOR of the two species. The NOR is part of every plant and animal cell. It carries the genetic instructions for making ribosomesthe molecular machines making proteins essential for life. The NOR is located near the end of the short arm of a particular chromosome. It is present in both species, but in Chinese chestnut, it is packed with a type of DNA known as heterochromatin and constitutes about 25% of the chromosome. The structure and composition of this DNA surprised the researchersit is highly condensed, lacking gene content, and transcriptionally inactive. In contrast, the American chestnut satellite is very small and appears to be euchromatic. Euchromatic regions of DNA are transcriptionally active. Faridi first noticed a small pair of Chinese chestnut chromosomes exhibiting very bright fluorescence with a specialized microscope, a UV filter, and a dye that binds to the DNA. Faridi used fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to further analyze the discovery. "Our high-quality FISH images provide unequivocal evidence of this unique DNA arrangement," says Faridi. "These images are not just pictures; they are a testament to the dynamic nature of genetic material." Faridi has been working with FISH since 1991 and has extensive experience preparing plant chromosomes for analyses. Well-separated chromosomes from enzymatically digested root tips that are mostly free of cell walls, nuclear membranes, and cytoplasmic debris are best for FISH. Most FISH imagery is obtained from animal cells, as plant cells, and especially trees, are more challenging to work with. Faridi has found that chestnuts are far more difficult to work with than pine and poplar. The researchers will use a technique called oligonucleotide FISH for further investigation. Oligo-FISH uses short specific DNA probes acquired from DNA sequencing. Since the entire genomes of American and Chinese chestnuts have been sequenced, oligo-FISH will allow the researchers to conduct detailed genetic studies to discern subtle genomic differences. The technique is especially useful for studying hybrids since it can indicate which parent a gene is from. The progress in developing American chestnut hybrids with the American chestnut's height and the Chinese chestnut's blight resistance has been significant. However, the most advanced hybrids do not currently have enough blight resistance for restoration, as previous Forest Service research has shown. More information: Nurul Faridi et al, Cytomolecular characterization of rDNA and chromatin composition in the NORassociated satellite in Chestnut (Castanea spp.), Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45879-6 Journal information: Scientific Reports This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Safe Space? The past, present and future of violence reduction in Scotland (2024). A new report led by researchers at the University of Glasgow highlights concerns around how Scotland is adapting to emerging trends around violence and young people. Over the last two decades, Scotland has witnessed a remarkable reduction in serious violence,, which has been especially evident in cities like Glasgow. However, while this success has been widely acknowledged, this reduction has slowed in recent years. Researchers at the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Open University found that in the aftermath of COVID-19 and funding cuts to local services, physical spaces where activities and support had been organized for young people have now closed. In the absence of these "safe spaces," young people are now drawn to digital spaces such as social media platforms where conflict and intimidation is becoming an increasing concern. The research team interviewed 190 participants, including third sector, health care, government, police, youth work, and young people affected by violence as they sought to understand how Scotland reduced its rates of violence and what measures need to be taken to continue its progress. Their findings are shared in "Safe Space? The past, present and future of violence reduction in Scotland." Professor Alistair Fraser, University of Glasgow, co-author of the report, said, "The story of Scotland's violence is an important one to tell. Over the course of the last 20 years, we have seen how a growing chorus of support for a public health approach to violence, led by the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, has brought about real change." "However, this success doesn't mean the story has ended, and these new trends around youth culture and violence feel different and urgent. Having spoken to many young people, youth workers, and practitioners as part of this research, there seems to be a fear bubbling up around the part technology can play in today's forms of violence." As one young person told the research team, "You start arguing over Snapchat, two full schemes going at ittelling them you're going to kill them and aw thatit's no good man, it's frightening." Youth workers shared their concerns at the loss of these physical spaces. In one case, a youth project that had been converted into a COVID-19 testing center now lay derelict. As one youth worker stated, "There are these spaces, but they're lying empty, so there needs to be people actually in them, and facilitating activities and stuff." Another told researchers, "If there's nothing in their communities and there's nothing happening, then they're going to build a community digitally." Professor Fraser urged policymakers, social media platforms, and youth practitioners to "work together and learn from young people about how to create and protect 'safe spaces' between community and digital sites." He said, "There is a lot of fear about the impact of technology, but it's here to stay, and we need to learn from young people about how to support their safety both online and on the street." The three-year research project summarizes violence reduction in Scotland and highlights key lessons for other jurisdictions. While rates of violence have remained relatively stable for the last seven years, they appear to be increasing south of the border, which has led to 20 violence reduction units being created in England and Wales. While these VRUs are in their infancy, there is significant potential for policymakers and practitioners to learn lessons from Scotland in the years ahead. The research findings identified key lessons that can be learned from the Scottish experience, including early intervention and a shared commitment to the value of listening to and taking seriously professional and lived experience in the areas of violence and violence prevention. The report concludes by stating that while there are substantial benefits both in Scotland and beyond for approaching issues of crime and justice through a public health lens, close attention should be paid by other VRUs to what their local context and need is. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain An external fuel tank manufactured to propel explorers and equipment into space was tilted toward the heavens via a different mechanism Friday morning but fell one step short of mission accomplished. Space Shuttle Endeavour's giant orange tank, dubbed ET-94, was hoisted by crane overnight and poised to be positioned vertically between two 149-foot solid rocket boosters. But after 14 hours of work, engineers postponed the final installation at 9 a.m. because of wind gusts, which repeatedly interfered with the move. The shuttle's vertical stackconsisting of the fuel tank and twin rocket boostersare part of an ambitious exhibit under construction at the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. Work was slated to resume at 10 p.m. Friday, when engineers hope the winds would die down to 3 mph or less. The initial lift was delayed 3 hours by gusty winds, but crews eventually used two cranes to raise the massive tank, which weighs about 65,000 pounds and is 154 feet long. Engineers were able to position the tank just before 7 a.m. and then waited two hours before postponing the final stepgently standing the tank between the solid rocket boosters that were positioned two months ago. "To see this process is quite amazing," said Jeffrey Rudolph, California Science Center's president. Completion of the move will mark the fourth of seven markers in the ultimate goal of stacking and displaying Endeavour upright in what will be the new 20-story museum, an expansion of the California Science Center. On Saturday, Nov. 11, a massive arson fire erupted underneath the 10 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. In the aftermath, this incident brought into focus how critical underinvestment in the state's infrastructure could lead to a far worse outcome. Unlike any other exhibit showcasing a retired space shuttle, Endeavour will be configured in a full-stack arrangement, pointing toward the stars as if ready for launch. The shuttle previously had been on display at the science center in a horizontal position from October 2012 through New Year's Eve 2023, when preparations for its big move began in earnest. What remains is Endeavour's final migration to the new site, followed by the orbiter being raised into place by a crane and ultimately joined with the rest of the stack. That is expected to happen within a month. It will be the first time a shuttle designed for space has been assembled vertically outside of a NASA or Air Force facility. Once Endeavour is in place, scaffolding will be erected around the entire stack to protect the equipment as the rest of the museum is built around it. It could be a few years before the new museum is open to the public. The 15-story orange external tank, the last of its kind in existence, arrived in Los Angeles in 2016, on a journey by sea through the Panama Canal and into Marina del Rey. During launches, the external tank carried propellantsliquid oxygen and liquid hydrogenthat powered the space shuttle's three main engines to help bring the shuttle into orbit. It was maneuvered to the construction site Wednesday by self-propelled modular transporters similar to the ones used to move Endeavour through Los Angeles' streets in 2012. A crew of about 35 workers used a Liebherr LG 1750 crane to raise ET-94 on Friday. The same crane, capable of lifting 1.7 million pounds, was used in 2011 to tear down the Kennedy Space Center launch pad in Florida that Endeavour used on its final space mission, Rudolph said. Larry Clark, a retired space shuttle engineer who worked 44 years at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said the new exhibit will give his grandchildren the chance to view history. "My grandkids were all born after we retired the space shuttle program," Clark said. "My 6-year-old granddaughter recently asked me when she was going to see a space shuttle, and now she has a place to visit in California." The shuttle project, estimated to cost $400 million, will reshape the skyline around the California Science Center, whose roots stem from 110 years ago as a site for exhibiting agricultural and industrial projects. The site became the California Museum of Science and Industry in 1951 and reopened as the California Science Center in 1998. The new aerospace museum wing is named for Samuel Oschin, the late Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist, whose name is also on the Griffith Observatory planetarium and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cancer institute. Financial contributions that came from the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Foundation have been transformational to building the new museum wing, which broke ground in mid-2022. Endeavour flew 25 missions in space before its final flight in 2011, eight years after another shuttle, Columbia, disintegrated on reentry in 2003, and the shuttle fleet was set for retirement. Among Endeavour's most notable missions was successfully repairing the Hubble Space Telescope and helping complete construction of the International Space Station. The ET-94 fuel tank was created shortly before the final trek of the ill-fated Columbia, which killed seven astronauts. Although the tank never touched the stars, its voyage to the Space Center wasn't without drama. Manufactured in New Orleans' Michoud Assembly Facility, ET-94 was placed on a barge and towed out of port on April 13, 2016. Twelve days later, the tank crossed the Panama Canal but not before hitting a storm near the Cayman Islands. The trip was slowed again when the tow ship, the Shannon Dann, rescued four stranded fishermen a month later off the coast of Baja California. The tank eventually reached Marina del Rey on May 21, 2016, capping a 5,000-mile sea voyage, and was transported 16 miles to the California Science Center. 2024 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Crime is often perceived as an urban phenomenon whereas rural life is viewed as more bucolic, but Timothy Bryan is testing these ideas. An assistant professor in the University of Toronto Mississauga Department of Sociology, Bryan analyzes how urban and rural residents perceive and imagine street safety. "Often, criminological research has assumed certain things about crime. Crime is often perceived as something that happens in urban areas," says Bryan, whose research revolves around the policing of hate crime and criminal justice reform in Canada. "What this project wants to do is to disrupt some of those binaries that assume that urban spaces are always spaces of danger and that rural spaces are somehow these peaceful, quiet spaces." He is currently focused on the Halifax area, where two recent events have largely shaped the view of public safety. The first is the April 2020 mass shooting that left 22 people dead in rural Nova Scotia, sparking an inquiry into the RCMP's efforts to keep residents safe. The other event was increased scrutiny of street checks that disproportionally targeted African Nova Scotian residents. A March 2019 study by Scot Wortley, a professor at U of T's Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, showed that Black residents were six times more likely to be street checked in the Halifax area compared to white residents. Bryan traveled to Halifax last year to interview residents about their feelings on street safety and policing. He was supported by an IGNITE grant from the Black Research Network, a U of T institutional strategic initiative. Credit: University of Toronto "On the back of these two events, what I found was that many residents were rethinking their relationship with police," Bryan says, adding many had previously reported a positive relationship with police or had no negative relationships with police. "But recent events actually started to have residents think differently about whether police were capable of keeping them safe, whether police wanted to keep them safe, or whether the presence of police was even a sign of safety." The Wortley report ultimately made 53 recommendations focused on street checks, data collection, and police-community relations. In October 2019, street checks were permanently banned in Nova Scotia. Another element of Bryan's project will use a combination of participant-produced drawings of street scenes and interviews to address questions about street safety and how police contribute to these perceptions. He says the exercise not only helps him gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions of urban and rural spaces, but it also asks participants to explain what they would change to make their neighborhoods safer. "I'm hoping that the images not only provide a method of getting at the data and people's responses," he says, "but become a kind of artifact in themselves as a kind of snapshot of how it is that people are coming to understand where they live, how they live and perhaps what they want changed about the areas within it." He is currently completing about 40 interviews with participants in Halifax and developing those responses into an academic publication. He hopes to present preliminary findings at research conferences. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain South African justice minister Ronald Lamola led a top legal team to argue the country's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 11 January. South Africa argues that Israel's indiscriminate retaliatory bombing and siege of Gaza contravenes the Genocide Convention. More than 23,000 Palestinians, including at least 10,000 children, have been killed. Narnia Bohler-Muller, an international law and human rights law expert, says the South African legal team argued soundly that Israel's actions in Gaza are genocidal, and tells us who is who in the team. John Dugard Professor John Dugard is an internationally renowned expert in international law and has been cited by academics, practitioners and courts alike nationally and internationally. His experience of sitting on the bench of the ICJ as an acting judge and as a member of a Rapporteur of the commission established to determine the human rights and living conditions of people living in Palestine is particularly pertinent. Dugard has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Law for Palestine since 2020. He was recognized for his contributions to the law by receiving the Order of the Baobab in 2013. This is South Africa's highest award for community service. He has received several honorary doctorates from South African universities for his work in human rights and international law. The late Constitutional Court judge Justice Ismail Mahomed paid tribute to Dugard for his role in South Africa's democratic constitution-making, which followed, project in 2003: " the voice and the influence of John Dugard was fulsome The entrenchment of fundamental human rights in the South African constitution which followed vindicated a lifetime of struggle for the ideals which had absorbed so much of his energies and his passion." A professor of international law at the University of Leiden, Dugard has also served on the International Law Commission, the United Nations body tasked with the development of international law, since 1997. Notably, after the outbreak of the second uprising by Palestinians against Israeli occupation in 2000, the UN Commission on Human Rights appointed him to chair a commission of inquiry into the state of human rights in the Palestinian territories. He is a member of various international law associations, including the prestigious Institut de Droit International, of which he is the first and only South African member. Max du Plessis Advocate Max du Plessis has been an advocate for 23 years, practicing and teaching mostly in the South African city of Durban. He is associated with the Doughty Street Chambers in London and is an associate fellow at Chatham House, London. Du Plessis is without any doubt one of the top minds in international law. He combines practice and academic work. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela University. As an international lawyer, he advises governments, international organizations, and NGOs. He has appeared in or advised on cases before, among others, the International Criminal Court, the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights, the Southern African Development Community Tribunal, and the East African Court of Justice. Du Plessis has submitted friend of the court briefs before the US Supreme Court, the US Court of Appeals and the Israeli Supreme Court. He is the lead or co-author of textbooks prescribed by most law schools in South Africa. The most recent is International Law: A South African Perspective (20185th edition). In 2015, he acted for the Southern African Litigation Centre, to counter the South African government's argument that then Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who was visiting South Africa, had immunity from prosecution for war crimes under customary international law as a head of state. The Supreme Court of Appeal agreed and found that South Africa was obligated by law as a signatory of the Genocide Convention to cooperate with the International Criminal Court and to arrest al-Bashir. This ruling would have compelled South Africa to arrest Russian president Vladimir Putin, against whom the ICC has issued a warrant for war crimes, should he have attended the Brics summit in Johannesburg last August. Adila Hassim Advocate Adila Hassim was admitted to the Johannesburg Society of Advocates in 2003. She is the co-founder of the anti-corruption organization Corruption Watch and serves on its board. She started her legal career working as a clerk for late Chief Justice Pius Langa, and is a highly regarded human rights advocate. Hassim is a passionate defender of vulnerable and marginalized communities. She was involved in the groundbreaking 1997 Constitutional Court case which clarified, for the first time, that the state was obliged to fulfill its socio-economic rights obligations in terms of the constitution. This case dealt with the right to health and created a legal precedent. She took a lead in the Life Esidimeni arbitration over the deaths of at least 144 mental health patients. In winning this arbitration, Hassim and her team brought some comfort to the families of these victims. During the inquest into the deaths, she represented the civil rights NGO Section 27 and families of the deceased. She is the co-founder and director of litigation at Section 27. She was also involved in the 2015 silicosis and tuberculosis class action against the gold mining industry which was settled out of court. Hassim's preferred areas of practice include constitutional, administrative, health and competition law and she has been an acting judge. She has left an indelible mark on health law and the right to access health care in South Africa. Hassim has been outspoken in her defense of LGBTQ rights. She opposed the appointment of former Chief Justice Mogoeng Moegoeng on this basis at the Judicial Service Commission. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi Tembeka Ngcukaitobi is an experienced international conflict resolution advocate at the Pan African Bar Association of South Africa. He specializes in competition law, labor law, constitutional law and commercial law. He was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Judicial Service Commission in 2022 and joined the Competition Tribunal in 2023. Ngcukaitobi is an excellent senior counsel, despite one misplaced legal argument in a rape case, which benefited the accused and caused much controversy. He is trusted by government and opposition parties to take on cases of public interest. Ngcukaitobi gained public prominence during the tenure of former president Jacob Zuma. He grew in popularity after forming part of the legal team of the Economic Freedom Fighters, South Africa's second largest opposition, that successfully argued in the Pretoria High Court for former public protector Thuli Madonsela's "state of capture report" to be made public. This allowed unprecedented transparency around a very controversial document and eventually led to the establishment of the judicial commission into state capture. Ngcukaitobi also represented the State Capture Commission in its successful application to have Zuma jailed for contempt of the Constitutional Court. He has served as counsel in a successful bid to overturn former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's report on alleged misconduct during Ramaphosa's campaign to lead the governing African National Congress. This added to the evidence which led to Mkhwebane's parliamentary impeachment in 2023. In 2023 he represented 19 political parties in an application at the Pretoria High Court to declare the country's scheduled power cuts unconstitutional. Other members of the South African team are junior counsel: Tshidiso Ramogale, Sarah Pudifin-Jones and Lerato Zikalala. External counsel supporting South Africa in its ICJ application are: Vaughan Lowe King's Counsel. He teaches public international law at Oxford University and has acted as a judge or arbitrator in multiple international legal disputes. Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, KC. She has acted in genocide litigation before, appearing on behalf of Croatia in the ICJ. . This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain When the first U.S.-made moon lander launched in more than 50 years experienced a critical failure shortly after reaching space on Jan. 8, the news was initially a shock. But NASA was prepared. The Peregrine lander, built by a Pittsburgh-based startup called Astrobotic, had barely been deployed into orbit before it suffered an apparent propulsion error, causing it to leak propellant into space. After a day, the company said there was no chance the spacecraft would reach the moon. NASA actually anticipated a few low-stakes mishaps like this while carrying out its moonshot strategy, drawing inspiration from Elon Musk's SpaceX and Wall Street. The agency's grander plan is to send humans back to the moon some time this decade. Astrobotic's Peregrine lander was created in partnership with NASA's CLPS (pronounced "Clips") program, which stands for Commercial Lunar Payload Services. The idea of the program is to help foster development of privately made lunar landers that can carry NASA payloads, while accepting that some partners get further than others. "Unlike other NASA programs, if there's a failure in this program, it's not a total loss," Jim Bridenstine, the former administrator for NASA who oversaw the creation of CLPS, said before Astrobotic's launch. "We modeled this after venture capital." NASA has increasingly embraced this type of framework since the turn of the century. The thinking goes: Partially fund the development of a company's hardware, then buy rides or services when the hardware's complete. That stands in contrast to the way NASA used to do things. For years, if the space agency wanted something made, it usually funded and oversaw the entirety of a vehicle's development. That path was typically slow and expensive. As part of the CLPS program, NASA gave Astrobotic some starter capital and shared expertise with the company, though mostly let the company build Peregrine as it saw fit. To speed things up, NASA also selected multiple companies to make landers, creating a race to become the first private U.S. company to land on the moon. "Those operators, they have to go raise private capital; they need to get customers that are not NASA and they have to compete against each other on cost and innovation," Bridenstine, now an independent consultant and member of Viasat's board of directors, said. NASA knew some companies wouldn't even make it as far as Astrobotic did. "The idea is not perfection," Bridenstine said. "The idea is: How fast can we go? It's kind of a lesson that we learned from SpaceX, to be quite honest." SpaceX launches new test rockets accepting they might explode or fail midflight, so engineers get flight experience quickly. It's one reason why SpaceX can move through development more rapidly than NASA and other companies that are more reluctant to "fail" in public. Explosions and glitches still have consequences. NASA put $108 million of taxpayer funds into the development of the Astrobotic mission, more than the initial contract of $79.5 million when the company was first selected for CLPS. Additionally, the agency had five lunar payloads on Peregrine that won't get to see the lunar surface now. Separately, NASA does not have tolerance like this for failures on crewed missions. It can only be more accepting of mishaps during development tests or when no human lives are at stake. "We designed this program knowing that there was going to be failure," Bridenstine said. There was a small bit of good news on Thursday, too. Despite not reaching the moon, Astrobotic announced that it had received data from nine of the payloads it was carrying on the lander, proving that they can function in space. A second CLPS company, Houston-based Intuitive Machines, is set to launch its lunar lander on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as early as mid-February. So there's still a chance companies tied to the program can successfully complete their missions. 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. By Prince J Musa in Kenema As a result of a rise in the number of stroke patients in the district, the management of Kenema Government Hospital with support from Kings Global Partnership has opened a modern stroke unit at the Kenema Government Hospital, east of Sierra Leone. The stroke unit was officially opened to the public on the 23rd December 2023. In his opening statement, the Medical Superintendent of the Kenema Government Hospital, Dr. Abdulai Tejan Jalloh noted that as part of the mandate of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to expand health care services, the hospital Management initiated creation of a unit that will handle cases of stroke. He stated that the unit will focus on prevention, acute management of patients, their rehabilitation and restoration including continuous medical education. He also stated that the health care management will focus on research that will help focus on decision- making, and commended Kings College for Global Health Partnership for the support provided. Dr. Jalloh appreciated the district Medical Officer of Kenema for conceiving the idea of a stroke unit which is lacking in government health facilities and assured the public that with support from partners, they can now boast of having modern stroke equipment. In his statement, the District Medical Officer (DMO) in Kenema, Dr. Donald Samuel Grant said though there have been many challenges in the district in terms of health care services, as a team they have been pushing hard to make improvements and that the stroke unit created in the hospital will help change the outcome of stroke patients coming for services. He described stroke as a sudden attack on humans that lead to malfunctioning of the limbs and even the mouth, saying the new unit will help quickly to manage stroke clients and commended the management of the hospital for proactive action in getting the facility in Kenema. The DMO appealed to the health workers especially those attached to the stroke unit to change their attitude as their behavior would give confidence in the system. He called on partners especially MSF and other institutions for more support, saying a well-equipped hospital will help reduce some of the burden on people going far distances to access health care services. Kenema District Council deputy Chairperson, Francess Jambawai, referred to the stroke unit as hope to the hopeless, adding that stroke patients normally think of their demise instead of recovery due to treatment facilities. She implored the Nurses to be considerate in dealing with the sick, especially many patients come to hospital already traumatized, noting that they will be rewarded by God. Commissioning the stroke Unit, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mustapha Kabba commended the hospital management for transforming good innovative ideas into reality by giving Kenema government hospital a new facelift. He stated that the facility will help to minimize patients dying of partial stroke. He assured the hospital management that come 2024; they should expect to benefit from more medical support to ensure that the hospital stands on a better footing. Copyright 2024 Politico (10/01/24) PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. The Field Museum in Chicago has covered up several display cases featuring Native American artifacts in compliance with the recent changes in US regulations that require collecting institutions to obtain consent from tribal leaders regarding the showcasing of objects tied to their heritage. Field Museum's Compliance with the Updates to NAGPRA Regulations These updates were applied to the original law encompassing objects of ancestral heritage called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA for short, which was signed into law in 1990 by then-President George H.W. Bush. Specifically, the new lines within the regulations require all institutions dealing with cultural objects to request and verify affirmative consent from lineal descendants and respective tribes before said institutions can display their sacred or culturally significant items, including human remains. First among the institutions to apply changes within its activities, in line with the new regulations, is the Field Museum, which released a statement detailing the actions it has done in doing so. This includes concealing displays in its Robert R. McCormick Halls of the Ancient Americas and the Alsdorf Hall of Northwest Coast and Arctic Peoples, and also confirmed that it "does not have any Native American human remains on display." Read Also: Harbin, China's 'Snow City,' Unveils Giant 'Truant Penguin' Sculpture Ahead of Asian Winter Games Observance of the New NAGPRA Regulations Elsewhere In terms of one of the largest collecting institutions within the realm of anthropological objects, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, it has yet to announce how it plans to enact within the new limits set in the NAGPRA. That said, its website indicates that it will be closing its galleries, including multiple shows that display American Indian artifacts, on a rotating schedule starting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, until Feb. 16, with specificities regarding their planned "maintenance" remaining undisclosed. Two other collecting institutions that have a large chunk of such artifacts, including the American Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of the American Indian, have also yet to release their statements regarding the changes. Outside of the new updates, however, the AMNH has said that it will be removing displays of human remains in October of last year, according to Artnet. On the other hand, the Smithsonian Institute, which handles operational decisions for the NMAI, issued a statement in 2023 that said it has returned over 5,000 remains belonging to Indigenous people. During the 90-day comment period within the NAGPRA updating process, a variety of collecting institutions spoke out, including representatives from 48 federally recognized Indian Tribes, among other relevant groups. One such Indian Tribe said: "We appreciate the difficult work and coordination the Department has undertaken to make vast and meaningful changes to shift the burden of NAGPRA compliance to where it belongs-to federal agencies and museums." Read More: England's Museum is Missing Over 1,700 Objects Within Its Collections, Including Drawing of Queen Victoria 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. ATLANTIC CITY The world has erupted in wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but such violence would not exist if we all saw God in each other, said the keynote speaker at the local NAACPs Martin Luther King Jr. observance. If (others) see you as divine, they are less inclined to kidnap you, or drop bombs on you, or wage war on you, the Rev. Stafford Miller told his audience Monday at St. James AME Church. We were created to be in the image of God. The church was almost full, with more than 200 attendees for the ceremony that included the St. James Choir backed by musicians on keyboard, drum, guitar and more. Here at home there is much to be done to achieve Kings dream of a society where people are judged on the basis of their character, not the color of their skin, Miller said. Justice means after you have taught a man how to fish, he must have a place to fish along the water, and after the catch make sure they dont have mercury, Miller said. It also means the fisher can get a fair price to feed a family, said Miller, of Paterson. Other speakers included Cantor Jacqueline Menaker of Shirat Hayam Congregation in Ventnor, Fr. James Wilson of St. Augustines Episcopal Church in Atlantic City, Imam Amin Muhammad of Masjid Muhammad of Atlantic City, and city resident Stephenine Dixon, a member of the states Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission. Kaleem Shabazz, president of the Atlantic City branch of the NAACP and City Council vice president, said about 400 people participated in a march to the church Monday morning before the observance ceremony. Discover the town that embodies the dream of Martin Luther King Sr. Communities and landmarks outside of Atlanta form an important part of what became the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Muhammad reminded those present to thank those doing good works while they are alive, rather than waiting until after they die to thank them. God gives us living examples of living legends and mountains that have passed, he said, and then thanked Shabazz for all he does. The attendees then gave Shabazz a standing ovation. Justice must exist for everyone around the world, Muhammad said, so concerns about racial justice must be extended to human justice for all. We are living in a time when people are displaced, starving, mistreated, being killed and annihilated and decimated, Muhammad said. Where there is injustice anywhere there is injustice everywhere. Shadley D. Trezil was chosen by Atlantic City High School and Shirat Hayam as the winner of a MLK essay contest. She will attend Villanova Universitys nursing program in the fall, she said, but hopes to continue her education to become a doctor. Her essay focused on disparities in health care in the U.S. and in Haiti, where she has family. In Haiti resources are very limited, Trezil said. There is a shortage of hospital beds, and only 60% of the population has access to any form of health care. Atlantic City library provides inspiration, education with MLK read-in The Atlantic City Free Public Library hosted the ninth annual Dr. King Read-in on Saturday afternoon at the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University. In the U.S. the resources are better and more widely available, but the cost is much higher, she said, so Black and brown peoples health outcomes are not as good as those of the white population. There is an urgent need for international aide and commitment to address disparities on a global scale and within individual nations, Trezil said. Newly elected NAACP Youth Council President Destiny Austin said King made possible the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. While Black people in America should be able to vote without impediment, buy and sell homes in any neighborhood and not be disfavored, and live without discrimination, Kings dream is not yet realized, she said. Unfortunately we continue to go through the circumstances Dr. King fought against six decades ago, she said. We have become too comfortable with injustices and crimes, said Austin, who called for more young people to turn away from street violence and get involved in the continuing civil rights movement. Dixon asked anyone interested in becoming a volunteer commissioner with the states MLK commission to contact her at sdixon422@gmail.com. The NAACPs 50th annual Freedom Luncheon, a major fundraiser for the group, is set for April 27 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Early bird tickets are $100 and later will be $125, said Rosie Sedara, NAACP vice president and chair of the event. For more information on sponsorships, ads or tickets, call Sedara at 609-338-2383 or 609-344-2590. Few people thought anything would come from Glenn Rodriguez running around making short films with his friends while he attended Richard M. Teitelman Middle School in Lower Township. Twenty years later, Rodriguez, 36, can show the world what he can create as an adult as the first full-length feature he has co-written and is one of the producers of, The Bastard Sons, debuted in select U.S. theaters and on video on-demand and Prime Video last week. Joining Rodriguez for the 84-minute crime drama is Kevin Interdonato, who stars in, directed, co-wrote and is one of the producers of the film. Both men are big fans of the gangster genre, where viewers can vicariously experience operating outside the laws of society without putting their freedom at risk or hurting anyone. There is something fun about The Sopranos and Goodfellas. Its fun watching that life, Rodriguez said. Interdonato, who played Dogsy on The Sopranos in 2002, met Rodriguez in 2008. Interdonato, a native of Howell, Monmouth County, came to Marmora to audition for what turned out to be an early version of The Bastard Sons. Rodriguez had written the script and was planning to direct the film. The Bastard Sons did not get made then, but Rodriguez and Interdonato stayed in touch. Each man moved to Los Angeles, Interdonato in 2010 and Rodriguez in 2011. They worked together for the first time in 2013 on a short film, The Birth and Death of the Day, written, directed and produced by Rodriguez. Ocean City welcomes new business: Hometown briefs The Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony Dec. 14 for Designer Bag Depot at 1249 Asbury Ave. The short film starred Amanda Clayton, who also portrayed lead character Alex Montgomery in the Oprah Winfrey Network primetime soap opera If Loving You Is Wrong. Clayton later married Interdonato and is one of the executive producers of The Bastard Sons. Besides making short films when he was young and graduating from Cape May County Technical High School in 2005, Rodriguez attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, where he earned a degree in film. Rodriguez and Interdonato created their own production company, Take No Prisoners Productions, in 2017, and released a film, Dirty Dead Con Men, in 2018. Rodriguez was an associate producer. Interdonato was a co-writer and one of the stars. Rodriguez said he and Interdonato work so well together because of the bond they have built over the past 20 years He (Interdonato) has been in the business for a bit, and Ive learned a lot of what he knows and implemented that in how I work. Its easy to bounce ideas and such off each other. Our communication is strong, so it makes it easy to work, Rodriguez said. By 2020, Rodriguez was in North Carolina and Interdonato was in New Jersey. The time had come to start shooting The Bastard Sons, but the script was very different from what Interdonato had seen in 2008. We took an aspect of Glenns characters and wrote them into three-dimensional characters, Interdonato said. I did a lot of writing. In The Bastard Sons, small-town gangsters seek revenge on the family after an inside job leaves their boss dead. JCC holds special Shabbat ceremony: Hometown briefs The Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center hosted a special Shabbat on Dec. 15. Israeli families that have been impacted by the current Israel-Hamas war led those in attendance through Shabbat rituals. A lot of ingenuity, grit and determination put us on a different production level, Interdonato said. Its not a stereotypical low-budget movie. The Bastard Sons was shot over 13 days in January 2022, mostly in New Jersey in Bloomfield, Essex County; Toms River, Ocean County; and Freehold and the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, Monmouth County. Rodriguez was unable to make the film shoot, but he did a great deal of work remotely and was in communication daily. The Bastards Sons cast also includes Al Sapienza, who was also on The Sopranos, but Interdonato knew him through mutual friend and former UFC champion Frankie Edgar. I grew up 10 minutes from Frankie, Interdonato said. Actor Charles Malik Whitfield, who portrayed Ben Campbell for 19 episodes of Chicago Med from 2019 through this year, joined the project as a producer and as an actor to play the character of Darius. He came to New Jersey for filming despite the threat of COVID-19 at the time. Whitfield crossed paths with Interdonato through his work with Montgomery on If Loving You Is Wrong, in which Whitfield portrayed the character of Lushion Morgan. Whitfield said he was basically Interdonatos shadow while the film was being shot because he wants to direct full-length features like Interdonato has done with The Bastard Sons. Nothing in the business happens without someone else helping someones dream or vision, Whitfield said. Mara Justine's supporters in Galloway and beyond proud of her performance on 'The Voice' Supporters of Galloway Township's Mara Justine are proud of her third-place finish on season 24 of the reality TV singing competition "The Voice," which ended Tuesday on NBC. The Bastard Sons received its world premiere at the Dances With Films Festival on Dec. 2 at the Regal Union Square movie theater in New York. Interdonato attended the premiere, but Rodriguez was unable to be there. It was very well received. I was surprised that it appealed to men and women of all ages, Interdonato said. Rodriguez and Interdonato will be working on two new films during the next two years. They plan to shoot Dirty Hands in October in Chicago and a horror film, Swell, which is scheduled to be filmed in 2025 in Cape May and Wildwood with Rodriguez directing and writing. ATLANTIC CITY Milani Hill wanted to read the words of Martin Luther King Jr. that resonated most with her. The 15-year-old city resident chose Whats Your Lifes Blueprint? which King delivered to the students of Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on Oct. 26, 1967. I feel like it points toward children, Hill said. As a high schooler, its kind of hard to figure out what I want to do with my life, so this is very inspiring. Hill was one of a handful of people who read at the King read-in Saturday afternoon. The event was presented by the Atlantic City Free Public Library and was held at the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University. About a dozen people attended the event, which ran up against the mornings Atlantic City peace walk. This was the librarys ninth annual read-in program, which began in 2014, library spokesperson Don Latham said. This was the first year the library held it at the Arts Garage, as parts of the library are under renovation. Library Director Robert Rynkiewicz said the event is his favorite of all the ones the library presents each year. When I first became the director seven years ago, we had been just starting the read-ins, Rynkiewicz said following the program, and it was one of the first things I actually got to do as the director, and I think it really pulled me into the community. Its so nice that the citizens show up, and they get a chance to read and to participate. Snow squall possible on another windy Sunday, coastal storm nears Tuesday An arctic cold front will bring the potential for a snow squall Sunday, along with chilly winds. A lower impact coastal storm will then impact NJ Tuesday, but snow details are lower confidence than usual just 36 hours out. And how can you not be moved by his speeches? Some of Kings speeches read Saturday included the Philadelphia speech, his famous I Have A Dream speech from Aug. 28, 1963, and his Nobel Peace Prize speech Dec. 10, 1964. King, who delivered more than 2,500 public speeches and was the most prominent figure of the Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated April 4, 1968. Sometimes you feel like some things havent changed, Rynkiewicz said. But hopefully people like this, and their words in history will survive. Reading speeches Saturday were Hill, library volunteer Liz Dimmerman, Assistant Library Director Melissa McGeary and adult services librarian Dani Sinai. (King) was prolific. A lot of his speeches were prolific and very long, too, said Sinai, who was hired by the library three months ago and coordinated Saturdays program. She said each speaker chose the speech they wanted to read. Dr. Kings words, I feel, are very emotional, Sinai said, and if you read a speech that somebody else chose for you, the emotion doesnt come through as well. City Council Vice President Kaleem Shabazz, who was originally slated to read I Have a Dream, showed up just after the readings, as he had been involved with the peace walk that morning. Shabazz spent some time afterward talking with Rynkiewicz as well as meeting Hill and her family and friends. These kinds of events are key to keeping the legacy of Dr. King going and also to remind those of us who are here that we can be active and we can be involved and we can make a difference, Shabazz said. Atlantic County executive superintendent to receive MLK award Interim Executive Atlantic County Superintendent Leslie White-Coursey, of Atlantic City, will be presented the 34th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Spirit Award on Tuesday, the county said. This is a very, very important activity. Its a very key activity. And more of our people have to experience it, he continued. And Im sure if the march hadnt coincided with it wed have a tremendous crowd here today. I would have been here, and I know other people would have been here. This is a very important time in our country and our city, and Dr. Kings words have never been more relevant, more timely and more essential for us to not only hear but internalize. As for Hills lifes blueprint, she wants to be a neonatologist, a doctor who specializes in babies born early or those who have early medical problems. But I like volunteering at the library. So if all else fails, I think I would be happy being a librarian, she said. Hill, who turned 15 on Saturday, has been volunteering at the library for about a year. She was there so often she began to log her hours. Through the inspiration of the library, she applied for the Presidents Volunteer Service Award, which she was awarded last month after she had volunteered for 320 hours. Rynkiewicz said Hill is the kind of volunteer the library wants. They are the future readers, he said. Hopefully with people like Milani and our staff, itll get more kids coming in and reading. As a young person who is interested in reading and education, Hill sees the importance of having a resource like the library. She also sees the importance of reading Kings speeches, not just as a history lesson but as a motivator for her life choices and experiences. Its kind of crazy how way back in the 60s how things said can still affect now, Hill said. But those problems were having now were happening then. So, its kind of sad to hear were still trying to work through the kinks of humanity. Pretty much any speech from then, if it hasnt been solved, can still be a problem now. OCEAN CITY Sometimes, the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. seems to be boiled down to just four words: I have a dream. His speech, delivered at the March on Washington in 1963, has moved generations with a vision of universal justice and placed King among those whose words shaped the United States. But no human being is just one thing, a fact that was reflected in comments made at the Ocean City Tabernacle during the citys annual celebration of King. Speakers, including student essayists and community leaders, spoke of King the social justice campaigner, King the peacemaker, King the servant, King the inspirational and aspirational, and King the reverend, with Pastor Jay Reimer describing King as a minister of the Gospel. Ava Clevenger, a seventh grader, spoke of a time when people were executed for their beliefs, sold into slavery because of their race or told they could not marry someone of the same gender. This does not sound like freedom, she said. She cited contemporary issues, including the war in Gaza, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ issues and the fight over abortion. MLKs legacy of peaceful protest has impacted the social movements of today, she said. Through his example, others continue to demonstrate their First Amendment rights. Caroline Bickings, an eighth grader, said King started a revolution with four simple words. Atlantic City library provides inspiration, education with MLK read-in The Atlantic City Free Public Library hosted the ninth annual Dr. King Read-in on Saturday afternoon at the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University. His speech resonated with the masses; a calling to find their own dream and pursue positive change in our society, she said. For her, she said, the continued discrepancy between pay for men and women remains something to fight to change. Another student, Marley Dwyer, said, King didnt hope his dreams came true. He made sure they did. He knew what it would take, and he didnt hesitate in the face of challenges. She said King not only advocated for Black Americans, but for all people. Ocean City gathers for Martin Luther King Day each year, which Mayor Jay Gillian described as one of his favorite events. Each year, two residents receive Martin Luther King Community Service Awards, recognizing their efforts on behalf of the community. This year, the awards went to Jane French, who worked with the late Mark Soifer in the citys public relations department for decades and remains an active volunteer, and Bill McMahon III of the McMahon Agency, honored for his efforts for the Covenant House in Atlantic City and for the Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation, raising money for scholarships. Gillian praised French for what he called a lifetime of volunteering. She has given back to Ocean City like very few others have, he said. For the past seven years, she has been involved with the Quilts of Valor organization, which makes quilts for veterans. The morning began with a citywide cleanup. One of the student essayists apologized because she was still wearing the sneakers she wore for the cleanup. After the event, the city announced a food drive as part of the National Day of Service, aimed at stocking the shelves at the Ocean City Ecumenical Food Cupboard. Snow squall possible on another windy Sunday, coastal storm nears Tuesday An arctic cold front will bring the potential for a snow squall Sunday, along with chilly winds. A lower impact coastal storm will then impact NJ Tuesday, but snow details are lower confidence than usual just 36 hours out. Donations of non-perishable food and personal care items will be collected through Jan. 20 at the City Hall Welcome Center at the Ninth Street entrance off Asbury Avenue. Gillian also introduced the Rev. Gregory Johnson, who began his message at the back of the Tabernacle and worked his way up to the front of the room. All of us in here can say the Lords been good to us, he said. Although we may have had some struggles. We may have shed some tears. We may have been disappointed. But through it all, through it all we made it. Johnson ended his comments quoting from Kings Dream speech, citing his call for a world in which children are not judged by the color of their skin but on the content of their character. Those gathered sang the spiritual We Shall Overcome, which served as an anthem to the Civil Rights Movement. Many joined hands during the song. King came to national prominence during a boycott of buses in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, and became one of the central figures of the Civil Rights Movement. He also advocated for the poor and spoke against American involvement in Vietnam. In 1964, he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, at the time the youngest person to receive the award. Four years later, he was dead, shot in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had gone to advocate for higher wages for sanitation workers. Fifteen years later, in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a national holiday in his name. Were here today to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. Its been more than 50 years since Dr. King preached about equality, community and social change. In some ways, weve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go, Gillian said at the event. Atlantic County executive superintendent to receive MLK award Interim Executive Atlantic County Superintendent Leslie White-Coursey, of Atlantic City, will be presented the 34th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Spirit Award on Tuesday, the county said. Each year, residents gather after the observance for a meal, which this year included fried chicken, St. Louis-style spare ribs, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens, cornbread and sweet potatoes, joining at tables set inside the entrance room of the Tabernacle. Madison Marsh, Miss Colorado 2023, was crowned Miss America 2024 on Sunday night at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida. Marsh, 22, a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, graduated in 2023 from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Shes pursuing a masters degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Marsh will receive a $50,000 scholarship as Miss America and immediately start a yearlong reign. A second lieutenant in the Air Force, Marsh is the first active duty Air Force officer to win the Miss America title. Miss New Jersey Victoria Mozitis, of Northfield, a 2019 Mainland Regional High School graduate and 2023 graduate of Rider University, did not make the final rounds of the competition. She was crowned Miss New Jersey in June at Resorts Casino Hotel. The Miss America Competition was once a staple of Atlantic City, having begun there in 1921 as a post-Labor Day means to attract visitors, but left the resort in 2019, first for the Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort in Connecticut, now for Orlando. Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke, crowned her successor at Sundays finals competition, which streamed on the Watch Miss America website. Marsh received a glittering crown, a flowing red cape and a bouquet of roses at the end of the ceremony. The new winner also received hugs from her fellow contestants and took her first walk on stage as Miss America 2024. Marsh performed a spoken-word piece in the talent portion of Sundays finals, telling the story of her first solo flight. She answered on-stage questions, walked the runway in an evening gown, strutted in fitness clothes and emphasized her philanthropic platform. Marsh is the founder of the Whitney Marsh Foundation, raising money for research to fight pancreatic cancer. The foundation is named after her mother, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2018. A total of 51 women competed in the Miss America finals. The top 11 contestants were featured in segments that emphasized fitnesswear, talent, evening gowns and on-stage questions focusing on hot topics in America, such as education, politics, money, drugs, technology and climate change. Each segment was weighted as 25% of the contestants total score in the semifinals. Northfield woman wins Miss New Jersey pageant ATLANTIC CITY An Atlantic County woman won it all Saturday night. The 11 semifinalists were: Miss Texas 2023 Ellie Breaux Miss North Carolina 2023 Taylor Loyd Miss Indiana 2023 Cydney Bridges Miss Kansas 2023 Courtney Wages Miss Colorado 2023 Madison Marsh Miss Maryland 2023 Kennedy Taylor Miss Florida 2023 Juliette Valle Miss Rhode Island Caroline Parente Miss Kentucky 2023 Mallory Hudson Miss Arkansas 2023 Cori Keller Miss New York 2023 Amelia Collins Santa, trained in American Sign Language, visits Margate for Shop Small Business weekend A Santa that knows ASL was accompanied by an elf, unicorn, and others for a parade down Ventnor Avenue on Saturday for the Margate Business Association's Shop Small Business weekend. The contestant list was then trimmed to a top five, who returned to the stage for one more question apiece, focusing on their plans as Miss America. The top five were: Miss Colorado 2023 Madison Marsh (winner) Miss Texas 2023 Ellie Breaux (runner-up) Miss Indiana 2023 Cydney Bridges (second runner-up) Miss Kentucky 2023 Mallory Hudson (third runner-up) Miss Rhode Island Caroline Parente (fourth runner-up) Terrence Jenkins, an actor and TV personality known as Terrence J, was the host of Sundays finals ceremony, along with model and actress Nikki Novak. Miss Americas team of judges for this year featured Cynthia Bailey, a reality star best known for her work on The Real Housewives of Atlanta; Nancy G. Brinker, founder of the nonprofit Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Susan Malzoni, a wellness consultant and founder of the Vitamyna company; David Tutera, a wedding planner and fashion designer; Elena Cardone, a real estate investor and author; and Shelley Goodstein, a model and entrepreneur. GALLERY: Parade for Victoria Mozitis, Miss New Jersey 2023 Due to life threatening wind chills of 30 to 45 below, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Warning through Tuesday morning across all Quad-Cities area counties. Area temperatures are forecasted to top out at -2 degrees Monday afternoon and reach a high of 0 by Tuesday, according to the NWS. Monday and Tuesday morning lows could reach -18 and -15, respectively. Meteorologists project blowing snow conditions to will lessen during this time. "It's pretty much stopped out here," NWS meteorologist Peter Speck said Sunday afternoon. "We are full visibility." According to NWS Quad Cities, wind chill warnings historically come roughly two out of every three winters. With these dangerously cold wind chill estimates, meteorologists suggest cancelling outdoor plans, limiting one's time spent outside or dressing with at least three layers on one insulating if needing to go outside. For more cold weather preparation and safety tips, including hypothermia warning signs, visit www.weather.gov/safety/cold. Meteorologists also forecast west wind gusts reaching 15 to 20 mph through Tuesday morning. Those who have to travel are encouraged to add items like food, water, blankets, a flashlight and a shovel to your vehicle. Keep cell phones charged and inform others of planned departure and arrival times. People who have to be outside should cover exposed skin and spend as little time outdoors as possible. "Make sure you have a full tank of gas, emergency kit, shovel in your car, extra salt anything that can weigh down your car," Speck said. He also advises to keep water pipes and faucets trickling to avoid freezing, citing MidAmerican Energy recommendations. On Sunday, blowing and drifting snow continued across much of the Quad-Cities area causing a Winter Weather Advisory. These conditions led to low visibility and snow-covered roads, particularly in more rural areas. On Sunday, the Scott County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) released a statement urging all area residents to check road conditions before traveling. "Some rural roads remain impassable and abandoned vehicles are slowing the progress to clear the roadways. If you do not need to travel in rural Scott County, consider staying home," the statement read. "City road conditions vary, so please check with your citys website or social media page or Iowa 511 for more details." Scott County EMA also urged residents not call 911 to request plows or check plowing statuses. "Road crews are working tirelessly to reestablish travel routes under challenging conditions from high winds and frigid temperatures," they said in closing. If needing to travel, check road conditions on 511ia.org for Iowa residents. For Illinois, visit gettingaroundillinois.com. To submit a storm report, visit inws.ncep.noaa.gov/report. The NWS will release another winter weather update at 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15. To view regular updates, visit weather.gov/dvn. A historical glimpse at Quad-Cities weather It was exactly 45 years ago this weekend that 18.4 inches of snow fell from Jan. 12 through Jan. 14, 1979. It was part of the great blizzard that struck the Quad-Cities in December 1978 into January of 1979. That 18.4 inches that fell over three days remains the record amount for a single snow storm in the Quad-Cities, said Meteorologist Peter Speck of the National Weather Service, Davenport. On Jan. 15, 1979, the National Weather Service, Davenport, recorded an official snow depth of 28 inches from all the snow that had fallen from late December, 1978, through Jan. 14, 1979. A total of 26.7 inches of snow fell during the month of January, 1979. However, that record was broken in 2019 when 30.2 inches of snow fell in the Quad-Cities. However, January 6-12, 2024, is the snowiest week on record in the Quad-Cities with a record 25.5 inches of snow from two systems. Speck said the snow depth at the National Weather Service office in north Davenport is 15 inches. There is some good news on the horizon. By Monday of next week it is possible the temperatures will be back into the 30s. Speck said to take those predictions with a grain of salt, however, because the snow pack will mitigate that heatwave somewhat. Photos: Second snowstorm hits the Quad Cities in one week South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joe Graves announced plans Friday for the state to make the ACT the standardized test for high school juniors by the 2025-2026 school year instead of the Smarter Balance test. Graves announced the plan publicly for the first time Friday during a hearing for a bill that would have codified this change, House Bill 1002. After Graves announcement, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Tony Venhuizen (R-Sioux Falls), asked to table the bill. House Education committee did that after it heard proponent testimony from Venhuizen, Graves, Sam Nelson, with the Sioux Falls School District; and Sandra Waltman, with the South Dakota Education Association. Proponents argued that high school juniors largely find the Smarter Balance test to be irrelevant and of no use for them, since it doesnt affect their grades directly or their ability to get into college. They also spoke about the benefits of taking the ACT, because it is a large part of college admissions and scholarship applications. If the state administered and paid for the ACT as its standardized test, that would also be a cost savings to families who would otherwise have to pay for their child to take the exam. It could also help high school students who may not have otherwise looked to take the ACT or considered college an option, the proponents argued. The states average ACT score is 21.1 among the 59% of the states 2023 graduates who took the ACT. Thats higher than the national average of 19.5 of all test-takers from all public and nonpublic schools. Its difficult to compare the average scores, because of the differences in ways states handle the exam. Some states require students to take the ACT as part of high school graduation requirements, or as regular testing for their own state report cards and success metrics. Other states keep the test optional for students, or students may only take it if theyre pursuing higher education. South Dakotas score is also the highest average score in the region, according to the DOE. South Dakotas public universities require an 18 for general acceptance into college. Sole opposition came from Debbie Pease, a lobbyist with the faith-based group South Dakota Family Voice Action. Pease argued the bill limits parents rights for their child not to have to take a test, but Venhuizen countered that parents can opt their students out of tests as needed. This story originally appeared in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. PIERRE A legislative committee voted Friday to allow tribes across South Dakota to access funds meant to create housing infrastructure. That's because in the 2023 legislation, known as SB 41, that allocated $200 million of American Rescue Plan Act and state dollars in the forms of loans and grants to housing projects across the state, tribes were initially left out due to an accidental oversight in the bill's language. HB 1041 sailed through the House State Affairs committee with a vote of 12 yeses, and one no vote coming from Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids. No one spoke in opposition to the bill. Rep. Tyler Tordsen, R-Sioux Falls, who carried the bill, explained tribes were excluded because SB 41 applied to political subdivisions of the state. Tribes, because of their sovereign status, are not considered political subdivisions. "There's some housing challenges in our rural communities and in tribal communities," Tordsen said, noting the bill's language included an emergency clause so if passed, the bill becomes law soon after the governor signs her name. "We think this is super important." Hansen questioned how much of the $200 million had already been allocated to other housing projects across the state. Tordsen replied he believed most of the grant money had been allocated but that there were still plenty of loans eligible. Since the housing grant and loan program came online during the late summer through the South Dakota Housing Development Authority, 84 projects have applied for financial support, according to South Dakota Searchlight. In total, around $134 million has been spent from the fund. The rollout of SB 41 came after months of delays in the rules-making process that would allow developers to access either $100 million in loans or $100 million in grants for creating housing. That's on top of the yearlong battle it took to get the program up and started during the 2022 legislative session. HB 1041 now heads to the House for a full vote of the chamber. If passed, the bill will go over to the Senate for the next part of the legislative process. This story originally appeared in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. In the United States, the senior population is growing at the fastest rate in more than a century. According to 2022 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 58 million people in the U.S. are 65 or older. By 2030, each member of the baby boomer generation will be 65 or older, accounting for 73 million as of the 2020 Census. Along with that, an increasing number of seniors are expressing the desire to live in their own homes as they grow older. In Virginia, a number of businesses are providing services that help seniors live independently. One of those businesses is All American Mobility. The Fredericksburg-based company has installed mobility products since 2006 to customers throughout Richmond, Washington, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville and the Eastern Shore. The majority of the companys customer base are older adults who wish to age in place but need equipment to make it safer to maneuver around their homes. Some seniors live by themselves, while others live in multi-generational households. What we provide first is just education, All American Mobility Owner Chris Hawkins said. A lot of people dont know what they dont know about options and resources to stay in their home or to age in place. Most of All American Mobilitys staff members are certified aging-in-place specialists. The company is licensed by the state, including its elevator certifications, and its manufacturers are factory-certified. All American Mobility begins its relationship with a client by performing an in-home assessment. Specialists will walk with clients through their homes and take note of their daily living processes. Home recommendations are then made based on the assessments. Suggested changes can be as simple as placing grab bars in the bathroom or switching out door knobs in favor of door levers. They can be as complex as installing ramps and lifts throughout the home. A Fredericksburg client had a stair lift installed by his dock so that he could still access and enjoy his boat. One veteran client who lived with his daughter needed a stair lift, but with a door immediately at the bottom of the stairs, the company needed to install an automatic door opener and build the lift with a special hinge so that he could make it through the door. Pricing depends on the needs of the home: a single grab bar would go for less than $100 while an elaborate job like a custom curved stair lift can fall in the $20,000 range. The company provides routine maintenance and service throughout the life of the items. The majority of All American Mobility projects are completed within a single day. A more involved project like a vertical platform lift may take a couple of days due to the required utility, concrete and carpentry work. Custom bathrooms can take multiple weeks depending on the size and scope of the remodel. Orthea Harcum, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in Chester, has a custom curved stair lift and an outside vertical platform lift at his home that were installed by All American Mobility. Harcum, 79, found it difficult to go up and down steps after being wounded during the war and getting older. With the equipment in his home, however, he is having a better time moving around. This lift has really made a big difference, Harcum said. I havent been falling as much. Not only do the installations directly help seniors, they help family members who want to make sure their older relatives have ideal living conditions. We want customers to be proactive instead of reactive, Hawkins said. If we can put mom and dad into an environment thats maybe a little bit safer for them to still be able to maintain that independence, that gives (families) peace of mind. In-home care Right at Home, a national and international in-home care and assistance company, has a franchise in Chester that covers the southern portion of the Richmond region. The company offers three levels of care: companion care, personal care and specialized nursing services. Companion caregivers visit clients, help them around the house and take them places. Personal care includes services such as helping clients use the restroom or get dressed. Most Right at Home franchises offer personal and companion care. A small percentage provides nursing services, which requires state licensing and credentials. Similar to All American Mobility, Right at Home conducts assessments to determine the needs of their clients. Our mission statement is to improve the quality of lives for those that we serve, Right at Home Vice President of Franchise Development Jennifer Chaney said. It has an amazing impact on families. Chaney has experience with an aging family member; she shopped, cooked and provided medication and transportation for her mother along with the help of her sisters and father. When her mother was in the final stages of her life, the Chaney family was able to spend more quality time with her by bringing in a caregiver, allowing them to place less focus on handling day-to-day tasks. It was definitely something that we didnt know that we needed until we had it, Chaney said. Once we hired a caregiver, there was a shift; when we would go there and visit and see mom, it was time spent in a different way. The company is looking to expand to the northern, western and eastern parts of the Richmond area, with each territory having more than 35,000 seniors. The average age of Right at Home clients is 85. Another business that is looking to assist Richmond seniors is Griswold Home Care. The non-medical home care company provides help to older adults, disabled adults and those living with chronic conditions throughout the country. Within the Commonwealth, Griswold has services in Northern Virginia, but the company is targeting Richmond as a place to expand further into the state. Griswolds caregivers are typically home health aides or certified nursing assistants who have been trained through their state or a vocational program. They provide personal care, homemaking and companionship depending on client needs. The company often works with older adults who want to age in their own homes, but the caregivers also visit clients who live in independent or assisted living facilities. Our goal is to help people stay independent and in their own homes as long as possible, Griswold Chief Operating Officer Steven Turner said. We offer the loved ones of our clients the ability to know that their parent or their loved one is cared for. From the Archives: Scenes from Grace Street in the RTD archives Police said officers responded to the 4100 block of Richmond Highway at around 1:54 a.m. for reports of a vehicle that had crashed into a pole near Courtland Street. At the scene, officers found three injured adult males inside the vehicle. Four people, including three Virginia residents, pleaded guilty last week in an illegal duck-hunting operation that involved baiting a Middleburg pond in violation of federal law, resulting in dozens of dead migratory wood ducks. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said Michael Scott, 36, of Purcellville; Eric Scott, 29, of Hillsboro; Christian Hoyt, 39, of Lovettsville; and taxidermist Timothy Young, 48, of Frederick, Maryland, all were barred from hunting for 18 months and fined up to $1,000 for hunting ducks over a baited area. Officials said the illegal hunting activity, which took place between August and November of 2022, was organized by Clint Burlett, 41, who filled a nearly quarter-acre pond on his Middleburg farm with significant amounts of corn for the purpose of baiting ducks for his family and friends to hunt. Federal law prohibits hunting waterfowl over baited areas or certain agricultural features such as manipulated crop fields and grain storage facilities. Officials said Burlett, in messages sent to Michael Scott, Eric Scott, Hoyt and Young, invited the group of experienced hunters to the baited pond to smash (the ducks) when it (is) go time. In one message, sent from Eric Scott to Burlett, Eric Scott expressed hope that the group would beat the previous years total of dead ducks. Over the course of a few days in early October 2022, the group illegally killed 91 ducks over the baited pond, officials said. The illegal hunting then continued through the end of November 2022. Burlett in November pleaded guilty to baiting the ducks and organizing the illegal hunts, according to court records. He was prohibited from hunting for a period of two years and fined $2,700. Investigators with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources worked jointly to investigate the case, officials said. Most commonly seen birds in Virginia Most commonly seen birds in Virginia #50. Eastern Phoebe #49. Field Sparrow #48. American Tree Sparrow #47. Cedar Waxwing #46. Sharp-shinned Hawk #45. Red-headed Woodpecker #44. Pine Siskin #43. White-crowned Sparrow #42. Brown Creeper #41. Brown-headed Nuthatch #40. Cooper's Hawk #39. Red-breasted Nuthatch #38. Black-capped Chickadee #37. Red-shouldered Hawk #36. Brown Thrasher #35. Ruby-crowned Kinglet #34. Eastern Towhee #33. Chipping Sparrow #31. Common Grackle #30. Brown-headed Cowbird #29. Hermit Thrush #28. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker #27. Pine Warbler #26. Red-winged Blackbird #25. Purple Finch #24. Yellow-rumped Warbler #23. Northern Flicker #22. Hairy Woodpecker #21. Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee #20. American Robin #19. American Crow #18. Northern Mockingbird #17. Song Sparrow #16. House Sparrow #15. European Starling #14. Eastern Bluebird #13. Carolina Chickadee #12. American Goldfinch #11. White-throated Sparrow #10. Blue Jay #9. Red-bellied Woodpecker #8. White-breasted Nuthatch #7. Mourning Dove #6. Dark-eyed Junco #5. Carolina Wren #4. Downy Woodpecker #3. House Finch #2. Tufted Titmouse #1. Northern Cardinal She is from a railroad town, but Del. Shelly Simonds, D-Newport News, is gearing up to face down some of the General Assemblys most influential interests with a bill calling for minimum crew sizes on trains passing through Virginia. Her House Bill 385 would also set a limit 1.6 miles on how long trains can be. This is about safety and efficiency, Simonds said. Just think about that derailment in Ohio, she said, referring to the February 2023 incident in which a nearly 1.8 mile-long Norfolk Southern train went off the track near East Palestine, Ohio. The train included 20 cars carrying hazardous materials, such as vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, isobutylene, combustible liquids and benzene residue. Several cars caught fire, and poisonous smoke forced the evacuation of nearby residents. The Virginia legislation is likely to draw strong opposition from railroads, which say their safety record has improved in recent years. While the proposed legislation may be well intentioned, it threatens to undermine substantial gains that have made rail a competitive and environmentally friendly alternative to trucks, contributing to Virginias economic growth and positioning it as an attractive business destination, CSX spokeswoman Sheriee Bowman said. Imposing an arbitrary train length cap is environmentally unsound and could lead to more trucks on congested roadways, less fuel efficiency, and higher emissions, she said. Some of the nations big railroads run trains with just one person, the locomotive driver. They argue that new technology such as Positive Train Control, a system that can automatically stop trains if it detects possible collisions based on its monitoring of speed and track signals, means conductors are moving into a new role that no longer requires them to be in a locomotive cab. Railroads have opposed the Federal Railroad Administrations proposed regulation requiring two-person crews. According to the railroads, it makes more sense to station conductors along rail lines, since much of their work these days is ground-based checking the condition of trains and servicing them while stopped. Dealing with unplanned events between stops, such as a mechanical problem with a railcar or an alert from a track side sensor, could be handled by dispatching ground-based conductors. Unions, include SMART, the merger of the United Transportation Union and the Sheet Metal Workers, strongly disagree. Simonds, whose district includes many railroad workers, said she filed the bill after SMART brought it to her attention. State Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, who filed Senate Bill 143, the Senate version of the legislation, said she did so at SMARTs suggestion as well. Longer freight trains up to nearly 3 miles have prompted railroad worker worries about how well brakes will work and whether the workers have the training they need to safely run them. In some communities, residents complain that longer trains mean blocked road crossings and longer waits at grade crossings. Simonds bill, which also says a railroad cannot park railcars within 1,500 feet of a grade crossing, includes proposed requirements that a railroad post warning signs if debris and vegetation on its right of way create a safety hazard for workers. It also requires railroads to maintain walkways next to the tracks in their railyards. One of the hardest-fought battles in last years General Assembly session involved legislation to make it easier for broadband firms to bring lines across railroad property. Railroads strong objections, which eventually failed, meant a much revised bill was one of the last to limp through the process of compromising legislators varying views. The Association of American Railroads went to federal court after the session seeking to overturn the new law. PHOTOS: Amtrak train derails in D.C. In an annual Martin Luther King Day tradition, people from around Virginia gathered at the state Capitol on Lobby Day on Monday to demonstrate and connect with lawmakers about issues they care about. The demonstrators included hundreds of supporters of gun rights who attended a morning rally at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square. About 100 gun safety advocates rallied at the Bell Tower as snow fell Monday afternoon. Lobby Day traditionally falls on Martin Luther King Day because the legislature remains in session and the federal holiday gives Virginians an opportunity to head to Richmond and petition lawmakers. Groups and individuals from around the state showed up to advocate for an array of causes ranging from gun rights and gun safety to funding for mental health and education. Madison Brumbaugh, vice president of the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia, met with a handful of lawmakers on Monday morning. The group is supporting bills for insurance transparency and support for students with disabilities, she told a small gathering of legislators. Last year was my first, and I was scared starting up but Im really struck by how casual and easy it is to talk to them about issues, Brumbaugh said. Its so important to hear from people face to face, said Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg. This is their House; this is their Capitol, added Del. Chris Obenshain, R-Montgomery. Although he is familiar with many of the groups issues because his wife is a speech therapist, I think you always learn something more when you meet people face to face, Obenshain said. At another gathering, Scott Johnson of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity team some 50 red-jacketed members strong, representing a historically Black fraternity said Lobby Day is a key chance to talk to legislators about critical issues. You need to be sure youre heard here, he said. At an Omega Psi Phi gathering for Lobby Day, members of another historically Black fraternity heard briefings from Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth; state Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico; and Del. Cliff Hayes, D-Chesapeake, about this years priorities of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus the largest ever, with 32 members particularly on education, gun violence prevention and challenges affecting low-income Virginians. Were trying to move things, said Robert Fairchild, who came down from Fairfax County to join in the fraternitys Lobby Day effort. Several dozen members of Equality Virginia and He She Ze & We, a group that advocates for nonbinary youth, came to ask legislators to think about suicide prevention efforts and urged them to reject measures they say would ostracize transgender students and mean the forced outing of LGBTQ+ youth. I really did not know what to expect, but talking to delegates and senators Im struck by how conversational, how personable they are, even when you get a sense they dont agree, said Chad Fisher of He She Ze & We. Louise Werner of Equality Virginia said of Lobby Day: Its a chance to let them know who they represent. Volunteers with New Virginia Majority, a group that supports working-class communities of color, advocated for a series of housing and employment bills. Examples include bills to raise Virginias minimum wage, to increase pay transparency for professional drivers for companies like Uber or Lyft, and to give localities the authority to adopt anti-rent-gouging provisions in ordinances. Under the anti-rent-gouging bill, if localities established such an ordinance, they could require landlords to give at least two months written notice of rent increases with caps on how much the rent could be raised. This will mainly impact people who are poor, said Harvey Jessup, a Northern Virginia resident who came to the Capitol with other New Virginia Majority volunteers. Gun rallies On Monday morning, hundreds of gun rights supporters clustered by the Bell Tower in Capitol Square for a rally with the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Wearing orange guns save lives stickers and armed with custom-made or VCDL-branded signs, the group listened to speakers, including Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America. We cannot compromise, Pratt told the rallys attendees, because every new compromise becomes the starting point for the next set of calls for gun control. Farmville resident Cam Edwards said the Democratic majority in the House and Senate has decided that we are the problem. He noted how the second bill Democrats filed this session is an attempt to prohibit new sales of assault-style weapons. While the measure cleared the Senate with bipartisan support last year, it fell in the then-Republican-led House of Delegates. Democrats now hold a 51-49 edge in the House and a 21-19 edge in the state Senate. While he believes some of the lawmakers who support Democratic-led gun bills have good intentions, he said there are instances where easier access to a firearm could help protect peoples safety. They think theyre alongside the angels fighting for a righteous cause, Edwards said. But when their laws would disarm a single mom, who would be told you gotta wait five days to get a gun even though your abusive ex is probably going to come over to kill you tonight thats not a righteous cause. Advocates on the other side of the issue also met with lawmakers in Richmond. Though some people in red Moms Demand Action T-shirts could be found wandering the Capitol, the group hosted its annual advocacy day last week, when volunteers with the organization from around the state gathered for a rally downtown before meeting with lawmakers to support gun safety bills. Charlottesville resident Katie Fox, who came to Richmond on Monday with her husband, Mike, said the issue is personal. Both have volunteered with Moms Demand Action, and Katie also works with Giffords Gun Owners for Safety. With a deep breath, Katie Fox described wanting to end her life when she was younger and said safe gun storage prevented her from doing so. She also said she lost a friend to suicide as a teenager and that the friends parents had not securely stored their firearms. The reason why I do this work is because my father believed in secure firearm storage, Katie Fox said. I never took my life because I couldnt get to his guns. She supports measures such as a bill sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, that would require locked storage of firearms in homes with minors present. Lawmakers also heard from young people representing VIP, a violence prevention program. Speaker of the House Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, addressed an afternoon gun safety rally on Capitol Square. We know that we have a problem with gun violence in America, Scott said. He noted that his teenage daughter tells him about her schools active-shooter drills. We are frightening our children, he said. They should not feel safe, because were not doing our job. With a shared passion for reducing gun violence, the major political parties have showcased a philosophical divide on how to do so. Democrats have largely favored restrictions, while Republicans have favored tougher sentences for those who commit violent crimes. The legislative session began Wednesday and is scheduled to last through March 9. (Image: BusinessToday) Shopees parent company, Sea Limited (Malaysia), has expressed its support for the governments implementation of the 10% low-value goods (LVG) tax, which came into effect earlier on 1 January 2024. Additionally, it foresees that the tax will provide a significant boon to the local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In a statement, Sea Limited explained that the new tax which is applied to imported items that cost less than RM500 will level the playing field for the local MSME sector, enabling local sellers to market their goods more competitively. This is because imported low-value goods were previously not subjected to any taxes, thereby allowing these items to be sold at a cheaper price. Local products, meanwhile, are subjected to the 6% sales and services (SST), resulting in a higher cost. If youve recently made a purchase on Shopee, you might have seen our new notice about this tax. At Shopee, we prioritise transparency for our users, and we are the first e-commerce platform to inform our users about the LVG tax, said the country head of Sea Limited (Malaysia), Terence Siau, who also commented that this potential boost to local MSMEs will lead to the creation of job opportunities and a better sustained domestic economy. (Image: The Malaysian Reserve) Siau further emphasised that Shopee is committed to its responsibility to help Malaysian sellers and made-in-Malaysia products thrive. As such, the e-commerce platform will continue to provide access to a variety of local goods on different price scales, ensuring that they are easily discoverable on the platform. Through Shopee, we are enabling MSMEs, especially the local brick-and-mortar operations in small-town and rural communities to succeed in a digital-first world, connecting them to more customers beyond big cities, Siau said, although he also highlighted the importance of allocating ample time for the actual implementation of any tax regimes moving forward. This is so that the public including both the sellers and consumers can prepare for the changes. (Image: New Straits Times) For context, the LVG tax was originally introduced during the tabling of Budget 2022, slated for implementation on 1 January 2023. This was, however, postponed a number of times, until RMCD eventually announced in mid-December 2023 that the tax will be implemented on 1 January 2024. It is also worth noting that the LVG tax is not exclusive to Malaysia; several other nations, too, have already adopted similar measures within their tax frameworks. Singapore, for instance, imposes a 9% GST to items valued at SG$400 and below that are imported via air or post. Meanwhile, Australia currently levies a 10% GST on imported low-value goods of AU$1,000 or less. 0 0 votes Article Rating SHARE Lopez Obrador pays weekend visit to Tren Maya Peninsula sections Riviera Maya, Q.R. Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa accompanied President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on the supervision tour of sections 5, 6 and 7 of the Maya Train. Lopez Obrador made the weekend visit to Quintana Roo before heading to the neighboring state of Yucatan. While in Quintana Roo, both toured the Tulum Airport, which according to Lezama, is officially connected with 19 cities in the world and in a short time, has positioned itself as a reference for the central area of the entity, connecting the center and the south with the world. These last sections of Tren Maya, 5, 6 and 7, are the sections that run from Cancun southward to Chetumal then over to the city of San Francisco, Campeche to complete the loop. Along the finished Tren Maya routes are archaeological zones, local artisan markets and in some stops, Tren Maya hotels. Due to the complexity of construction along these routes, their dates of operation have been changed to allow more build time, however, according to Lopez Obrador, they are on scheduled for an operating date at the end of February. Over two dozen rescued from southern prostitution ring Othon P. Blanco, Q.R. More than two dozen women were rescued from a prostitution ring over the weekend in the south. The women were located inside a bar in the municipality of Othon P. Blanco during a police operation Saturday. Police carried out the operation after a warrant was issued by a Chetumal judge. The judge approved the legal search of a bar on Isla de Capri Street Saturday night where police located 25 women. The women are believed victims of human trafficking in the form of prostitution. Arrests of others were also made when officers located substances of what was believed to be cocaine and marijuana. In an FGE report, Investigative Police agents seized cash, video surveillance equipment and records during the search operation. Regarding the 25 rescued women, they were from various nations such as Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico. They were transferred to the facilities of this autonomous body to give their statement, the State Attorney General (FGE) reported in a statement. The bar has since been shut down. Roanoke resident Calvin Coleman remembers picking cotton and peaches for meager wages as a child in the red hills of Georgia. He remembers buying bologna sandwiches from a restaurants back window, and waiting days for medical services when racial segregation was the law of the land. We all thought that every white brother was a boss, because it was always, Yes, sir, boss, and No, sir, boss, Coleman said Monday during an annual breakfast at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, hosted by the citys chapter of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumni. But we heard that change was coming. The winds of change were blowing. We had heard the news that a little Black preacher from Atlanta was stirring up trouble all over the south. And he was headed our way. Coleman said the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. taught Black Americans to straighten their backs. A man cant ride your back unless its bent, he told a ballroom crowded with city residents, elected officials, clergy and nonprofit representatives. A place like this was off limits to Blacks, except for to serve as waiters or butlers or cooks or maids. And now, here we are, celebrating in high style. Theres a great energy of love here. And yet, theres still work to be done, Coleman continued. Whatever affects one directly affects all of us indirectly. Mondays breakfast, the 25th of its kind, is held annually on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, the gathering featured keynote speaker Glenda Hatchett, a television personality, judge and lawyer. Hatchett said one of the first words she learned to read and write was colored. She remembers once trying to taste water from a fountain labeled for whites while her grandmothers back was turned. I was 5, going into kindergarten that fall, she said. And I was curious. I was curious to see if the white water tasted different. I walked up the little steps on the side, and I reached over to taste the white water, and these two white boys grabbed me and slammed me to the ground. Hatchett said her grandmother scooped her up with adult eyes that understood that Hatchett could have been taken out the back door of Sears Roebuck never to be seen again. She said she and her friends had people looking out for them. She said elders used to call young men son, even if they werent biologically related. Weve got to be back in the business of calling our children our sons and our daughters, Hatchett said. Hatchett encouraged parents to send letters to their childrens teachers this week. She told guardians to send in their contact information and request to know if and when their child needs help or appears to be struggling. I want these letters in teachers hands by next Monday morning, Hatchett said. We have got to reweave the fabric of our community. Our children have got to be in school. Our school boards have got to insist that we have excellent education for our children. Fletcher Nichols, retired Patrick Henry High School teacher and fine arts director, remembers the day Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. He remembers feeling the hope in him die as he watched the news on his familys small black and white television. I was scared, Nichols said. Two years later, forced integration happened, and I had to go to the white school, where we were called the N word by our teachers on a regular basis. It was, again, horrifying. But his words kept ringing in my head: I have a dream. But Nichols said dreams happen with your eyes closed, and making them a reality requires action. He symbolically took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as he spoke to the Hotel Roanoke ballroom crowd. Young men in northwest Roanoke are dropping day in and day out. And this is a beautiful gathering, and you all look beautiful. But you know what? As my brother said, if the least of our brothers are dying in the street, it affects all of us, Nichols said. Hatchett applauded Colemans and Nichols remarks and agreed that its important to act with urgency. The question is not what would Dr. King say or what he would do. The question is, what are we saying? And what are we prepared to do? she said. We cant drop the baton. We have to grab it. We have to run with it. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Western and Southside Virginia that calls for snow accumulations of from 1 to 3 inches Monday into Tuesday morning. The advisory, issued by the weather service office in Blacksburg at midafternoon Sunday, covers a swath of three states extending from western North Carolina, into West Virginia and east into Southside and central Virginia. The advisory estimates snow will begin at 4 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in northwest North Carolina and Southwest Virginia. Air temperatures are forecast to be in the mid- to upper 20s Monday morning with wind chills to the mid-teens. The Virginia Department of Transportation also issued a warning about possibly hazardous driving conditions Monday due to snow, freezing rain and mixed precipitation. The department said its crews were pretreating roads across the state in anticipation of the storm. VDOT recommends not traveling, or limiting travel during the winter weather, and checking the 511Virginia.org website or mobile app, or calling 511 for weather conditions. The advisory comes as Southwest Virginia and West Virginia sustained scattered power outages due to high winds over the weekend. Appalachian Power Co. reported Sunday that crews were wrapping up restoration of electric service after Friday's strong winds knocked out power to 30,000 customers, most in West Virginia. On Sunday, the highest concentration of customers still without power, 1,240, was in Virginia's Smyth County. With Monday's observance of the King holiday, many schools are closed, however the winter weather is expected to extend into early Tuesday, the weather service estimates. That could lead to school closings for Tuesday. Commentary: Chinese premier travels to Europe to boost ties, globalization in 2024's first overseas trip Xinhua) 09:10, January 15, 2024 BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang is embarking on his first overseas voyage in 2024, attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2024 and paying an official visit to Switzerland and Ireland from Jan. 14 to 17. Seeing Europe as a strategic force in the international arena, China has placed great emphasis on its relations with the continent. In 2023, after taking office as Chinese premier, Li made Europe his first destination for overseas visits. The first trip abroad by a Chinese leader in the new year marks the continuation of high-level exchanges between China and Europe in 2024 and symbolizes China's desire to play its role in fostering global economic recovery and governance and addressing common challenges together with the international community. In recent years, the world has been struggling to recover from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and profound geopolitical transformations. Cold War mentalities and recurring conflicts have cast a heavy shadow over the entire world, impeding the progress of globalization and undermining the very foundation of global peace and development. The World Bank recently warned that "the global economy is set for the weakest half-decade performance in 30 years." As both a beneficiary and an unwavering champion of global economic openness and cooperation, China has consistently put its shoulder to the wheel to safeguard the fruits of globalization and foster global collaboration to surmount challenges facing all. The upcoming European tour undertaken by the Chinese premier is a testament to China's unswerving commitment to this cause. During the trip, Li is scheduled to participate in the opening plenary of the WEF annual meeting and deliver a special address, elaborating on China's proposals for the international community to promote global cooperation, address various risks, bridge the development divide, and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes. Over the past decade, China has been pulling its weight in driving global economic growth through its development, serving as a crucial powerhouse of the world economy by contributing over 30 percent to global economic growth. Today, China's determination and confidence to propel global growth with its development are going from strength to strength. With its continuously optimized economic structure, the dual circulation of domestic and international markets, and increasingly extensive international cooperation, China is generating a steady stream of growth momentum and potential for its economy. WEF President Borge Brende said in a recent interview with Xinhua that China will continue to be a major engine for global economic growth. Furthermore, China has been striving to forge stronger collaborative ties with various economies. Among them, Europe is a priority. In a spirit of mutual benefit and win-win results, China and Europe have established dozens of mechanisms for consultations and dialogue covering various fields such as politics, economy, trade, culture, science, and technology. Trade between the two sides in various fields, like lithium batteries and new energy vehicles, is rapidly expanding. Chinese investment is supporting Europe's transition to green, digital, and intelligent industries. All indicate that China and Europe are partners, not adversaries -- they offer each other opportunities, rather than posing threats. China's pivotal role has garnered extensive recognition in Europe. In the past year, numerous European leaders have visited China to explore more potential for cooperation. Recently, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo just concluded an official visit to the country. By embarking on trips to Switzerland and Ireland, the Chinese premier will inject more vitality into the dynamic China-Europe relationship. When it comes to the global economy, everyone is in the same boat and has to pull at the same oars. Therefore, when certain countries may perceive China as a rival, threat, or risk, China is more inclined to view them as partners who ought to pull together and trust each other. As pointed out by the Chinese premier when debunking the so-called "de-risking" rhetoric during his European visit last year, for all members of the international community including Europe, failure to cooperate is the biggest risk, and failure to develop is the biggest insecurity. Amidst the ongoing regional hotspots like the Ukraine crisis and the Israel-Hamas conflict, Europe has witnessed the repercussions of confrontation and distrust firsthand. Now, China once again shows its commitment to cooperation. For Europe and the world at large, joining forces with China is the fundamental way to navigate the headwinds facing the global economy. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a new effort to modernize and improve medical isotope production, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have embarked on a project that harnesses the power of computer-driven robotic technology. The project aims to increase safety and reproducibility, while driving down cost. Thanks to new funding the technologies used to process diagnostic and therapeutic radioisotopes used in cancer treatment will be modernized. They will be replacing systems based on technologies used since the 1940s. This project, led by Argonne, is multidisciplinary. It includes scientists and engineers from across the Lab as well as faculty and students from four colleges and universities. The DOE's Isotope Program helps to fund and direct the research required to bring important medical isotopes from concept to reliable delivery to end users for pre-clinical and clinical trials. For oncologists on the front lines of the battle against cancer, these medical radioisotopes represent an indispensable weapon. Their advantage lies in the ability to be selectively targeted against malignant tumors with reduced collateral damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Preliminary research with some radioisotopes has indicated promising advances in cancer treatment. As a result, in many cases the demand for these emerging isotopes is far beyond the available supply. This limits the rate of progress in developing these advanced cancer treatments. Research and production of medical isotopes are currently conducted at national laboratories and university-based accelerators. A handful of private companies are also participating. Scientists painstakingly create these isotopes by irradiating targets composed of enriched stable isotopes. The desired radioisotopes are created by a nuclear transmutation. However, a significant challenge arises once these radioisotopes are produced in the targets. The very small amounts of the useful radioisotopes produced need to be chemically separated from the bulk mass of the target material and impurities. The radiochemical separation can take one of two routes. One is bench-top, manual processing in a "glove box," but this is fraught with radiation exposure to the researchers involved, limiting the throughput of the production batches. The other route involves processing in heavily shielded, dedicated "hot cells." These cells still use 1940s-era mechanical manipulators. They are quite maintenance-intensive and expensive and have limited mechanical capability. The tele-operated robotic system that Argonne plans to develop will introduce a new kind of processing station for radioisotopes. It will feature a "hot box" that optimally combines elements of a hot cell and glove box, said Argonne nuclear physicist Jerry Nolen. An immediate goal is to carry out the basic research required to capitalize on recent developments in remote or tele-operation. These include new robotics technologies, 3D vision technologies, 3D dynamic modeling with high-speed computing, and cost-effective, capable manipulators that enable complex remote processing. "Very flexible manipulator capabilities are required to carry out the intricate operations of the radio-chemical separations," said Millicent Firestone, Argonne deputy associate laboratory director and senior science advisor for Physical Sciences and Engineering. "Just by gaining the ability to do the manipulation of the sample from across the room means that we can safely handle samples up to 10 times as radioactive without requiring the use of hot cells. This dramatically increases our ability to produce these valuable and necessary isotopes," Nolen said. The new robotic hot box will operate remotely through augmented reality. The user is seated away from the radioactive sample and uses 3D computer vision and immersive display technologies to visualize the hot box. Also employed will be advanced software to remotely control specially designed robotic components located in the hot box. Argonne computer scientist Nicola Ferrier said that the technology for the augmented reality is likely to be based on the Omniverse technology developed by the U.S. company Nvidia, paired with optimization of models for real-time interaction. An off-the-shelf headset will give the remote operator a 3D virtual reality view of the interior of the hot box. Omniverse enables the development of 3D workflows using Universal Scene Description (an open standard). "Precise, real-time visualization of the remote radiochemical processing in the hot box requires a complex 3D workflow that is integrated with the robot system," she said. Argonne's Young Soo Park has experience building robotic manipulators. He said the introduction of a radioactive environment adds another degree of challenge. "Successfully building and operating this hot box requires a multi-step process to make the augmented reality experience intuitive for the user," he said. Park leads Argonne's Robotics and Remote Systems program in the Laboratory's Applied Materials division. "This new funding will allow Argonne to modernize its medical isotope infrastructure, bringing cutting-edge solutions to nuclear medicine," said Kawtar Hafidi, Argonne's associate laboratory director for Physical Sciences and Engineering. According to Nolen, a goal of the project is for Argonne and other DOE facilities to produce steady quantities of a variety of isotopes. From there, DOE could sell them to hospitals through its Isotope Program. This project builds on existing robotics and computing capabilities at Argonne, plus collaborations with four colleges and universities: Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Morehouse College and Florida A&M University. This multi-institutional, multidisciplinary team also will involve students and early-career scientists and engineers. Emphasis will be placed on increasing the diversity of the technical workforce of the future. An advisory team with members from four private companies has been formed to help ensure rapid transition of the technology being developed from the basic research stage to commercial deployment. Provided by Argonne National Laboratory Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Eric Chua Dining Together at ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre on 14 January. (PHOTO: Facebook/ongyekung) SINGAPORE Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has reassured the public that there is no need for concern regarding tuberculosis (TB) transmission at the ABC Brickworks Market and Food Centre in Jalan Bukit Merah, after it was closed last week for TB screening. In a Facebook post on Sunday (14 January), Ong shared his observations after dining at the market, noting that it was "markedly quieter than before". Hawkers have also expressed concerns about decreased patronage due to fears of TB transmission. Ong emphasised that the risk of catching TB from visiting the hawker centre is unlikely. He explained, "TB is spread after close and prolonged exposure, usually days to weeks." He also clarified that transmission does not occur through common activities like sharing cups, utensils, food, handshaking, or occasional meals at the hawker centre. Health Minister provides reassurance and clarity on tuberculosis concerns The Health Ministry said on 5 January that 10 new TB cases were genetically linked to a cluster at Block 2 Jalan Bukit Merah, which emerged in 2022. In response, a mass screening from 11 to 15 January was announced. This screening is mandatory for certain individuals who frequent Jalan Bukit Merah, including food centre employees. For others, it is voluntary and serves as a precautionary measure to identify TB cases in the area. Ong made a visit to the hawker centre on Sunday, where he had dinner with Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua, mentioning they had claypot rice, oyster omelette, and chendol. He added in his subsequent Facebook post, "The vast majority of us don't fall into this category so please go ahead and enjoy the good food at ABC. Let's support our hawkers." Minister Grace Fu and team support local hawkers at ABC Brickworks Food Centre Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and her ministry's office holders Amy Khor and Baey Yam Keng also dined at the food centre last Friday (12 January) to show support after learning about the centre's slow business. Story continues Fu also put up a Facebook post to encourage locals in the Bukit Merah area to visit ABC Brickworks Food Centre for affordable and delicious meals. As of now, more than 1,500 people, representing about 93 per cent of eligible residents, have signed up for mandatory screening, and all active TB cases have been treated and rendered non-infectious, according to The Straits Times. Makansutra founder calls for support for hawkers beyond public outings Meanwhile, food critic and Makansutra founder K F Seetoh, emphasised an approach to supporting hawkers beyond mere public outings in a Facebook post on Sunday. The post was apparently directed at Fu's visit to the hawker centre, as Seetoh advised, "Please don't go there, eat and generate media for your outing. If you are serious about helping the hawkers, reduce their rents for the troubled period and work with delivery companies to offer discounts." Seetoh also suggested collaborating with national media to showcase hawker offerings and holding press conferences to garner support. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, introduces the newest member of his family in a TikTok video titled 'My One-eyed Princess,' sharing the story of their recently adopted one-eyed dog, Princess. (PHOTO: tiktok/@k_shanmugam/Screengrab) SINGAPORE Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has welcomed a new member to his family. In a video posted on TikTok on Saturday (13 January), he shared about the one-eyed dog his family has adopted and lovingly named Princess. We adopted Princess because she had just lost her eye and she had just been moved into the shelter and totally lost. Compared to all the other dogs, I think she was getting much less attention. She was scared about everything, said Shanmugam in the post, adding that he wanted to give her a much better life and she is just full of energy these days. A new beginning after the loss of his dog He shared that he and his family went to the animal shelter a few months after the death of his dog Samson, who was also a rescued dog. We ended up bringing in three. So now I have four, he said. He has previously shared that he had another dog Millie, who had retired from the Singapore Police Forces Police K-9 Unit. The video has since garnered nearly 3,000 likes, with many netizens voicing their support of Shanmugams actions and thanking him for adopting Princess. Shanmugam has often talked about how he objects to purchasing dogs and that all his dogs have been rescue dogs. In 2021, he shared his support for an initiative against the use of forced training methods on animals, and to spread the message that electric collars, prong collars and choke chains should not be used on pets. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. Gayathri shares her experience on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group on 10 January, revealing concerns with the kway teow purchased from the outlet. (PHOTO: FB/Gayathri Manirajan) SINGAPORE NTUC FairPrice is investigating an alleged incident involving almost-expired kway teow noodles sold at its Toa Payoh Central outlet. Gayathri Manirajan, one of those who purchased the noodles at the outlet, discovered what appeared to be fungus on them while preparing a meal. In a post shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group last Wednesday (10 January), Gayathri revealed that she had bought four packets of kway teow from the outlet. While preparing to cook, she opened the packets and noticed something was amiss. "To my horror, three of the packets (with) the expiry date 28 January were full of fungus," Gayathri recounted. "The moment I saw that, I just wanted to throw up because it was really disgusting." Gayathri returned to the supermarket to address the issue, and was surprised when the cashier promptly refunded her money and assured her they would inform the kway teow supplier about the incident. She expressed her disbelief, stating, "I was like, what is that, just so easy." Full refund issued and ongoing investigation In response to queries from Yahoo Southeast Asia on Monday (15 January), a spokesperson for FairPrice Group said, "FairPrice Group is dedicated to upholding high standards for food safety and quality. We are working closely with our suppliers to ensure these standards are maintained. "We have provided a full refund to the customer and will be in touch to update on the investigation when it's ready. Customers may return or exchange unsatisfactory products at the same store of purchase with the receipt." Gayathri told Yahoo Southeast Asia on Monday that, despite having received a refund, she emphasises the importance of a thorough investigation into the matter. She urges NTUC FairPrice "not to treat the case lightly" for the safety of customers. She also mentioned that the incident has had such a lasting effect that she finds herself constantly reminded of it. Story continues Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. Oversteer, Singapores first-ever race car movie directed by local filmmaker Derrick Lui (right), will make its global premiere on 31 Jan. (PHOTO: Instagram/oversteerthemovie) SINGAPORE There is no Vin Diesel, but family still seems to be the most important theme in Singapores upcoming first-ever race car movie, Oversteer. Inspired by a true story, Oversteer follows the journey of Wind, a young man who falls out with his family over his passion for cars, and subsequently leads him to a world he is unprepared for. The film, helmed by award-winning director Derrick Lui, will make its global premiere on 31 January after a tumultuous development spanning 10 years. Resilient journey of 'Oversteer' According to a press release from the Singapore Film Society, Oversteer collapsed twice, with movie companies and producers dropping out due to unforeseen circumstances. But much like the seemingly indestructible cars in Fast & Furious, the film finally zoomed past the finish line as Lui raised funds on his own to complete the project. Real racers on real roads - thats how Lui, 47, describes the film, which is inspired by his love of cars. He said, I have loved cars for as long as I can remember. When I was in my 20s, I even imported a half cut from Japan to modify into my Nissan S13. That era was a time where I was spending all my time in workshops and race events." Authentic racing experience with a multi-national cast The film was shot in Singapore and Malaysia, and in order to make the car races as authentic as possible, Lui eschewed the use of computer-generated imagery. Oversteer is a collaboration between Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar. It stars Singapore actors Aden Tan, Zhang Yaodong, Grace Teo, Hanrey Low, and Jannassa Neo. There will also be appearances by professional Malaysian racers and drift masters such as Drift Princess, Ashley Wong, and former Team Petronas racer, Fariqe Hairuman. The movie is Luis second local feature film. His first, a romantic drama titled 1400 which starred local actors Desmond Tan and Ya Hui, snagged awards at indie film festivals in Sydney and Los Angeles. Story continues Oversteer opens on 31 January at selected Golden Village cinemas. The global premiere will be on the same date, 7pm, at Golden Village Vivocity. Ticket details can be found here. Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube. 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. WASHINGTON Archeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago. A series of earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador was first noticed more than two decades ago by archaeologist Stephen Rostain. But at the time, I wasnt sure how it all fit together, said Rostain, one of the researchers who reported on the finding recently in the journal Science. Recent mapping by laser-sensor technology revealed those sites to be part of a dense network of settlements and connecting roadways, tucked into the forested foothills of the Andes, that lasted about 1,000 years. It was a lost valley of cities, said Rostain, who directs investigations at Frances National Center for Scientific Research. It's incredible. The settlements were occupied by the Upano people between around 500 B.C. and 300 to 600 A.D. a period roughly contemporaneous with the Roman Empire in Europe, the researchers found. Residential and ceremonial buildings erected on more than 6,000 earthen mounds were surrounded by agricultural fields with drainage canals. The largest roads were 33 feet wide and stretched for 6 to 12 miles. While its difficult to estimate populations, the site was home to at least 10,000 inhabitants and perhaps as many as 15,000 or 30,000 at its peak, said archaeologist Antoine Dorison, a study co-author at the same French institute. That's comparable to the estimated population of Roman-era London, then Britains largest city. This shows a very dense occupation and an extremely complicated society, said University of Florida archeologist Michael Heckenberger, who was not involved in the study. For the region, its really in a class of its own in terms of how early it is. Jose Iriarte, a University of Exeter archaeologist, said it would have required an elaborate system of organized labor to build the roads and thousands of earthen mounds. The Incas and Mayans built with stone, but people in Amazonia didnt usually have stone available to build they built with mud. Its still an immense amount of labor, said Iriarte, who had no role in the research. The Amazon is often thought of as a pristine wilderness with only small groups of people. But recent discoveries have shown us how much more complex the past really is, he said. Scientists have recently also found evidence of intricate rainforest societies that predated European contact elsewhere in the Amazon, including in Bolivia and in Brazil. Theres always been an incredible diversity of people and settlements in the Amazon, not only one way to live, said Rostain. Were just learning more about them. 50 fascinating cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world 50 fascinating cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt Machu Picchu, Peru Hierapolis, Pamukkale, Turkey Spis Castle, Slovakia Potala Palace in Tibet Petra, Jordan Ksar of Ait Benhaddou, Morocco Pompeii, Italy Meteora, Greece Piazza San Pietro in Vatican City Stonehenge, England Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Thailand Mausoleum of First Qin Emperor China Teotihuacan, Mexico Bryggen, Bergen, Norway Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France Hawa Mahal Palace, Jaipur City, India Meroe Pyramids, Kabushiya, Sudan Djenne, Mali, West Africa Amarbayasgalant Monastery, Mongolia Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Great Wall, China La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain Palmyra, Syria Kew Gardens, London England Sintra, Portugal Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Bete Giyorgis, Lalibela, Ethiopia Masada, Israel Skellig Michael, Ireland Douro Valley, Portugal Palpa Geoglyphs, Peru Bamiyan Buddhas, Afghanistan Borobudur Temple, Indonesia Hohensalzburg Castle, Salzburg, Austria Khiva, Uzbekistan Kizhi Pogost, Kizhi Island, Russia Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA Old City Prague, Czech Republic Cappadocia, Turkey Thingvellir, Iceland Struve Arc Triangulation Point, Hammerfest, Norway Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Taos Pueblo, New Mexico Alberobello, Puglia, Italy Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, Miyajima, Hiroshima Our Lady of the Rocks, Kotor Bay, Montenegro Venice, Italy AZUA, Dominican Republic It was a busy Saturday morning at Marcia Gonzalezs church. A bishop was visiting, and normally she would have been there helping with logistics, but on this day she was teaching sex education at a local school. I coordinate activities at the church and my husband is a deacon, Gonzalez said. The bishop comes once a year and children are being confirmed, but I am here because this is important for my community. For 40 years, Gonzalez and her husband have pushed for broader sex education in the Dominican Republic, one of four Latin American nations that criminalizes abortion without exceptions. Women face up to 2 years in prison for having an abortion; penalties for doctors or midwives range from 5 to 20 years. With a Bible on its flag, the Caribbean country has a powerful lobby of Catholics and evangelicals who are united against decriminalizing abortion. President Luis Abinader committed to the decriminalization of abortion as a candidate in 2020, but his government hasnt acted on that pledge. For now, it depends on whether he is re-elected in May. To help girls prevent unplanned pregnancies in this context, Gonzalez and other activists have developed teenage clubs, where adolescents learn about sexual and reproductive rights, self-esteem, gender violence, finances and other topics. The goal is to empower future generations of Dominican women. Outside the clubs, sex education is often insufficient, according to activists. Close to 30% of adolescents dont have access to contraception. High poverty levels increase the risks of facing an unwanted pregnancy. For the teenagers she mentors, Gonzalezs concerns also go beyond the impossibility of terminating a pregnancy. According to activists, poverty forces some Dominican mothers to marry their 14- or 15-year-old daughters to men up to 50 years older. Nearly 7 out of 10 women suffer from gender violence such as incest, and families often remain silent regarding sexual abuse. For every 1,000 adolescents between 15 and 19, 42 became mothers in 2023, according to the United Nations Population Fund. And until 2019, when UNICEF published its latest report on child marriage, more than a third of Dominican women married or entered a free union before turning 18. Dominican laws have prohibited child marriage since 2021, but community leaders say that such unions are still common because the practice has been normalized and few people are aware of the statute. In my 14-year-old granddaughters class, two of her younger friends are already married, Gonzalez said. Many mothers give the responsibility of their younger children to their older daughters so, instead of taking care of little boys, they run away with a husband. Activists hope education can help prevent girls from facing this situation. There are myths that people tell you when you have your period, said Gabriela Diaz, 16, during a recent encounter organized by the Womens Equality Center. They say that we are dirty or we have dirty blood, but that is false. We are helping our body to clean itself and improve its functions. Diaz calls Gonzalez godmother, a term applied by Plan International to community leaders who implement the programs of this UK-based organization, which promotes childrens rights. According to its own data, San Cristobal and Azua, where Gonzalez lives, are the Dominican cities with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and child marriage. To address this, its clubs accept girls between 13 and 17. Each group meets 2 hours per week, welcomes up to 25 participants and is led by volunteers like Gonzalez. In San Cristobal, also in southern Dominican Republic, the National Confederation of Rural Women (CONAMUCA) sponsors teenage clubs of its own. CONAMUCA was born to fight for land ownership, but the landscape has changed, and we have integrated new issues, such as food sovereignty, agrarian reform, and sexual and reproductive rights, said Lidia Ferrer, one of its leaders. Its clubs gather 1,600 girls in 60 communities, Ferrer said. The topics they study vary from region to region, but among the recurring ones are adolescent pregnancy, early unions and feminicide. The starting point is our own reality, said Kathy Cabrera, who joined CONAMUCA clubs at age 9 and two decades later takes new generations under her wing. Its how we live and suffer. Migration is increasingly noticeable in rural areas, Cabrera said. Women are forced to walk for miles to attend school or find water, and health services fail in guaranteeing their sexual and reproductive rights. We have a government that tells you Dont have an abortion but does not provide the necessary contraception to avoid it. She has witnessed how 13-year-old girls bear the children of 65-year-old men while neither families nor authorities seem to be concerned. On other occasions, she said, parents give away their daughters because they cannot support them or because they discover that they are no longer virgins. Its not regarded as sexual abuse because, if my grandmother got pregnant and married at an early age, and my great-grandmother too and my mother too, then it means I should too, Cabrera said. In southern Dominican communities, most girls can relate to this, or know someone who does. My sister got pregnant at 16 and that was very disturbing, said 14-year-old Laura Perez. She got together with a person much older than her, and they have a baby. I dont think that was right. The clubs dynamics change as needed to create safe and loving environments for girls to share what they feel. Some sessions kick off with relaxation exercises and others with games. Some girls speak proudly of what they have learned. One of them mentioned she confronted her father when he said she shouldnt cut any lemons from a tree while menstruating. Another said that her friends always go to the bathroom in groups, to avoid safety risks. They all regard their godmothers as mentors who have their backs. They call me to confide everything, Gonzalez said. I am happy because, in my group, no girl has become pregnant. States that produce the most greenhouse emissions from agriculture States that produce the most greenhouse emissions from agriculture Manure is a growing source of agricultural emissions Border security and immigration are among the top issues motivating Republican voters in the upcoming presidential primary and general elections. Republican candidates have been campaigning in Iowa for more than a year ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Monday, making frequent promises to secure the border and crack down on immigration. Here's what candidates have to say about how they would approach border security. Donald Trump Former President Donald Trump was first elected in 2016 taking a hard-line immigration stance and promising to build a wall at the southern U.S. border. While president, Trump imposed policies that required some asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting their trial dates, ramped up deportations and implemented a zero tolerance policy that led to hundreds of children being separated from their parents at the border. He also built around 500 miles of new border wall, with much of it replacing existing structures. Border security and immigration is again a central piece of Trumps campaign this year, as he frequently paints a picture of chaos at the southern border under President Joe Biden. Trump says he will reinstate those policies in a second term and take more dramatic action to crack down on illegal immigration. Those plans include implementing a mass deportation policy, empowering federal officials to aggressively seek out undocumented immigrants and expel them from the country. At a rally in Newton in January, Trump said he would orchestrate the largest deportation in history. Trump has also called for ending birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. The 14th Amendment to the U.S. The Constitution grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States. Trump frequently refers to undocumented immigrants as criminals and says they are poisoning the blood of the United States, a line that has received comparisons to the writings of Adolf Hitler. A vote for Donald Trump in these caucuses is a vote to secure our border, he said in Newton. Its a vote to stop the invasion, the biggest invasion of our country ever. Ron DeSantis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will declare a national emergency at the southern border and allow state and local law enforcement to carry out immigration enforcement. DeSantis has been critical of Trump for failing to build the southern border wall while president. DeSantis says he will build the wall and charge remittances on money workers send overseas in order to pay for it. We're going to declare the border to be a national emergency, Ill mobilize resources, he said We'll stop the invasion into the country well designate the cartels to be foreign terrorist organizations. In a Des Moines Register op-ed, DeSantis said he would block a swath of asylum cases and end the abuse of parole authority. He also said he would authorize the deportation of millions of undocumented migrants. DeSantis has said he would authorize the use of deadly force on people smuggling drugs into the United States through the southern border. DeSantis has also said he would cancel the student visas of people who he deems to be supportive of Hamas. Like Trump, he said he would move to end birthright citizenship. Nikki Haley Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has called for bolstering federal agencies and implementing stricter border policies to stem the flow of migrants at the southern border. She says as governor of South Carolina she passed the toughest illegal immigration law in the country. During a debate on CNN this week, she called for adding thousands of new agents to the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as pulling funding from sanctuary cities. We need to make sure we go back to the remain-in-Mexico policy, so that no one even steps foot on U.S. soil, she said at the debate. And instead of catch-and-release, we need to go to catch-and-deport. That's the only way we will stop the incentives of these illegal immigrants coming across. Haley has also signaled she will take action to deport the millions of undocumented migrants living in the U.S. During the debate, she said you have to deport them. Vivek Ramaswamy Ohio biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has called for deporting undocumented immigrants and using the military to secure the southern border. He has called for using military force on Mexican drug cartels as a response to the trafficking of fentanyl into the U.S. What we need to do is stop using our military to protect somebody elses border halfway around the world when were short right here at home, get serious about protecting this border, he said in a November debate. Ramaswamy has also called for ending birthright citizenship. Asa Hutchinson Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson led the Department of Homeland Securitys border security division shortly after its creation under George W. Bush. The experience, he says, makes him uniquely qualified to deal with immigration and border security. Hutchinson said in an interview with the Quad-City Times he would meet with leaders in South and Latin America to partner on slowing the traffic of migrants at the southern border. We cannot invade Mexico, we have to partner with them, and thats how you address border security, he said. I obviously would continue to build infrastructure. Not just the wall, but the infrastructure through technology. Ryan Binkley Ryan Binkley, a Texas pastor and CEO, says he will reorganize the Department of Homeland Security and shift resources into the essential operating components. He also calls for billions of dollars to build border infrastructure and update ports of entry. At an event in December, Binkley called it a true plan for security, but also that meets the strict worker needs that we have. Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, has created a major public health crisis in the United States. One of the most pressing questions our leaders face is: How can government at the federal and state levels deter the flow of illicit fentanyl? The answer: By developing a multipronged supply chain strategy that controls the demand and stamps out the supply. For now, China has agreed to curb the flow of fentanyl to the U.S., as well as the chemical precursors for producing fentanyl that it sends to Mexico. Moving forward, the U.S. must seek global support to develop a comprehensive plan to combat the fentanyl crisis. Overdoses from fentanyl, a drug that is 50 times more powerful than heroin, were a leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45 in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The issue of fentanyl addiction and overdose has the potential to escalate into a global crisis. In efforts to combat the crisis, some states have imposed harsher sentencing, and other states have considered imposing the death sentence for distribution. In California, people who are convicted of dealing more than 1 kilogram of fentanyl face a longer prison term by three years under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The higher the drug weight, the more severe the penalties become for example, an extra 25 years of prison time can be imposed for trafficking more than 80 kilograms. But it seems that more drastic measures, such as a life term in prison, may be more effective in eliminating such crimes, as demonstrated by China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Virginia has classified fentanyl as a weapon of terrorism in a move to increase prison sentences for dealers. In July, the attorneys general of 18 states pressed President Joe Biden to declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, given that in a single month, U.S. customs seized enough of the drug to kill every American. The U.S. government also is developing strategies to control the demand by preventing and treating fentanyl addiction. It is educating people about the dangers of fentanyl can discourage them from trying it out as an experiment. Local governments can spearhead public awareness and prevention programs, which could include billboards, podcasts, webinars, hotlines and more. Local governments should collaborate with health professionals to develop detox programs. These programs aim to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, prevent complications and prepare individuals for further treatment. Additionally, local communities should establish support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and SMART Recovery to provide mutual support and maintain motivation during recovery. State governments are increasing the accessibility of naloxone, a federal government-approved medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. Last January, Newsom released a state budget that included $3.5 million to purchase naloxone for every middle and high school in California. New York City opened the first authorized supervised consumption site in the U.S. in 2021. At these designated sites, individuals can use pre-obtained drugs under the safety and support of trained personnel, thereby preventing overdose deaths. Controlling fentanyl demand through prevention and treatment is a defensive strategy, and the U.S. should take a proactive strategy to stamp out the supply of the drug. Fentanyl's illegal trade involves many illicit supply chain activities. They start with the production of fentanyl precursors in factories in countries such as China and India, followed by the clandestine shipment of these precursors to Mexico, which are often concealed with regular cargo. The production of fentanyl using these precursors then occurs in secret labs operated by cartels such as the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico. The final drug frequently mixed into counterfeit pills is smuggled into the U.S. Ultimately, these fentanyl-laced pills are sold on the street. Unless China and Mexico are prepared to crack down on these factories and impose severe penalties, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has limited resources and capabilities for preventing fentanyl from entering the U.S. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been using artificial intelligence models to identify suspicious cars or cargo at the U.S.-Mexico border. But it must expand its efforts beyond the border. For example, while Mexico and China are the main source for fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances, India emerged as a source for finished fentanyl powder and fentanyl precursors following Chinas implementation of restrictions on the production and sale of fentanyl in 2019. The illicit fentanyl supply chain can be compared to a virus a microscopic organism that can mutate and infect many hosts. Just as doctors need vaccines and treatments to combat a virus, the United States cannot stop this drug epidemic without international cooperation as well as harsher punishment. Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here. Dear Care and Feeding, My fifth-grade twins have been at our Title I elementary school since Pre-K and loved it. Its a small school with dedicated staff who go above and beyond to provide our global majority, under-resourced school population with a quality education. Except for my kids math teacher. Mr. Smith is at the end of his career and is rumored to be retiring soon. His teaching approach is the following: he assigns the students a certain number of video lessons and assignments from our state-provided math platform to complete each week. Sometimes he will take a sample problemthe same sample problem covered in the video lessonand do it on the board. There is no additional teacher-led instruction during the class unless there is an observer. Additionally, Mr. Smith identified the good math students in the class and reassigned their seats/tables. They were told to be the leaders responsible for answering their tablemates questions before the tablemate can go to Mr. Smith with the questions. One of my twins was identified as a good student leader and has been complaining about it all semester, feeling stressed and struggling to understand the basic concepts she is expected to master and teach her classmates. Her grades are starting to fall and homework sessions at home involve tears because she says she doesnt have time to complete the lessons in class due to helping her peers. Advertisement Im at a loss as to how to address this. I cannot think of any approach that does not sound confrontational and accusatory, but Mr. Smith is not teaching! The teacher conference I requested a few weeks ago was rushed and I didnt feel comfortable raising the issue with his other two co-teachers present. (There are three teachers who teach individual subject areas to the entire grade.) As the daughter of a teacher and a strong supporter of public education, I want to support our teachers, especially since our district is under state takeover (Houston) and morale is rock bottom. But I mostly want all of our fifth graders to get a quality math education! Please help me find a respectful approach to this difficult conversation. Confrontation Scaredy Cat Dear CSC, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Request a second conference, this time directly with Mr. Smith. Explain in the email that youd like to speak about some struggles your daughter is having regarding math lessons. If it is customary to meet with the entire teaching cohort, so be it, they can come too if they wish, but my guess is that a one-on-one will be honored. When you speak to Mr. Smith, do not make it a referendum on his teaching methodology; however doubtful you might be about his teaching style, its possible it works for some of the students. Its also possible that there is more nuance than in your daughters version of events. Focus instead on her direct experience. Talk about the pressure she is under to help kids understand lessons she has not mastered herself. Ask him how you and he can support your daughter and ease the stress your daughter feels. If he doubles down defending his methodology in broad strokes, bring it back to your daughter and how shes feeling. Maybe, despite her natural mathematical talent, its not a good fit for her to be a student leaderthat is OK! After the meeting, send a recap email to Mr. Smith outlining what you discussed and the next steps. Make a plan to follow up with each other in a few weeks. Advertisement Advertisement If the situation hasnt improved, or if Mr. Smith fails to hold up his end of the bargain, ask for a second meeting or send a polite but firm email asking for an update. If, at that point, things are going nowhere, its time to talk to the principal, and provide the emails as evidence of how youve tried to solve the issue directly. I know you probably want to fight on both frontson behalf of your daughter and on the principle of good teaching practices. Youll have more success on the former, and it might in turn influence the latter. Good luck. Advertisement Want Advice on Parenting, Kids, or Family Life? Submit your questions to Care and Feeding here. Its anonymous! (Questions may be edited for publication.) Advertisement Dear Care and Feeding, I have a 16-year-old daughter, a junior in high school, and we live in a big city. Shes a pretty responsible kid and has been taking the city bus to school solo since sixth grade. Shes not rebellious or super adventuresome so its been easy for me to OK her requests to do things around the city with friends. My rule is, Make a plan. Stick to the plan. Tell me if the plan changes. So, shell tell me, Sofi and I are taking the subway to the mall, then back to her place before 6. Can you pick me up at her house after? and Im happy to oblige. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recently, weve run into hiccups when the other kids shes with change things up and the new plan goes outside our agreed-upon parameters. I get that it sucks not to be able to tag along with the group, but theres been increasing crime targeting teens (stealing their electronics mostly, sometimes violently) and, basically, I dont want her out and about after dark. (Friends place, movie theater, or other single location is fine.) I feel like thats been a good compromise, but shes getting older and it gets dark so early this time of year. She understands the reasons, but the reality of watching the friend group troop off together for some fun thing she cant joinbecause it would mean taking a slow bus or circuitous subway ride home at 9 p.m.is hard. And I sympathize. Do you have any advice for navigating a widening world between two reasonable parties? I want her to be independent, confident, and social. But my way of keeping her safe means curtailing spontaneity. Is There a Win-Win? Dear Win, Advertisement Advertisement Ive recommended this book before, but you might check out Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen by Michelle Icard, where she presents a good formula for talking about hard topics or situationslike yourswhere parent and child have opposing interests. The formula is BRIEF: you begin peacefully, relate to your kid, interview to collect data, echo what youre hearing, and give feedback or solutions. From your letter, I suspect a lot of Icards model would come naturally to you and may be things that youre already doing, as you clearly empathize with your daughters situation. But using this or a similar approach might allow you and her to craft a new set of guidelines that give her a bit more freedom in a way that youre still comfortable with. Advertisement Advertisement I dont know the details of your city or how wide a radius you give your daughter for where she goes, but I will say that 16 seems a little old, to me, to be worrying about being out after dark with semi-fluid plans. Id take a good look at what you think are safe practices. Benchmark them against the rules of other parents that you trust. See if any community organizations run workshops or make recommendations for teen safety that you could crib. Perhaps most importantly, ask yourself whether the rules are helping her develop the skills to keep herself safe and make good choices on her own. You want her to have enough leeway that she can start making independent decisions while she still has you for a safety net. Good luck! Advertisement Catch Up on Care and Feeding Missed earlier columns this week? Read them here. Discuss this column in the Slate Parenting Facebook group! Dear Care and Feeding, I have a very sweet 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter who is currently going through a phase where she has to be on my lap ALL THE TIME. If Im sitting, she is crawling onto my lap. She wants to watch TV on my lap, play with her toys on my lap, eat on my lapshe even tries to come sit on my lap in the bathroom. And its not just nice, gentle cuddling. Its somehow a constant state of gymnastics on my lap that is neither comfortable nor relaxing. I stay home with my kids right now and I love cuddling with my daughter but toward the afternoon it starts to drive me insane and make my skin start to crawl. I get to the point where I cannot stand to have her on my lap anymore. I dont want to punish her for wanting to cuddle, but if I stand up she starts crying and following me around and pulling at me. Some days I have to spend the entire afternoon on my feet just so there is no lap to sit on. I cant sit down for five minutes to send a quick email because she will notice and stop playing and come climb up. At this moment, Im hiding on our basement stairs just to be able sit to write this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My husband is great about stepping in when he gets home from work, but even that doesnt always help because she will come find me to cuddle. I cuddle/play with her a ton throughout the day. My husband acknowledges what Im feeling but I dont think he truly gets how upset I get because it doesnt happen to him. Im a very patient parent and it is hard for me to understand why this seems to be the one thing that gets so under my skin I want to scream or cry. She is a very healthy, typical child who has no issues being away from me or playing with other kids, so it isnt an anxiety/separation issue. I know its a phase, but do I truly just have to wait it out? Is it either let her sit or let her scream about wanting to sit? And if one more person tells me Im going to miss it when its gone Im going to sit on their lap and refuse to move. This Lap is Closed Dear Lap, Advertisement Preach to your last sentence. You are touched out, in parenting vernacular, and it is a completely valid thing to feel. By the time you reach your breaking point, youre basically in sensory overload, and it doesnt matter how sweet the cuddles are (and unfortunately not all of them are, huh?). This is a normal, fair psychological response you are having. Advertisement I really like this article, which explains the touched out feeling and provides some tips for finding relief. It also describes the importance of setting boundaries with your children about personal space and bodily autonomy. Humans are not allowed to do things to other humans just because they want to, and 3-and-a-half years old is not too young to start learning this. In fact, I think its the perfect age. Hearing you say things like That doesnt feel good to my body right now or I asked you to respect my body; I said no will help her start to give others space and also begin to understand that her own body deserves respect as well. If she wails and protests, remain calm, restate your needs, and explain when the physical contact will return. For example, Mommys body needs a break from snuggles right now. I will be ready to snuggle again after dinner. Advertisement Advertisement One thing to look into, however, is the possibility that while you are experiencing sensory overload, your child may be experiencing sensory seeking behaviorthat is, shes doing the snuggling and sitting and climbing not out of affection, but out of a craving for sensory input. The frequent acrobatics and the desperation when she cant be on you might be a few clues that something like this is going on. If you suspect it may be the caseor if you just want to rule it outtalk to your pediatrician and get an assessment from an occupational therapist. Wait lists in some places and/or with some health insurance are long, unfortunately, so in the meantime, you might try purchasing some high-sensory input toys like indoor swings, exercise balls, etc. Even a bear hug anytime she is in your lap, right before you get up, might give her a super-boost of sensory input and leave her satisfied. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dear Care and Feeding, I (39F) married my husband (44M) in 2023. This is my first and hopefully only marriage, and he had been married before for 18 years. He has two daughters from that marriage, ages 15 and 18. We met after he had already separated and were officially living together after about nine months. His daughters stay with us close to 50 percent of the time. They are as pleasant and well-adjusted as one could hope for teenage girls dealing with their parents divorce. I have no children myself and have been used to living in my own space for close to two decades. I have been struggling for over a year now with the living situation, particularly what I interpret as oblivion and laziness when it comes to the girls cleaning up after themselves. Im talking about cleaning their rooms, and leaving dirty dishes and garbage around the kitchen and common areas. My husband has explained that their mom probably overly catered to them so they are not used to having to clean up. He has been very supportive of everyones adjustment and has reminded them repeatedly to clean up. We have even had family meetings about it. However, after over a year of us all living together every other week, it has barely improved. I find myself getting extremely irritated by it, as it becomes my or my husbands problem to clean up after them if we dont want to live in a messy home. I am not one for confrontation and also dont want to be perceived as an evil stepmom, I just want to feel comfortable in my own home and not have these negative feelings of resentment toward my stepdaughters. Ive also discussed it in therapy several times. I know teenagers are by nature self-centered, but I dont know how to address it so that it finally improves, or at least stops bothering me. Not Quite a Stepford Stepmom Dear Stepmom, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Off the bat, Im not a fan of your husband putting the blame entirely on his ex for the girls habits when he is also their parent and played a role in how they were raised. Its throwing a yellow flag on the play for me. I cant help but think that if he doesnt take responsibility, no wonder his daughters dont either. Granted, some key information might be missing from your letter, but its at least something to ponder. That said, many teenagers are messy and disordered, and I think to some extent, youre going to need to accept that your home will have some degree of sloppiness from here on out. I sympathize that this is probably a very abrupt change for you compared to your previous lifestyle; other teen parents had their clean home dreams squashed years ago in the Lego phase of parenthood. Youll have your tidiness back in a few years, but for now, you need to be looking for compromise. Advertisement To me, a reasonable place to start is with the common area. Personal items need to be put away (or at least tossed into bedrooms) before the teens leave the house for social events or go to bed. Food and garbage need to be thrown out. Failure to do these tasks should incur some kind of consequence (changing the Wi-Fi passwords is a popular tactic in modern parenting). Once thats settled, Id think about the bedrooms. There are different schools of thought about how much say a parent should have over the state of the bedroom. I dont have teens, but my parents rule of thumb was that wed do a big cleanup the moment it got actually dirty, or when any property wasnt being cared for (think breakable electronics on the floor under dirty laundry, etc.) You could set any parameter you think is reasonable and achievable, but I think the standard you should aim for is messy but manageable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever paradigm you set, you and your husband need to be in lockstep, and he needs to be the one to announce and enforce the rules. It needs to be as important to him as it is for you, even if only because he wants you to be happy; given the recency of the divorce and remarriage, its too easy for you to be the scapegoat. If he cant hold his kids to the new expectations and winds up picking up the slack for them, then I think your beef isnt really with the teens but with him and his parenting choices. At that point, youll have to decide whether you can grin and bear the mess, whether he needs to accept a new household role as de facto cleaner, or whether a deeper conversation between you two needs to be had. Allison More Advice From Slate My partner is a middle school teacher known for establishing a rapport with difficult students and advocating for BIPOC and LGBTQ kids. When he answered a call from a parent one evening, I overheard him talking about his sister. I confronted him about this after he got off the phone, because he does not actually have a sister. He told me that he tells stories about imaginary siblings, cousins, and other family members to connect with his students. It seems a little strange to have strong feelings about a dinosaur that probably never existed. And yet, if you want to get dinosaur fans riled, you need not say much more than Nanotyrannus. The specter of so-called Nanotyrannus raised its diminutive but fearsome head recently thanks in part to a skeleton that is up for sale for a whopping $20 million. To most, these fossils, and others attributed to Nanotyrannus, are nothing more (or less!) than that of an adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex, before they underwent a growth spurt turning them into 9-ton chomp monsters. To others, though, Nanotyrannus is a distinct species that lived alongside T. rex in the waning days of the Cretaceous. Whatever species the bones truly belong to, however, Nanotyrannus has become a 68-million-year-old sore spot thats done more to inflate the asking prices of tyrannosaur fossils put up at auction than inform our understanding of the deep past. For those who dont closely follow dinosaur biographies, heres the basic history. Way back in 1946, paleontologist Charles Gilmore published a paper on a beautiful, strange skull that had been excavated from the Cretaceous-age Lance Formation of Montana. The fossil clearly represented a tyrannosaura family of carnivorous dinosaurs with tiny armsbut Gilmore couldnt find a good fit among the species known at the time. He settled on calling the dinosaur Gorgosaurus lancensis, proposing that it was a new species of Gorgosaurus, a tyrannosaur previously found in Alberta, Canada. Advertisement No one really paid much attention to the new dinosaur. Even Gilmore pointed out that experts had been getting a little tyrannosaur-happy, declaring new kinds based on incomplete remains like teeth. But in 1988, paleontologists Robert Bakker, Philip Currie, and Michael Williams described Gilmores strange skull anew. The fossil came from the same stomping grounds as T. rex, they noted, and wasnt really a match for Gorgosaurus either. The small skull appeared to be something new, they argued, with fused skull bones hinting that the dinosaur was an adult despite being less than half the size of T. rex. The skull Gilmore had described decades earlier became Nanotyrannus lancensis, the small tyrant of the Lance Formation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related From Slate How Greed and Masculinity Turned the T. Rex Into a Spotlight-Hogging Monster Read More I dont mean to throw scientific shade, but I put Nanotyrannus in quotation marks because thats standard practice for species that have been named but whose categorization as a unique species is considered dubious or invalid or are otherwise obsolete. The consensus among tyrannosaur experts today is that theres no solid case for Nanotyrannus. Despite decades of debate and multiple studies, no one has found a slam-dunk Nanotyrannus fossil or been able to identify a telltale trait that truly distinguishes the infamous skull from what wed expect of a young T. rex. Studies of tyrannosaurs and other dinosaurs found that fused skull bones are not always indicators of adulthood, and other small differencessuch as a few more teeth in the jaws of Nanotyrannus compared with T. rexmay just vary between individuals and with age. Some fossils once thought to be candidates for Nanotyrannus, such as a teenage tyrannosaur nicknamed Jane, have turned out to be that of young T. rexes. Even a new study claiming to validate the existence of Nanotyrannus hasnt swayed the broader paleontological community. Fossils that could in theory be categorized as belonging to a small adult tyrannosaur are best understood as young, gawky-looking T. rexes that behaved differently from adults as they awaited their big growth spurt. (Even dinosaurs had awkward phases.) Advertisement Advertisement Its worth noting here that for die-hard dinosaur nerds, the stakes are low. Even if someone were to go out to the outcrop tomorrow and find a new specimen that proves that Nanotyrannus was a small carnivore distinct from T. rex, such a discovery wouldnt do all that much to change our view of what life was like in the 2 million years or so before an asteroid-sparked catastrophe would wipe out 75 percent of Earths species. Some fossils would get reshuffled, and wed know that young T. rex likely competed with Nanotyrannus for food. Such a discovery would also send paleontologists back to the rock in search of more evidence as to what the juvenile T. rex and young Nanotyrannus were really like. It might all make for a fun flurry of news coverage because T. rex drama is the junk food of fossil news (and I realize Im saying this as someone whos written about the carnivore more than a few times). But weve been through such lumping and splitting with other dinosaur species beforesuch as the enormous duckbill Anatotitan turning out to be the adult Edmontosaurusand the results were not earthshaking for our concept of the Cretaceous world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement T. rex has a cult of personality that extends far beyond the academic literature; anything related to the dinosaur or its lore gets an outsized amount of interest. The dinosaur is an icon, and so claiming that some T. rex fossils are in fact the bones of a similar but rarerand contestedspecies has only reinforced an auction market where the filthy rich are looking for a petrified status symbol. In 2013 private fossil dealers claimed they had uncovered a skeleton that would, once and for all, prove that Nanotyrannus was real and placed the fossil up for auction as part of a dueling dinosaurs pair. Buzz around the auction speculated that the fossils could go for as much as $9 million, but years after an offer of $5.5 million failed to meet the reserve, the fossils were sold to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences for an undisclosed amount in 2020. The fact that the fossil is being cared for in a museum is a positive, though to date, no actual study of the tyrannosaur has been published. Advertisement The tyrannosaur skeleton recently listed for sale at the David Aaron art gallery in London for $20 million is another example of Mesozoic monster marketing. The skeleton has the svelte look of a juvenile T. rex, or, for true believers, represents an elusive Nanotyrannus. The gallery lists the skeleton as a juvenile T. rex, but in a description directly references the Nanotyrannus debate to stir in a little extra hype around the fossil (whose fate should really be decided by scientists, not the free market). Whatever you want to call Chomperas the fossil has been nicknamedit should be in a museum. The dinosaur might not be able to tell us all that much about the past. But as a creature that lived and died at a time when our ancestors were snuffly little bug-eaters, its literally priceless, and it should be available to be viewed by the public, not by whomever its eventual ultra-wealthy owner decides to have over for dinner. At the same time, although the gallery might claim that any museum is welcome to pony up $20 million, Id be pretty pissed off if an institution reinforced the off-the-rails dinosaur market this way. That much money could fund fieldwork for decades or otherwise be put to better use through research, collections management, and outreach rather than being blown on a single skeleton that would then have to be hyped to attract enough visitors to make back the purchase price. All that for a skeleton that in all likelihood will have the big reveal of Yeah, its another young T. rex after all the headlines and overwrought debate. Its time to stop this tiny tyrant from causing such big headaches. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Youve decided to start a podcast for your small business, and you are getting recommendations for the best podcast microphone. But as we all know, the best is often than not in the budget for most of us. So getting the right podcast microphone for your budget might be the answer. Podcasts are being created because the technology making it happen is readily available. The software, podcasts platforms, and hardware are easily accessible. If push comes to shove, you can even use your smartphone to launch and broadcast your program. The point is a podcast can increase your customer base and give you a platform in which you can engage with your audience. Podcast Microphone Having a good quality podcast mic will pay off, and best of all it doesnt have to be very expensive. Since you are going to be using your voice, the quality of the voice transmission will determine if your listeners will stay for the long run. First impressions being what they are if there is a lot of static and interference, you might lose your audience before they have a chance to hear what you have to say. Best Budget Microphones for Podcasting In the realm of podcasting, the right microphone can make a world of difference, especially when youre mindful of budget constraints. At Small Business Trends, we carefully evaluate budget podcast microphones to ensure they strike the perfect balance between cost and quality. Here are the criteria we use to select the best options: Sound Quality (9/10): The cornerstone of any podcast, clear and crisp audio is non-negotiable. We prioritize microphones that deliver superior sound clarity without background noise interference. Ease of Use and Setup (8/10): User-friendly microphones save time and hassle, especially for beginners. Our selections are straightforward to set up and use, with minimal technical know-how needed. Compatibility (7/10): Versatility to work with various recording devices and software is key. We look for microphones that are compatible with a range of computers and recording equipment. Durability (6/10): A sturdy build ensures your investment lasts longer. Our recommended microphones are known for their resilience and long-term reliability. Cost (8/10): Affordability is crucial for budget-conscious podcasters. We focus on finding the best value for money, balancing cost with quality. Design and Portability (5/10): A compact and appealing design can be beneficial for podcasters on the move. Our choices include ergonomically designed microphones that are easy to transport. Brand Reputation and Reviews (6/10): Feedback from other users provides real insights into performance. We consider user reviews and brand reputation as part of our selection process. Versatility (7/10): The ability to record different types of content (interviews, solo sessions, etc.) is a plus. We recommend microphones that perform well across various recording scenarios. These criteria guide our selection of budget podcast microphones, ensuring that you get the best bang for your buck without compromising on the essentials. We understand that the needs of each podcaster are unique, and our evaluation scale helps you prioritize based on your specific requirements. Pyle PDMICR42R The Pyle PDMICR42R has a retro design that is great to look at. But it also provides the basics so you can comfortably deliver your podcast with professional-sounding results. The microphone has a dynamic moving coil element with a cardioid polar pattern and a frequency response rate of 30Hz-15kHz. ECOOPRO Studio Condenser Recording Microphone The ECOOPRO is a side-address condenser microphone that uses a cardioid polar pattern with HD broadcasting capability. The plug-and-play function and 3.5mm audio lets you plug it into any standard laptop or PC and use the sound card to make any adjustment to improve sound quality. At $39.99, it is a bargain to be sure. Stony-Edge The Stony-Edge has simple designed for portability and can plug into smartphones, tablets and PCs. For just $20.00, it features noise blocking technology, built-in windscreen and a goose neck frame so it can easily be adjusted. Blue Microphones Blue Microphones Snowball iCE is a cardioid condenser microphone that plugs in directly with a USB cable. It doesnt require any drivers, and it is Skype certified. It has a frequency response rate of 40 18 kHz and sample/word Rate of 44.1 kHz/16 bit. CAD U37 USB The CAD U37 is a USB studio condenser recording microphone with cardioid pick-up pattern and 10dB overload-protection switch to minimize distortion. It has a bass-reduction switch diminishing room noise and frequency response rate of 20Hz 20kHz. Samson Go The Samson Go has switchable cardioid and omnidirectional pickup patterns with a frequency response of 20Hz18kHz and a resolution of 16-bit, 44.1kHz. The compact design and USB plug makes it easy to clip on your laptop or carry anywhere. The company offers the Samson Sound Deck Noise Cancellation Software as a paid download, which is a great feature if you are in a noisy environment. Behringer Podcastudio USB The Behringer PodcastStudio includes a USB audio interface, mixer, microphone, headphones, and downloadable professional audio software. This bundle offers all the tools you need to get hands on experience at an affordable price. It includes the UCA200 audio interface, XENYX 502 mixer, HPM1000 headphones, the Ultravoice XM8500 dynamic microphone, XLR mic cable and two stereo RCA cables. MXL 990 Condenser Microphone The MXL 990 condenser microphone with shock mount has solid construction with a vintage look. It comes with a large 3/4 gold-sputtered diaphragm, 30Hz-20kHz frequency response and 130dB maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL). Shure MV5 Digital Condenser Microphone The Shure MV5 digital condenser microphone has DSP preset modes for vocals, flat and instruments with automatic gain application, EQ, compression and limiting for better control. It also has a built in headphone output for real-time monitoring and it is Apple MFi (Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad) Certified for direct connection to any iOS device. NEAT Widget C Desktop USB Microphone If you are looking for a microphone with a modern design, the NEAT Widget C is for you. It has a plug-and-play with Mac/Windows feature with an integrated pop filter and an internal shock-mounted condenser capsule. It includes a full-range 96kHz/24 bit audio and frequency response of 20 Hz 20 kHz. M-Audio USB Condenser Microphone The M-Audio has a large 16mm cardioid capsule protected by wire mesh to guard against unwanted noise. It can capture 16-bit recording at CD quality and more at -44.1 or 48 kHz with the USB connection. Audio-Technica AT2020USB PLUS Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone The Audio-Technica AT2020USB PLUS comes from a proven brand delivering high quality A/D converter with 16 bit, 44.1/48 kHz sampling rate. It also includes a headphone jack with high-output internal headphone amplifier and mix control. Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone Silver This is another entry from Blue Microphones, which manufactures professional grade equipment used in the recording industry. The Yeti has a tri-capsule array 3 condenser capsules to record in almost any environment with a multiple pattern selection of cardioid, bidirectional, omnidirectional and stereo. The frequency response is 20Hz 20kHz, and a sample rate of 48 kHz. AKG P420 High-Performance Dual-Capsule True Condenser Microphone The AKG P420 is a studio grade condenser microphone with dual-element design that accommodates cardioid, omni, and figure-8 patterns. It includes a shockmount and a metal case with a -20dB pad switch and a bass cut filter switch to eliminate unwanted low frequencies. sE Electronics X1 Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic The sE Electronics X1 has a 1 hand made, diaphragm, 10dB pad and Bass cut with a solid build. The frequency response is 20Hz-20KHz, with -32 dBV/Pa (25.1mV/Pa) sensitivity and a cardioid polar Pattern. Behringer B-2 Pro The Behringer B-2 Pro is a German designed microphone with professional 1 gold-sputtered dual-diaphragm condenser. It has frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz and two selectable pickup pattern, omni for capturing sound in all directions and cardioid. Blue Microphones Spark Condenser Microphone, Cardioid The Spark from Blue Microphones has a premium condenser capsule with professional grade recording features. It includes a pop filter and custom-designed shockmount to reduce plosives and distortion while delivering isolation during recordings. The company also provides a detailed recording guide with professional tips and a three-year manufacturers warranty. Rode NT-USB USB Condenser Microphone The Rode NT-USB condenser microphone compatible with recording applications on both Windows and Mac OS based computers as well as on any other recording app that accepts an external microphone. It comes with a premium pop-filter to minimize plosives (hard B, T or P that, when spoken, produce a harsh sound) during speech recordings. Studio Projects B1 Vocal Condenser Microphone, Cardioid The Studio Projects B1 is a cardioid condenser microphone with a true 1 inch 3 um gold sputtered large diaphragm to capture high quality vocal recordings. It has a selectable filter for 75Hz and 150Hz, as well as selectable pads for -10dB and -20dB. Marantz Professional MPM-500A Marantz has been developing high fidelity audio systems for more than four decades, and the MPM-500A is a professional grade hi-quality 45mm cardioid condenser microphone that is a testament to that legacy. This mic comes with shock mount, desktop tripod stand and windscreen, a frequency response of 3020,000Hz, and complete voice-recording system for interfacing with a computer sound card. Photos: Amazon Communicationthe lifeblood of every organizationis pivotal to seamless operations, team cohesion and overall business success. Mastering effective communication in the workplace can eliminate confusion, foster a positive environment, and boost productivity. Whether youre an entrepreneur or manage a small business, leveraging communication skills can be a game-changer. Our comprehensive guide will outline 25 actionable strategies to refine your workplace communication, ultimately elevating your organization to new heights. 25 Strategies to Improve Effective Communication in the Workplace Mastering effective communication isnt an overnight endeavorits an ongoing process. Consider the following pivotal steps that can help you cement your organizations communication proficiency. 1. Practice Active Listening Active listening involves fully focusing, understanding, responding and then remembering what is being said. It is not merely hearing but engaging in the conversation. For instance, during a team meeting, an effective manager might repeat or paraphrase a team members idea to ensure theyve understood correctly. 2. Clear and Concise Messaging Simplicity is key in communication. Convey your message in a clear, concise manner to avoid confusion. For example, when assigning tasks, clearly state the goal, expected deliverables and deadline. 3. Open-Ended Questions Open-ended questions encourage dialogue instead of a simple yes or no response. For example, instead of asking, Did you like the presentation? ask, What did you think could be improved in the presentation? 4. Nonverbal Communication Nonverbal cues like facial expressions, body language and tone of voice can sometimes convey more than words. A warm smile or an enthusiastic tone can foster a positive environment. 5. Constructive Feedback Feedback should serve to build up, not break down. Use the sandwich methodpraise, constructive criticism, praiseto provide balanced feedback. 6. Empathy in Communication Understanding and acknowledging others feelings fosters trust and rapport. For instance, acknowledging an employees personal loss before diving into work matters shows empathy. 7. Encouraging Team Collaboration Collaboration opens doors for diverse ideas and innovation. Encourage brainstorming sessions where every team member gets to voice their thoughts. 8. Regular One-on-One Meetings Regular check-ins with each employee can create a space for open dialogue, helping address issues early. This could be a weekly or bi-weekly sit-down to discuss progress, concerns and ideas. 9. Digital Communication Etiquette As digital communication tools become more prevalent, its crucial to establish etiquette like timely responses, clear subject lines and respectful language. 10. Recognizing and Respecting Cultural Differences In a diverse workplace, understanding and respecting cultural nuances can prevent misunderstandings. For instance, awareness of high-context and low-context communication styles can improve cross-cultural communication. 11. Conflict Resolution Techniques Conflicts are inevitable but can be managed effectively. Techniques such as mediation, active listening and finding common ground can help resolve disputes. 12. Utilizing Communication Tools Effectively Leverage tools like email, instant messaging, video conferencing and project management software to streamline communication. Make sure everyone is trained and comfortable using these tools. 13. Consistent Messaging Consistency prevents confusion and ensures everyone is on the same page. For instance, all department heads should convey the same message about company policies. 14. Practice Transparency and Honesty Honesty builds trust. Be open about company newsboth good and bad. For example, share updates about the companys financial status or changes in management. 15. Encourage Employee Engagement Engaged employees communicate more effectively. Regular team-building activities can foster a sense of camaraderie and encourage open communication. 16. Encourage Peer-to-Peer Communication Facilitate an environment where employees feel comfortable communicating directly with their peers to solve problems and share ideas. 17. Regular Training and Workshops Regular communication skills workshops can help keep these skills sharp. Invest in external training programs or consider peer-led workshops. 18. Utilize Visual Aids in Communication Visual aids like infographics and diagrams can enhance understanding, especially when dealing with complex information. 19. Setting Communication Norms Establish clear guidelines for how, when, and where communication should occur. This could include designated quiet hours, meeting protocols or guidelines for email communication. 20. Reward and Recognition Acknowledging good work motivates employees and encourages communication. Regularly spotlight team members who excel in their tasks or display excellent communication skills. 21. Encourage Feedback and Suggestions Create channels for employees to voice their suggestions or concerns. This could be a suggestion box, an open-door policy or anonymous surveys. 22. Break Down Hierarchical Barriers Encourage communication across all levels of the organization. This could be accomplished by an open office layout or regular town hall meetings where anyone can ask questions or provide input. 23. Encourage Innovation and Creativity Create a culture that values new ideas and innovative thinking. Encourage employees to share their creative solutions or ideas for improving the business. 24. Develop Personal Connections Personal connections foster trust and improve communication. Encourage employees to get to know one another on a personal levelperhaps through team-building activities or social events. 25. Lead by Example As a leader, your communication style will set the tone for your team. Model the communication behaviors you want to see, like active listening, clear messaging and open, honest dialogue. Understanding Communication Channels in the Workplace Effective communication encompasses more than merely what is said, how and where the message is delivered also matter. Understanding the various communication channels used in workplaces can help optimize your organizations communication strategy. Communication Type Definition Examples Importance in Effective Business Communication Written Communication Involves transmitting information through written words. Memos Reports Letters Emails Text messages Essential for documenting information, providing clear instructions and maintaining records. Requires clarity, conciseness and proper tone. Verbal Communication Involves spoken wordsin person, over the phone or online. Face-to-face conversations Phone calls Video conference discussions Crucial for real-time interaction, immediate feedback and building personal connections. Requires active listening, clear speech and empathy. Non-Verbal Communication Involves communication through body language, facial expressions and other nonverbal cues. Facial expressions Body language Gestures Tone of voice Important in conveying emotions and attitudes, and enhancing understanding and relationship-building. Digital/Online Communication Involves communication through digital tools and platforms. Emails Instant messages Video conferences Collaboration platforms Allows for immediate, versatile and geographically unrestricted communication. Requires digital etiquette and tool proficiency. Team Communication Involves communication within a team to achieve common goals. Team meetings Project discussions Group brainstorming sessions Fosters cohesion, productivity and innovation, making it a vital aspect of workplace communication. Written Communication In written communication, clarity, conciseness, and attention to tone are crucial to ensure the intended message is accurately received. This form of communication encompasses both traditional methods like memos, reports, and letters and modern formats such as emails and text messages. Its importance lies in documenting essential information, providing clear instructions, and maintaining records. Verbal Communication Verbal communication involves spoken wordswhether in-person, over the phone or even online. Its crucial for real-time interaction, immediate feedback and building personal connections. However, verbal communication also requires active listening, clear speech and empathy to be effective. Non-Verbal Communication Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, body language, gestures and tone of voice. Even silence can be a powerful communicator. Its particularly important in conveying emotions and attitudes that might not be expressed verbally. Learning to read and use non-verbal cues can enhance understanding and relationship-building. Digital/Online Communication With the rise of remote work, digital communicationvia email, instant messaging, video conferencing or collaboration platformshas become increasingly crucial. It allows for immediate, versatile and geographically unrestricted communication. However, it requires a degree of etiquette and understanding of digital tools to prevent misunderstandings and information overload. Remote work statistics indicate that this form of communication will be increasingly important in the coming years. Team Communication This involves communication within a team to collaborate, solve problems and achieve common goals. It often involves a mix of all the above channels. Much like two-way communication, effective team communication fosters cohesion, productivity and innovation, making it a vital aspect of workplace communication. The Importance of Communicating Effectively in the Workplace Effective communication is more than merely exchanging information in the modern business worldits the cornerstone of organizational success. Clear and consistent communication fosters a collaborative atmosphere where team members understand their roles, responsibilities and the larger vision of the business. Such an alignment improves productivity by streamlining operations and enhances employee satisfaction. Likewise, employees who feel heard and valued are more engaged, motivated and loyal. Effective communication also reduces errors and misunderstandings associated with poor communication, enabling faster problem-solving and decision-making. Ultimately, a communication-savvy workplace is likely to see improved customer satisfaction, stronger stakeholder relationships and a robust bottom line, underlining the importance of this vital soft skill. The Key Components of Good Communication Skills Good communication skills are composed of various elements, each equally important in building an effective communication system in the workplace. A well-rounded communicator doesnt just convey information clearly, but they also understand, respect, and address the perspectives of others. A few crucial components of good communication skills include: Active Listening: Effective communication is a two-way process. Active listening ensures you fully understand the speakers point of view, facilitating a more meaningful and productive conversation. Clarity and Conciseness: Complex messages can cause confusion. Aim for brevity and clarity in your communication to ensure your message is accurately understood. Empathy: Empathizing with others creates a safe space for open dialogue. It fosters mutual respect and understanding, and it strengthens relationships. Feedback: Constructive feedback is essential for growth and improvement. It can address issues, reinforce positive behaviors, and lead to problem-solving and innovation. Nonverbal Communication: Nonverbal cuesfacial expressions, body language, eye contactoften speak louder than words. Effective use of nonverbal communication can enhance the impact of your message. Mastering Workplace Communication: Key Takeaways As you can see, effective communication is the lifeblood of a thriving workplace. This comprehensive guide has outlined 25 actionable strategies, emphasizing the importance of active listening, clear messaging, empathy, and embracing digital tools for a well-rounded communication approach. Whether its through written, verbal, or non-verbal channels, each mode plays a crucial role in enhancing understanding, fostering positive relationships, and promoting a collaborative environment. Key takeaways include the significance of empathy in understanding diverse perspectives, the impact of non-verbal cues in conveying attitudes, and the growing relevance of digital communication in todays remote work culture. Regular training, encouraging open dialogue, and leading by example are vital in nurturing a culture of effective communication. Remember, mastering communication is an ongoing journey and integral to organizational success. By implementing these strategies, you can elevate your teams interaction, streamline operations, and pave the way for a more engaged, productive workplace. This investment in communication skills is not just about enhancing individual performance but about strengthening the very foundation of your business. FAQs: Effective Communication in the Workplace What is the importance of effective communication in the workplace? Effective communication in the workplace is essential as it fosters a productive and harmonious environment. It improves team collaboration, enhances employee engagement and boosts overall productivity. Effective communication helps clarify roles, avoid misunderstandings and ensure everyone is aligned with the organizations goals. It also supports positive relationships with stakeholders and customers, ultimately driving business success. Even when communicating bad news to staff and stakeholders, effective communication strategies can keep them engaged and increase understanding in your position. Therefore, investing in communication skills is crucial for any organizations long-term prosperity. How can I improve my communication skills at work? Improving your communication skills at work involves both self-awareness and practice. Start by practicing active listening, being fully engaged and responsive in conversations. Focus on clarity and brevity in your messaging, while also ensuring empathy and respect. Learn to read and use non-verbal cues effectively. Likewise, learn to utilize digital tools efficiently, respect cultural differences and encourage open, honest dialogue. Regular feedback, trainings and workshops also can help refine these skills over time. Remember, good communication is a continual learning process. What role does non-verbal communication play in the workplace? Non-verbal communication plays a significant role in the workplace, often conveying more than spoken words. It involves elements like body language, facial expressions, gestures and tone of voice. These cues can express emotions, attitudes and receptivity, influencing how a message is interpreted. For example, an open posture can signal receptiveness, while a firm tone can convey authority. Understanding and using non-verbal communication effectively can enhance personal interactions and improve overall workplace communication. How can technology influence effective workplace communication? Technology significantly influences workplace communication, particularly in todays digital age. Tools like email, instant messaging, video conferencing and project management software enhance immediacy, versatility and reach. They enable geographically dispersed teams to collaborate in real-time, improving efficiency and productivity. However, technology also presents challenges such as information overload or miscommunication. Thus, both understanding digital communication etiquette and effectively utilizing these tools are essential for fostering effective workplace communication. How can I encourage open communication in my team? Effectively managing small business teams requires encouraging open communication throughout the entire group. This starts with creating a safe and inclusive environment. This means fostering a culture where all ideas are valued, feedback is welcomed, and mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities. Regular team meetings, one-on-one check-ins and open-door policies can facilitate open dialogue. Likewise, leading by examplecommunicating honestly, actively listening and showing empathycan encourage open communication. Remember, open communication is about building trust and ensuring everyone feels heard and respected. Why is it important to have effective workplace communication? Effective workplace communication is essential as it underpins every aspect of a businesss operations. The benefits of sharing information in the workplace include facilitating smooth workflow, promoting team collaboration, enhancing problem-solving, and aligning everyone with the organizations objectives. It also aids in conflict resolution and fosters a positive, inclusive work environment. Furthermore, effective workplace communication builds relationshipsboth internally and externallycontributing to improved employee satisfaction, customer relations and overall business success. Its a logical conclusion, therefore, that the ability to communicate effectively is fundamental for any thriving organization. What are the five 5 principles of effective communication in the workplace? Effective communication in the workplace is governed by five key principles: If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Choosing the perfect business name for your venture is an essential step on the entrepreneurial journey, significantly impacting the process of how to come up with a business name. This important decision not only defines your brands identity but also affects customer perception and recall. In this comprehensive guide, well explore the art of naming your business, discussing creative strategies for brainstorming business names, and highlighting the importance of this process. Youll also discover resources for seeking professional assistance to create a great business name and learn about potential pitfalls to avoid during the naming process. Unleash your inner wordsmith and learn how to come up with a business name that resonates with your target audience and paves the way for your ventures long-term success. How to Come Up with a Business Name Heres a quick look at how to name your business. The table below shows you the main steps and actions to take. This makes it easier to see everything at once. Step Advice Action 1 Align the name with your brand identity Draft a list of adjectives and key phrases that describe your brand's personality, and use them as inspiration for potential names 2 Keep it simple and memorable Test potential names by saying them aloud, and eliminate options that are difficult to pronounce or spell 3 Be versatile Review your potential names and discard any that may restrict the growth or adaptability of your next business idea 4 Avoid using trendy terms or buzzwords Review your list of potential names and remove any that rely heavily on trends or fads 5 Consider name types Research and evaluate various name types, then categorize your potential names accordingly 6 Research competition and industry Conduct a competitive analysis, noting successful naming strategies within your industry, and incorporate these insights into your brainstorming process 7 Seek feedback from others Share your shortlist of potential names with a diverse group of people, and collect their feedback on clarity, memorability, and emotional impact 8 Ensure name availability Perform thorough searches for existing businesses, trademarks, names of domains, and social media profiles to ensure your preferred name is available 9 Take your time Set aside ample time to brainstorm, evaluate, and refine your list of potential names, ensuring you're confident in your final choice 10 Consult a professional Research reputable naming consultants or agencies, and consider enlisting their help to refine your ideas or develop new naming options Next, lets look closely at the steps for coming up with catchy business name ideas and simple action steps a new business owner can take toward each piece of advice. Each step should help new business owners come up with a list of great business name ideas and, ultimately, choose their new business names. Align the name with your brand identity. A successful business name should reflect your brands core values, mission, and unique selling proposition. Entrepreneurs should consider the emotions and associations they want their customers to experience when they encounter their brand names. This is similar to how you might consider the psychology of colors when you create a logo. Action step: Draft a list of adjectives and key phrases that describe your brands personality, and use them as inspiration for potential names. Keep it simple and memorable. A straightforward, easy-to-pronounce business name increases the likelihood of your small business target audiences remembering it and recommending your brand to others. Avoid overly complex or lengthy names that may lead to confusion. Action step: Test potential names by saying them aloud, and eliminate options that are difficult to pronounce or spell. Be versatile. A versatile name allows for future growth and expansion of your business. Avoid names that limit your offerings or geographic reach, as they may hinder long-term success. Action step: Review your potential names and discard any that may restrict the growth or adaptability of your next business idea. Avoid using trendy terms or buzzwords. Although it may be tempting to incorporate current trends or buzzwords into your business name, doing so may cause your brand to feel dated as trends fade. Instead, aim for a timeless name that will remain relevant. Action step: Review your list of potential names and remove any that rely heavily on trends or fads. Consider name types. Business names can be descriptive, acronymic, invented, or evocative. Each type has its advantages and drawbacks, so consider which best suits your brands identity and objectives. For example, creative business ideas may seek unique names, while a financial services provider may keep it professional. Also, catchy names are often a hit. For instance, names like Yahoo and Zappos have tons of catchy appeal. Action step: Create your business category. Research and evaluate various name types, then categorize your potential names accordingly. Research competition and industry. Analyzing your competitors and industry can provide valuable insights into naming trends and best practices. Look for gaps or opportunities to create a name that stands out in the market. For example, you could easily use the search bar on a search engine like Google to look specifically for how to come up with a winning restaurant name or food truck name ideas. Action step: Conduct a competitive analysis, noting successful naming strategies within your industry, and incorporate these insights into your brainstorming process. Seek feedback from others. Gathering opinions from friends, family, or potential customers can help refine your name choices and identify any potential issues or misconceptions. Action step: Share your shortlist of potential names with a diverse group of people, and collect their feedback on clarity, memorability, and emotional impact. Ensure name availability. Expanding on the tip: Its essential to verify that your chosen name is not already in use, trademarked, or has an available domain and social handles. Action step: Perform thorough searches for existing businesses, trademarks, names of domains, and social media profiles to ensure your preferred name is available. Take your time. Finding the perfect business name may require patience and persistence. Dont rush the process or settle for a name that doesnt feel right. Action step: Set aside ample time to brainstorm, evaluate, and refine your list of potential names, ensuring youre confident in your final choice. Consult a professional. If youre struggling to find the perfect name, consider seeking the assistance of a naming consultant or agency. Professionals can provide valuable insights and expertise to guide you through the naming process. Action step: Research reputable naming consultants or agencies, and consider enlisting their help to refine your ideas or develop new naming options.1. Check out this video byBrandmaster Academy for choosing an epic business name: How To Come Up With A Business Name (Brand Name Ideas, Examples & Strategy). Why Business Names are So Important Whether you own an online store or a brick-and-mortar enterprise, the significance of a good business name goes beyond being a mere label; it encapsulates the essence of your brand and serves as a powerful marketing tool. An effective business name creates a lasting impression, instilling trust and credibility in the minds of potential customers. It is a key factor in differentiating your company from competitors, ensuring your unique value proposition stands out in a crowded marketplace. Furthermore, a well-crafted name can evoke the right emotions, driving customer loyalty and fostering word-of-mouth referrals. Ultimately, the best name lays the foundation for a cohesive brand identity, impacting everything from logo design to advertising campaigns. Thats why its a huge part of any business startup checklist. In todays fast-paced business landscape, a memorable and meaningful name is indispensable in establishing your presence and shaping the trajectory of your entrepreneurial success story. Whats in a Business Name? The significance of a business name should not be underestimated, as it serves as the official representation of your brand. When starting a new business, youre faced with numerous considerations, ranging from logistics like packaging, shipping, and distribution to crucial marketing decisions. However, amidst all these important factors, the absence of an appropriate official brand name can render everything else inconsequential. A notable example is Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. In 1994, Bezos initially contemplated naming his company Cadabra, drawing inspiration from the magical phrase Abracadabra. However, due to a miscommunication with his lawyer, who misheard it as cadaver, which refers to a lifeless body, Bezos swiftly made the decision to change the name to Amazon. Dont miss the insightful video discussion by Jonathan Bell, Founder and agency head of WANT Branding, on the topic of business name categories. Bell, a branding expert with a three-decade career, has contributed to over 2,000 projects worldwide, helping industry giants like Apple, Google, Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, and Johnson & Johnson to shape their branding strategies. His understanding of branding, distilled from his experiences with numerous renowned brands, makes his video a meaningful supplement to the insights offered in this article. How Do You Name Your Small Business? Learning how to create a business name typically begins with introspection and research. Here are some general steps to guide you in creating the perfect name for your new business idea: Define your brand Before brainstorming a potential business name, its important to have a clear understanding of your brand. Start by defining your brands values, mission, and target audience. Consider the unique selling points of your products or services and the emotions you want your brand to evoke. This foundational understanding will help guide your name-generation process. Brainstorm Keywords play a vital role in capturing the essence of your business. So youll want to Generate a list of keywords and phrases related to your brand, products, services, or industry. Use word association and mind mapping to expand your ideas. Consider different name types such as descriptive, acronymic, invented, or evocative. Also, think about the benefits you offer and the problems you solve. Include both general terms and specific words that resonate with your target audience. For example, if youre opening a bakery, keywords like delicious, freshly baked, and artisanal could be on your list. Keep it simple Aim for a name that is easy to pronounce, spell, and remember. Shorter names tend to be more memorable and reduce the risk of mispronunciation or misspellings. Customers cannot refer your business to their family and friends if they dont remember your companys name. Also, is the name easy for users to spell? This is the digital age, so your company name should be search engine friendly. Avoid complex or lengthy names that could confuse search engines or make it difficult for users to find your business online. Consider brand name types There are different types of brand names you can consider, each with its own advantages. Here are a few common types: Descriptive: These names clearly convey what your business does or offers. They are straightforward and easy to understand, but they may lack uniqueness. For example, Cozy Home Furnishings immediately communicates the nature of the business. These names clearly convey what your business does or offers. They are straightforward and easy to understand, but they may lack uniqueness. For example, Cozy Home Furnishings immediately communicates the nature of the business. Evocative: Evocative names evoke emotions or create a sense of imagery. They are often more memorable and can help build a strong brand personality. For example, Blissful Haven creates a sense of tranquility and comfort. Evocative names evoke emotions or create a sense of imagery. They are often more memorable and can help build a strong brand personality. For example, Blissful Haven creates a sense of tranquility and comfort. Invented: Invented names are unique and have no specific meaning. They provide the opportunity to build a distinctive brand identity from scratch. Examples include Google and Kodak. Invented names are unique and have no specific meaning. They provide the opportunity to build a distinctive brand identity from scratch. Examples include Google and Kodak. Compound: Compound business names combine two or more words to form a new word. This type of name can be catchy and memorable, such as Snapchat or YouTube. Use this list to find out which type of brand name aligns best with your brand identity and target audience. Test your brand name and refine Seek feedback from friends, other family members, or potential customers. Ensure the brand name resonates with your target audience and avoids any negative connotations or cultural misinterpretations. Once you have a shortlist of potential brand names, test them with your target audience, friends, and family. Seek feedback on the names clarity, memorability, and overall appeal of the brand name. Consider conducting surveys or focus groups to gather more comprehensive feedback. Based on the input received, refine your list and narrow it down to a few top choices. Remember, a brand name is a long-term investment, so choose wisely. Aim for a name that resonates with your target audience, reflects your brands personality, and sets you apart from the competition. By following these steps and putting thought into your brand name, youll be well on your way to establishing a strong and memorable brand presence. Check for business name availability Conduct a thorough search to ensure the business name isnt already in use or trademarked. Verify domain name and social media handle availability for consistency across platforms. Additionally, when you are selecting your business domain, take into consideration navigational searches. These searches are the traffic youll get when people search online for your company. Its also the reason why you should try and utilize it as your URL. Of course, But if your business name isnt available as a .com, there are some excellent alternatives you can use. Also, if a domain name is taken, you can often add a verb to the name to make it work. Consider getting related domains While its always a good idea to select a top-tier domain like .com as your primary choice for a business name, its also a good idea to get related ones like .org and .net that feature your unique business name. That way, a competitor doesnt snatch them up and ride on your coattails. Legal considerations Consult a legal expert to confirm that your chosen business name complies with local regulations and to secure necessary trademark protections. After all, what will keep someone from cloning your website if you have no protections in place? You can also conduct a trademark search to ensure that your potential business name is not already trademarked or in use by another company. This step is crucial for avoiding legal conflicts and protecting your brands identity. Utilize online trademark databases, consult legal professionals, and consider hiring a trademark attorney for comprehensive research and guidance. Taking the time to conduct a thorough trademark search can save you from potential legal headaches down the road. Be patient Finding the right company name for your physical or ecommerce store may take time, so dont rush the process. Be open to refining your ideas and allow your creative juices to flow. Remember, the journey to your own name and finding the perfect business name is unique for each entrepreneur. By following these general guidelines and trusting your instincts, youll be well on your way to selecting a name that truly represents your brand and sets the stage for success. How to Register a Business Name If youre about to start a new business and feeling overwhelmed by the registration process, heres a simplified comparison table that outlines the essential steps. Itll help you see at a glance what you need to do to register your business name. Step Description Action 1. Choose a Business Structure Your business structure impacts registration, taxes, and liability. Decide whether your business will be a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation. 2. Research State Requirements Your state has specific naming rules and registration procedures. Consult your state's SOS website or a local attorney to understand these rules. 3. Check Name Availability You can't use a business name that's already in use. Search your preferred name in your state's business registry database. Also, verify the availability of domain name and social media handles. 4. Register a Fictitious Business Name (if applicable) If you're using a name different from your legal name, you'll need to register it. This is relevant if you're a sole proprietorship or partnership. File an application for a "Doing Business As" (DBA) or fictitious business name. 5. Register Your Business Entity (if applicable) Formal business entities need to register with the state's SOS. This is relevant if you're forming an LLC, corporation, or other formal entity. Submit the required articles and pay a filing fee. 6. Apply for an EIN Most businesses need an EIN for tax purposes. Apply for an EIN online on the IRS website. 7. Register for State and Local Taxes You may need to register for specific business taxes. Research your state's tax requirements. Register for sales tax, employer taxes, or other business taxes as needed. 8. Obtain Necessary Licenses and Permits Different industries and locations have different licensing requirements. Check federal, state, and local requirements. Obtain any necessary licenses or permits. 9. File a Trademark (optional) Filing a trademark can protect your business name nationwide. This can involve the assistance of an attorney and includes a filing fee. 10. Keep Your Registration Up-to-Date Maintaining your registration requires ongoing tasks. File annual reports and renew licenses and permits as required by your state and local laws. Now, lets take a detailed look at the steps for registering the name. While specific requirements and processes may vary by state, this step-by-step guide outlines the general procedure for registering a business name in the United States: Choose a business structure Determine the legal structure of your business, such as sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. The structure you choose will impact the registration process, taxes, and liability and protect your personal assets. Research state requirements Visit your states Secretary of State (SOS) website or consult a local attorney to understand the specific registration requirements naming rules and procedures applicable to your business structure and location. Check name availability Conduct a name search on your states business registry database to ensure your desired company name is not already in use or too similar to an existing business name. After all, you dont want your company to have the same name as one of your competitors. Verify the availability of your desired domain name and social media handles. Register a fictitious business name (if applicable) If you are operating as a sole proprietorship or partnership and plan to use a name different from your legal name, you may need to register a Doing Business As (DBA) or fictitious business name. This process typically involves filing an application with your county clerk or state agency, paying a fee, and publishing a notice in a local newspaper. Register your business entity (if applicable) If youre forming an LLC, corporation, or another formal business entity, youll need to register with your states SOS. This usually involves the business entity submitting articles of organization (for an LLC) or articles of incorporation (for a corporation) and paying a filing fee. Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Obtain an EIN from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for tax purposes. This is necessary for most business structures, except for sole proprietorships without employees. You can apply for an EIN online at the IRS website for free. Register for state and local taxes Depending on your state and local tax requirements, you may need to register for sales tax, employer taxes, or other business taxes. Visit your states taxation website for specific details and registration procedures. You may also need to register your business in another state if you move or expand. Obtain necessary licenses and permits Depending on your industry and location, you may need various licenses or permits to operate legally. Research federal, state, and local requirements to ensure youre compliant with all regulations. File a trademark (optional) If you wish to protect your business name nationwide, consider filing for a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This process may require the assistance of an attorney and involves a filing fee. Keep your registration up-to-date Maintain your company name registration by filing annual reports and renewing licenses and permits as required by your state and local laws. Please note that this guide provides a general overview, and specific requirements may vary based on your business type, structure, and location. It is highly recommended that you consult a local attorney or accountant to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Legal and Trademark Considerations in Naming Your Business When choosing a business name, its essential to intertwine creativity with legal prudence. This name is not just a label; its a cornerstone of your brands identity and legal entity. Heres what you need to know about the legal and trademark considerations in this process: Trademark Search and Compliance: Conducting a trademark search is crucial to ensure that your chosen name doesnt infringe upon existing trademarks. This step is vital because infringement can lead to costly legal disputes and potentially necessitate rebranding. To conduct a search, utilize online trademark databases such as the USPTO. Its important to note that even unregistered names in use could pose legal risks if they could cause confusion among consumers. Understanding Trademark Law: Trademark laws primary goal is to prevent consumer confusion by protecting names, logos, and other branding elements. These laws are territorial, meaning a name could be available in one area but protected in another. Understanding the geographical scope of your business is essential in this context, especially if you plan to expand your market reach. Distinctiveness and Descriptiveness: From a legal standpoint, choosing a name that is distinctive rather than generic or merely descriptive is advisable. Generic or descriptive names offer limited legal protection and are often considered weak in the context of trademark law. Conversely, inventive, arbitrary, or fanciful names provide stronger legal protection and make your brand more legally defensible. The 15 Best Business Name Generator Options Stuck on how to come up with a good business name? Youre definitely not alone. After all, coming up with a business name is a very important decision. Luckily, there are plenty of options for developing business name ideas. And they come in the form of business name generators. There is no shortage of these name generator sites that help you come up with business name ideas. Heres a look at the top 15 business name generators: Shopify Business Name Generator : A popular free business name generator tool that generates name ideas and checks domain availability, especially useful for e-commerce businesses. Namelix : An AI-powered name generator that creates short, catchy, and brandable names, complete with available names for domains. Lean Domain Search : This business name generator focuses on finding available names for domains based on your keyword input, helping you discover unique and memorable business names with matching domain names. NameStation : NameStation generates business name ideas using keywords, word combinations, and domain availability checks. The platform also offers a community-driven naming contest feature to crowdsource name suggestions. Novanym : This name generator provides unique business names, available domain names, and professionally designed logos. Anadea Business Name Generator : Generates business name suggestions based on your inputted keywords. Wordlab : Offers a wide range of business name generators, including one specifically for business names. Brandroot : This business name generator helps build brand recognition by creating unique and brandable business names with available names for domains and customizable logos. Business Name Generator (BNG) : Offers a simple interface to generate business name ideas based on your keywords and industry. Names4Brands : Generates random business names and allows you to customize the name based on specific criteria, such as word length and language. Panabee : This name generator offers business name ideas, domain name suggestions and checks domain availability. BrandBucket : This business name generator provides a curated list of brandable names of domains, including premium domains and unique business name ideas. DomainWheel : Offers business name ideas and available domain name suggestions, with a focus on creativity and wordplay. NameSnack : An AI-powered business name generator that creates name suggestions based on your keywords and provides available domain names. Zyro Business Name Generator : This creative name generator creates unique business name ideas based on your chosen keywords and industry, ensuring the availability of corresponding domain names for your potential business names. How to Come Up with a Business Name FAQs Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about coming up with a business name. What are some catchy business names? Catchy business names are memorable and unique and often evoke a positive emotional response from customers. They can be creative, use wordplay, or have a strong connection to the brands identity. Here are some examples of catchy business names. These are some of the most iconic brands right now: Netflix: A combination of Internet and flicks, implying a service that provides movies online. Fitbit: A blend of fit and bit, suggesting a small device that helps users stay fit. Groupon: A portmanteau of group and coupon, reflecting the companys group discount business model. Etsy: A playful, invented name that evokes creativity and craftsmanship. MailChimp: A quirky, memorable name that combines mail and chimp, emphasizing the fun and approachable nature of their email marketing platform. These examples showcase the power of catchy and creative business names, which can effectively capture attention and leave a lasting impression on customers. What to avoid in naming a business? When naming a business, there are several key factors to avoid to ensure your chosen name is effective and beneficial to your brand. Here are some tips on what not to include in your business name: Steer clear of names that are too long, complex, or difficult to pronounce, as they may lead to confusion and reduce memorability. Avoid using trendy terms or buzzwords that may become outdated quickly, instead aiming for a timeless name. Refrain from selecting names that limit your businesss growth, scope, or adaptability. Its also important to avoid potential legal issues by ensuring your chosen name is not already in use, trademarked, or too similar to an existing business name. Lastly, be cautious of names with unintended negative connotations, as they may harm your brands image. What are the recent trends in business names? Recent trends in business names reflect the evolving preferences and values of customers and the marketplace. Some noteworthy trends include: Mash-ups and portmanteaus Combining two words or concepts into one unique name is a popular approach. Examples include Instagram (instant + telegram) and Pinterest (pin + interest). Misspellings and creative spellings Intentional misspellings or unconventional spellings can make a name stand out, such as Flickr, Tumblr, and Lyft. Use of technology-related terms With the rise of tech companies, names incorporating tech-related terms or concepts have become increasingly popular. Examples include Salesforce, TechCrunch, and CyberArk. Simple, descriptive names Names that directly convey the businesss purpose or function have gained traction. Examples include Dollar Shave Club, The Honest Company, and Blue Apron. Made-up or invented names Unique, invented names can create a strong brand identity and are often easily trademarked. Examples include Spotify, Zillow, and Venmo. Evocative names Names that elicit an emotional response or convey a specific feeling have become popular. Examples include Evernote, Nest, and Serenity Spa. Geo-specific names Incorporating a location into the business name can create a strong local identity. Examples include Seattles Best Coffee and Brooklyn Brewery. Minimalist, single-word names Simple, one-word names can be powerful and memorable, such as Apple, Slack, and Tesla. Use of suffixes Adding popular suffixes like -ify, -ly, or -io to create brandable names has become a common trend. Examples include Shopify, Grammarly, and Dribbble. These trends highlight the diverse approaches to creating modern, appealing business names that resonate with customers and stand out in the market. Should you name a business after yourself? Theres no rule against incorporating your own name into your business name. Several well-known brands use the creator of the companys name. One example is Boeing, named after its founder, William Boeing. Another is Ben & Jerrys ice cream, named after its two founders, Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield. However, naming a business after yourself has both advantages and disadvantages, and the decision ultimately depends on your personal preferences, goals, and the nature of your business. Advantages: Personal connection: Naming your business after yourself can create a strong personal connection with your brand and convey a sense of authenticity and trustworthiness. Legacy: Your name becomes synonymous with the business, potentially creating a lasting legacy and personal reputation within your industry. Disadvantages: Limited scalability: If your business expands or pivots, a personal name may not be as adaptable or relevant, possibly limiting your brands growth potential. Difficult to sell: Prospective buyers may be less inclined to purchase a business named after the original owner, as it may be more challenging to rebrand or dissociate from the founders identity. Privacy concerns: Using your name as the business name may expose you to potential privacy issues and make it more difficult to separate your personal and professional life. Before making a decision, consider the long-term vision for your business and the message you want to convey to your customers. If your personal reputation is a significant factor in your businesss success, and you are comfortable with the potential drawbacks, naming your business after yourself could be a viable option. However, if scalability, a potential sale of the business, or privacy concerns are significant factors, you may want to explore alternative naming strategies. How do you create a catchy business name? When youre trying to figure out how to come up with a catchy name for your company, know that it involves a blend of creativity, strategy, and an understanding of your target audience. Here are some tips to help you come up with a memorable and appealing name: Keep it simple: A short, easy-to-pronounce name is more likely to stick in peoples minds. Its also more likely to fit on marketing materials, from online ads to reusable shopping bags. Aim for no more than three syllables, and avoid complex words or phrases A short, easy-to-pronounce name is more likely to stick in peoples minds. Its also more likely to fit on marketing materials, from online ads to reusable shopping bags. Aim for no more than three syllables, and avoid complex words or phrases Be unique: Here, youll want to use one-of-a-kind words instead of common words. Avoid generic or overused terms. In a nutshell, stand out from the competition by choosing a name that distinguishes your business from others in your industry. Here, youll want to use one-of-a-kind words instead of common words. Avoid generic or overused terms. In a nutshell, stand out from the competition by choosing a name that distinguishes your business from others in your industry. Use wordplay: Employing puns, alliteration, or rhyming words can make your business name memorable and fun. Examples include Dunkin Donuts and PayPal. Employing puns, alliteration, or rhyming words can make your business name memorable and fun. Examples include Dunkin Donuts and PayPal. Evoke emotion: A name that triggers an emotional response or evokes a vivid image can make a lasting impression. Consider the feelings or ideas you want to associate with your brand and incorporate those elements into the name. A name that triggers an emotional response or evokes a vivid image can make a lasting impression. Consider the feelings or ideas you want to associate with your brand and incorporate those elements into the name. Be descriptive: A name that conveys your businesss purpose or function can help customers understand your offerings. However, avoid being too narrow, as it may limit your future growth or expansion. A name that conveys your businesss purpose or function can help customers understand your offerings. However, avoid being too narrow, as it may limit your future growth or expansion. Consider your target audience: Understand the preferences and values of your target audience and select a name that resonates with them. Understand the preferences and values of your target audience and select a name that resonates with them. Test the name : Gather feedback from friends, family, or customers to ensure your chosen name is appealing and easy to understand. : Gather feedback from friends, family, or customers to ensure your chosen name is appealing and easy to understand. Check availability: Make sure your desired name is not already in use or trademarked by another business. Also, verify that a suitable domain name is available for your online presence. Check into how to buy a business name if your choice is taken but not currently in use. Some website owners may also be willing to sell a domain name if you reach out. By following these tips and carefully considering the message you want to convey with your business name idea, you can create a catchy and memorable brand identity that resonates with your target audience. Why do you need a unique business name? There are several compelling reasons you need a unique business name to ensure the success and longevity of your brand. A distinctive name sets your business apart from competitors, establishes a strong brand story, and creates a lasting impression on customers. Stand out in the market Easier to trademark Enhance brand identity Avoid confusion Improve online presence Encourage word-of-mouth marketing What is the significance of using business cards in coming up with a business name? Business cards can serve as a source of inspiration when brainstorming a business name. They often include essential information about a company, such as its logo, tagline, and contact details. Analyzing various cards for your business can help spark ideas, trigger creativity, and provide insights into effective naming strategies. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. A floral shop can be a fun and profitable business opportunity. If you already love flowers, you just need some basic business knowledge to get started. This article shows you how to open a flower shop and some other essential tips to help it thrive. Starting Your Own Flower Shop Business If youre interested in becoming a flower shop owner, there are a few key steps to take before you can spend your day arranging flowers. Here are the most important elements of opening a flower shop. 1. Research the Flower Shop Industry The flower shop industry has faced challenges in recent years. Increased competition from online and large retailers along with shrinking demand has led to fewer independent shops. However, floral designers who are passionate and have a strong business plan can still succeed. You just need to understand the challenges before getting started. 2. Know Your Target Market Many flower shops succeed by focusing their efforts on a specific unmet need in their community. For example, your research may show that there are plenty of grocery stores in your area that sell basic bouquets. So you may have more luck focusing on wedding flowers and centerpieces. This niche and mission statement allow you to focus your marketing and branding on these target customers. 3. Research and Check out Your Floral Business Competitors Independent flower shops face competition from grocery stores, ecommerce shops, and other florists in the area. Before opening any small business, determine where else people in your area can get similar products. Then determine if theres a large enough need for your specific offerings. 4. Create a Flower Shop Business Plan Every small business needs a plan to earn revenue. Here are some key elements to include: Business summary Market and competitor analysis Product descriptions and pricing strategy Costs Marketing plan 5. Name Your New Flower Shop Business A flower shop should have a name that is memorable, while still being obvious about what the business provides. For example, Teleflora is quippy and accurately describes the business, since you can quickly order flowers online or by phone. And Blooms By the Box describes the companys wholesale model for large weddings and events. Once you have a name, register it with your state to keep others from using your name. You may also trademark it for extra legal protection. 6. Get Your Branding Right In addition to a name, you should also create a logo and other branding elements to use in your website and marketing materials. Keeping these consistent helps customers quickly remember your business and makes you look professional. 7. Choose a Location and Size If you plan to open a retail flower shop, you need a storefront. It should have enough space for your inventory and coolers to keep them fresh. A location with easy parking or walkability can make it easier for customers to visit. But find a lease thats within your budget, taking other operating expenses and projected revenue into account. 8. Open a Business Bank Account A separate business bank account makes it easier to track revenue and expenses. And it separates your personal finances. You may open one at your own bank or a separate one using your business name and EIN. A business credit card may also help you cover expenses and build credit history if you ever plan to look for financing. 9. Research Licensing Permits and Fees Business licensing and permit requirements vary by state and community. So check with your city clerk or state business office for specific processes and fees. Here are some common ones a florist shop may need: General business license Zoning permit Sellers permit Building safety inspection Doing Business As license 10. Secure Funding for Your Business Funding can help you secure a location, purchase inventory and supplies, and hire employees. If you have good credit, you might qualify for a small business loan from a bank or online lender. Additionally, some communities may offer grants to revitalize their downtown areas. Alternatively, you may use a personal loan or credit to cover some startup costs. 11. Choose a Legal Entity A legal entity specifies how your business pays taxes and what kind of liability you may be responsible for as the owner. Here are some common options. Sole proprietor: This business structure is only for small companies with no employees. The owner is solely liable for all potential damages. So it may only be relevant to small ecommerce businesses. Partnership: Partnerships are similar to sole proprietorships. But more than one person is listed as the owner. LLC: A limited liability company separates you from your business in terms of liability. So if youre sued, your personal assets should not be in play. Corporation: Corporations are also separate from the owner to prevent personal liability. But theyre also separate in terms of taxes, unlike LLCs where the owner claims the income. 12. Purchase Business Insurance Insurance protects businesses from an array of unexpected expenses. Here are some types that may be relevant to a flower store: General liability insurance: This covers costs from lawsuits. For example, if a customer is injured on your property, your policy covers up to a certain amount. Commercial property insurance: This helps property owners and businesses pay for necessary repairs or replacement items if the storefront is damaged in a natural disaster or fire. Workers compensation: For shops that have employees, this provides compensation if theyre injured while working. Commercial auto insurance: If you deliver flowers, an auto policy protects your vehicles if theres an accident. 13. Decide on Your Product Pricing Before you can start selling flowers, you need to price each item. For example, single roses may be the least expensive, while bouquets and custom arrangements may cost more. You may also have rates for special events or specialty flowers that require extra work to source. 14. Source Inventory and Essential Items Find a wholesaler that offers the flowers you need to create your arrangements and products. You may also need extra supplies like pruning shears and vases. Larger purchases may include coolers and a delivery vehicle. 15. Market Your Business Once youre set up, its time to bring customers through the door. Consider local ads, social media or search ads, or outreach to relevant community groups. For example, partnering with local dress shops may help you reach more bridal clients. 16. Consider Multiple Income Streams Flower sales may make up the bulk of your revenue. But a successful business often requires multiple ways of making money. For example, you may also provide delivery to cemeteries or connect with a business partner like 1-800-Flowers to bring in more customers. 17. Hire Staff If you cannot staff your own shop on your own, youll need extra employees to help customers. Register for an Employer Identification Number from the IRS and set up payroll and taxes to remain compliant. 18. Enjoy the Grand Opening Your grand opening should be a fun event that introduces your products and services to target customers. Reach out to local publications and your local chamber of commerce to create buzz. 19. Be a Successful Flower Shop Business Owner Maintaining a successful local florist business requires quality products, excellent customer service, and constant improvement of business skills. Constantly monitor trends in the flower industry and purchase flowers that your target customers are most interested in. Why You Should Open a Flower Shop Business Flower shop owners enjoy tons of benefits, both on a business and personal level. If youre wondering whether or not this opportunity is the right fit here are some flower shop statistics. Moreover, heres why many local florists get started: Ability to express creativity through flowers Opportunity to connect with customers during major life events (weddings, anniversaries, etc.) Multiple streams of revenue (bouquets, centerpieces, full wedding flowers) The Florist Industry in the United States The floral industry in the U.S. is worth about $5 billion. However, independent flower shops have lost market share over the past several years due to competition from grocery stores and ecommerce sites. Despite this impressive figure, the landscape of this industry has been changing dramatically. Here are some key points to consider: Market Dynamics : Over recent years, independent flower shops have experienced a decline in market share. This trend can be attributed to increased competition from supermarkets, online retailers, and large floral chains. These competitors often offer lower prices and greater convenience, challenging small businesses. : Over recent years, independent flower shops have experienced a decline in market share. This trend can be attributed to increased competition from supermarkets, online retailers, and large floral chains. These competitors often offer lower prices and greater convenience, challenging small businesses. Opportunities for New Entrants : Unserved Markets : In areas without existing florist services, new entrants can find lucrative opportunities. Establishing a flower shop in these locations can meet unfulfilled customer needs. Personalization and Specialty Services : Small businesses can differentiate themselves by offering personalized services, unique floral arrangements, and specialized experiences that larger competitors may not provide. Local Partnerships : Building relationships with local businesses and event planners can create a steady stream of clients. Catering to weddings, corporate events, and other special occasions can be particularly profitable. Community Engagement : Engaging with the community through workshops, local events, and social media can build a loyal customer base. : Challenges to Consider : Cost Management : Managing costs effectively is crucial, especially when competing with low-cost providers. Marketing and Branding : Developing a strong brand and marketing strategy is essential to stand out in a crowded market. : Understanding these dynamics is crucial for anyone looking to enter the florist industry in the United States. The ability to adapt to the changing market and find unique ways to serve customers can be the key to success in this challenging yet potentially rewarding field. How Much Does it Cost to Start a Flower Shop? The costs of opening a flower business vary widely depending on the size of the store and inventory. Retail florists with large storefronts in busy areas may pay between $50,000 and $75,000 in startup costs for a lease, coolers, and inventory. However, those who sell flower arrangements online can save on retail space and large equipment. Smaller operations may cost $10,000 or less at first. Things You Should Know Before Starting a Flower Shop Business Before you start a flower shop, you need some specialized knowledge about running these local shops. Here are some florist resources that may help. Temperature Control Some flowers go through their food reserves more quickly in heat. Keeping fresh flowers in a cooler or temperature-controlled storefront can keep them alive longer. Florist Software Florist software can help you manage inventory, facilitate purchases, and cover expenses. Here are a few options: QuickFlora: This floral POS helps florists complete purchases in a retail environment FloralFrog: This all-in-one solution includes options for collecting payments, managing daily tasks, and even routing deliveries Details Flowers: This software specializes in event design. So its ideal for those that focus on wedding flowers Holidays Holidays like Valentines Day and Mothers Day are especially busy for flower shops. It may be worthwhile to focus marketing efforts around these holidays and ensure you have enough staff. Tips for Marketing and Promoting Your Flower Shop Business Having a beautiful flower shop and offering excellent products and services is just the beginning. To attract customers and make your flower shop business successful, you need effective marketing strategies. Here are some tips for marketing and promoting your flower shop: Build an Online Presence: In todays digital age, having an online presence is crucial. Create a professional website showcasing your floral arrangements, services, contact information, and any special offers or promotions. Use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to share photos of your floral designs and engage with potential customers. In todays digital age, having an online presence is crucial. Create a professional website showcasing your floral arrangements, services, contact information, and any special offers or promotions. Use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to share photos of your floral designs and engage with potential customers. Offer Online Ordering and Delivery: Provide the convenience of online ordering for customers who prefer to shop from the comfort of their homes. Implement a secure online payment system and offer delivery services to reach a broader customer base. Provide the convenience of online ordering for customers who prefer to shop from the comfort of their homes. Implement a secure online payment system and offer delivery services to reach a broader customer base. Utilize Local SEO: Optimize your website for local search by using location-specific keywords and listing your flower shop on Google My Business. This will help your shop appear in local searches and on Google Maps. Optimize your website for local search by using location-specific keywords and listing your flower shop on Google My Business. This will help your shop appear in local searches and on Google Maps. Participate in Local Events: Engage with your community by participating in local events, fairs, or markets. Set up a booth and showcase your floral arrangements to attract potential customers and create brand awareness. Engage with your community by participating in local events, fairs, or markets. Set up a booth and showcase your floral arrangements to attract potential customers and create brand awareness. Collaborate with Local Businesses: Partner with other local businesses, such as event planners, wedding venues, restaurants, and gift shops, to cross-promote each others services. Offer discounts or special packages for customers referred by these businesses. Partner with other local businesses, such as event planners, wedding venues, restaurants, and gift shops, to cross-promote each others services. Offer discounts or special packages for customers referred by these businesses. Run Promotions and Discounts: Offer seasonal promotions, discounts on specific occasions, or loyalty programs to incentivize repeat business and attract new customers. Offer seasonal promotions, discounts on specific occasions, or loyalty programs to incentivize repeat business and attract new customers. Host Workshops and Events: Organize floral arrangement workshops or demonstrations to showcase your expertise and attract people interested in learning about flowers. Hosting events can also generate buzz and attract potential customers to your shop. Organize floral arrangement workshops or demonstrations to showcase your expertise and attract people interested in learning about flowers. Hosting events can also generate buzz and attract potential customers to your shop. Send Out Email Newsletters: Build an email list of customers and potential clients and send out regular newsletters with updates, promotions, and tips on caring for flowers. Email marketing is an effective way to stay connected with your audience. Build an email list of customers and potential clients and send out regular newsletters with updates, promotions, and tips on caring for flowers. Email marketing is an effective way to stay connected with your audience. Showcase Your Expertise: Share your floral knowledge and expertise through blog posts, videos, or social media content. Provide tips on flower care, arrangement ideas, and the meaning behind different flowers. Share your floral knowledge and expertise through blog posts, videos, or social media content. Provide tips on flower care, arrangement ideas, and the meaning behind different flowers. Create Stunning Window Displays: Your shops window displays are like advertisements that entice people passing by to step inside. Change your displays regularly to keep them fresh and appealing. Your shops window displays are like advertisements that entice people passing by to step inside. Change your displays regularly to keep them fresh and appealing. Engage in Local Sponsorships: Sponsor local events, school activities, or charitable causes to increase your shops visibility and demonstrate community involvement. Tips for Marketing Your Flower Shop Description Build an Online Presence Create a professional website showcasing floral arrangements, services, contact info, and promotions. Use social media to engage users. Offer Online Ordering and Delivery Provide online ordering and secure payment options, along with delivery services for customer convenience. Utilize Local SEO Optimize your website for local search with location-specific keywords and listing on Google My Business. Participate in Local Events Engage with the community by showcasing floral arrangements at local events, fairs, or markets. Collaborate with Local Businesses Partner with other businesses to cross-promote services and offer discounts for referred customers. Run Promotions and Discounts Offer seasonal promotions, occasion-based discounts, and loyalty programs to attract and retain customers. Host Workshops and Events Organize floral arrangement workshops or demonstrations to showcase expertise and attract potential customers. Send Out Email Newsletters Build an email list and send regular newsletters with updates, promotions, and flower care tips to stay connected with the audience. Showcase Your Expertise Share floral knowledge through blog posts, videos, or social media content, providing tips and arrangement ideas. Create Stunning Window Displays Use appealing window displays as advertisements to attract passersby and encourage them to enter the shop. Engage in Local Sponsorships Sponsor local events, activities, or causes to increase visibility and demonstrate community involvement. Remember that successful marketing is about understanding your target market, being creative, and consistently maintaining your brand image. By implementing these marketing strategies, you can effectively promote your flower shop and attract a steady flow of customers, making it a flourishing and profitable business. Is owning a flower shop profitable? Flower shops can be profitable if they keep costs low and create multiple revenue streams. Many shops offer bouquets, cut flowers, wreaths, delivery, custom arrangements, and special event flowers. So if the purchase price of these products and services is high enough to cover the limited expenses of a flower shop, you should turn a profit. Where do flower shops get their flowers? Flower shops usually get inventory from wholesalers that offer an array of products in bulk. Or they may work directly with local flower farms. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Airbnb operates as an online platform bridging the gap between those seeking rental accommodations and those with available spaces to let. Catering to short-term as well as long-term renters, it presents a diverse range of property types from a single room with shared facilities to large, luxurious homes, apartments, or even RV sites. Airbnb offers a wide array of opportunities for renters and hosts alike, making it a compelling choice for those seeking to explore different avenues in property rentals. No matter the size, an airbnb can be a profitable option for anyone hoping to earn extra income. You can run one, hoping to earn extra money, or run more properties and make it your full-time job in a full-time rental business. How to Start an Airbnb Business: Step by Step 1. Decide on Your Budget Planning your budget is a key first step when starting an Airbnb business. Whether renting or purchasing a property, its vital to factor in all costs, including the mortgage, homeowners insurance, taxes, utilities, and property maintenance. At the same time, youll also need to calculate other factors, such as the cost to furnish the property, including linens and towels, and outfit the kitchen. Evaluating potential returns based on local rental rates can provide insights into your break-even point and profitability. Beyond the basic costs, consider setting aside a contingency fund for unexpected expenses, such as emergency repairs or periods of low occupancy. Also, factor in the costs for marketing your property, especially if you plan to use paid advertising channels. A detailed financial plan ensures youre prepared for both the expected and unexpected costs of running an Airbnb business. 2. Choose Your Rental Market Identifying your target rental market is integral to your business strategy. Depending on your propertys location and features, you might target corporate travelers seeking a comfortable home-like environment or leisure tourists drawn to local attractions. Understanding your potential guests needs and preferences will guide your marketing approach and help you tailor your property to meet their expectations. Research local market trends, peak tourist seasons, and average occupancy rates in your chosen area. Analyze the type of properties that are most in demand, whether its luxury homes, cozy apartments, or unique stays like cabins or treehouses. Understanding these dynamics helps you position your Airbnb to meet market demands and maximize your occupancy rate. 3. Name Your New Airbnb Host Business Choosing a distinctive, memorable name for your Airbnb business can help you stand out from the competition. Rather than common names like Mountain Retreat or Beach Escape, consider adding a personal touch or incorporating unique features of your property. For example, Lauras Cozy Mountain Hideout or Jimmys Beachfront Oasis could make your property more memorable for potential guests. 4. Form a Legal Business Entity As you launch your Airbnb business, its vital to establish a legal business entity. Most Airbnb hosts prefer a Limited Liability Company (LLC) structure as it protects personal assets from potential business liabilities. This can be particularly advantageous if youre planning to manage multiple properties, allowing you to operate under a single legal entity, simplifying administrative tasks and offering additional legal protection. 5. Get Your Taxes in Order Youll of course pay real estate taxes, along with everyone else who owns real estate. Youll also pay sales tax and a local occupancy tax (often called a hotel tax. You can arrange for airbnb to collect and pay the hotel tax. Youll have to pay the sales tax, which should be calculated monthly. You can pay sales tax monthly or quarterly. Make sure you carefully keep track of expenses, such as the cleaning, any repairs, or replacement of aging furniture, linens, towels and kitchen supplies. If you keep track of expenses, filing taxes at the close of the year will be much less time consuming. Youll file information about profit from your airbnb rental on a schedule C. 6. Choose a Location The location of your Airbnb property can significantly influence its success. Potential guests typically prioritize properties in safe, quiet neighborhoods with convenient access to local attractions, amenities, and transportation. Accessibility features, like easy parking and entry, can also be important considerations for guests when choosing a property. Therefore, carefully selecting a location that meets these criteria can enhance your propertys appeal and occupancy rates. 7. Sort Out Permits and Licenses Operating an Airbnb business requires complying with local regulations, including securing appropriate permits and licenses. Areas zoned for residential use may not allow short-term rentals, and certain cities require hosts to register their rentals and obtain a business license. Ensuring youre operating within legal parameters can protect you from potential fines and legal issues down the line. 8. Open a Business Bank Account As your Airbnb business grows, keeping business finances separate from personal ones becomes crucial. Opening a dedicated business bank account can simplify accounting and tax preparation. It also provides a clearer picture of your businesss financial health by keeping all income and expenses in one place. Remember, if your business meets certain thresholds, Airbnb will issue a 1099-K form for tax purposes. 9. Acquire Business Insurance Insuring your property is a crucial step in setting up your Airbnb business. Youll need homeowners insurance to cover any damage or loss during non-rental periods, and Airbnbs Host Protection Insurance provides some coverage for accidents during a guests stay. However, it may be prudent to also consider additional business insurance for comprehensive coverage, including general liability and property damage. 10. Look at Properties on the Market Scouring the property market in your chosen area is an invaluable step before launching your Airbnb business. Dont just glance through perform an in-depth analysis of successful listings. Notice their popular features, aesthetic appeal, and the amenities they offer. How are they priced? What kind of reviews do they get? All of this provides crucial data for your business. If possible, consider touring some properties personally to gain a more tactile understanding. These insights can guide your decisions when buying or leasing properties for your Airbnb venture, setting you up for success. 11. Buy the Property Every real estate transaction comes with associated costs that often surprise first-time buyers. These include transfer taxes, which are levied by the state or local government each time the property changes hands. Additionally, real estate commissions typically 5-6% of the selling price are shared between the buyers and sellers agents. Filing fees for legal documents also add up. Dont overlook the hefty down payment, typically 20% of the purchase price, required upfront. Furthermore, you should budget for mortgage origination costs fees charged by lenders to process your mortgage. Understanding these costs aids in accurate financial planning for your Airbnb investment. 12. Create an Airbnb Business Plan One of the best features of having your listing stand on the airbnb website is that hundreds of people will see it. You wont have to devote a lot of time to marketing. If you or a group of people are running the airbnb here are some more tips: Describe the business structure. Who is the host, who is in charge? Who is going to respond to complaints? What is the preferred customer base for the property? What are the income predictions? How will we receive payments? What are the recurring costs (cleaning, utilities, furniture and equipment replacement). 13. Create Your Airbnb Listing Youll need high quality photos to make your property stand out, especially if you have special features such as a fireplace, or a panoramic view, these should be the highlights of your visual representation. Enlisting a professional photographer is an investment that can pay dividends. A professional has a keen eye for details, knows how to use lighting to enhance aesthetics, and will capture your property in its best light, encouraging potential guests to book. Aside from the visuals, your Airbnb listing should meticulously detail the amenities your property offers. This includes kitchen appliances like a coffee maker or air fryer, the number of bedrooms, the maximum occupancy, and policies regarding additional guests. A comprehensive list aids guests in making an informed decision and sets clear expectations. As digital connectivity is a non-negotiable for many guests, especially business travelers, ensure your property has high-speed internet. Without it, you risk losing a significant customer base. Finally, your pet policy needs clear articulation. If you decide to allow pets, define the rules. This could involve asking for an additional deposit or setting a weight limit for pets. Clear, detailed rules help avoid any misunderstandings with your guests and safeguard your property. 14. Enhance Guest Experience with Added Amenities Consider offering added amenities to enhance the guest experience, such as a welcome basket, local guidebooks, or discounts at nearby attractions. Providing bikes for guests to explore the area or arranging partnerships with local businesses for special deals can also set your Airbnb apart. 15. Implement Smart Technology for Efficiency Incorporate smart technology like keyless entry, smart thermostats, and Wi-Fi-connected security cameras. These technologies not only improve guest convenience and safety but also help you manage the property remotely. 16. Develop a Maintenance and Cleaning Routine Establish a routine for regular maintenance and cleaning to ensure your property remains in top condition. Consider hiring a reliable cleaning service and schedule regular maintenance checks. This will not only improve guest satisfaction but also help in maintaining the value of your property. 17. Create a Guest Communication Plan Develop a communication plan that includes pre-arrival instructions, a warm welcome message, and a check-out thank you note. Be available to answer any questions during their stay. Excellent communication can lead to better reviews and repeat guests. 18. Explore Dynamic Pricing Strategies Use dynamic pricing tools to adjust your rates based on demand, seasonality, and local events. This can help maximize your revenue during peak times and ensure competitive pricing during slower periods. 19. Establish an Emergency Response Plan Have a plan in place for emergencies, such as natural disasters, accidents, or urgent maintenance issues. This includes having a list of emergency contacts, instructions for guests, and a quick response plan to address any urgent issues. 20. Build a Strong Online Reputation Encourage guests to leave reviews and respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, in a professional manner. A strong online reputation can significantly influence potential guests booking decisions. 21. Consider Expansion Opportunities Once your initial Airbnb is successfully running, consider expanding your portfolio. This could mean adding more properties in the same area or exploring new markets. Expansion should be based on careful market research and your ability to manage additional properties. 22. Be Successful Small Business Owners of an Airbnb Business In the world of Airbnb, customer reviews serve as a hosts report card. They are public assessments of your service, dictating your reputation in the marketplace. As with any small business, customer feedback can make or break your standing; a single negative review has the potential to significantly impact bookings. Managing an Airbnb property is not without its challenges. Just like any home, things break or malfunction unexpectedly. A water heater might fail on a cold night, or a storm could knock out power, leaving your guests uncomfortable and disgruntled. Navigating these unpredictable situations requires you to be an attentive, responsive host. Being proactive in managing and maintaining your property can prevent many of these issues from occurring, but when they do happen, quick action and communication can turn a potential negative into a positive experience. Balancing availability and privacy is an art. While guests appreciate prompt responses and solutions to their concerns, they also value their privacy. Striking the right balance here is key; be there when needed, but ensure your guests feel they have their own space. Ultimately, your attentiveness and respect for boundaries will help you create a thriving Airbnb business. Why You Should Start Your Own Airbnb Business Youll earn income . You set your price on your rental property. . You set your price on your rental property. List for free on Airbnb. Yes there will be fees, but thats how more than one billion guests booked a place to stay. on Airbnb. Yes there will be fees, but thats how more than one billion guests booked a place to stay. Its what guests wan t. Many travelers are seeking a more relaxing, home-like stay away from home. t. Many travelers are seeking a more relaxing, home-like stay away from home. The Airbnb protection. The Airbnb host guarantee covers you for up to $1 million in damages from renters. The Airbnb Industry in the United States Airbnb, established in 2007, emerged as a pioneer in the sharing economy, transforming the hospitality industry. Stemming from humble beginnings, the name Airbnb derived from the air mattresses the founders initially provided guests in their living room. Since then, the platform has evolved, offering anything from a modest room in a shared apartment to extravagant villas. The growing trend towards a more flexible, gig-based economy contributed significantly to Airbnbs rapid growth in the United States, making it a preferred choice for many travelers and property owners seeking alternative lodging options. How Does Airbnb Hosting Work? As an Airbnb host, providing a seamless, enjoyable experience for guests is paramount. This includes being accessible and communicative, whether its to greet guests upon arrival or provide instructions for self-check-in. All payments for bookings are processed securely through Airbnb, providing ease and peace of mind for both parties. As a host, maintaining clear and prompt communication, setting transparent expectations, and leaving honest guest reviews are fundamental. Ensuring stringent cleanliness, particularly since the pandemic, is critical in the Airbnb business, where cleanliness and hygiene standards significantly impact guest satisfaction and booking rates. How to Start an Airbnb Business If You Dont Own Property Starting an Airbnb business without property ownership involves understanding the local regulatory landscape regarding short-term rentals and conducting in-depth market research. Assessing local rental rates, potential competition, and occupancy trends are essential before embarking on this venture. Its crucial to consider factors such as local zoning laws, which may restrict short-term rentals in certain areas. Additionally, understanding the financial aspect, including potential mortgage, insurance, and utility costs, as well as furnishings and maintenance, are pivotal aspects of your business plan. How to Start an Airbnb Business as a Property Owner If you are fortunate enough to already own a property, the first step to starting your Airbnb journey is understanding local zoning laws. Zoning regulations dictate what a property can and cannot be used for, which means its crucial to determine whether short-term rentals are permitted in your area. Its important to do your homework because some municipalities or homeowners associations have restrictions or outright bans on short-term rentals. Upon confirming that short-term rentals are permissible, youll need to delve into the specifics of permits, licenses, and insurance. Each city or town may have unique requirements for rental permits and licenses, and operating without these can lead to penalties. Thorough research or consultation with local government offices can help clarify these obligations. Insurance is another essential aspect to consider. Traditional homeowners insurance might not cover damages or liability when your home is rented out. Therefore, you might need to obtain additional coverage, either through Airbnbs Host Protection Insurance or through a third-party provider. Ensuring youre appropriately covered can safeguard your assets and provide peace of mind as you begin hosting guests. How Much does it Cost to Start an Airbnb Business? Setting up an Airbnb operation comes with its own unique set of financial considerations, highly dependent on your current situation. If youre already a property owner, your initiation costs will naturally be lower. Perhaps youre considering transforming an unused room into a cozy rental space. In such cases, the primary cost could involve minor alterations, like installing an independent entrance to ensure your guests privacy. However, if youre contemplating buying a property specifically for Airbnb, your expenses would understandably be much higher. It would entail not just the property purchase price, but potential refurbishing costs, continual expenses like mortgage repayments, insurance, and taxes. The process requires you to conduct a detailed cost analysis to calculate the feasibility of your venture, as understanding the upfront and ongoing costs will provide clarity on the financial viability of your Airbnb business. Things You Should Know Before Starting an Airbnb Business Indeed, the journey of starting your Airbnb venture is not a walk in the park, particularly during the initial phase. For instance, your preliminary set of rental rules, crafted with foresight, might need frequent adjustments. This could arise from unexpected scenarios with guests, necessitating a more flexible and adaptable rulebook. Patience and agility are essential in navigating this terrain, as it involves not just managing the property but also various guest expectations. Remember, every challenge faced serves as a stepping stone towards perfecting your hosting abilities. Renting Rules and Guest Rules Navigating homeowners association guidelines or your apartment complexs rules is a must to ensure smooth operation. It might also be necessary to set distinctive rules for your property like placing a cap on guest numbers for maintaining tranquility and order. In the case of pet-friendly accommodations, you could stipulate that no dogs are to be left unattended or other pet-related policies. In addition, youll need to establish clear check-in and check-out schedules to facilitate seamless guest transitions. Equally important is defining quiet hours for respect of neighbors and maintaining a peaceful environment. Maintenance Running an Airbnb implies maintaining high standards of quality and care. Personal households might tolerate minor inconveniences like a mildly dripping bathroom sink or a small patch of worn-out carpet in the living room. However, in the hosting business, such shortcomings could potentially taint your guests experience. To ensure excellent guest reviews and continued bookings, its crucial to stay on top of all necessary upkeep. Regular property inspections, prompt attention to repairs, and thorough routine maintenance checks can help keep your Airbnb property in the best possible condition for your guests. Youll have to make sure you have smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, and that you have the correct number and proper placement. Youll have to meet all local building code requirements and will most likely have to have an inspection before you start renting. Many hosts especially if they have multiple properties hire a property management company instead of handling day to day management themselves, even though its an extra cost. Pricing Setting your nightly rate and security deposit requires a strategic approach. Consider the average rates for comparable Airbnb listings in your locality for guidance. However, remember that your price should also reflect the unique value your property offers. While it might be tempting to aim high initially, if you find that your bookings are sparse, you might be pricing yourself out of the market. Remember, pricing is a dynamic aspect of your business. Monitor your performance, keep track of occupancy rates, and adjust your pricing model accordingly for optimal bookings. Is Airbnb a profitable business? Certainly. No matter if youre renting a single room or an entire estate, with a thorough business plan and strategic operations, profitability is achievable. Ensure your plan accounts for all potential income and costs. By optimizing your rental income, controlling your expenditures, and providing a valuable guest experience, you can turn a good profit. Just remember, success in Airbnb hosting is also about the experience you offer to your guests, not just the physical space. How do I make money with Airbnb? Indeed, as with any business venture, costs need to be deducted from the revenue to ascertain profit. Exactly how much money you can make through Airbnb greatly depends on several factors. One key element is how effectively you manage your expenses. For instance, operating an Airbnb property in the northern or southern regions could entail significant heating or cooling costs, respectively. Consider your propertys insulation, energy-efficient appliances, and other methods to reduce these costs. Moreover, if you possess handyman skills or if you can spare time for housekeeping duties, you might significantly decrease maintenance and cleaning costs. However, if your time is better spent elsewhere or if complex repairs arise, outsourcing might be a necessary expense. So, balancing the act between maximizing income and minimizing expenses will help you optimize your Airbnb profit margins. How do I start an Airbnb business with no money? If you already have a property, the initial investment needed to start your Airbnb business might not be overly burdensome. However, its essential to consider the preferences and expectations of potential renters. Renters prioritize cleanliness and quality, so you might need to invest in enhancing certain aspects of your property. Upgrading your kitchen with modern appliances could make your property more attractive to guests who prefer self-catering options. Investing in high-quality furnishings can make your space more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Additionally, providing plush linens and towels can add a touch of luxury that guests appreciate. Remember, the aim is to create a homely ambiance that exceeds the usual hotel experience, and this might involve a reasonable investment to start with. In the long run, such improvements could enhance your propertys appeal, lead to positive reviews, and ultimately boost your bookings. Starting Your Airbnb Business: A Quick Reference Checklist Embarking on your Airbnb journey? Heres a handy checklist, encapsulating vital steps to help you get your business off the ground and ensure a smooth startup process. Checklist Item Description Property Check Do you already own a suitable property or need to purchase one? Regulations Check Have you checked local zoning and regulations around short-term rentals? Improvement Check Have you assessed what enhancements your property might need? Listing Preparation Check Have you prepared high-quality photos and a comprehensive list of amenities for your listing? Pricing Strategy Check Have you set competitive per night rates and security deposit? Responsiveness Check Are you prepared to respond promptly to guests' needs? Maintenance Check Are you prepared to handle maintenance and upkeep of the property? Profit Calculation Check Have you calculated all costs and potential income to estimate your profit? If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. An ID scanner not only bolsters security but also facilitates smoother operations. Whether for age verification at a bar or access control in a corporate building, their significance cannot be overlooked. By understanding their functionality and evolution, businesses can make informed decisions when integrating them. The role of ID scanners in todays business world ID scanners have transformed how businesses operate, providing an added layer of security. From age verification in liquor stores to guest check-ins at hotels, their applications are diverse. This technological tool aids businesses in preventing fraud and ensuring only authorized access. By quickly scanning a government-issued ID, businesses can validate the authenticity of an individuals claims. As businesses strive to uphold their integrity, the role of ID scanners has become even more pronounced. The basic functionality and mechanics of ID scanners At its core, an ID scanner captures data from various IDs, from drivers licenses to passports. Using advanced technology, these scanners can quickly extract information from the machine-readable zone or barcode. Some sophisticated scanners can even detect advanced security features like UV light markings. Once scanned, the data is either stored or cross-referenced with other databases for verification. Recognizing these functions empowers businesses to utilize ID scanners effectively. Evolution of ID scanning technology The journey of ID scanning technology is both fascinating and revolutionary. Earlier models were bulky, less accurate, and limited in their scanning abilities. With technological advancements, todays ID scanners are compact, efficient, and equipped with features to catch even the most advanced fake IDs. Their capability to detect intricate security details like fluorescent overlays on IDs has made them invaluable. As businesses continue to grow and evolve, so does the technology that supports their security needs. Types of ID Scanners When considering an ID scanner for your business, understanding the various types available is pivotal. Each type offers unique capabilities tailored for specific needs. Whether scanning barcodes, reading magnetic stripes, or identifying RFID tags, selecting the right scanner ensures optimal performance. Barcode scanners Barcode scanners are among the most common ID scanner types. By reading the barcode on an ID, such as a drivers license, they extract data for verification. Barcode scanners are versatile, allowing businesses from liquor stores to corporate offices to quickly validate IDs. Their user-friendly nature and efficiency have made them a top choice for many establishments. Its worth noting that while theyre prevalent, they can sometimes be fooled by counterfeit IDs with replicated barcodes. Magnetic stripe scanners Magnetic stripe scanners, often found in card payment machines, read the magnetic strip on the back of cards. By swiping the ID through the scanner, all the information stored in the stripe is accessed. This technology is prevalent in credit card verification but is also used in some drivers licenses. Although reliable, they can be susceptible to skimming devices if not protected. With security in mind, its vital to ensure these scanners are always updated and shielded from potential threats. Smart card and RFID scanners Smart card and RFID scanners represent the future of ID scanning. Using radio frequency identification, these scanners can read IDs without direct contact. From access control doors in high-security areas to tap-and-go payments, their applications are expanding. They offer an added layer of security, making it more challenging for fakes to pass. As businesses look for contactless solutions, RFID scanners are becoming increasingly relevant. ID Scanners for Your Bars, Clubs and More When we at Small Business Trends curated our list of recommended ID scanners, our focus is on ensuring that these tools not only meet your immediate needs but also align with the broader goals of efficiency, security, and cost-effectiveness. Heres how we break down the criteria for choosing the right ID scanner for your business: Accuracy and Reliability (9/10): Essential for preventing fraud and ensuring only legitimate transactions. We prioritize scanners that consistently read various ID formats accurately. Ease of Use (8/10): An intuitive interface saves time and reduces training requirements. We look for scanners that can be easily integrated into your existing systems. Speed of Operation (7/10): Time is money; a fast scanner keeps customer interactions smooth. Our selections are among the quickest in the market. Compatibility with Different IDs (8/10): Ability to read a wide range of ID types, catering to a diverse customer base. We favor scanners that are versatile in handling various regional and international IDs. Cost (6/10): While important, we believe in investing in quality for long-term savings. We balance affordability with quality and long-term durability. Size and Portability (5/10): Ideal for businesses with limited space or those requiring mobility. Our choices include compact and portable options without compromising on functionality. Customer Support and Warranty (7/10): Reliable support and warranty ensure your investment is protected. We recommend products backed by robust customer service and favorable warranty terms. Data Security Features (9/10): Paramount for protecting sensitive customer information. We emphasize scanners with strong data encryption and privacy safeguards. These criteria, rigorously applied, have guided us in selecting the ID scanners we recommend. We understand that every small business is unique, and our scale helps you prioritize based on your specific needs and context. ID Scanner Age Verification ID Scanner Key Features: Compatible Devices : Works seamlessly with Laptops, Desktops, and Tablets. : Works seamlessly with Laptops, Desktops, and Tablets. Power Source : Powered by Corded Electric and a USB Cable. : Powered by Corded Electric and a USB Cable. Connectivity : Equipped with USB Cable technology for a quick and easy connection. : Equipped with USB Cable technology for a quick and easy connection. Product Dimensions : Compact and portable with dimensions 4D x 3W x 6H. : Compact and portable with dimensions 4D x 3W x 6H. Tamper Alerts : Instantly identifies IDs that are tampered with, banned, shared, or on a watchlist. Optionally captures and stores patron images for added security. : Instantly identifies IDs that are tampered with, banned, shared, or on a watchlist. Optionally captures and stores patron images for added security. Versatile Validation: Validates drivers licenses and IDs from all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and many other countries in a fraction of a second. IDetect ID Scanner Age Verification ID Scanner Buy on Amazon AgeVisor Touch ID Scanner Key Features: Scanner Type: ID Card ID Card Connectivity Technology: USB USB Standard Sheet Capacity: 1 1 Minimum System Requirements: Windows 7 Windows 7 Product Dimensions: 7.3D x 7.1W x 4.8H About this item: Quick Scanning: Completes the scanning process in approximately 1 second. Completes the scanning process in approximately 1 second. Intuitive Display: Features a large 7 capacitive touch screen, offering a clear and superior display compared to 2.5 LCDs. Features a large 7 capacitive touch screen, offering a clear and superior display compared to 2.5 LCDs. Versatile Alerts: Provides both talking and audible warnings for situations like under-aged individuals, expired IDs, or special occasions like birthdays. Provides both talking and audible warnings for situations like under-aged individuals, expired IDs, or special occasions like birthdays. Broad Compatibility: Capable of reading Drivers Licenses from all 50 U.S. states, every Canadian province, and Military IDs. Capable of reading Drivers Licenses from all 50 U.S. states, every Canadian province, and Military IDs. Cost-Effective: Offers a competitive price-performance ratio in the market, challenging you to find a better deal. AgeVisor Touch ID Scanner Buy on Amazon Portable Smart ID Scanner With Handle Trigger Key Features: Compatible Devices: Laptop, Desktop Laptop, Desktop Power Source: Battery Powered Battery Powered Item Dimensions: 3 x 1 x 6 inches 3 x 1 x 6 inches Maximum Storage Temperature: 100 Degrees Fahrenheit 100 Degrees Fahrenheit Innovative Technology: First to implement the age verification protocol from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). First to implement the age verification protocol from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). Versatile Use: Ideal for restaurant servers, bars, stores, curbside pickups, and delivery drivers. About this item: Overview: Minor Decliners age verification system is committed to eliminating underage sales of restricted products. Minor Decliners age verification system is committed to eliminating underage sales of restricted products. Easy to Use: Its portability allows it to be brought directly to the customer, whether at a table, home, or curbside pickup. Its portability allows it to be brought directly to the customer, whether at a table, home, or curbside pickup. Product Specifications: Scans drivers licenses and state-issued IDs across all 50 states, Canada, and parts of Mexico. Manual entry is available for worn-out IDs. Scans drivers licenses and state-issued IDs across all 50 states, Canada, and parts of Mexico. Manual entry is available for worn-out IDs. Capabilities: Efficiently scans 2D Barcodes, providing instant feedback on expired or underage IDs. The device operates for 8-10 hours and integrates with the Minor Decliner Patent Software for updates. Efficiently scans 2D Barcodes, providing instant feedback on expired or underage IDs. The device operates for 8-10 hours and integrates with the Minor Decliner Patent Software for updates. About Us: As a dedicated US-based company, Minor Decliner prioritizes compliance with selling regulations and aims to prevent sales to minors using their advanced verification systems. Portable Smart ID Scanner Buy on Amazon IDVisor Smart Plus ID Scanner Key Features: Compatible Devices: Can be connected to Laptop, Desktop, and Smartphone. Can be connected to Laptop, Desktop, and Smartphone. Power Source: Its battery-powered, ensuring its always ready for use. Its battery-powered, ensuring its always ready for use. Brand: Trust the reliability and innovation of TokenWorks. Trust the reliability and innovation of TokenWorks. Connectivity Technology: Uses a USB Cable for seamless connections. Uses a USB Cable for seamless connections. Number of Batteries: Comes with 1 Lithium Ion battery, which is included. A spare battery is also provided. Comes with 1 Lithium Ion battery, which is included. A spare battery is also provided. Product Overview: The IDVisor Smart Plus can swiftly read passports and drivers licenses/IDs from all 50 states and Canadian provinces. With a quick operation time of 1 second per scan, it also boasts of a 12+ hour battery operation and 350+ standby time. Whats more? The device comes with LIFETIME SOFTWARE UPDATES and has dedicated US-based support. The IDVisor Smart Plus can swiftly read passports and drivers licenses/IDs from all 50 states and Canadian provinces. With a quick operation time of 1 second per scan, it also boasts of a 12+ hour battery operation and 350+ standby time. Whats more? The device comes with LIFETIME SOFTWARE UPDATES and has dedicated US-based support. Usability: It automatically calculates age and provides intuitive icons, vibration, and human voice warnings. There are notifications for underage and expired IDs along with pop-up alerts for various warnings. IDVisor Smart Plus ID Scanner Buy on Amazon IDWare All-in-One 8 Android ID and Passport Scanner Key Features: Compatible Devices: Tablet Tablet Power Source: DC DC Brand: IDWare IDWare Connectivity Technology: BT/WIFI/2G/3G/4G LTE BT/WIFI/2G/3G/4G LTE Item Dimensions: 9 x 6.25 x 0.75 inches 9 x 6.25 x 0.75 inches Validation Capability: Validates North American Drivers Licenses and other Government-Issued IDs with a 2D Barcode as well as Passports containing an MRZ. Validates North American Drivers Licenses and other Government-Issued IDs with a 2D Barcode as well as Passports containing an MRZ. Additional Features: Standalone mobile solution with secure cloud storage, includes desktop stand, captures data in 1 second, creates and updates records for guests, sends alerts for certain guests, classifies guests including frequent ones, VIPs, and banned individuals, and includes 1 year of Veriscan Online Premium software. IDWare All-in-One 8 Android ID and Passport Scanner Buy on Amazon Smart ID Scanner Key Features: Power Source: Corded Electric Corded Electric Brand: MinorDecliner MinorDecliner Connectivity Technology: USB Cable USB Cable Item Dimensions: 5 x 6 x 8 inches 5 x 6 x 8 inches Maximum Storage Temperature: 100 Degrees Fahrenheit 100 Degrees Fahrenheit Advanced Verification: Uses 2D Barcodes for instant Sale or No Sale results, recognizing expired and underage IDs. Uses 2D Barcodes for instant Sale or No Sale results, recognizing expired and underage IDs. Software Included: Comes with Minor Decliner Patent Software for easy PC updates. Smart ID Scanner Buy on Amazon IDetect Quantum Edge Age Verification ID Scanner Key Features: Media Type: ID Card ID Card Scanner Type: Passport Passport Brand: IDetect IDetect Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Resolution: 600 dpi 600 dpi Minimum System Requirements: Windows 7 and above Windows 7 and above Environment Resistance: Water and dust-sealed for protection against the elements and accidental spills. IDetect Quantum Edge Age Verification ID Scanner Buy on Amazon IDVisor Smart V2 ID Scanner Key Features: Compatible Devices : Works seamlessly with Laptops, Desktops, and Smartphones. : Works seamlessly with Laptops, Desktops, and Smartphones. Power Source : Powered by a robust Lithium Polymer battery. : Powered by a robust Lithium Polymer battery. Brand : TokenWorks a trusted name in the industry. : TokenWorks a trusted name in the industry. Connectivity : Offers versatile connections via Wi-Fi, 4G, and USB. : Offers versatile connections via Wi-Fi, 4G, and USB. Battery Info : Comes with 1 Lithium Polymer battery, ensuring prolonged usage. : Comes with 1 Lithium Polymer battery, ensuring prolonged usage. Fast Scanning : Reads passports & IDs from all 50 states and Canadian provinces in just 1 second. : Reads passports & IDs from all 50 states and Canadian provinces in just 1 second. Feature-Rich: Calculates age automatically, offers intuitive icons, and provides many alerts and notifications. IDVisor Smart V2 ID Scanner Buy on Amazon Portable Smart ID Scanner Key Features: Compatible Devices : Seamlessly integrates with both Laptops and Desktops. : Seamlessly integrates with both Laptops and Desktops. Power Source : Corded Electric ensures consistent operation without interruptions. : Corded Electric ensures consistent operation without interruptions. Brand : MinorDecliner a trusted name in age verification technology. : MinorDecliner a trusted name in age verification technology. Connectivity : Uses a USB Cable for easy connection and rapid data transfer. : Uses a USB Cable for easy connection and rapid data transfer. Dimensions : Compact design measuring 3 x 1 x 6 inches, making it portable and user-friendly. : Compact design measuring 3 x 1 x 6 inches, making it portable and user-friendly. Advanced Scanning : Specialized in reading 2D Barcodes, it provides instant Sale or No Sale results, identifying fake, expired, and underage IDs. : Specialized in reading 2D Barcodes, it provides instant Sale or No Sale results, identifying fake, expired, and underage IDs. User Experience: Simple to use and versatile, ideal for various settings like bars, restaurants, stores, and even for deliveries to ensure age compliance. Portable Smart ID Scanner Buy on Amazon E-seek M-260 ID Card Reader Key Features: Compatible Devices : Laptop, Desktop : Laptop, Desktop Power Source : Corded Electric, USB Cable : Corded Electric, USB Cable Connectivity Technology : RS232, USB Cable : RS232, USB Cable Item Dimensions LxWxH : 4.33 x 2.28 x 2.13 inches : 4.33 x 2.28 x 2.13 inches Versatility : Reads magnetic stripe and 2D barcodes from government-issued IDs. : Reads magnetic stripe and 2D barcodes from government-issued IDs. Unique Design: Incorporates both side and bottom-mounted interface connectors, ideal for kiosk application environments. E-seek M-260 ID Card Reader Buy on Amazon IDVisor ID Scanner Dual Handheld Stand Bundle Key Features: Compatible Devices : Perfectly syncs with Laptops, Desktops, and Smartphones. : Perfectly syncs with Laptops, Desktops, and Smartphones. Brand : TokenWorks the industry-leading name in ID scanning. : TokenWorks the industry-leading name in ID scanning. Battery Info : Comes equipped with 1 Lithium Polymer battery for prolonged usage. : Comes equipped with 1 Lithium Polymer battery for prolonged usage. Dual Functionality : Can be used as a handheld scanner or set on the countertop, adapting to your business needs. : Can be used as a handheld scanner or set on the countertop, adapting to your business needs. Advanced Scanning : Efficiently reads 2D Bar Codes from licenses across all 50 US states, all Canadian provinces, and Military CAC IDs. : Efficiently reads 2D Bar Codes from licenses across all 50 US states, all Canadian provinces, and Military CAC IDs. Rugged Design : Features a ruggedized design encapsulated in a protective polycarbonate case, ensuring durability and protection against drops. : Features a ruggedized design encapsulated in a protective polycarbonate case, ensuring durability and protection against drops. Customizability: Offers several hand strap options to fit various usage scenarios. IDVisor ID Scanner Dual Handheld Stand Bundle Buy on Amazon The Importance of ID Verification ID verification has become important as businesses aim to protect themselves from fraud. A valid ID can be the first line of defense against unauthorized access or illegal transactions. Implementing a robust ID verification system underscores a businesss commitment to safety and regulatory compliance. Enhancing security measures Incorporating ID scanners in your business model amplifies your security protocols. By validating the authenticity of an ID, you prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access or making illicit transactions. Ensuring customers are of legal age for businesses like liquor stores can save them from potential legal troubles. ID scanners provide businesses an extra layer of protection, deterring potential malfeasants. Streamlining business operations Beyond security, ID scanners enhance operational efficiency. Quickly verifying an individuals identity reduces wait times, leading to improved customer satisfaction. Whether at a hotel front desk or at a concert venues entrance, rapid ID checks ensure smoother processes. With a reliable ID scanner in place, businesses can focus on delivering quality service, knowing their verification needs are addressed. Legal compliance and fraud prevention For many businesses, legal compliance isnt just a choice; its a necessity. Ensuring that customers meet age requirements before they purchase alcohol or enter age-restricted venues is a legal mandate. ID scanners automate this process, reducing human errors and potential legal ramifications. By actively preventing potential fraud, businesses protect their reputation and ensure they stay on the right side of the law. Fake IDs and Modern Challenges The existence of counterfeit IDs poses challenges to businesses. As fake ID technology advances, so must the methods to detect them. Modern ID scanners are equipped to handle most fake IDs, but being vigilant is always necessary. Recognizing the sophistication of fake IDs Fake IDs have evolved from poorly replicated cards to sophisticated counterfeits. Some fakes now possess features like holograms, magnetic strips, and even scannable barcodes. Understanding this progression aids businesses in staying one step ahead. Equipping themselves with advanced ID scanners can deter even the most convincing fakes, safeguarding the business from potential risks. Technologys role in catching fakes Modern ID scanners integrate cutting-edge tech to counteract counterfeit IDs. Features such as UV light detection and pattern-matching algorithms can quickly discern genuine IDs from fakes. As fake IDs work hard to replicate security features, businesses should ensure their scanners are updated regularly. Being proactive in using the latest technology ensures a higher rate of fake ID detection. Staying updated on counterfeit trends To combat fake IDs effectively, businesses need to stay informed about the latest counterfeiting techniques. Engaging in training sessions, attending seminars, or joining business security forums can provide invaluable insights. Knowledge is power, and staying updated helps businesses adapt their verification methods in tandem with the evolving counterfeit landscape. Training Staff on Effective ID Scanning Having an advanced ID scanner is beneficial, but its effectiveness hinges on the users. Training staff on its proper usage, understanding potential pitfalls, and teaching them to spot fakes manually can amplify its benefits. Importance of thorough training sessions A well-trained staff can maximize the potential of an ID scanner. By understanding its features and capabilities, they can use it more effectively. Regular training sessions and updates on counterfeit trends can empower staff to make accurate judgments. Combining tech with human judgment While ID scanners are advanced, human judgment remains invaluable. Staff should be trained to spot potential red flags like a photo not matching the ID holder or an ID feeling unusually thick or thin. Combining technology with a keen human eye creates a robust verification system. Regular refresher courses As technology and counterfeiting techniques evolve, so should staff training. Regular refresher courses keep the staff updated on the latest in ID scanning tech and potential challenges. These courses can reiterate the importance of vigilance and detail the latest features available for effective ID verification. Benefits Beyond Security with ID Scanners While security is a primary benefit of ID scanners, they offer advantages beyond verification. From enhancing customer experience to streamlining operations, the potential benefits are manifold. Speeding up transactions and checks One of the significant advantages of ID scanners is the speed of verification. Whether checking in guests at a hotel or verifying age at a liquor store, rapid checks improve customer satisfaction. Quick, efficient transactions can translate to positive customer reviews and repeat business. Data collection and analytics Modern ID scanners can store and analyze data. For businesses, this offers insights into customer demographics, peak transaction times, and more. This data can be invaluable for marketing campaigns, inventory planning, or even staffing decisions. Enhancing the professional image Having an advanced ID scanner can project a professional image. Customers perceive businesses using the latest tech as more credible and trustworthy. An ID scanner, besides its functional benefits, can elevate a businesss reputation and instill confidence in clients. Optimal Environments for ID Scanners Every business has unique needs and environments. Adapting the ID scanner to the specific business setting conditions and requirements ensures optimal performance and durability. Indoor vs. Outdoor Settings ID scanners designed for indoor settings might not fare well outdoors. Factors like moisture, temperature fluctuations, and dust can impact performance. Investing in rugged or weatherproof ID scanners can be prudent for businesses operating primarily outdoors. Indoor venues might prioritize sleek design and integration with existing systems. High Traffic vs. Low Traffic Areas The volume of scans can vary widely between a busy nightclub and a boutique hotel. High-traffic businesses require scanners that can handle frequent use without lag or malfunction. In contrast, lower-traffic establishments might focus on features like data storage or integration capabilities. Adapting to Different Business Models Each business model has unique demands, from retail stores to exclusive membership clubs. Retailers might prioritize quick age verification for alcohol sales, while membership clubs might emphasize data storage for repeat customers. Recognizing the businesss core needs can guide the choice of the most suitable ID scanner. FAQs What is an ID scanner primarily used for? An ID scanner is a device that reads the data from a persons ID, such as a drivers license or passport. Businesses use them to verify age, prevent fraud, and streamline customer check-ins. How do ID scanners verify the authenticity of an ID? ID scanners check various security features on an ID, from UV features and magnetic strips to holographic overlays and encoded data. Any discrepancies can flag a fake ID. Can ID scanners detect all fake IDs? While modern ID scanners are adept at catching most fake IDs, especially those with advanced fake ID detection, no system is 100% foolproof. The quality of the counterfeit and the scanners technology both play roles. How does an ID scanner differ from a barcode scanner? While both can scan barcodes, an ID scanner is specifically designed to read, verify, and store data from IDs. It checks for security features, whereas a barcode scanner just reads data. Is it legal to store information from a scanned ID? Laws vary by country and region. Generally, businesses can store the information as long as they adhere to data protection regulations and inform the ID holder. What should a business consider when choosing an ID scanner? Businesses should consider their specific needs, the scanners features, and its compatibility with their operations. Factors like scan speed, data storage, and fake ID detection capabilities might be relevant. Are there any maintenance requirements for ID scanners? Like any electronic device, ID scanners may require occasional maintenance. This can range from software updates to hardware cleaning or part replacement, depending on the model and usage. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Qualify for discounts, special offers and more with a Business Prime account from Amazon. You can create a FREE account to get started today. Incubators and accelerators play an integral role in the growth and development of startups. As new ventures strive to thrive in competitive markets, startups and incubators offer valuable resources and support as you learn how to start a business. By fostering innovation, these programs have become the backbone of success for countless entrepreneurs. If you arent very familiar with the two, you might be wondering about the differences and benefits of incubators vs accelerators in the startup ecosystem. Rest assured, weve got you covered! In this article, we will compare and contrast the essential elements of incubator and accelerator programs, shedding light on their differences and helping you determine the right path for your startup journey. Accelerator vs Incubator: The Key Differences Accelerators and incubators share the common goal of helping startups grow and succeed. However, their methodologies and focus areas set them apart. 1. Duration: Sprinting vs. Nurturing One of the fundamental disparities between accelerators and incubators lies in the duration of their programs. Accelerators, true to their name, are designed to accelerate the startups growth over a relatively short period. Typically, accelerator programs run for a fixed duration, often ranging from three to six months. These programs are highly structured and intensive, emphasizing rapid progress and achieving significant milestones within a compressed timeframe. On the other hand, incubators adopt a more nurturing approach. Incubation programs provide long-term support and guidance to startups, sometimes spanning several years. The focus is on building a solid foundation and facilitating steady growth by providing ongoing resources, mentorship, and infrastructure. 2. Funding: Investment vs. Support Another key difference between accelerators and incubators lies in the way they handle funding. Accelerators usually offer startups a predefined amount of funding in exchange for equity. This investment serves as a catalyst for growth, enabling startups to scale their operations rapidly. In addition to funding, accelerators may provide access to a robust network of investors, venture capitalists, and industry experts, opening doors to potential follow-on investments. Incubators, while they may offer some funding, primarily focus on providing comprehensive support services. These services can include office space, access to shared resources, mentorship, legal and financial guidance, and market research assistance. The emphasis is on creating an environment conducive to learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 3. Support Structure: Intensity vs. Flexibility Accelerators are known for their rigorous and fast-paced nature. They typically follow a structured curriculum, incorporating workshops, mentorship sessions, and networking opportunities. The intense environment of accelerators challenges startups to refine their business models, polish their pitches, and accelerate their go-to-market strategies. In contrast, incubators prioritize flexibility and adaptability. They offer startups the freedom to explore and refine their ideas at their own pace. The support provided by incubators is more personalized and tailored to the unique needs of each startup. This allows entrepreneurs to delve deeper into product development, market research, and customer acquisition while also benefiting from the guidance of experienced mentors. Understanding the differences between accelerators and incubators is essential for startups seeking external support. While accelerators are well-suited for startups looking to achieve rapid growth, secure funding, and establish industry connections, incubators provide a nurturing environment for startups aiming to build a solid foundation and gradually scale their operations. Time Frame and Commitment The duration of the program and the level of commitment required are crucial factors to consider when deciding between accelerators vs incubators. In this section, we will compare and contrast the typical duration and commitment levels associated with participating in incubator and accelerator programs. 1. Duration: Sprinting vs. Steadying the Pace Accelerators are known for their short and intensive durations. These programs are designed to rapidly propel startups forward, often lasting between three to six months. The concentrated timeframe allows entrepreneurs to refine their business models, fine-tune their strategies, and accelerate their growth. The time spent in an accelerator is akin to a sprint, where startups aim to achieve significant milestones and prepare themselves for the next phase of their journey. On the other hand, incubator programs take a longer-term approach, providing startups with ongoing support and nurturing over an extended period. The duration of an incubator program can vary, ranging from several months to a few years. Incubators focus on assisting startups in building a solid foundation, fostering a sustainable growth trajectory, and refining their products or services. The extended duration of an incubation program allows for a more gradual and comprehensive development process. 2. Level of Commitment: Intensity vs. Steadiness Joining an accelerator program requires a high level of commitment and dedication from startups. The fast-paced nature of accelerators demands that participants fully immerse themselves in the programs activities and meet stringent milestones within a short timeframe. Startups selected for accelerators are expected to dedicate a significant amount of time and resources to maximize the benefits of the program. This commitment often means intense work hours, constant iteration, and a laser focus on achieving rapid growth. In contrast, incubators offer startups a more steady and flexible level of commitment. While active involvement is still necessary, the intensity of the program is generally lower compared to accelerators. Incubators understand the need for entrepreneurs to explore and refine their ideas at their own pace. This allows startups to strike a balance between program requirements and other aspects of running their businesses, such as customer acquisition, product development, and market research. When deciding between accelerators vs incubators, considering the duration and level of commitment required is essential. Accelerators are suited for startups seeking a short and intense program that propels them toward rapid growth, whereas incubators are better suited for those who prefer a more gradual and steady approach to building their business. Startups aiming for immediate acceleration, access to networks of mentors and investors, and a focused timeframe for achieving milestones may find accelerators to be the ideal choice. Conversely, startups looking for long-term support, a nurturing environment, and the ability to refine their products or services over a more extended period may benefit more from joining an incubator. Funding and Equity When it comes to funding models, accelerators and incubators adopt different approaches to support startups in their programs. Lets explore the distinctions between incubator and accelerator programs with regard to funding opportunities and the equity stakes they may take in participating startups. 1. Accelerator Programs: Investment and Equity Accelerators often provide startups with a combination of funding and resources to fuel their growth. Startups accepted into an accelerator program receive a predefined amount of investment in exchange for equity in their company. The equity stake varies depending on the program, but it typically ranges from 5% to 10% of the startups ownership. By taking an equity stake, accelerators align their interests with those of the startups they support. This arrangement ensures that the accelerator has a vested interest in the startups success and actively contributes to its growth. The equity stake also opens up potential follow-on investment opportunities from the accelerators network of investors and venture capitalists, enhancing the startups chances of securing additional funding down the line. 2. Incubator Programs: Comprehensive Support and Resources Unlike startup accelerators, business incubators generally do not require startups to give up equity in exchange for participation. Incubators focus more on providing startups with comprehensive support and resources to help them thrive. While some incubators may offer a small amount of funding, it is usually minimal and not tied to equity. Incubators prioritize assisting startups in areas such as business development, market research, networking, mentorship, and access to shared resources. The emphasis is on creating an environment that nurtures growth and fosters long-term success. By offering guidance and support without demanding equity, incubators allow startups to maintain a higher level of ownership and control over their companies. Why does it matter? When deciding between participating in an accelerator program or an incubator program, the funding model is a crucial aspect to consider. Startups seeking immediate financial investment, along with the benefits of mentorship and connections, may find the equity-based funding model of accelerators appealing. However, its important to weigh the potential dilution of ownership against the benefits offered. On the other hand, if preserving equity and maintaining a higher level of control over your startup is a priority, incubator programs might be a more suitable choice. Incubators provide valuable support and resources without requiring startups to give up equity. This allows entrepreneurs to retain a larger ownership stake, enabling them to make strategic decisions independently. Ultimately, the decision depends on your startups funding needs, growth objectives, and your willingness to exchange equity for immediate investment and accelerated growth opportunities. Mentorship and Resources Accelerators and incubators offer startups more than just funding. They provide invaluable mentorship, resources, and support systems that can significantly impact a startups success. Lets look at the differences in the type and level of mentorship, resources, and support provided by business accelerators and incubators. 1. Mentorship: Diverse Expertise and Networks Both startup accelerators and incubators recognize the importance of mentorship in guiding startups toward growth and development. However, the nature of mentorship may vary between the two programs. Accelerators often offer an intensive mentorship model where startups work closely with seasoned entrepreneurs, industry experts, and successful investors. The mentors associated with accelerators bring a wealth of experience and specialized knowledge, providing startups with valuable insights, advice, and industry connections. The focus is on leveraging the mentors expertise to address specific challenges, refine strategies, and navigate the competitive landscape. In contrast, business incubators emphasize long-term mentorship and provide startups with access to a broader network of mentors. This allows entrepreneurs to tap into a diverse range of perspectives and expertise. Incubators foster ongoing relationships between startups and mentors, enabling in-depth guidance throughout the startups journey. The mentorship in incubators often focuses on holistic business development, including market analysis, operations, product development, and customer acquisition. 2. Resources: Shared Facilities and Collaborative Environment Startup accelerators typically provide startups with dedicated office space and access to shared facilities. These resources can include state-of-the-art coworking spaces, meeting rooms, event spaces, and sometimes even access to specialized equipment or software. The shared environment fosters collaboration among startups, facilitating the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and potential partnerships. In comparison, business incubators also offer shared resources and facilities, but with a stronger emphasis on long-term access. Incubators provide startups with the physical infrastructure necessary for day-to-day operations, including office space, labs, prototyping facilities, and sometimes even access to research institutions or university resources. The incubator environment encourages interaction, networking, and knowledge-sharing among entrepreneurs, leading to a supportive and collaborative ecosystem. 3. Support Services: Tailored Assistance and Guidance Startup accelerators are known for their structured support services, which are often tailored to meet specific startup needs. These services can include assistance with business model refinement, pitch development, marketing strategies, financial planning, and investor relations. Accelerators provide startups with a comprehensive toolkit to navigate various challenges and accelerate their growth trajectory. Incubator programs, on the other hand, offer a broader range of support services that cater to the different stages of a startups development. This can include legal and financial guidance, intellectual property protection, access to market research and analysis, help with regulatory compliance, and assistance with scaling operations. Incubators focus on providing startups with a nurturing environment and a suite of resources to facilitate sustainable growth over an extended period. When deciding between joining an incubator or an accelerator program, consider the type and level of mentorship, resources, and support that align with your startups specific needs. If you prefer intensive mentorship, a focused network, and access to specialized resources during a shorter program, an accelerator may be the right choice. On the other hand, if you value long-term relationships, a collaborative environment, and a comprehensive range of resources to support your startups growth over a more extended period, a business incubator might be a better fit. Understanding Incubators and Accelerators The landscape of incubators and accelerators has evolved significantly, adapting to the changing needs of startups and technological advancements. From traditional models focusing on basic business support to modern, niche-specific programs, these platforms have become increasingly specialized. Recent trends include an emphasis on digital innovation, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship, reflecting broader shifts in the global economy and societal priorities. Understanding this evolution is key for startups looking to find a program that aligns with their specific needs and industry trends. Startup Incubator Basics What is a business incubator? Startup incubators are organizations that provide crucial support for early-stage businesses by nurturing their growth and development. These incubator programs are designed to help startups overcome common challenges and lay the groundwork for long-term success. Heres a closer look at the main objectives and support offered by startup incubators: Nurturing environment: Incubators create a supportive environment that fosters collaboration, learning, and networking opportunities. They offer access to mentors, peers, and experts in various industries, helping entrepreneurs expand their knowledge base. Incubators create a supportive environment that fosters collaboration, learning, and networking opportunities. They offer access to mentors, peers, and experts in various industries, helping entrepreneurs expand their knowledge base. Shared resources: Incubator programs often provide affordable co-working spaces, office equipment, and other essential resources. This enables startups to save on costs while benefiting from a collaborative atmosphere. Incubator programs often provide affordable co-working spaces, office equipment, and other essential resources. This enables startups to save on costs while benefiting from a collaborative atmosphere. Business development assistance: Startup incubators provide tailored guidance on business strategy, financial management, and legal matters. They also offer workshops and seminars to educate entrepreneurs on relevant topics. Startup incubators provide tailored guidance on business strategy, financial management, and legal matters. They also offer workshops and seminars to educate entrepreneurs on relevant topics. Long-term support: Incubator programs typically have a longer duration, ranging from several months to a couple of years. This extended timeframe allows startups to develop at their own pace, focusing on building a solid foundation for their ventures. Incubator programs typically have a longer duration, ranging from several months to a couple of years. This extended timeframe allows startups to develop at their own pace, focusing on building a solid foundation for their ventures. Access to funding: While not a primary focus, some startup incubators may help connect businesses to potential investors or offer funding opportunities through grants and competitions. Startup incubators vary widely in their focus and structure. University-based incubators often leverage academic resources and research capabilities, while corporate incubators may focus on fostering innovations that align with their strategic interests. Independent incubators offer more generalist support, often funded by government initiatives or private investments. Common services include business plan development, legal and accounting support, and networking events. Some incubators also offer specialized resources like lab space for biotech startups or studios for creative ventures. Startup Accelerator Basics Startup accelerators are intensive, time-bound programs that aim to accelerate the growth of high-potential startups. They provide a combination of resources and mentorship to help businesses scale quickly and navigate the challenges of rapid growth. Here are the key aspects of accelerator programs: Structured curriculum: Startup accelerators follow a well-defined curriculum, often lasting around 3 to 4 months. This curriculum typically includes workshops, presentations, and mentor-led sessions, all aimed at refining the startups business model and strategy. Startup accelerators follow a well-defined curriculum, often lasting around 3 to 4 months. This curriculum typically includes workshops, presentations, and mentor-led sessions, all aimed at refining the startups business model and strategy. Mentorship and expertise: Accelerator programs offer access to a network of seasoned entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and domain experts. These mentors provide invaluable guidance and feedback, helping startups fine-tune their strategies and identify growth opportunities. Accelerator programs offer access to a network of seasoned entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and domain experts. These mentors provide invaluable guidance and feedback, helping startups fine-tune their strategies and identify growth opportunities. Cohort-based learning: Startups in accelerator programs are usually part of a cohort, enabling them to learn from each others experiences, exchange ideas, and build lasting relationships within their industry. Startups in accelerator programs are usually part of a cohort, enabling them to learn from each others experiences, exchange ideas, and build lasting relationships within their industry. Funding: Unlike incubators, startup accelerators often provide seed capital in exchange for equity in the business. This funding helps startups cover operational expenses and focus on rapid growth. Unlike incubators, startup accelerators often provide seed capital in exchange for equity in the business. This funding helps startups cover operational expenses and focus on rapid growth. Demo Day: At the end of the accelerator program, startups often participate in a Demo Day, where they showcase their products and progress to a select audience of investors, mentors, and industry professionals. This event can lead to potential partnerships, investments, or customer acquisition. By offering these resources and a structured timeline, startup accelerators empower businesses to make significant strides in a short amount of time, setting them on the path to success. Accelerators also come in various forms. Corporate accelerators focus on startups that might complement or enhance their core business, offering opportunities for potential acquisition or partnership. Seed accelerators are more focused on early-stage funding and rapid growth. The application process for these programs is often highly competitive, seeking startups with scalable business models and strong teams. Successful applicants benefit from intense mentoring sessions, networking opportunities with industry leaders, and exposure to potential investors. Be sure to check out the following video featuring Kyle Judah, the Program Manager at the Martin Trust Center at MIT, as he explores the differences between project incubators and project accelerators. This video, which supports this article, can help you gain expert insights into the significance of these programs for startup success. Choosing the Right Program for Your Startup This table is a condensed overview of the list that follows it. The table entails what you should look for when evaluating your options, enabling you to quickly find the program that best aligns with your goals. Factors to Consider Action Items 1. Define Your Goals Clearly define your startup's goals and objectives. 2. Research Program Focus Identify programs aligned with your industry. 3. Assess Program Reputation Look for testimonials and success stories. 4. Evaluate Mentorship and Expertise Examine mentors' experience and expertise. 5. Consider Resources and Support Assess available facilities and resources. 6. Funding Opportunities and Equity Evaluate investment terms and equity implications. 7. Program Duration and Commitment Determine program timeline and required commitment. 8. Networking and Alumni Network Explore networking opportunities and alumni strength. 9. Geographic Considerations Take into account the program's location. 10. Program Culture and Fit Assess alignment with your startup's culture. Selecting the most suitable incubator or accelerator program for your startup is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your businesss trajectory. To ensure you make an informed choice, consider the following factors when evaluating your options: 1. Define Your Goals: Start by clearly defining your startups goals and objectives. Determine what you aim to achieve through the program, whether its rapid growth, access to funding, mentorship, networking, or specific industry expertise. Having a clear vision of your goals will help you identify the program that aligns best with your needs. 2. Research Program Focus: Each incubator and accelerator program has its own focus and specialization. Research and understand the areas in which programs excel and determine if they align with your startups industry, business model, or technology. Look for programs that have a track record of success in your specific domain. 3. Assess Program Reputation: Consider the reputation and credibility of the program you are considering. Look for testimonials, success stories of previous participants, and reviews from entrepreneurs who have gone through the program. A program with a positive reputation and a strong alumni network can provide valuable connections and opportunities. 4. Evaluate Mentorship and Expertise: Examine the quality and relevance of the mentorship provided by the program. Assess the experience, expertise, and track record of the mentors associated with the program. Consider whether their knowledge and network can contribute significantly to your startups growth. 5. Consider Resources and Support: Evaluate the resources and support services offered by the program. Assess the availability of shared facilities, access to specialized equipment or software, and the overall ecosystem provided. Determine if the program provides the necessary resources to support your startups operational and growth needs. 6. Funding Opportunities and Equity: Consider the funding opportunities provided by the program and the equity stake they require in return. Evaluate the terms of the investment, the potential for follow-on funding, and the implications of equity dilution. Assess how the funding aligns with your financial goals and growth plans. 7. Program Duration and Commitment: Assess the programs duration and the level of commitment required. Consider whether the programs timeline aligns with your startups goals and your teams availability. Evaluate the intensity of the program and the balance it allows for other essential aspects of running your business. 8. Networking and Alumni Network: Explore the networking opportunities and the strength of the programs alumni network. Consider the potential for partnerships, collaborations, and access to potential investors or customers. A strong network can open doors and provide ongoing support beyond the programs duration. 9. Geographic Considerations: Take into account the location of the program and its impact on your startup. Consider whether the programs location provides access to relevant markets, resources, and industry connections. Evaluate whether the program offers remote or virtual options if physical proximity is a challenge. 10. Program Culture and Fit: Lastly, consider the programs culture and values. Assess whether the programs philosophy and approach align with your startups culture and aspirations. Evaluate the level of support, inclusiveness, and collaboration within the programs community. Assessing Your Startups Needs When determining whether an incubator or startup accelerator is the better fit for your startup, its essential to assess your specific needs. Consider the following factors to make an informed decision: 1. Stage of Development: Evaluate your startups stage of development. Incubators often cater to early-stage startups that require guidance and support in validating their business model, conducting market research, and developing their product or service. Accelerators, on the other hand, are typically suitable for startups that have already achieved some level of market traction and are ready to scale rapidly. 2. Funding Requirements: Assess your funding requirements. If your startup is in need of immediate financial investment, accelerators may offer the advantage of providing funding in exchange for equity. Incubators, while offering some minimal funding in certain cases, generally focus on providing support and resources without requiring equity. Consider whether immediate funding or long-term support is more aligned with your financial needs. 3. Industry Sector: Evaluate the industry sector in which your startup operates. Certain accelerators and incubators specialize in specific sectors, such as technology, healthcare, or social entrepreneurship. Look for programs that have a proven track record and expertise in your industry. Their industry-specific knowledge and connections can provide valuable insights and opportunities tailored to your sector. 4. Time Commitment: Consider the time commitment required by each program. Incubators typically offer longer-term engagement, allowing startups to benefit from ongoing support and resources. Accelerators, on the other hand, often have shorter and more intensive programs, which require a significant time commitment from founders and their teams. Assess whether your startup can dedicate the necessary time and resources to participate effectively in the program. 5. Mentorship and Network: Evaluate the importance of mentorship and networking for your startup. Accelerators typically offer access to a network of experienced mentors, industry experts, and investors who can provide guidance and open doors to valuable connections. Incubators also provide mentorship but with a focus on long-term relationships and a broader network of mentors. Determine which type of mentorship and network aligns best with your growth objectives. 6. Growth Objectives: Define your startups growth objectives. If your primary goal is rapid scaling, market expansion, and securing additional funding, an accelerator may be the better choice. Accelerators offer a structured program designed to accelerate growth and provide opportunities for follow-on investment. If you prioritize a more gradual and steady growth trajectory, an incubator can provide the resources and support needed for sustainable development. 7. Ownership and Control: Consider your desired level of ownership and control over your startup. Accelerators typically require equity in exchange for their investment and support. This means that you will have to share ownership and decision-making authority with the accelerator. Incubators, on the other hand, do not usually require equity, allowing you to retain a higher level of ownership and control over your company. Determine which trade-off between ownership and support aligns best with your priorities. Evaluating Startup Accelerator Programs When it comes to selecting the best startup accelerator for your business, conducting thorough research and making informed comparisons is essential. Consider the following tips to guide your decision-making process: Research Multiple Options: Explore and identify multiple programs that align with your industry, stage of development, and growth objectives. Look for programs that have a track record of success and positive reviews from past participants. Explore and identify multiple programs that align with your industry, stage of development, and growth objectives. Look for programs that have a track record of success and positive reviews from past participants. Evaluate Program Focus: Assess the startup accelerator programs focus and specialization. Consider whether their expertise matches your startups niche or industry sector. Look for accelerators that have experience working with startups in your specific field to ensure they can provide relevant guidance and resources. Assess the startup accelerator programs focus and specialization. Consider whether their expertise matches your startups niche or industry sector. Look for accelerators that have experience working with startups in your specific field to ensure they can provide relevant guidance and resources. Consider Reputation and Alumni Success: Investigate the accelerators reputation and credibility. Look for success stories and case studies of startups that have gone through the program. Assess the achievements of their alumni and determine if they have been able to achieve significant growth and success. Investigate the accelerators reputation and credibility. Look for success stories and case studies of startups that have gone through the program. Assess the achievements of their alumni and determine if they have been able to achieve significant growth and success. Assess Mentorship and Network: Evaluate the quality and accessibility of mentorship provided by the accelerator. Research the backgrounds and expertise of the mentors associated with the program. Consider whether their knowledge and network align with your specific needs and can contribute to your startups growth. Evaluate the quality and accessibility of mentorship provided by the accelerator. Research the backgrounds and expertise of the mentors associated with the program. Consider whether their knowledge and network align with your specific needs and can contribute to your startups growth. Review Support Services: Examine the support services offered by the startup accelerator. Look for resources and assistance in areas such as business development, marketing, product refinement, and investor relations. Evaluate how well the accelerator can address your specific challenges and provide the necessary support for your startups growth. Examine the support services offered by the startup accelerator. Look for resources and assistance in areas such as business development, marketing, product refinement, and investor relations. Evaluate how well the accelerator can address your specific challenges and provide the necessary support for your startups growth. Consider Funding Opportunities: Assess the accelerators funding model and potential investment. Determine the amount of funding they offer and whether it aligns with your financial needs. Evaluate the terms and conditions of the investment, including the equity stake they require in return. Assess the accelerators funding model and potential investment. Determine the amount of funding they offer and whether it aligns with your financial needs. Evaluate the terms and conditions of the investment, including the equity stake they require in return. Evaluate Program Duration and Structure: Consider the duration and structure of the program. Assess whether the programs timeline aligns with your business goals and whether you can commit the necessary time and resources. Evaluate the programs structure, including workshops, boot camps, and demo days, to ensure they provide opportunities for learning, networking, and showcasing your startup. Consider the duration and structure of the program. Assess whether the programs timeline aligns with your business goals and whether you can commit the necessary time and resources. Evaluate the programs structure, including workshops, boot camps, and demo days, to ensure they provide opportunities for learning, networking, and showcasing your startup. Assess Geographic Location: Consider the startup accelerator geographic location and its impact on your business. Determine if the location provides access to relevant markets, industry clusters, and potential investors. If the accelerator offers a remote or virtual option, assess whether it suits your needs and allows for effective participation. Consider the startup accelerator geographic location and its impact on your business. Determine if the location provides access to relevant markets, industry clusters, and potential investors. If the accelerator offers a remote or virtual option, assess whether it suits your needs and allows for effective participation. Network and Alumni Connections: Explore the accelerators network and alumni connections. Consider the potential for collaborations, partnerships, and access to investors, customers, and industry experts. A strong network and active alumni community can provide ongoing support and valuable opportunities beyond the program duration. Explore the accelerators network and alumni connections. Consider the potential for collaborations, partnerships, and access to investors, customers, and industry experts. A strong network and active alumni community can provide ongoing support and valuable opportunities beyond the program duration. Consider Program Culture and Fit: Lastly, assess the startup accelerator culture and values. Consider whether their approach, philosophy, and values align with your startups culture and aspirations. Evaluate the level of support, inclusiveness, and collaboration within the accelerators community. Evaluating Startup Incubator Programs When evaluating startup incubators and selecting the right one for your business, consider the following factors: Industry Connections: Evaluate the incubators connections and network within your industry. Consider whether they have partnerships with relevant organizations, industry experts, and potential customers. These connections can provide valuable opportunities for collaboration and business growth. Evaluate the incubators connections and network within your industry. Consider whether they have partnerships with relevant organizations, industry experts, and potential customers. These connections can provide valuable opportunities for collaboration and business growth. Success Metrics and Evaluation: Inquire about the incubators success metrics and how they evaluate the progress and success of their participants. Understand their criteria for measuring growth, funding raised, customer acquisition, or other relevant benchmarks. This will give you an idea of their expectations and how they can help drive your business forward. Inquire about the incubators success metrics and how they evaluate the progress and success of their participants. Understand their criteria for measuring growth, funding raised, customer acquisition, or other relevant benchmarks. This will give you an idea of their expectations and how they can help drive your business forward. Exit Strategy Support: If you have long-term goals of acquisition, IPO, or other exit strategies, inquire about the incubators support in these areas. Some incubators may have connections to potential acquirers or provide guidance on preparing your business for exit opportunities. If you have long-term goals of acquisition, IPO, or other exit strategies, inquire about the incubators support in these areas. Some incubators may have connections to potential acquirers or provide guidance on preparing your business for exit opportunities. Flexibility and Customization: Assess the level of flexibility and customization offered by the incubator. Determine if they can tailor their program and resources to meet the specific needs and challenges of your business. A more personalized approach can provide greater value and support for your unique circumstances. Assess the level of flexibility and customization offered by the incubator. Determine if they can tailor their program and resources to meet the specific needs and challenges of your business. A more personalized approach can provide greater value and support for your unique circumstances. Post-Program Support: Inquire about the support provided by the incubator after the program ends. Consider whether they offer ongoing mentorship, networking opportunities, or access to resources even after you have completed the formal incubation period. This can contribute to your long-term success and growth. Inquire about the support provided by the incubator after the program ends. Consider whether they offer ongoing mentorship, networking opportunities, or access to resources even after you have completed the formal incubation period. This can contribute to your long-term success and growth. Costs and Equity Requirements: Evaluate the costs associated with participating in the incubator program. Understand any fees or equity requirements and consider whether they are reasonable and aligned with the value and benefits provided. Be mindful of the financial implications and how they fit into your overall business strategy. When selecting an incubator or accelerator, startups should consider factors beyond just the financial aspect. The programs location can play a critical role, especially if its situated in a major business hub or industry-specific cluster. Evaluating the success of program alumni can also provide insights into its effectiveness. Additionally, startups should consider programs that specialize in their specific industry or technology sector to ensure relevant mentorship and resources. Lastly, understanding the culture and values of the program is crucial for ensuring a good fit with the startups vision and team dynamics. The Impact of Incubators and Accelerators on Business Success Studies by the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative (GALI) have shown consistent revenue acceleration for ventures participating in accelerator programs. The average revenue-growth advantage for participating ventures is approximately $20,008, and a greater percentage of these ventures experience positive revenue growth, with an increase of 10.3 percent. When comparing the two groups, the revenue acceleration effect is more significant in high-income countries, with an average increase of $24,532 and a growth rate of 12.2 percent, compared to emerging markets, which see an average increase of $15,090 and a growth rate of 9.4 percent. Separate research conducted by the Kauffman Foundation revealed that accelerated businesses were able to secure nearly eight times more investment capital compared to non-accelerated businesses. In addition to the above findings, it is worth noting that businesses developed within a business incubator after five years exhibit a remarkable 87% survival rate after five years, according to studies. In contrast, only 44% of businesses operating independently, without the support of an incubator, manage to survive. This highlights the significant advantage that incubators provide in terms of long-term viability and sustainability for startups. Success Stories: Incubators and Accelerators Making a Difference Accelerators and incubators have played a significant role in the success stories of various startups. Here are a few examples that highlight the impact these programs can have on a companys growth: Airbnb Airbnb, the global online marketplace for accommodations, had its humble beginnings in the Y Combinator accelerator. The program provided the founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, with mentorship, guidance, and access to a strong network of investors. This support helped them refine their business model, secure funding, and grow their platform into the world-renowned hospitality giant it is today. Dropbox Dropbox, the popular cloud storage and file-sharing service benefited from the guidance and resources provided by the Y Combinator accelerator as well. The program not only provided funding to support their initial development but also connected the founders, Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, with experienced mentors who helped shape their product and navigate the challenges of scaling a technology startup. Stripe Stripe, the global payment processing platform, went through Y Combinator early in its journey. The program not only provided essential funding but also connected the founders, Patrick and John Collison, with valuable mentorship and access to a vast network of potential customers and investors. This support was instrumental in Stripes rapid growth and expansion into a leading player in the fintech industry. These success stories exemplify how accelerators and incubators can provide startups with the necessary resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to propel their growth. Notable Business Incubator Successes There are numerous examples of companies that have made it big after going through business incubators. Here are a few. Reddit Reddit, the popular online platform known as the front page of the internet, was part of the first batch of the Y Combinator incubator program in 2005. Co-founders Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian were able to utilize the resources, mentorship, and support offered by the program to refine their idea and gain traction. Today, Reddit is a thriving platform with hundreds of millions of users globally. Cruise Automation Cruise Automation, a self-driving car technology company, was initially developed in the incubator program of Y Combinator in 2014. The company greatly benefited from the strategic advice and networking opportunities provided by the incubator. It was later acquired by General Motors in 2016, showcasing the potential of startups nurtured in incubator environments. DoorDash DoorDash, the now well-known food delivery service, was another startup that benefited significantly from the Y Combinator incubator. Founded by Stanford students, the company was part of the incubator program in 2013. The mentorship and structured environment of the incubator were vital in helping DoorDash refine its business model and scale up its operations. Today, DoorDash is a household name in food delivery, serving millions of customers across the United States. Instagram Instagram, the popular photo-sharing social media platform, began its journey in 2010 as a participant in the Stanford University-affiliated startup incubator, StartX. The incubator provided Instagram with access to resources, mentorship, and connections that helped them refine their product and grow their user base. Instagrams participation in the incubator played a pivotal role in its rapid rise and eventual acquisition by Facebook. These examples demonstrate the transformative power of incubators in nurturing startups during their critical early stages, paving the way for them to become significant players in their respective industries. FAQs: Incubator vs Accelerator The terms incubator and accelerator are often used interchangeably, yet they offer distinct environments and resources for budding businesses. As they navigate their early stages, startups may find themselves asking which of these programs better suits their needs. In this section, well address frequently asked questions to clarify the unique offerings and differences between incubators and accelerators, assisting entrepreneurs in making informed decisions for their ventures growth trajectory. What is the difference between accelerators and incubators? Both incubators and accelerators are designed to support startups, but they differ in their methods and the stage of the startup they typically cater to. Incubators nurture startups in their very early stages, often providing a workspace, mentorship, and resources over a longer period, sometimes without a defined end date. They help entrepreneurs to develop their business model and strategy. Accelerators, on the other hand, are more suitable for somewhat established startups looking to speed up their growth. They offer intensive programs, usually lasting a few months, that include mentorship, educational components, and often a small amount of seed capital in exchange for equity. The goal is to accelerate the companys development and prepare them for the next growth stage, such as attracting further investment. Is Y Combinator an incubator or accelerator? Y Combinator is primarily known as an accelerator. It provides startups with seed funding, advice, and connections over a three-month period. At the end of the program, companies participate in a Demo Day, presenting their progress to a room full of investors, with the aim of securing further investment. While Y Combinator has played a pivotal role in the early stages of many startups, its structured, intensive program, focus on rapid growth, and equity stake align it more closely with the accelerator model. What is the difference between accelerator and VC? While both accelerators and venture capitalists (VCs) play a crucial role in a startups growth journey, they differ significantly in their function and engagement with the startup. An accelerator typically works with early-stage startups, providing a structured, time-limited program that offers mentorship, education, and often a small amount of seed funding. The goal is to help startups rapidly grow and refine their business model over the course of a few months. Venture capitalists, on the other hand, are usually involved in the later stages of a startups lifecycle. They invest capital into a startup in exchange for equity, with the hope that the startup will eventually provide a high return on investment. VCs typically invest larger amounts than accelerators and can offer strategic advice, but they dont provide the same structured, intensive program of support as an accelerator. How do I know if my startup is better suited for an incubator or accelerator? The choice between accelerators and incubators largely depends on the stage of your startup and the type of support you need. If your startup is in its infancy, with an idea that still needs to be developed into a viable business model, an incubator may be more suitable. Incubators provide a supportive environment where you can take time to develop your concept, learn business basics, and begin building a network. On the other hand, if your startup is already established with a defined business model and youre looking to rapidly scale your operations, an accelerator may be the better choice. Accelerators offer intensive, structured programs with a focus on rapid growth, making them ideal for startups that are ready to take the leap to the next level. Its also worth noting that accelerators often require equity in your company in exchange for their support and resources. How can I find the best incubator or accelerator program for my startup? Identifying the most suitable incubator or startup accelerator programs for your startup involves a thoughtful approach. Heres how you can navigate this process: Assess Your Startups Needs: Determine what kind of support your startup requires. This could be mentorship, funding, workspace, networking opportunities, or a structured growth program. Do Your Homework: Look into programs that have successfully supported startups in your sector. For example, artists should seek out an art business incubator instead of signing up for programs in the tech sector. Investigate their past participants, success rates, and the specific types of support they offer. Network: Engage with other entrepreneurs who have participated in these programs. Their personal experiences and insights can be invaluable. Review the Terms: If the program involves taking equity in your startup, ensure you fully understand and are comfortable with the terms. Consider Location and Resources: Decide whether a local program suits your needs or if youre willing to relocate. Additionally, evaluate the resources, facilities, and opportunities each program offers. Remember, the best program isnt universally defined its the one that best aligns with your startups unique needs and goals. What is the typical duration of an incubator or accelerator program? Incubators often have flexible timelines and can last anywhere from a few months to a few years. They offer a nurturing environment for startups to develop their business model and strategy at their own pace. Accelerator programs, on the other hand, are generally more intensive and time-bound. They typically last between three to six months. These programs are designed to expedite growth and get startups ready for the next stage, such as securing further investment or scaling their operations. Do incubators and accelerators always take equity in participating startups? While the practices can vary, generally speaking, a startup accelerator will often take an equity stake in the startups they support, ranging from around 3% to 10%. This is in exchange for the capital, mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities they provide. Business incubators, however, typically do not take an equity stake. Their model is more focused on providing startups with a conducive environment, resources, and guidance to develop their ideas over a longer time period. However, its essential to note that the terms can vary widely between different programs, so its crucial to understand the specific terms before joining. What types of resources and support do startup incubators offer to participants? Startup business incubators provide a wide range of resources and support to help early-stage companies grow and succeed. The specifics can vary by program but typically include networking opportunities, office space, mentorship, access to funding, and training. What are the differences between venture capitalists and angel investors in the context of incubators and accelerators? Venture capitalists (VCs) and angel investors both play critical roles in the funding landscape of startups, but they typically engage at different stages and in different capacities. VCs often invest in startups during later stages, like during Series A funding and beyond. They typically invest larger sums of money and, in return, expect equity in the company. Venture Capital firms often have funds that represent various investors, and they seek high growth and high return on their investment. In the context of incubators and accelerators, VCs may serve as mentors, provide strategic advice, or participate in demo days as potential investors. Angel Investors, on the other hand, are typically high-net-worth individuals who invest their personal funds into early-stage startups, often during the seed stage. They may provide more favorable terms for startups compared to VCs as they are investing their own money and can make independent decisions. Angel investors often provide mentorship to startups and can be a valuable source of early funding for companies in incubators or accelerators. Its important to note that while both can provide crucial capital, they also often bring industry knowledge, connections, and mentorship that can be instrumental to a startups success. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Are you thinking of starting a small business? If so, you will need to create a website to promote your online business and connect with your customers. Building your own website can seem challenging, but it doesnt have to be! In this post, we provide 26 tips for creating your first small business website. Well cover everything from choosing the best web hosting company to designing your site. Follow these tips, and you will be well on your way to having a successful online presence for your business. 1. Choose the Right Hosting Company When it comes to hosting your small business website, you want to choose a hosting provider that is reliable and has a good reputation. You also want to make sure that the company offers good customer service to help you with any questions or problems that arise. The best way to find out which web hosting company is right for you is by reading reviews and learning about each companys pros and cons. Going with Bluehost might be a good idea if you are on a budget since they offer shared hosting plans starting at $13 per month. SiteGround is another good option, and they offer shared hosting plans starting at around $5 per month. In addition, their plan includes a free domain name registration when you set up a hosting account with them. If you are looking for a more robust hosting plan, then WP Engine might be the right hosting provider for you. Their hosting services include managed WordPress hosting plans, and WordPress users can put together a stunning, mobile-friendly website in mere minutes. This type of hosting is perfect if you want a fast, reliable and secure website. 2. Pick Your Website Address Wisely The next step is to pick your website address, and your address URL (domain name) for your entire site will be based on it. It will speak volumes for your business too, and a good website address should be a part of website features list. So when you pick your address, you want to make sure that it is easy to remember and includes the keywords you want to rank for in search engines. Doing so will make it easy for people to find your business online and grow your traffic. An excellent example of this would be if you own a pizza restaurant. You might want to choose a website address like pizza-restaurant-name.com or, even betterpizza.com. If you have a hard time coming up with a good website address, there are plenty of domain name generators online that can help you develop ideas. Just make sure that the website address is available for purchase before registering it. If you really want to optimize your domain name, several fantastic tools exist for finding imaginative domain names. 3. Pick a Good Website Builder Once youve determined that a website builder works for you, its time to choose one. If you are on a budget, then we recommend using WordPresss free website builder. However, while a WordPress website is free to start, you can realistically expect pricing for WordPress software to fall between $11 and $40 per month after shelling out a one-off cost of around $200. There are also plenty of tutorials available online that can help walk you through the process of setting up a WordPress site. If you are looking for other professional website builders, then Squarespace might be the one for you. They offer beautiful templates that are easy to use, and business plans start at $18/month. Plus, they offer a 14-day free trial, so you can test out the platform before committing. Wix is another popular website builder that offers a wide range of templates and features. They also offer a free trial to try out the platform before committing to a paid plan. Wixs unlimited plan for entrepreneurs and freelancers starts at $18/month and increases in price depending on your needs (e.g., more storage space, visitor analytics). Other good website builders include: GoDaddy: This popular website builder is perfect for startups. Plans range from $9.99 to $24.99/month. Weebly: Offering a fantastic free plan, Weebly lets you build a professional website. Later, you can use it to grow along with your online company for under $20/month. SITE123: This website builder is great for small businesses that want site speed reliability without all the bells and whistles. They offer two plansa free plan and a premium plan for under $13/month. Duda: This mobile-friendly website builder is best for pure, polished web design and customization. Duda Plans run from $14 to $44/month. If youre a small business owner whod like to learn about free website builders for your small business, be sure to check out Small Business Trends article about 20 Free Website Builders For Your Small Business. 4. Plan for Future Expansion if you think youll expand your business in the future, its important to plan for it in advance when designing your website. Make sure that your website is easy to update and add new pages as your business grows. Additionally, choose a platform that can handle increased traffic and bandwidth needs. A WordPress site can keep up with a small companys expansion, but some other excellent website platforms that are flexible and powerful enough to grow with you include Wix or Squarespace. Of course, GoDaddy is fine for growth too if you want a no-frills website. Two of the best ones that allow eCommerce and bigger stores to expand are Shopify and BigCommerce. Also, if you are tech-savvy, Joomla and Drupal are great open-source options. 5. Have a Professional Website Design A professionally-designed website is paramount to the overall success of your business. And the best websites are easy to use, fast-loading and optimized for mobile devices. When customers visit your site, they need to know who you are and what you sell within seconds. If they cant figure out how to navigate through your site or find what theyre looking for, then the chances are good that they will leave your site and go somewhere else. Additionally, when you design with a professional touch, the design for a business site should include a logo that speaks to your brand. It should also feature high-quality images and videos, clear calls to action, easy navigation, quick loading time on all pages of the site (including behind the scenes) and security features. Website templates can help you get started with a professional website design. Still, if you dont know where to start, its probably best to hire a professional web designer who understands your business and can create a site that accurately represents your brand. They will be able to help you create a website that not only looks great but also converts visitors into customers. When you hire a professional web design agency, they will be able to help you with everything from choosing the right domain name and website builder to creating an attractive logo that speaks to your brand. Here are some tips for finding the right web design agency: Look for an agency that specializes in small business sites. Request case studies and a portfolio of their work. Ask for references from past clients. Make sure the agency offers a free consultation to discuss your needs and get an estimate. Compare prices before making a decision. Be sure to ask about hidden fees (e.g., design changes). Plus, many agencies offer affordable monthly packages, so you wont have any upfront costs or hidden fees. You can also ask them about other services such as social media management or optimizing your website copy for search engines if youre interested in growing your business online. If your budget is tight, its typically best to start with a free website builder and spend just a few dollars per month for hosting. You can always hire an agency to help build more robust features into your site later on down the road when it makes sense for your business. 6. Get an SSL Certificate Straight Away If you want to accept payments from customers online, its essential that your website has an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is a security protocol used by websites to secure the connection between visitors web browsers and their servers. It encrypts data so hackers cant access it without having an encryption key. SSL certificates are important for small businesses because they help protect customer data and increase customer trust. Even if consumers arent aware of what an SSL is, 78% of them say they are reassured when they see the familiar padlock symbol associated with an SSL certificate in their browser. If your website doesnt have an SSL certificate, then youre at risk of losing customers who might not want to take their chances with a site that doesnt have one (especially if theyre making payments online). Plus, Google can penalize sites that dont have SSL certificates by lowering their search engine rankings. You can get a free SSL certificate from Lets Encrypt or pay for it through your domain registrar or web hosting company. 7. Look at Similar Small Business Websites for Inspiration If youre not sure what you want your website to look like, its a good idea to look at similar small business sites for inspiration. That way you get an idea of the types of features and design elements you might want to include on your site. You can find examples of some by doing a Google search for small business websites or by browsing through some of the top design galleries online. Keep in mind that you dont want to copy another businesss websiteyou should aim to create a site that is unique and reflects your brand. But looking at other small business sites can give you some great ideas for what you might want to include on your own site. Its also a good idea to check out the websites of local small businesses in your area so you can see what theyre doing and get some inspiration for what might work best for you, too. 8. Install Plugins to Boost Your Websites Features Plugins can help you add features for anything from a contact form to a search bar to powerful SEO tools. If you want your website to do more than just show information about your business, then its a good idea to install WordPress plugins to boost its functionality. However, bear in mind that there shouldnt be too many plugins and that there are many free and paid plugins available for WordPress that are excellent. We recommend starting with the following plugins: Yoast SEO Plugin: Optimizes your website for search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find you online. MonsterInsights: Tracks your websites traffic and sees how people are finding your site. Jetpack: Provides a ton of features and options, including social media integration, security enhancements and image optimization. WPForms: Creates custom forms, such as contact forms, payment forms, survey forms and more. SeedProd: Lets you create pages for your site, including a beautiful coming soon page to capture leads while your site is in development. 9. Choose a Suitable WordPress Theme Once youve installed the plugins you need, its time to choose a theme for your website. This theme is the design and layout of your site, and there are thousands of themes available. When choosing one, its important to make sure that it is responsivemeaning it will look good on all devices, from desktop computers to phones and tablets. The following themes are great for small businesses because of their responsiveness, ease of use and mobile-friendly attributes: Divi Divi is a versatile drag and drop page that comes with 46 content elements and 20 layouts that allow you to get ready and create your website immediately. This functionality makes the theme completely unique and more comprehensive in terms of user experience. XTheme X Theme by Theme.co is a multipurpose theme that has four unique designs that you can use for your website. It also includes over 40 modules and 20 widget areas which give you plenty of flexibility when creating your website. OceanWP Offering a free, flexible theme that is highly customizable, lightweight and easy to use, OceanWP is a great option for small businesses. Features that set it apart include mobile-friendly appearance, responsive design and lightning-fast loading capabilities. BeTheme BeTheme has over 650+ pre-built websites that can be quickly customized and put into production without any coding. It also includes a drag and drop builder, 20 header styles, unlimited color options and more. Astra Astra is a lightweight and highly customizable multipurpose theme that integrates seamlessly with popular page builders and eCommerce plugins. Its wide range of features like unlimited layouts and gorgeous appearance make it especially suitable for restaurants, niche-based sites and many other purposes. Lets add a word of warning here about themes that advertise themselves as completely free. Some experts caution against using them since some arent secure as the ones you buy. Still, you dont have to make getting your theme a huge expenseeven investing a small amount of money in one can help keep your site secure. 9. Simple is Better Whether youre working with a designer or just choosing a template, you want to keep the design elements simple on your business website and not have flashy colors (unless, of course, busy and flashy is aligned with your brand). Too much going on will only confuse and distract visitors from what you want them to do, which is buy from you. While simplicity is the goal, you should also know how to pick colors for your business website. A good rule of thumb is to use a maximum of no more than three colors. Likewise, only use two or three different fonts and make sure they are easy to read. 10. Have a Contact Page New customers and long-term shoppers alike need a way to get in touch with you through your business website, so its important to include a Contact Us page or something similar on your site. Your contact page should consist of information like your business address, phone number, email address and a form that allows customers to send you a message. Many WordPress plugins, such as WPForms and Gravity Forms, allow you to create a contact form with ease. Another option is to have a live chat feature that let you have a more personal and meaningful conversation with your online visitors. 11. Search Engine Optimization is Key Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving the ranking of your website on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. The practice matters because it can help your website appear on the first page of search results when potential clients look for the products and services you offer. This is often referred to as organic traffic, and its important because studies show that 75% of users dont go beyond the first page of search results. Some of the best ways to improve your websites SEO and site performance include: Creating high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience and adding keywords and phrases throughout your website Including on-page optimization and optimizing your images for online searches Using social media to share your content and increase your websites exposure Creating a blog and including keywords in the titles and posts Building backlinks to your website from other high-quality websites Adding keywords to your websites title tag, meta description and header tags. Also, the search engine results pages, or SERPS, are constantly changing, so its crucial to stay up-to-date on the latest techniques for improving your sites traffic. 12. Invest in SEO Tools To improve your websites SEO, you need access to the right tools. Thankfully, there are many great SEO tools available that can help you with everything from keyword research to backlink analysis. Some of the most popular SEO tools include: Moz Pro Google Analytics SEMrush Ahrefs Keyword Finder Ubersuggest Google Search Console While all of these tools are great for improving your websites SEO, its important to remember that no one tool can guarantee success. Therefore, its essential to use a variety of different tools and techniques to get the best results. 13. Consider Having a Content Management System A content management system (CMS) is a software application that allows you to create, edit and publish digital content from a central location. A CMS is important because it can help you manage your websites content more effectively, which can improve your websites SEO and traffic. Many dont require deep technical knowledge to use them, either. Some of the most popular CMSs include: WordPress.org Hubspot CMS Hub Wix BigCommerce Ghost Magento Textpattern 14. Optimize Your Small Business Website for Mobile To provide a great experience for your mobile visitors, its important to optimize your small business website for mobile devices. You can accomplish this by using a responsive design or creating a separate mobile version of your website. Additionally, you can use tools like Googles Mobile-Friendly Test to check how well your website performs and how user-friendly it is on mobile devices. 15. Internal and External Links are Important Hyperlinks or simply links are an important part of any website, and they can be used to improve your websites SEO and traffic. Internal links point from one page on your website to another. External links, on the other hand, are links that point to pages outside of your website. Internal and external hyperlinks are important because they help Google and other search engines understand your websites structure and content. Additionally, they can help you increase traffic to your website by providing more opportunities for people to click through to your pages. 16. Add Social Media Integration Social media integration can help you improve your websites traffic and engagement. By adding social media buttons to your website, you make it easy for visitors to share your content on their favorite social networks. Additionally, social media integration can help you track how well your content is performing on social media. Here are a few ways to add social media integration: Add a Facebook Like button to your website and blog posts so that visitors can easily like them on Facebook. Install a Twitter Follow button so that visitors can follow you on Twitter without leaving your site. Add a Tweet This button to make it easy for people to share your content with their followers. Auto-publish your blog posts to your social media profiles so that your followers can see them as soon as theyre published. Create a social stream to display your latest social media updates on your website. 17. Have an Online Store or Booking Section If you have a product to sell, its vital to have an online store or booking section on your website. An eCommerce site can help you grow your small business by letting customers purchase your products from their computers, tablets and mobile phones. Additionally, many eCommerce platforms allow you to track sales and inventory so that you know how well your products are selling. 18. Use Professional Photography and Images If youre selling products or services, its important to use professional photography and images on your website. These help visitors understand what you offer and can be used to show off your products or services in action. If you dont have the budget for a professional photographer, there are plenty of options available online. You can purchase stock photos from sites like iStockPhoto, Shutterstock and Dreamstime. However, resist the urge to use low-quality stock images. If you are not willing to invest in professional-looking images, its best just to skip it altogether. Also, from a design standpoint, images should be used sparingly and only if they support the message youre trying to communicate. 19. Use Reviews and Testimonials Small business owners can benefit from reviews and testimonials. So, if you have any from your happy customers, be sure to include them on your website. These can help improve your credibility and convince visitors that they should do business with you. A few ways to incorporate reviews and testimonials into your site are: Add a link in the footer of every page so that visitors can see them no matter where they are. Link to reviews and testimonials in your email marketing campaigns so that new subscribers can learn more about you without leaving their inboxes. Add a link to reviews or testimonials on your social media profiles so that visitors who click through from there can readily find positive feedback about you. 20. Utilize Video Elements in Your Small Business Website Video is an excellent way to engage website visitors and can be used to explain your products or services in more detail. Additionally, including videos on your website can help improve your SEO results. There are a few ways to add videos to your site: Embed videos from popular video-sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Upload videos directly to your websites server. Create a video landing page to introduce visitors to your business and its products or services. 21. Implement User-Friendly Navigation User-friendly navigation is crucial for keeping visitors engaged on your site. A clear, intuitive menu structure helps users find information quickly and easily. Consider incorporating dropdown menus for subcategories and always ensure your navigation is accessible from every page. Additionally, having a search bar can be immensely helpful, especially for content-rich websites. 22. Prioritize Page Loading Speed A slow website can deter visitors and negatively impact your SEO. Optimize your websites loading speed by compressing images, minimizing the use of heavy scripts, and choosing a fast web hosting service. Tools like Googles PageSpeed Insights can help you analyze and improve your sites speed. 23. Ensure Consistent Branding Consistent branding across your website helps build trust and recognition. Your websites color scheme, font choices, and overall design should align with your brand identity. This consistency should extend to all your digital assets, including social media profiles and email marketing templates, to create a cohesive brand experience. 24. Integrate Customer Feedback Mechanisms Incorporate features that allow customers to give feedback easily. This could be through simple surveys, comment sections, or a dedicated feedback form. Customer feedback is invaluable for improving your website and services. Plus, showing that you value customer opinions can strengthen your relationship with your audience. 25. Regularly Update Content Keep your website fresh and relevant by regularly updating your content. This includes not only blog posts or news sections but also updating product descriptions, prices, and any company news. A website thats regularly updated with valuable content can improve SEO, engage visitors, and position your business as an active and current player in your industry. 26. Test, Test, Test! The best way to make sure that your website is effective is to test it regularly. This method lets you learn and tweak things as you go. Make sure that you track how well each element performs so that you can make changes as needed. Additionally, use analytics to see how visitors are interacting with your website. This information can help you decide what content to keep, change or remove. No. Topic Summary 1 Hosting & Domain Choose reliable hosting, like Bluehost or SiteGround. Pick a memorable domain name with keywords. 2 Website Builder Opt for WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix for easy site creation. Professional web designers are an option. 3 Design & SEO Prioritize user-friendly design, mobile optimization, and SEO. Use tools like Yoast and Moz for SEO. 4 Social & eCommerce Integrate social media buttons, share tools, and consider an online store for product/service sales. 5 Testing & Analytics Regularly test website elements, track user behavior, and make improvements using tools like Google. Conclusion In todays digital age, a well-designed and strategically optimized small business website is a crucial tool for establishing your online presence and engaging with your target audience. By incorporating the strategies outlined in this guide, you can create a website that not only showcases your products or services but also effectively converts visitors into customers. From selecting the right hosting company and domain name to optimizing for mobile devices and maximizing conversion rates, each step plays a vital role in ensuring your websites success. Remember that your website is a dynamic entity that requires constant attention and adaptation. Regularly analyze user behavior, track key performance indicators, and make data-driven adjustments to continually improve your websites effectiveness. Whether youre a startup or an established small business, investing time and effort into building and maintaining a user-friendly, visually appealing, and conversion-focused website can yield significant returns in terms of brand growth, customer engagement, and overall business success. As technology and user preferences evolve, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in website design and optimization will help you maintain a competitive edge and continue to deliver value to your audience. With a strong foundation and a commitment to continuous improvement, your small business website can become a powerful tool that supports your business goals and fosters lasting customer relationships. Start Creating Your Small Business Website Today Now that you have read the tips, its time to put them into action! Start by creating a list of the most important things you want your website to accomplish. From there, begin designing and building your site using these tips as a guide. And dont forget to test, test, test along the way to make sure that youre getting the results you want. If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more. Amazons top business books of 2024 are here, and theyre a goldmine for anyone looking to gain a competitive advantage in the business world. From groundbreaking strategies to innovative insights, these books offer the keys to unlocking success and staying ahead of the curve. Whether youre a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned executive, these must-reads are your ticket to the top. The 45 Best Business Books for 2024 Lets dive into business mastery with our curated list of the 45 best business books for 2024. These selections offer invaluable insights and strategies for thriving in todays dynamic business landscape. From timeless classics to cutting-edge reads, each book promises to enrich your knowledge and sharpen your entrepreneurial skills with actionable advice. Innovations in Business Lets begin by exploring the frontier of business innovation with these pivotal books that provide practical tools for innovation and maintaining a competitive edge. Blue Ocean Strategy Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne challenges businesses to step out of the competitive red ocean and into uncharted blue oceans. This transformative approach advocates for creating new market spaces, rendering competition irrelevant, and unlocking new demand. The Innovators Dilemma The Innovators Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen delves into why large companies often fail when faced with technological innovations. Its a groundbreaking exploration of the challenges of managing innovation, offering insights into sustaining growth through disruptive technologies. Crossing the Chasm Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore presents a compelling look at the challenges faced by start-ups in gaining mainstream market acceptance. The book focuses on the critical transition from early adopters to a broader market, which is essential for the success of innovative products. The Lean Startup The Lean Startup by Eric Ries introduces a new approach to business that fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. This methodology has been adopted by both startups and established companies globally, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. The Innovators Solution The Innovators Solution by Clayton M. Christensen builds on the ideas of The Innovators Dilemma. This book offers practical advice for companies wanting to grow and sustain success by creating disruptive innovations. Its a roadmap for both entrepreneurs and executives in established companies. Classic Business Books Dive into the timeless wisdom of these classic business books, each a cornerstone for understanding the essentials of management, leadership, and personal development in the business world. The Effective Executive The Effective Executive by Peter F. Drucker is a seminal work on efficiency and leadership. Drucker emphasizes the importance of managing time, focusing on contributions, and setting the right priorities, making it an indispensable guide for managers at all levels. Good to Great Good to Great by Jim Collins offers a thorough analysis of how average companies transform into outstanding performers. Collins introduces concepts like Level 5 Leadership and the Flywheel, providing a framework for organizational change and long-term success. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a masterpiece in personal and professional effectiveness. Coveys principles for self-mastery and interpersonal skills have become fundamental teachings for aspiring leaders and individuals seeking to better themselves. Think and Grow Rich Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, a pioneer in the personal development genre, presents principles of success based on the authors study of wealthy individuals. Hills philosophy goes beyond mere wealth accumulation, focusing on the power of personal beliefs in achieving life goals. Leadership and Management Insights Unlock the secrets to effective leadership and team management with these insightful books, each offering unique perspectives on how to inspire, motivate, and lead successfully in any organization. Leaders Eat Last Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek explores the vital role of leadership in creating an environment where people feel safe and valued. Sinek argues that great leaders sacrifice their own comfort for the good of their team, fostering trust and cooperation. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink challenges traditional notions of motivation. Pink presents a more nuanced approach, emphasizing the importance of autonomy, mastery, and purpose in motivating individuals and teams. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni addresses the common hurdles faced by teams. Using a fable-style narrative, Lencioni illustrates how to overcome these dysfunctions to build a cohesive and effective team. The Art of War The Art of War by Sun Tzu is not just a military treatise but a timeless guide to strategy and leadership. Its principles have been applied in various fields, including business and management, offering wisdom on overcoming obstacles and achieving success. Digital Transformation and Technology in the Business World Navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape with these insightful books, offering essential knowledge on how technology is reshaping the future of business and society. The Second Machine Age The Second Machine Age by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee explores the profound changes brought by digital technology. It discusses how innovations like robotics and artificial intelligence are influencing the economy, employment, and society, offering a roadmap for thriving in this new era. Digital Transformation Digital Transformation by Thomas M. Siebel provides a comprehensive look at the digital revolutions impact on business. Siebel offers practical strategies for organizations to adapt, survive, and thrive in the face of disruptive technological advancements. The Industries of the Future The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross delves into the next wave of global economic change. Ross examines fields like robotics, genomics, and cybersecurity, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities these industries present for the next generation. Who Owns the Future? Who Owns the Future? by Jaron Lanier addresses the digital ages influence on economies and individual prosperity. Lanier argues for a sustainable, humanistic approach to digital technology, focusing on the power structures and economic models of the data-driven world. Financial Wisdom and Economic Insights Gain profound knowledge of finance and economics with these insightful books, offering expert guidance on investing, economic theories, and the intricacies of the financial world. The Intelligent Investor The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, known as the father of value investing, provides timeless advice for investors. Grahams philosophy of value investing protecting oneself from substantial error and teaching oneself to manage rather than avoid risk has made this book an indispensable guide in the world of finance. Freakonomics Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner challenges conventional wisdom and illuminates how economics influences our everyday lives in unexpected ways. Its an entertaining exploration of the hidden side of everything from crime to parenting, showcasing the power of thinking differently. The Big Short The Big Short by Michael Lewis provides a gripping narrative of the 2008 financial crisis. This book offers an insightful analysis of the complex financial instruments and the individuals who foresaw the collapse of the housing market, making it a must-read for understanding modern finance. Capital in the Twenty-First Century Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty dives deep into wealth and income inequality. Pikettys extensive research and analysis of economic data spanning centuries provides a new understanding of the forces shaping capitalism and its impact on society. Entrepreneurship and Startup Culture Immerse yourself in the dynamic world of entrepreneurship with these influential books for entrepreneurs, each offering unique insights and strategies for thriving in the startup ecosystem. Zero to One Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters is a thought-provoking dive into building companies that create new things. Thiel advocates for moving from zero to one creating entirely new innovations rather than iterating on existing ideas, emphasizing the importance of visionary thinking in startups. The $100 Startup The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau inspires with stories of entrepreneurs who built successful businesses with minimal investment. Guillebeau focuses on practical strategies for starting small, leveraging skills, and identifying untapped market needs, making entrepreneurship accessible to all. Women in Business Explore the unique challenges and opportunities faced by women in the corporate world with these best business books for women. These books offer insights and strategies specifically tailored for women entrepreneurs and business leaders, empowering them to excel in their ventures. Business Education for Young Minds Foster the entrepreneurial spirit in young learners with these business books for kids. These engaging and educational books introduce children to basic business concepts and inspire them to think creatively and innovatively. The Hard Thing About Hard Things The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz offers unvarnished truths about entrepreneurship and business leadership. Horowitz shares his experiences and insights on navigating the toughest problems business leaders face, offering essential advice on building and running a startup. Crushing It! Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk is a powerful guide to personal branding and leveraging social media for business success. Vaynerchuk illustrates how to use online platforms to develop a strong personal brand, connect with audiences, and turn passion into profit. Marketing and Branding in a Digital Age Discover the keys to captivating audiences in the digital world with these essential books on marketing and branding. Contagious: Why Things Catch On Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger explores the science of why certain things go viral. Berger reveals the secret ingredients that make content contagious and how to craft messages that spread like wildfire. Building a StoryBrand Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller offers a powerful approach to connecting with customers through storytelling. Millers framework simplifies the complex process of branding, teaching readers how to communicate their brands message. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini is a groundbreaking look at the psychology of persuasion. Cialdini explains the six universal principles of influence, providing invaluable strategies for effective persuasion in marketing. This Is Marketing: You Cant Be Seen Until You Learn to See This Is Marketing: You Cant Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin redefines marketing for the modern age. Godin emphasizes the importance of empathy, storytelling, and creating connections, urging marketers to focus on making a difference and solving problems. Personal Development for Business Growth Enhance your personal and professional life with these essential books, offering transformative approaches to habits, mindset, and interpersonal skills. How to Win Friends and Influence People How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a timeless classic that teaches the art of effective communication and relationship building. Carnegies principles are as relevant today as they were when first published, guiding individuals toward personal and professional success. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck unveils how our mindset shapes our lives. Dwecks concept of fixed and growth mindsets revolutionizes our understanding of success, emphasizing the power of our beliefs in achieving our goals. Atomic Habits Atomic Habits by James Clear offers a comprehensive guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. Clears strategies focus on tiny changes that lead to remarkable results, providing a practical framework for improving every day. The Power of Habit The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg explores the science behind why habits exist and how they can be changed. Duhiggs engaging narrative combines research and stories, revealing the transformative power of habits in business, communities, and personal lives. Lessons from the Top Business Schools Get an insiders perspective on the teachings and philosophies of the worlds leading business schools with these insightful books. The Case Study Handbook The Case Study Handbook by William Ellet is an essential guide for anyone preparing for business school. This book provides valuable strategies for analyzing, discussing, and writing about cases, equipping readers with the tools needed to excel in MBA programs. What They Teach You at Harvard Business School What They Teach You at Harvard Business School by Philip Delves Broughton offers a candid look at the experience of studying at one of the worlds most prestigious business schools. Broughton shares insights into the MBA program, revealing the lessons and practices taught to future business leaders. From Higher Aims to Hired Hands From Higher Aims to Hired Hands by Rakesh Khurana delves into the evolution of management education and its impact on corporate America. Khurana critically examines the role of business schools in shaping business practices and ideals, providing a thought-provoking analysis of modern management education. Navigating Global Business Trends Stay ahead in the global marketplace with these insightful books, offering perspectives on globalization, cultural dynamics, and the challenges of a connected world. The World Is Flat The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman is a compelling analysis of globalization in the 21st century. Friedman explains how the world is becoming more interconnected and the implications this has for economies, societies, and individuals. The Culture Map The Culture Map by Erin Meyer provides invaluable insights into navigating the complexities of global business communication. Meyers book is a guide to understanding and bridging cultural differences, enhancing international collaboration and effectiveness. The Globalization Paradox The Globalization Paradox by Dani Rodrik challenges conventional wisdom about globalization. Rodrik argues for a balanced view of globalization, acknowledging its benefits while addressing its limitations and risks, especially in terms of democracy and national sovereignty. Business Books for Practical Application Enhance your productivity and leadership skills with these practical guides, essential for anyone looking to improve their effectiveness in the business world. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen introduces a work-life management system that has helped countless individuals and organizations bring order to chaos. Allens method transforms personal overwhelm and overload into an integrated system of stress-free productivity. The First 90 Days The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins is a crucial resource for navigating career transitions. Watkins offers strategies to successfully ramp up in a new role, build credibility, and create an early impact in the crucial first three months. Measure What Matters Measure What Matters by John Doerr showcases the revolutionary approach of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). Doerr illustrates how setting the right goals and tracking the right outcomes can propel individuals and organizations to achieve exponential growth. Emerging Trends in Business Literature Delve into the future of business with these groundbreaking books, each providing insights into the latest trends shaping the business world. Platform Revolution Platform Revolution by Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne, and Sangeet Paul Choudary offers a comprehensive look at the rise of platform-based businesses. The authors explain how platforms are disrupting traditional industries and creating new opportunities for innovation and growth. The Third Wave The Third Wave by Steve Case explores the next phase of the internets evolution. Case predicts a future where the internet will be integrated into every aspect of our lives, creating unique challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses. Exponential Organizations Exponential Organizations by Salim Ismail, Michael S. Malone, and Yuri van Geest examines organizations that are scaling their impact at an unprecedented rate. The authors provide insights into how businesses can leverage technology and innovative strategies to grow faster and smarter in todays digital age. Building a Versatile Business Library Building a versatile business library is like assembling a toolbox for success. The best business books dont just fill your mind with theories; they provide actionable insights that can be applied in the real world. They serve as mentors, guiding you through the complexities of entrepreneurship and management. By absorbing the wisdom from these pages, you equip yourself with the tools needed for business growth and leadership. Staying informed and inspired is key to becoming a business leader who navigates change and drives it. These books are your companions on that journey to excellence. Book Title Author(s) Key Focus Area Audience Suitability The Lean Startup Eric Ries Entrepreneurship & Innovation Entrepreneurs, Startups Good to Great Jim Collins Organizational Development Business Leaders, Managers The $100 Startup Chris Guillebeau Entrepreneurial Mindset Aspiring Entrepreneurs Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill Personal Development All Professionals The Art of War Sun Tzu Strategy & Leadership Executives, Managers The Innovator's Dilemma Clayton M. Christensen Managing Innovation CEOs, Tech Managers Drive Daniel H. Pink Motivation & Psychology HR Professionals, Team Leaders Leaders Eat Last Simon Sinek Leadership & Organizational Culture Team Leaders, Executives The Second Machine Age Erik Brynjolfsson, Andrew McAfee Technology & Future Trends Entrepreneurs, Tech Enthusiasts The Effective Executive Peter F. Drucker Management & Efficiency Managers, Business Administrators FAQs: Top Business Books What are the most popular business books on Amazon for 2024? Amazons top business books for 2024 include a range of titles from classics to cutting-edge reads, offering insights into various aspects of business, from entrepreneurship and innovation to leadership and digital transformation. These books are carefully curated to provide the most valuable knowledge and strategies for business professionals. How can these books help budding entrepreneurs? Books for entrepreneurs offer unique insights and strategies for starting and growing a business. They cover essential topics such as innovative thinking, business planning, financial management, and overcoming common challenges faced by new entrepreneurs. Are there specific books tailored for women in business? Yes, there are books specifically tailored for women in business. These books address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by women entrepreneurs and leaders, offering guidance and strategies to empower them in their professional journeys. Do the top business books include topics on digital transformation? Absolutely, the top business books of 2024 include significant coverage of digital transformation. They provide essential knowledge on how technology is reshaping businesses and society, discussing the impacts of innovations like AI, robotics, and digital marketing. Can young readers find business-related books suitable for them? Yes, there are business books specifically designed for young readers. These books introduce basic business concepts in an engaging and educational manner, fostering entrepreneurial thinking and creativity in young minds. What kind of leadership and management insights do these books offer? The leadership and management books offer insights on effective leadership styles, team management, motivation, and creating a positive organizational culture. They are valuable for anyone looking to enhance their leadership skills and manage teams more effectively. Are these books suitable for professionals at all stages of their careers? These books are suitable for professionals at all stages of their careers, from beginners to seasoned executives. They provide a wealth of knowledge and insights that are beneficial for continuous learning and professional development in the business world. Get discounts and special offers on new and classic business books with an Audible Premium Plus membership. Learn more and sign up for an account today. What drives some people to always be first? That is, the first person to do or experience something. Brooklyn-born Omero C. Catan was known by New Yorkers as Mr. First. The name is quite literal since in a career where he had been the first person to participate at 537 historic opening days across the East Coast. On The Small Business Radio Show, I talked with Amy Padnani, a journalist for the NY Times who recently wrote an article about Omero Catan in a feature about those who are often overlooked and about always being first. Here is what we talked about: How did this being first get started with Catan? Catan, who was born in Brooklyn into an Italian American family at a time of pervasive anti-immigrant sentiment didnt let his circumstances define him. Rather, he built his legacy as a professional firster. What was his strategy? He spent cold nights in his car while staking out new infrastructure projects. Examples of his firsts: In 1939, he received Manhattans first marriage license of the year. In 1932, he was the first to buy a token on the newly opened Eighth Avenue subway. In 1936, he was the first to skate on the Rockefeller Center ice rink. In 1951, he was the first to use a token on a city parking meter. Four years later in 1955, he was the first to drive across the Tappan Zee Bridge. In 1962, he was the first to cross the lower level of the George Washington Bridge. Catan accused his brother of attempting to get the Mr. First title from him. Competition between the two brothers drove them apart until they died. Catan denied his brother had anything to do with the Mr. First title. His brother, Michael, in a report from The Miami New Times, said this: Even though hes number one Mr. First were still tied together. Thats the way it wound up now. Were one. Were not two anymore. Were one. Thats just the way it is. What drives people to be first? Listen to the entire interview with Amy on The Small Business Radio Show. Natural spas in Kalameny are bursting at the seams all year round. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share The thermal spring in Kalameny in the Liptov region is not for those who bathe in cold water, though it takes courage to take off your clothes at -20 C. Mayor Juraj Markovic says that the natural pool is always busy. Find out more about region of folklore, national parks and modern attractions in our Zilina Region Travel Guide. "365 days a year. It doesn't matter if it's summer or winter, day or night. You can always find people there, not only from the district. The parking lot is lined with registration numbers from all over the world," said Markovic. Free spa Although the municipality does not keep statistics on visitors, according to estimates, 10,000 tourists visit the area every year. The place is all the more attractive because Liptov Castle is located above the village. Many people end their hiking just by relaxing in the Kalameny spring. The lake is approximately 80 centimetres deep and the water is a pleasant 33 C. The muddy bottom was filled with gravel a few years ago, the banks lined with stone from the quarry. The last time the village invested in landscaping was last year, according to Markovic; it was field work, and the latest plan is to build a bridge. There is no charge for swimming, visitors paying 4 for all-day parking in the parking lot next door. Portable toilets are part of the area. The water in the lake contains sulphur, calcium, magnesium and has similar effects as in the neighbouring Lucky spa. It is mildly mineralised, has a strong sulfur smell and is slightly orange-coloured. The water has a beneficial effect on women's problems, suitable for diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Luck seekers may find it in the Liptov region, together with a waterfall Read more The pond is located in the cadastre of the municipality, but the well is the property of the Environment Ministry. A young married couple from Turcianske Teplice relaxed in the lake in the freezing weather. "We extended our vacation in Liptov. It is not our first visit to Kalameny. The nature and surroundings are beautiful here. We take a bath for the first time when it's so cold. The water in the lake is warm, we don't feel the cold," said Stanislav Rojcek. Some don't clean up after them The lake cleans itself, the village cleaning it once a year of larger impurities. The mayor is more annoyed by visitors who leave a mess behind. "Recently, one tourist cut his leg on the glass," Markovic mentioned as a result of unruly visitors. Last year, a private company built an outdoor sauna near the thermal spring, namely a dry Finnish sauna. It includes hot lava stones. Nearby is a cooling tub through which water flows from a spring located right next to the sauna. My Liptov https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/cajoderepo Spectacular Slovakia travel guides American senators and congress members visited Slovakia last weekend. Meeting of the US Congressional delegation with Prime Minister Robert Fico, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar. (Source: FB Velvyslanectva USA na Slovensku/ US Ambassy Slovakia ) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Republican Senator Mike Rounds said that despite disagreements with Slovak PM Robert Fico's approach to Ukraine, the USA remains strong allies with Slovakia. A US congressional delegation, including two senators and five congressmen, met during the weekend with Prime Minister Fico and his two ministers. Fico said at the meeting that for Slovakia, membership in the EU and NATO is a pillar of foreign policy and nothing is changing in this regard, reports the Sme daily. The delegation also met with President Zuzana Caputova and civil society. While addressing concerns about the rule of law and media freedom, the delegation acknowledged diverse opinions on planned judicial changes, but refrained from any involvement in domestic affairs. If there were no anti-government protests, which have been taking place around Slovakia since last December, it would be unfavourable to democracy, said Republican Congressman Darrell Issa. He believes that protests and dissent with the government are part of a healthy democracy. The fact that Fico's party, Smer, attacked the United States before the elections and called President Caputova an American agent, is considered part of the political struggle, according to Issa. True democracy is a dirty fight, and often full of false statements and accusations, Issa added. Slovakia's strategic role The delegation emphasised the importance of hearing perspectives from leaders in the region considering the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. They expressed concerns about Russia violating international law and the need to prevent such actions in the future. Despite differing views on Ukraine, the delegation emphasised that they do not want to ignore Slovakia's position. You are part of a dangerous neighbourhood, said Rounds in connection with the ongoing war in Ukraine. That's why we want to hear the opinions of leaders in this part of the world, he concluded. Prior to their visit to Slovakia, the delegation spent some time in Poland. USA won't leave NATO Regarding recent statements by former US President Donald Trump, the delegation, led by Senator Rounds, reassured that the USA remains committed to NATO, and an exit would require congressional approval. Senator Chris Coons added that the majority in Congress supports continuing aid to Ukraine, even though there are disagreements on unrelated aspects of US security policy. Outdoor spa in Liptov, Bratislava in the 60s, and a group of US senators and congressmen visits Slovakia. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Good evening. Here is the Monday, January 15 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes. Investigation into tragic Teplaren shooting is closed People in Bratislava march on October 14, 2022, to condemn the murder of two LGBT+ people outside the Teplaren gay bar on October 12. (Source: TASR - Dano Veselsky) The investigation into the Teplaren gay bar attack in Bratislava from October 2022 confirmed that a secondary-school student was the perpetrator. Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipsic stated that prosecution was terminated due to the student's suicide committed after the attack. The terrorist attack resulted in two lives lost from the LGBT+ community, Juraj Vankulic a Matus Horvath, and injuries to waitress Radka Troksiarova. Describing the act as exceptionally cold-blooded, Lipsic added the primary target was then-prime minister Eduard Heger (Demokrati). The attacker, who acted as a lone wolf, believed in the potential change of the social order after Heger's killing. "The target [Heger] didn't come, I was left with plan B [gay bar]," Lipsic quoted from the attacker's diary entry. As it turns out, the attacker called the IPcko mental health helpline on October 10, 2022, which was two days before the murders. He said: "I have to die, but I'm very afraid." But people from the helpline couldn't reach the attacker, they didn't know his identity. The student planned the attack for a longer period of time, including writing his own manifesto. Related: On Monday, Jozef B. was fined 700 by the Specialised Criminal Court for approving the attack outside Teplaren in Bratislava. The decision is not final, pending an appeal by the prosecutor. The man confessed his guilt during the trial, and the charge was changed from terrorism-related offences to approval of a criminal act. (TASR) More stories from The Slovak Spectator website: Opinion: Slovakia witnesses widespread protests against government moves led by PM and Smer leader Robert Fico, challenging his plans, including the attempted abolition of the Special Prosecutor's Office. Slovakia witnesses widespread protests against government moves led by PM and Smer leader Robert Fico, challenging his plans, including the attempted abolition of the Special Prosecutor's Office. Politics: Congressional delegation of the US discussed Slovakia's EU and NATO commitment and economic cooperation with PM Robert Fico. Congressional delegation of the US discussed Slovakia's EU and NATO commitment and economic cooperation with PM Robert Fico. Premier: Politico includes PM Fico in Davos 'bad boys' club. 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 MONDAY Outdoor soak in hot water in sub-zero temperatures Kalameny thermal spring, Liptov region. (Source: Romana Vicianova) In the Liptov region's Kalameny thermal spring, brave bathers defy freezing temperatures to enjoy the natural pool, which attracts visitors year-round, regardless of weather conditions. The lake, at a pleasant 33 degrees Celsius, offers therapeutic benefits akin to neighbouring spas. EVENT: Guided tour on Tuesday What was the 1960s like in Bratislava? 60s in Bratisava (Source: web Citylife) In the sixties, life in Bratislava was shaped by the relaxation of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, allowing responses to events beyond the Soviet sphere. Curator Marta Janovickova will tell Bratislava City Museum visitors more during her lecture on Tuesday at 17:30. Admission: 2-4. In other news: SNS party leader and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko, involved in a Thursday car accident in Bratislava-Dubravka, defended himself last weekend. Danko asserted on TV that he had blown into the breathalyzer with a negative result, vehemently denying accusations of intoxication. He also claimed that he had escaped from the scene because of an alleged injury. As it has turned out, he took the test 15 hours after he hit a traffic signal pole. The prosecutor is investigating the accident. Danko asserted on TV that he had blown into the breathalyzer with a negative result, vehemently denying accusations of intoxication. He also claimed that he had escaped from the scene because of an alleged injury. As it has turned out, he took the test 15 hours after he hit a traffic signal pole. The prosecutor is investigating the accident. President Zuzana Caputova honoured the 33 personalities that received state awards from her on Sunday, including skier Petra Vlhova, film director Peter Bebjak and Polish dissident Adam Michnik. Convicted far-right politician Marian Kotleba of the LSNS party wants to run for president. He has two weeks to collect at least 15,000 signatures. Kotleba can join the race after the Specialised Criminal Court erased his conviction from 2022 for good behaviour. Then, the court found him guilty of showing sympathy for neo-Nazi ideology. (Aktuality) He has two weeks to collect at least 15,000 signatures. Kotleba can join the race after the Specialised Criminal Court erased his conviction from 2022 for good behaviour. Then, the court found him guilty of showing sympathy for neo-Nazi ideology. (Aktuality) On Monday, Speaker Peter Pellegrini (Hlas) called the election of two candidates for the position of judge of the Constitutional Court. The vote in the house should take place in April. The speaker was obliged to call the election immediately after Judge Jana Lassakova stepped down at the end of September, but he didn't. A frozen lake in Bratislava-Vajnory on January 16, 2024. (Source: TASR) WEATHER FOR TUESDAY Tomorrow's weather promises to be partly to mostly cloudy, occasionally very cloudy, especially in the northwest. Isolated snow showers, particularly in the north. The highest daytime temperature ranging from -1 C to 4 C. In the north of Slovakia, the meteorological office (SHMU) issued a first-degree warning due to snowdrifts, be cautious. JANUARY 16 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Kristina. Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us. P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk. Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator). https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/a-tale-of-two-fates-gonzalo-lira-and-rafi-jabar-1116174928.html A Tale of Two Fates: Gonzalo Lira and Rafi Jabar A Tale of Two Fates: Gonzalo Lira and Rafi Jabar Sputnik International I have a friend here named Rafi Jabbar, who I served with in 2015 in Vostok Battalion. Rafi earned his DPR and Russian citizenship in combat, where he was known as a brave and expert soldier until he got wounded by a boobytrap in early 2019. 2024-01-15T11:41+0000 2024-01-15T11:41+0000 2024-01-15T11:46+0000 russia russia vladimir putin afghanistan dpr ukrainian security service (sbu) dpr joe biden taliban https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/03/06/1108096702_0:257:2731:1793_1920x0_80_0_0_8371fe95b0b8e5b641c66709e5e6e70f.jpg And by "wounded", I mean both his legs were blown off. In 2023, he, like Gonzalo Lira, was arrested in a foreign country on bogus charges, but he was not tortured and he did not die, and in fact, was released in less than a month, on the orders of the very highest levels of the Russian government. Here's Rafi's story - compare and contrast with the horrific fate of Gonzalo Lira, who the latest reports from reliable sources (not yet, but I think soon to be 100% confirmed) was actually extorted for over $250,000 by agents of the SBU, with the the knowledge and connivance of the vice consul of the US embassy, and when Lira tried to contact a lawyer, was beaten and tortured to death in his jail cell.)Rafi was born in Afghanistan in the 1980's, his parents were killed by jihadists, and when the Russians withdrew, he was taken with them to be raised in an orphanage in Rostov. When war broke out in Donbass in 2014, he was one of the first to volunteer to join the DPR People's Militia. He served in Vostok Battalion until he was heavily wounded in 2019. Since then Rafi has worked for the DPR and Russian governments, helping other soldiers wounded in the Donbass War.In mid-2023, Rafi took a trip back to Afghanistan, as a private citizen, simply to visit his old home and look for friends and relatives. While he was there, he was arrested under suspicion of trying to recruit Afghan mercenaries to fight in Russian PMC's. He was held by the Taliban for 27 days, and never mistreated in any way, either by the guards or the prisoners. While he was detained, he missed his flight back to Moscow, and friends immediately became concerned. Calls were made to Russian special services, and to the Russian embassy in Kabul. Within a few days, his whereabouts became known. The embassy relayed the info to the special services, and within a day, a call was made to the Office of the President of the Russian President. Putin himself was apprised of the situation, and having met Rafi before himself, and knowing his story, gave an immediate and very simple order - "Get him out and back to Russia." The Russian embassy contacted the Taliban administration, and relayed the order from President Putin. The Taliban were told to get Rafi ready to go immediately, and dispatched 6 cars of Russian spetsnaz to the jail to pick Rafi up. Which they did. Rafi waited at the embassy until his flight could be arranged, and when he got to the airport, Taliban representatives were waiting with gifts and well-wishes, even taking selfies with Rafi, all hugging and smiling. Rafi is now back in Russia, working, but he still has time to keep in touch with old friends. I had dinner with him last night, where he confirmed the facts above and gave me permission to publish them.Compare this story to the horrific death of US citizen Gonzalo Lira, held and tortured for months in nazi captivity with nothing but the most depraved indifference from the US government. Despite the fact that Biden is a senile degenerate, he is still, at least nominally, the President of the United States. He could have, and should have, made a single phone call that would have gotten Lira immediately released. No more than any decent government would do to protect an innocent citizen jailed on bogus charges. But not only did the US government, from Biden on down to the US embassy in Kiev not make the call, they didn't do anything at all, and allowed the Kiev regime to murder an innocent US citizen with impunity. The whole purpose of any government is to provide justice and security to its citizens. Some do, some don't, and it is perfectly clear who are the Good Guys and who are the Bad Guys, and which is which. Think about it, what kind of government do you want to live under, and what kind of government do you have? And if your government is not the Good Guys, what are you going to do about it? https://sputnikglobe.com/20230416/taliban-territory-will-not-be-used-against-russia-central-asia-1109581468.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231117/prisoner-of-war-tells-how-ukraines-mercs-try-to-avoid-russian-strikes-1115019158.html russia afghanistan dpr Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Russell Bentley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/03/1d/1094281697_332:0:1182:850_100x100_80_0_0_f4d7604e530b3861449b2db55c72f353.jpg Russell Bentley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/03/1d/1094281697_332:0:1182:850_100x100_80_0_0_f4d7604e530b3861449b2db55c72f353.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Russell Bentley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/03/1d/1094281697_332:0:1182:850_100x100_80_0_0_f4d7604e530b3861449b2db55c72f353.jpg dpr and russian citizenship, wounded by a boobytrap, vostok battalion https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/civilian-contractor-allegedly-stole-100m-from-military-families-1116166015.html Civilian Contractor Allegedly Stole $100M From US Military Families Civilian Contractor Allegedly Stole $100M From US Military Families Sputnik International A US Army civilian contractor is accused of stealing more than $100 million meant to be spent on children of military families. Instead, it is assumed that the money were spent to buy cars and properties. 2024-01-15T00:19+0000 2024-01-15T00:19+0000 2024-01-15T04:36+0000 washington dc maryland chevrolet ford newsfeed us army military https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/101511/50/1015115088_0:0:4951:2785_1920x0_80_0_0_b55beb495a56c20c765faa79d9db3392.jpg Janet Yamanaka Mello, 57, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to 10 counts related to her alleged fraud scheme, including mail fraud, criminal handling of money and aggravated identity theft. Mello faces a total of 142 years in prison.According to the authorities, Mellos scheme went unnoticed for seven years. Part of her role at Fort Sam Houston included determining funding for a grant program meant to supplement civilian partners. In 2016, she formed a shell non-profit company called Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development (CHYLD) and appropriated funds to the company more than 40 times over the past six years.But allegedly the company did not provide any services and instead gave more than $100 million to herself. Mello largely used the relationships she built up with co-workers and her supervisors but also forged one of her supervisors signatures several times to approve some of the transactions, according to media report.According to the indictment, Mello used her ill-gotten gains to purchase luxury jewelry, 78 vehicles including new and classic cars and motorcycles and 31 properties across several states.One property in Preston, Maryland, a little more than an hour outside of Washington DC sat on a 58-acre lot and included an infinity pool, three garages capable of holding 55 cars, and 16 bathrooms. According to real estate site Zillow, it sold for $3.1 million in August.Most of the properties, which also included sites in Texas, New Mexico and Washington State, were valued at more than $1 million.The fleet of vehicles included a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS, a 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, a 1966 Ford Mustang and a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette, among others.The properties and vehicles are being sized by the government.Mello also had more than $18 million spread across six bank accounts. If she does not make a deal with prosecutors by January 19, she will face a jury trial and selection, according to court documents. https://sputnikglobe.com/20231219/us-military-recruitment-crisis-symptoms-of-overreaching-empire-1115681702.html washington dc maryland Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ian DeMartino Ian DeMartino News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ian DeMartino us army fraud, civilian contractor fraud, janet yamanaka mello https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/fact-check-is-russia-really-getting-ready-to-invade-nato-1116182337.html Fact Check: Is Russia Really Getting Ready to Invade NATO? Fact Check: Is Russia Really Getting Ready to Invade NATO? Sputnik International NATO is getting ready for Russian aggression against the alliances eastern flank, German media says, citing a secret Bundeswehr document about preparations for the possible flashpoint. What's the actual chance of a Russian attack on NATO, and which side, historically, has dreamt about and planned for a World War III scenario in Eastern Europe? 2024-01-15T19:00+0000 2024-01-15T19:00+0000 2024-01-16T08:59+0000 analysis vladimir putin george h.w. bush military & intelligence russia moscow ukraine nato bundeswehr pentagon https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106710/68/1067106873_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_66fbcecbd03b9b03b055d5fabe767534.jpg The German military is reportedly getting ready for a hot war between Russia and NATO, with a conflict scenario imagined in a classified Bundeswehr document envisioning a gradual escalation of tensions from February onwards, culminating in the buildup of hundreds of thousands of Russian and NATO troops around the Baltics and potential clashes by the summer of 2025.The so-called Suwalki Gap the 100 km long Polish strip of land separating Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, is deemed by the Bundeswehr to be the focal point of a possible Russia-NATO clash, with the scenario envisioning the transfer of some 300,000 NATO troops to Eastern Europe to deter Moscow from aggression. The scenario ends ambiguously, with its authors leaving open whether the tensions and troop buildup ends in a potentially world-ending shooting war.Russian officials scoffed at Bundeswehr planners rich imagination, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova comparing the leaked plan to a powerful horoscope on Monday and saying she wouldnt be surprised if the scenario was provided to the German military by the Foreign Ministry and its notoriously Russophobic chief, Annalena Baerbock.The German Defense Ministry attempted to walk back the report, with a spokesperson assuring Bild that considering various scenarios, even if they are extremely unlikely, is part of everyday military practice, especially during army training while nevertheless emphasizing that it takes threats from Russia seriously.Various ScenariosThe German MoD wasnt wrong in mentioning the militarys propensity to plan for various scenarios when it comes to the idea of an all-out conflagration between Russia and NATO. What it left out, however, is that historically, many of the most outlandish declassified conflict scenarios seem to involve the idea of a preemptive attack against Russia by Western powers, not the other way around.In the spring of 1945, for example, just weeks after the end of WWII in Europe, and while the war against Japan was still raging, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill commissioned a secret plan for an invasion of the Soviet Union by the Western Allies, including the combined forces of the US and the UK, plus 10-12 German divisions created from the remnants of the Wehrmacht the same force tens of thousands of American and British troops died fighting to liberate Western Europe from the Nazis.The plan, dubbed Operation Unthinkable, had the objective of imposing upon Russia the will of the United States and the British Empire, and included the occupation of such areas of metropolitan Russia to render further resistance impossible. Fortunately, the contingency was never realized, with its existence revealed to the public in 1998 after many decades under wraps. Some historians believe the Soviet leadership learned about the plan ahead of time, with Red Army forces in Eastern Europe inexplicably reorganizing in late June of 1945, just before the July 1 hypothetical attack date.From 1945 until 1949, the US enjoyed a global monopoly in the possession of nuclear weapons as Soviet scientists scrambled to catch up. During this brief window of time, the Pentagon developed at least nine separate plans to target its erstwhile WWII Soviet allies using nukes. Most famous among them was Operation Dropshot a 1949 proposal calling for the bombardment of some 100 Soviet cities with 300 nuclear bombs and 250,000 tons of conventional munitions, plus chemical and bacteriological weapons, followed by a ground campaign to ensure complete victory over the USSR and its allies across Eurasia. The plan, which signed off on by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on December 19, 1949, was declassified in 1977, sparking disbelief among many ordinary Americans owing to its brutality.In 1988, at the twilight of the Cold War, while President Reagan was visiting Moscow to schmooze with General Secretary Gorbachev and to announce that he no longer saw the USSR as an evil empire, the US Naval War College was playing out a strategic wargame modeling surprise offensive operations against Soviet air defenses, military-industrial complex, and naval assets in Asia.The concept, still around and now called Conventional Prompt Strike, proposes the use of thousands of conventional ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as air and space assets, either in place of or in coordination with nuclear weapons. The US began to develop the Prompt Global Strike idea at the same time that the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia in 2002, with that move, combined with NATO encroachment on Russias western borders from 1999 onward, forcing Moscow to invest significant resources into the development of fundamentally new strategic weapons, including hypersonic missiles.Tactical BlindspotsThe Bundeswehrs fearmongering about the potential for "Russian aggression against NATO" in the Suwalki Gap isnt new. In fact, Sputnik has been reporting on and poking holes in similar claims since at least 2015, when Pentagon officials first began warning that Russia might attempt to close the gap, thus cutting off the Baltics from Poland and the West. Then, as now, the US and its allies never bothered to explain what on Earth would motivate Russia to attack NATO.In 2017, following another dose of fearmongering related to Russia and the Suwalki Gap in the Wall Street Journal, political observer Yevgeny Krutikov said that NATOs fears were nothing short of stupidity, pointing out that most of the Suwalki Gap area consists of woodland, lakes and swamps, including a national park, and that the region lacks any major roads. It does not even cross anyones mind that tanks cant pass through the Suwalki woods, Krutikov stressed at the time.Strategic Fallacies in LogicSeven years later, the Suwalki Gap has reemerged in the minds of Western military planners as the place where Russia-NATO tensions could go hot. Leaving aside tactical considerations, the question Sputnik and others have asked, and which NATO have never been able to answer, is why Moscow would launch what amounts to an unprovoked invasion of Poland a NATO member, and proceed to attack three more NATO allies (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia), thus triggering World War III in the process.Russias military demonstrated its capabilities against Ukraine in the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine, with the countrys troops, equipment and military production capabilities more than a match for an army trained, armed and funded by the Western bloc, and even earning the ranking of number one in the world militarily above the United States, in a recent US report.That said, a direct confrontation with NATO could very quickly turn against Russias favor, with the alliance having more than four times the total military personnel and active duty troops, three times the number of paramilitary reserves, nearly five times as many aircraft, six times as many armored vehicles, 3.5 times more warships, and over six times the population.Under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, members are required to come to the defense of members in the event of enemy aggression, and at least in theory, are under obligation to deploy weapons up to and including nuclear weapons, if necessary. That, combined with Washingtons carefree approach to nukes (including allowing their use on a first strike basis and even against non-nuclear-armed adversaries), means a Russian attack on the Baltics would very likely put the planet on a rapid ride to a world-ending World War something Russian political and military leaders have repeatedly demonstrated they are not interested in.Perhaps if the alliance spent more time listening to what the Russian president has been saying and living up to decades-old promises to Moscow not to expand eastward instead of antagonizing the country by fueling a proxy war against it in Ukraine, Bundeswehr planners wouldnt have to worry about paranoid scenarios involving having to fight the Russian army hundreds of kilometers east of Germany. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/germany-gearing-up-for-nato-russia-war-after-ukraines-defeat---bild-1116167994.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20200522/revealed-why-churchill-considered-operation-unthinkable-surprise-attack-on-moscow-in-1945-1079391874.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240111/baltic-states-join-ukraine-in-seeking-to-draw-nato-into-open-conflict-with-russia-1116121396.html russia moscow ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov is russia going to invade europe, does russia want to invade europe https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/germany-gearing-up-for-nato-russia-war-after-ukraines-defeat---bild-1116167994.html Moscow Slams Bild Report of Preparations for 'NATO-Russia War' After Ukraine Defeat Moscow Slams Bild Report of Preparations for 'NATO-Russia War' After Ukraine Defeat Sputnik International Germany is gearing up for war between NATOs forces and Russia, which could begin in the summer of 2025, writes Bild citing a secret Bundeswehr document. 2024-01-15T07:52+0000 2024-01-15T07:52+0000 2024-01-15T11:01+0000 world russia nato germany bundeswehr ukraine vladimir putin https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/0f/1116169362_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_1010c67005b2eb886e37f98da1e448ee.jpg "Germany is gearing up for war between NATOs forces and Russia, which could begin in the summer of 2025, Bild has written, citing a "secret" Bundeswehr document.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commenting on the publication said it is nothing but fake news."I would not like to comment on the report of Bild, this news outlet does not hesitate to use fake news," Peskov told reporters.What's in the Publication?According to the alleged "training scenario" of the German Ministry of Defense, on Day X, NATOs commander-in-chief will give the order to move 300,000 troops to the eastern flank, including 30,000 Bundeswehr soldiers, the tabloid states. The escalation could reportedly begin as early as February 2024 with the start of Russias active offensive against the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. By June of the same year, according to Bild, Russia will have forced Kievs military to retreat.Without offering any specific details, the publication noted that the most likely location for a "clash" will purportedly be the so-called "Suwalki Gap" or "Suwalki Corridor" (Przesmyk suwalski). This is a section about 100 km long near the city of Suwalki in the northeast of Poland, located between Belarus and Russias Kaliningrad region. In July, according to the secret document, Russia might allegedly launch cyber attacks and other forms of hybrid warfare against the Baltic countries. Furthermore, clashes would occur which Moscow ostensibly could use as a pretext to begin large-scale exercises on its territory and in Belarus, as per the authors. By October Russia could allegedly transfer troops and medium-range missiles to its Kaliningrad region, and December might see a border conflict erupt in the Suwalki Corridor.According to Bild, the secret document also indicates that when Washington is temporarily left without a leader as a result of the presidential elections in the United States in 2014, Russia, with the support of Belarus, will repeat the 2014 invasion of Ukraine on NATO territory. No further clarification is offered to these wild scenarios and off-mark references. One can guess what the mention of 2014 events refers to the Euromaidan (lit. "Euro Square") coup fomented and sponsored by the West that culminated in the ouster of Ukraines government, and its replacement with a pro-US, and pro-NATO regime hostile to Russia. Furthermore, Ukraine is not a member of NATO, and its chances of gaining the coveted status in the alliance remain uncertain. Actions of Russia and the West, culminating in the dispatch of hundreds of thousands of NATO soldiers and the inevitable outbreak of war in the summer of 2025 are described down to the exact month and location, the publication stated in reference to the secret Bundeswehr plan.However, the authors of the report leave open the question of how this hypothetical escalation will end.This is hardly the first time that Bild writes about Russia reportedly gearing up for a "war with NATO." Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacted with irony to the publication, commenting on Telegram that she did not rule out that the analytical part for the Bundeswehr was provided by the German Foreign Ministry under the leadership of [Germany's minister for foreign affairs] Baerbock.The Bild report and the "training scenario" it sheds light upon comes as NATO's proxy war against Russia has been used to increasingly militarize Europe, which has already been exhausted both economically and militarily in the course of the Ukraine conflict. Following the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the US and its NATO allies ramped up the provision of lethal weapons to Kiev, boosted military modernization of European forces, while also increasing their military presence in Central and Eastern Europe. NATO has committed itself to be able to deploy at least 300,000 troops in Central and Eastern Europe, while building military infrastructure in Poland, the Baltic States, Romania, and other states on the continent, pundits have told Sputnik. Furthermore, Poland's militarization, they pointed out, is one way for the US and the UK to control Europe, with Warsaw envisioned as the leader of an "Eastern-European NATO."In response to NATO's fanning of the Ukraine conflict and military buildup, in April 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the nuclear-capable Iskander-M tactical missile system had been transferred to the Armed Forces of Belarus. Immediately, the German and EU leadership accused Moscow of threatening the bloc's security and posing a "threat of attack" by deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. In effect, Russia has only been responding to NATO's continuous expansion. Moscow's determination to protect itself and its allies has been explicitly outlined in its new foreign policy doctrine, signed by Russian President Putin on March 31, 2023."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," Russian President Vladimir Putin stated while presiding over a Russian Ministry of Defense meeting on December 19. As for the repeated attempt to portray Russia as the "bogeyman," he clarified: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.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. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/germany-fails-to-check-where-ukraine-bound-weapons-go-1116157350.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231109/how-uk-and-us-are-creating-a-polish-led-eastern-european-nato-against-russia-1114849387.html russia germany ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko nato's proxy war with russia in ukraine, russia's special military operation in ukraine, aid for ukraine https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/houthis-confirm-missile-strike-at-us-owned-ship-in-gulf-of-aden---spokesman-1116183566.html Houthis Confirm Missile Strike at US-owned Ship in Gulf of Aden - Spokesman Houthis Confirm Missile Strike at US-owned Ship in Gulf of Aden - Spokesman Sputnik International The Houthis in Yemen on Monday confirmed that its missile hit a US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden, the movements military spokesman Yahya Saria said. 2024-01-15T19:30+0000 2024-01-15T19:30+0000 2024-01-15T19:31+0000 world red sea crisis yemen us central command (centcom) houthi gulf of aden united kingdom (uk) us https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0c/14/1115703763_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_2798d579251262500b981a9f04102655.jpg Earlier in the day, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the US-owned and operated container ship has been hit by a missile fired from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Saria added that the movement now considers all American and British ships which are participating in a "military aggression" against Yemen as legitimate "enemy targets." yemen gulf of aden united kingdom (uk) Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International red sea crisis, yemen, houthis, houthi rebels, houtis attacked us vessel, us ship, us vessel, us attacked by houthis in red sea, middle east crisis https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/houthis-fire-cruise-missile-at-us-navy-destroyer-in-red-sea-1116167083.html Houthis Fire Cruise Missile at US Navy Destroyer in Red Sea Houthis Fire Cruise Missile at US Navy Destroyer in Red Sea Sputnik International The US Navy destroyer Laboon was attacked by a cruise missile fired from a Houthi militant area of Yemen, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. 2024-01-15T05:42+0000 2024-01-15T05:42+0000 2024-01-15T06:37+0000 world us houthis red sea crisis destroyer yemen https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/06/0b/1083128688_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_a83faa2fb7f9c088128ddeee524d6558.jpg US Navy destroyer the Laboon was attacked by a cruise missile fired from a Houthi militant area of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said."On January 14 at approximately 4:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), an anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon (DDG 58), which was operating in the Southern Red Sea. The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah by US fighter aircraft. There were no injuries or damage reported," CENTCOM said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).In the early hours of Friday, the US and UK military carried out 23 airstrikes on targets in four provinces in different parts of Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa and the cities of Al Hudaydah, Taizz and Sadah, local government sources told Sputnik. Later in the day, the US Air Forces Central said that US strikes against the Houthis in Yemen had hit more than 60 targets in 16 different locations. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria later said that the US and the UK had carried out 73 strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, killing five fighters and injuring six others. A member of Houthis' high political council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, described the Western attacks as "barbaric terrorism" and "deliberate and unjustified aggression."In December, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea, saying the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain would participate in the mission. The Houthis vowed to attack any ships joining the US-led naval coalition.In November, the Houthis announced their intention to attack any ships affiliated with Israel and called on other countries to recall their crews from the vessels. The Houthis vowed to continue their attacks until Israel ended its military campaign in Gaza it had launched in retalitaion to Hamas' attacks on its territory back in October, 2023. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/us-conducts-no-strikes-on-houthi-positions-in-yemen-on-sunday---defense-official-1116165653.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231223/operation-prosperity-guardian-in-the-red-sea-waves-of-unity-or-tides-of-confusion-1115769378.html yemen Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International us navy destroyer laboon, us central command, cruise missile https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/menacing-mosquito-species-invade-argentina-spreads-rare-neurological-disease-1116178373.html Menacing Mosquito Species Invade Argentina, Spreads Rare Neurological Disease Menacing Mosquito Species Invade Argentina, Spreads Rare Neurological Disease Sputnik International The arrival of the mosquito species Aedes albifasciatus, also known as the flood mosquito, has prompted Argentine officials to issue a health warning following several reported cases of a deadly neurological disease the insects transmit to horses and humans. 2024-01-15T18:44+0000 2024-01-15T18:44+0000 2024-01-16T00:17+0000 beyond politics newsfeed argentina buenos aires le monde society https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106455/28/1064552812_0:201:1921:1281_1920x0_80_0_0_93285fe1ea7c91366fb4a4168cd69641.jpg Argentina is under invasion by a mosquito species carrying a deadly brain disease since the end of December 2023, according to a report by Le Monde.The biting insects have been found in the capital Buenos Aires and its greater metro area and the country's central region.The alarming onslaught of an Aedes albifasciatus, also called the flood mosquito, is thanks to the survivability of their larvae in pools or stagnant water which is flooded by rainwater, usually following a drought period, biologist Sylvia Fischer explained.Argentina has been under the effects of the El Nino weather system, bringing heavy rain after several dry years. That has created perfect conditions for the mosquitoes to thrive."The eggs all hatch at the same time, the larvae develop simultaneously, and a huge number of adults emerge at the same time. This is what generates the spike," said Fischer.Controlling the pests is complicated by their ability to adapt to different temperatures and seasons. The species can fly distances spanning the remotest parts of southern Argentinas Tierra del Fuego to the country's far north. The invasive species is active by day and night, provided it rains during summer.One Argentinian woman told how she was bitten five times on her left leg alone while the mosquitoes feasted on other parts of her body. She complained of her discomfort and said the insects could even bite through her clothing.Able to bite even through the thick skins of livestock, the insects are "a plague, precisely because of its behavior - invasive and aggressive toward people," said Victoria Micieli, a scientist and researcher at Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) in a report.The flood mosquito's bites are dangerous to both animals and people as they carry western equine encephalitis a lethal neurological disease found in horses. Argentinas Ministry of Health issued a warning on on November 28 last year following an uptick in cases.By January 5 about 1,250 cases had been confirmed, the ministry said. There are also reports of the disease spreading among horses across most of the country's 24 provinces. Cases of human transmission were reported on January 7, with one death recorded. All the cases among humans are in rural areas. https://sputnikglobe.com/20231216/us-lacks-preparedness-for-tick-mosquito-borne-diseases-1115631668.html argentina buenos aires Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg western equine encephalitis, ministry of health argentina, argentinas tierra del fuego, mosquito bites, el nino, aedes albifasciatus, flood mosquitoes, bueno aires, argentina. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/mysterious-fireball-blazes-across-japans-skies-sparking-social-media-stir-1116168935.html Mysterious 'Fireball' Blazes Across Japan's Skies, Sparking Social Media Stir Mysterious 'Fireball' Blazes Across Japan's Skies, Sparking Social Media Stir Sputnik International Reports suggest that what appeared to be a flashy object traveling at breakneck speed over Japanese skies could be a meteorite after residents heard a loud explosion a few minutes after its passage. 2024-01-15T07:55+0000 2024-01-15T07:55+0000 2024-01-15T07:55+0000 beyond politics newsfeed japan nagano tokyo youtube ball meteorite https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/105947/15/1059471595_0:0:1280:720_1920x0_80_0_0_7294f2abd4542e2f6c02c63b1029dd71.jpg Social media chatter among Japanese users is currently focused on the sighting of a luminous "fireball" that dashed across the sky on Monday morning. The celestial spectacle was observed primarily in Japan's eastern and northeastern regions, according to media reports.Daichi Fujii, the curator of the local history museum in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa, was among the first to provide an account of the event. He posted the footage of the speeding object in the sky on his X social media page. Fujii noted that the clip was recorded on camera at his home in Hiratsuka and another in the neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture.According to Fujii's analysis, the fireball was traveling at a speed of 42.4 kilometers per second, descending from Sagami Bay to Nagano Prefecture. Minutes later, reports emerged from various areas, with residents claiming to have heard a noise akin to an explosion, possibly suggesting the meteorite's impact, as mentioned by the museum curator.Subsequently, additional recordings showing the passage of the cosmic object surfaced on YouTube, captured by cameras stationed by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in Tokyo and Fukushima Prefecture. japan nagano tokyo Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg meterorite, social media frenzy, luminous fireball, sagami bay, nagano prefecture, daichi fujii, cosmic object. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/nauru-severs-diplomatic-relations-with-taiwan-moves-to-one-china-principle-1116168767.html Nauru Severs Diplomatic Relations With Taiwan, Moves to One-China Principle Nauru Severs Diplomatic Relations With Taiwan, Moves to One-China Principle Sputnik International Nauru Severs Diplomatic Relations With Taiwan, Moves to One-China Principle 2024-01-15T06:37+0000 2024-01-15T06:37+0000 2024-01-15T06:59+0000 asia the united nations (un) taiwan nauru china https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/01/0e/1106317765_0:159:3077:1890_1920x0_80_0_0_26fff75989f3a725326b22190de9820f.jpg "The Government of the Republic of Nauru today announces that, in the best interests of the Republic and people of Nauru, we will be moving to the One-China Principle that is in line with UN Resolution 2758 which recognises the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legal Government representing the whole of China and seeking resumption of full diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)," the government wrote on social media.On Saturday, Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was named the winner of the election for the island's head after securing 40.05% of the vote. The DPP itself, however, lost 11 seats in the island's parliament as a result of the elections.After Taiwan's general elections, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated that Taiwan is "an indivisible part of the country and will not become a separate state, it will return to China. "Taiwan has never been a country. It wasn't in the past, and it certainly won't be in the future," Wang said in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry after voters on the island elected pro-sovereignty candidate Lai Ching-te as regional leader.Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan a territory with its own elected government maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/us-delegation-to-travel-to-taiwan-on-sunday-just-after-regional-leader-elections-1116154727.html taiwan nauru china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International nauru severs diplomatic relations, one-china principle https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/netanyahus-refusal-to-follow-us-requests-leaving-biden-increasingly-frustrated---reports-1116166336.html Netanyahus Refusal to Follow US Requests Leaving Biden Increasingly Frustrated - Reports Netanyahus Refusal to Follow US Requests Leaving Biden Increasingly Frustrated - Reports Sputnik International Netanyahu's refusal to follow the US administration's requests regarding Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip is causing growing frustration of Biden, the Axios news portal reported. 2024-01-15T01:18+0000 2024-01-15T01:18+0000 2024-01-15T02:57+0000 world benjamin netanyahu joe biden israel gaza strip us https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/06/1082001396_0:0:2780:1565_1920x0_80_0_0_f097ab9767ae836e848e32c2f59eb843.jpg "The situation sucks and we are stuck. The president's patience is running out," a US official was quoted as saying by the news portal.In particular, Israeli authorities continue to refuse to grant the Palestinian Authority access to its frozen tax revenues, without which the government of Mahmoud Abbas is unable to finance its operation, the report said. In addition, the United States expects greater efforts from Israel to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave, the report added.Netanyahu is also reluctant to seriously discuss the post-war plan of action, as well as growing concerns about the Jewish state continuing the active phase of its operation without moving to a lower intensity of hostilities, the report read.On the same day, White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said in an interview with CBS News that the US is in active discussions with the Israeli government to transfer the military operation in Gaza to a low-intensity phase.He also noted that Washington did not call on Israel to completely stop the fight against Hamas, since the US still views it as a "viable threat."On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted.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 23,800 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said. On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/political-survival-now-netanyahus-real-objective-as-gaza-war-enters-day-101-1116165064.html israel gaza strip Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International biden, netanyahu, us israeli relations, military operation in the gaza strip, what does biden think of netanyahu https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/north-korean-delegations-russia-visit-spurred-by-changing-geopolitical-climate---experts-1116178186.html North Korean Delegation's Russia Visit Spurred by Changing Geopolitical Climate - Experts North Korean Delegation's Russia Visit Spurred by Changing Geopolitical Climate - Experts Sputnik International The current visit of the North Korean delegation to Moscow is evidence that Russias relations with the DPRK are developing progressively, Professor Artyom Lukin told Sputnik. 2024-01-15T17:18+0000 2024-01-15T17:18+0000 2024-01-17T09:43+0000 analysis russia north korea vladimir putin kim jong-un indo-pacific choe son hui russian foreign ministry sergey lavrov https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/0f/1116181772_0:0:2687:1512_1920x0_80_0_0_8db37120a5d814363be6ec5106bbe12d.jpg The current visit of the North Korean delegation to Moscow is evidence of the progress in development of Russias relations with the DPRK, Artyom Lukin, Professor of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, told Sputnik.The delegatio,n led by Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, arrived in Moscow on Sunday night. Over three days of talks, Choe Son Hui is to meet her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.A meeting between Russias President Vladimir Putin and North Koreas foreign minister cannot be ruled out, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He added that Russia intends to further develop partnerships with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in all areas, with dialogue set to continue at all levels.Furthermore, Moscow hopes that Putin will be able to visit to the DPRK in the near future, with dates to be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.Although this economic cooperation was still at the stage of elaboration and agreements, 2024 could demonstrate real trade flows between the DPRK and Russia, said the pundit.The current level of relations between Russia and North Korea reflects the overall geopolitical situation in the world, acknowledged the expert. The DPRK is one of the few countries in the global South that is not afraid of anything; it has nothing to lose, Lukin stressed.He underscored that North Korea was prepared to provide Russia with real support in any way it can.The DPRK until recently tried to solve all its problems on its own, including security issues, he recalled.But perhaps the North Koreans have realized that in such a complex geopolitical environment, when their opponents are armed to the teeth, forming coalitions, one hundred percent security cannot be ensured on ones own, and you need to look for a strong partner or maybe even an ally, Lukin said.Russia and North Korea are neighbors, and "even without geopolitics we must cooperate with each other," he added.First of all, this visit will be devoted to how our countries should behave in the new international reality that is emerging in the world and in the Far East, agreed Alexander Zhebin, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences.The DPRK has denounced the newly-forged trilateral military alliance between the US, Japan, and South Korea as a cancer tumor" that puts the international UN-based order in jeopardy. Last year, North Korean Foreign Vice-Minister Im Chon-il warned that US-backed blocs are no longer hiding their aggressive and chauvinistic nature. The minister added that the US is attempting to interfere in the friendly relations between Russia and North Korea. He stressed that American foreign policy reflects a "hegemony-oriented way of thinking based on the Cold War-style confrontation logic."During a visit to North Korea in October 2023, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia fully supports the aim of North Korean authorities to defend the countrys sovereignty. he added that Moscow values Pyongyangs support of Russias special military operation in Ukraine.In September 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un paid a visit to Russia - his first since 2019 - and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim also met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Kim's visit to Russia brought about "a new radical turn" in the development of Moscow-Pyongyang relations and consolidated "the traditional ties of good neighbor and cooperation" between the two countries, state media reported in the wake of the trip.Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora underscored last year that cooperation between Russia and North Korea was not "directed against anyone." https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/russia-intends-to-further-develop-partnership-with-north-korea-in-all-areas---kremlin-1116170920.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230917/russia-north-korea-cooperation-not-against-anyone-but-for-benefit-of-people-says-ambassador-1113442357.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240109/us-neocons-revive-silly-axis-of-evil-trope-for-russia-china-iran-and-north-korea-1116067857.html russia north korea indo-pacific Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko delegation from north korea, north korean delegation visiting russia, north korea's foreign minister choe son hui https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/philippines-plans-south-china-sea-escalation-with-us-support-1116171762.html Philippines Plans South China Sea Escalation With US Support Philippines Plans South China Sea Escalation With US Support Sputnik International Washington's increased military activities in the South China Sea could potentially destabilize regional peace and stability as Manila is influenced and urged by the US to follow the path of confrontation. 2024-01-15T15:35+0000 2024-01-15T15:35+0000 2024-01-15T15:35+0000 asia ferdinand marcos jr. wu qian wang yi china south china sea philippines chinese coast guard foreign ministry https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/0b/16/1090927553_274:0:3915:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_824f9635fe80efc8b14301a4875fa093.jpg The Philippines' top brass has stated its intentions to advance its bases in the South China Sea and increase its naval fleet and radars, despite thawing relations with its Chinese neighbor.Romeo Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told the press that his country wants to make its outposts in the area more habitable a move bound to fuel tensions over disputed maritime borders.Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has told the armed forces to seek the support of foreign militaries as it shifts focus from internal security to maritime defense.The Philippines is a key US ally in the region and hosts its military bases, used during US wars in Vietnam and Korea. But in recent times, Washington has shifted towards "great power competition" with China, co-opting Manila as a tool in its quest to "contain" Beijing.Tensions between the Asian nations have intensified since October 4, 2023, with reports of Flippino ships defying Chinese Coast Guard warnings to pass through the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea on a resupply mission.Early December last year, the Philippines established a monitoring base for its coast guard on Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea. It also announced its intentions to increase joint patrols with the US and Australia in the area to curtail what it perceives as "pure bullying" by China, a Filipino official told media.In response, Beijing has stated that such patrols potentially exacerbate a larger conflict that could plunge the region into chaos and criticized Manila's plan as a provocation.Chinese authorities have also accused the US of escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, especially in the South China Sea, and condemned Washington's attempts to thwart China-Taiwan relations.Washington insists that its ships will sail wherever they want in what it defines as international waters. The US has reiterated its resolve to defend the Philippines in the event of an attack, including in the South China Sea.But China's Foreign Ministry said heightened US military activities in the South China Sea further worsens the situation and subverts international law and its sovereignty. Despite the deteriorating tensions, Marcos has stated that the Philippines will continuously assert its rights in the South China Sea. We shall continue to assert our rights in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and international law," Marcos remarked. This follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's caution that ties between Beijing and Manila are facing serious difficulties and warned against colluding with malicious external forces. https://sputnikglobe.com/20231225/beijing-castigates-philippines-extremely-dangerous-south-china-sea-incursions-1115803977.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231202/philippines-opens-new-monitoring-base-in-south-china-sea-amid-rising-tensions-1115338597.html china south china sea philippines Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Chimauchem Nwosu https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/09/01/1113046371_0:99:1536:1635_100x100_80_0_0_9c5c627283eca931c39fe4852bbb301c.jpg south china sea bases, naval fleet expansion, radar deployment, territorial security, philippine coast guard, chinese coast guard, us-philippines joint patrols, south china sea tensions, china-taiwan relations, international law. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/red-sea-tensions-sky-high-may-be-impossible-to-contain-soon---un-secretary-general-1116182002.html Red Sea Tensions Sky-High, May Be Impossible to Contain Soon - UN Secretary General Red Sea Tensions Sky-High, May Be Impossible to Contain Soon - UN Secretary General Sputnik International Current tensions in the Red Sea and beyond are "sky-high" and may be impossible to contain in the near future, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday. 2024-01-15T17:29+0000 2024-01-15T17:29+0000 2024-01-15T17:29+0000 world red sea crisis antonio guterres red sea israel yemen houthis the united nations (un) us us department of defense (dod) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0c/14/1115703763_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_2798d579251262500b981a9f04102655.jpg "Tensions are also sky-high in the Red Sea and beyond and may soon be impossible to contain," Guterres told a press conference. In November, the Houthis in Yemen announced their intention to attack any ships associated with Israel, urging other countries to recall their crews from the vessels. The Houthis vowed to continue their attacks in the Red Sea until Israel ended its military actions in the Gaza Strip. In December, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea. The Houthis vowed to attack any ships that join the US-led maritime coalition. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/biden-says-us-privately-reaches-out-to-iran-over-houthi-attacks-1116149579.html red sea israel yemen Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International houthi attacks in the red sea, terrorist attacks in the red sea, why are houthis attacks ships in the red sea, commercial ships under attack in the red sea, who do houthis target, who do houthis attack, who are houtis, red sea attacks, whats happening in the red sea, why are there attacks in the red sea, us ships in the red sea, us coalition in the red sea, us-led coalition in the red sea, international coalition in the red sea, military hostilities in the red sea, tensions in the red sea https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/russia-opens-over-4000-cases-related-to-kiev-regime-crimes-against-people-of-donbass-1116170783.html Russia Opens Over 4,000 Cases Related to Kiev Regime Crimes Against People of Donbass Russia Opens Over 4,000 Cases Related to Kiev Regime Crimes Against People of Donbass Sputnik International Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin assured that Russian investigators will make a criminal-legal assessment of the actions of all those who committed crimes against the residents of Donbass and Novorossiya. 2024-01-15T11:41+0000 2024-01-15T11:41+0000 2024-01-15T11:41+0000 russia alexander bastrykin russia donbass ukraine investigative committee https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106896/21/1068962160_0:160:3074:1889_1920x0_80_0_0_8f5f9fa4fcc34cee5526ba0c93bd28e3.jpg "I can say with confidence that the Investigative Committee, for its part, will give a criminal-legal assessment of the criminal actions of all those who participated in the preparation and implementation of criminal plans against the civilians of Donbass and Novorossiya," Bastrykin said in an interview with Sputnik. The legal official noted that the task was extremely important not only from the criminal law perspective, but also from a historical point of view, as future generations should know what the residents of Donbass went through.Bastrykin also said that Russia's Investigative Committee has opened more than 4,000 criminal cases related to atrocities in Donbass since 2014. "More than 200 Ukrainian servicemen have been sentenced by the courts to long prison terms, including life imprisonment, for the murder of civilians, cruel treatment of civilians and prisoners," he said. "Among them are several dozen members of the banned Azov* regiment," he added.Since the illegitimate coup in Ukraine in 2014, the Kiev regime has committed crimes against civilians in Donbass. It was in response to those atrocities that Russia launched its special military operation on February 24, 2022. According to President Putin, the operation is aimed at protecting the population of Donbass from Kiev's genocidal actions.*The Azov battalion is an extremist organization banned in Russia. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230513/scott-ritter-ukraines-shelling-of-defenseless-donbass-town-constitutes-war-crime--1110310171.html russia donbass ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russian investigative committee, donbass and novorossiya, crimes of the kiev regime https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/russia-plans-to-build-over-600-homegrown-planes-in-next-6-years-1116174589.html Russia Plans to Build Over 600 Homegrown Planes in Next 6 Years Russia Plans to Build Over 600 Homegrown Planes in Next 6 Years Sputnik International Russia is planning the production of more than 600 fully domestic passenger aircraft in the next six years and has allowed tapping the sovereign wealth fund to help plane manufacturers scale up their output, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday. 2024-01-15T10:54+0000 2024-01-15T10:54+0000 2024-01-15T10:54+0000 russia mikhail mishustin ukraine russia european union (eu) russian national wealth fund mc-21 sukhoi superjet-100 (ssj-100) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/107681/32/1076813266_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_cbbcfa6bbfb7381dfd81d251eaccc7bb.jpg "Over the next six years, a total of over 600 completely domestically-produced jetliners are to be built," he told deputy prime ministers during a meeting. The Russian fleet will consist mainly of the SSJ-New, -21-310, Il-114-300, Tu-214 and Il-96-300 aircraft models. Mishustin added that "owning a modern air fleet" is important for keeping the vast swathes of Russia interconnected. The Russian prime minister also said that the government had adopted a comprehensive program to expand the production of aircraft, engines and equipment, which can be financed through the Russian National Wealth Fund. He added that companies would be able to attract over 280 billion rubles ($3.18 billion) for these purposes on a repayable basis. The program provides for the technical rearmament of production plants, increasing production capacities and conducting construction work, which includes developing new materials and electronic component base. The Russian prime minister also spoke about the need to boost domestic car and bus production in the coming years under the strategy for automotive industry development until 2035. He said that the production of cars with advanced motor systems such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen engines should be set up. Western countries rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Russia after it launched its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. The European Union banned the supply of civil aircraft and spare parts to Russia and obligated lessors to terminate contracts with Russian airlines. Aircraft maintenance and insurance services have also been banned. EU countries along with the United States, Canada and a number of other countries have closed the skies for Russian aircraft. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230801/russia-to-produce-18-mc-21-over-40-superjet-new-aircraft-by-2026---uac-1112312681.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International mikhail mishustin, domestic passenger aircraft, 600 homegrown planes https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/uk-trained-over-60000-ukrainian-troops-since-2014---defense-minister-1116181456.html UK Trained Over 60,000 Ukrainian Troops Since 2014 - Defense Minister UK Trained Over 60,000 Ukrainian Troops Since 2014 - Defense Minister Sputnik International Over 60,000 Ukrainian servicepeople have received training in the United Kingdom since 2014, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday. 2024-01-15T16:43+0000 2024-01-15T16:43+0000 2024-01-15T16:43+0000 military united kingdom (uk) ukraine military training donbass crimea russia https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/0b/0b/1104013445_0:0:3071:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_7bbb79c073d7fe725413dee56443e335.jpg "Weve convened some 10 countries to help Ukrainians train here in the UK. And today I can announce that our programmes have now trained over 60,000 Ukrainian troops since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2014," Shapps told a press conference. In 2014, Crimea became part of Russia after a general referendum in which 96% of voters chose to secede from Ukraine. Kiev and its Western supporters, including the UK, have denounced the referendum as unlawful. Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. The support evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training to heavier weapons, including tanks and jets. Last July, an international coalition was formed to provide Ukrainian pilots with training to fly F-16s, the fighter jets of its choice, spearheaded by Denmark and the Netherlands. On Friday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the largest aid package of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) for Ukraine for the next fiscal year during his visit to Kiev. Sunak also signed a 10-year security cooperation agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. https://sputnikglobe.com/20230801/why-uk-training-of-ukrainian-commandos-to-seize-crimea-is-waste-of-time-1112323451.html united kingdom (uk) ukraine donbass crimea russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International uk military, uk military trainers, uk trained ukrainian soldiers, grant shapps https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/ukraine-crisis-wont-end-until-nato-sponsors-push-kiev-to-negotiating-table-1116172309.html Ukraine Crisis Wont End Until NATO Sponsors Push Kiev to Negotiating Table Ukraine Crisis Wont End Until NATO Sponsors Push Kiev to Negotiating Table Sputnik International Western officials met in Davos on Sunday ahead a week of meetings of the World Economic Forum to discuss the Zelensky peace formula a quixotic proposal essentially calling for Russias complete capitulation which Moscow has firmly rejected. Sputnik asked a leading European political economist what it will take to reach a genuine peace deal. 2024-01-15T11:45+0000 2024-01-15T11:45+0000 2024-01-15T12:01+0000 analysis nato world economic forum ukraine russia volodymyr zelensky jacques sapir kiev peace peace process https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/0f/1116172129_0:158:3077:1889_1920x0_80_0_0_2f0fc4a2d9c8d328f1356b018b0ad79f.jpg Sundays meeting of Western national security officials in Davos on Ukraines peace proposal ended with no clear path forward, with British business media reporting that the only achievement of the talks was a more diverse family photo than last time, including representatives from countries with close relations with Russia such as Brazil and South Africa.There was no progress on an actual peace deal. That would be impossible without Russia, and Russia wasnt invited. But thats not the point, the Financial Times assured in a chirpy summary of the meeting, saying it was meant to remind other countries that Ukraine, not Russia, is the one trying to talk about peace.Setting aside that this disingenuous claim ignores repeated attempts by Moscow to nip the Ukrainian crisis in the bud in 2014, prevent it from escalating into a full-fledged NATO-Russia proxy war in 2022, and to signal readiness to talk in the close to two years since, its important to point out that the Zelensky peace formula doesnt even pretend to seek to include Russia in the conversation, going so far as to attempt to hold its meetings in secret.And perhaps with good reason. Zelenskys formula demands that Russia give up Crimea, the Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson, pay Ukraine reparations, subject its officials and military personnel to war tribunals, and make other one-sided concessions which look less like a peace deal and more like demands against a capitulating power. Moscow has predictably dismissed the proposal, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently calling them a figment of a sick imagination.Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis admitted that a peace process could not be started without Russias participation.Zelenskys Magic Trick: Turning the Possible Into the UnrealisticIn the mind of Kievs rulers, peace is to come through military victory and a reconquest by Ukrainian Armed Forces of the four oblasts (Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Luhansk) and of Crimea. This is the content of the so-called ten point plan, Sapir explained, highlighting the Zelensky proposal's keystone demand.The analyst likens Kievs poker face approach to an opening move, and believes the Zelensky regime may be willing to pursue more realistic options, including the idea of having Russia actually take part in peace negotiations, particularly as the military situation is now deteriorating for Kiev.If and when talks proceed, and Kievs position softens, Sapir suggested that it would be interesting to see how Ukrainian leaders will abandon their 10 points without saying that they are reneging on them.In the end, Ukrainian rulers have to understand that beginning a real negotiation process is to imply the deletion of most if not all the so-called 10 points, the observer noted.Kievs sponsors have a number of tools in their tool belt they could use to encourage Kiev to sit down at the table if for some reason they chose to do so, Sapir said, from softening terms for potential membership in the European Union, to having NATO suspend further arms deliveries until negotiations begin, or even partially lifting sanctions against Moscow. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240110/lavrov-knew-contents-of-secret-ukraine-meeting-weeks-before-bloomberg-report-1116097234.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/swiss-foreign-minister-urges-russias-participation-in-discussions-of-ukraine-settlement-1116161907.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231229/is-talk-of-peace-in-ukraine-a-washington-deception-1115885032.html ukraine russia kiev Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov why is the world economic forum talking about peace in ukraine, why does russia reject zelensky's peace formula https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/ukraine-loses-over-200-soldiers-in-donetsk-direction-in-past-day---mod-1116176869.html Ukraine Loses Over 200 Soldiers in Donetsk Direction in Past Day - MoD Ukraine Loses Over 200 Soldiers in Donetsk Direction in Past Day - MoD Sputnik International Ukraine has lost more than 200 soldiers in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. 2024-01-15T12:14+0000 2024-01-15T12:14+0000 2024-01-15T12:14+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine ukraine donetsk kiev russian defense ministry russia https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/06/1116013482_0:0:3065:1725_1920x0_80_0_0_42e748ae4e21a2f98a9c0ea81a9d07fd.jpg Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repelled one attack in the Krasny Liman direction, the ministry said in a statement. "The enemy lost over 200 military personnel, a tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, an armored personnel carrier, thirteen cars, as well as two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems [in the Donetsk direction]," the ministry said. Ukraine has also lost more than 160 soldiers in the Krasny Liman direction and over 140 soldiers in the South Donetsk direction, the ministry added. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/watch-russian-grad-mlrs-wreak-havoc-on-ukrainian-positions-1116152947.html ukraine donetsk kiev russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International donetsk direction, russian defense ministry, ukraine loses https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/us-centcom-confirms-houthi-missile-hitting-us-container-ship-in-red-sea-1116180222.html US CENTCOM Confirms Houthi Missile Hitting US Container Ship in Red Sea US CENTCOM Confirms Houthi Missile Hitting US Container Ship in Red Sea Sputnik International A US-owned and operated container ship has been hit by a missile fired from the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Monday. 2024-01-15T15:51+0000 2024-01-15T15:51+0000 2024-01-15T15:59+0000 world red sea crisis yemen us central command (centcom) united kingdom (uk) houthi us https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0b/14/1115082201_0:4:1400:792_1920x0_80_0_0_73c085126d273bef366cd4e7a94eabd6.png Earlier in the day, Reuters reported, citing a UK maritime security firm Ambrey, that a missile hit a US-owned ship off Yemeni coast. On January 15 at approximately 4 p.m. local time (1 p.m. GMT), "Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey," CENTCOM said on X (former Twitter).A US-owned and Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier has reportedly come under a missile attack near the Gulf of Aden.In November 2023, the Houthis announced their intention to attack any ships associated with Israel, urging other countries to recall their crews from the vessels. The Houthis vowed to continue their attacks until Israel ended its military actions in the Gaza Strip.On December 19, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea, saying that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain would take part in the mission. The Houthis vowed to attack any ships that join the US-led maritime coalition.In the early hours of Friday, the US and UK military carried out 23 airstrikes on targets in four provinces in different parts of Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa and the cities of Al Hudaydah, Taizz and Sadah, local government sources told Sputnik. Later in the day, the US Air Forces Central said that US strikes against the Houthis in Yemen had hit more than 60 targets in 16 different locations.Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria later said that the US and the UK had carried out 73 strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, killing five fighters and injuring six others. A member of Houthis' high political council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, described the Western attacks as "barbaric terrorism" and "deliberate and unjustified aggression." https://sputnikglobe.com/20240114/us-expects-houthis-to-stop-attacks-on-ships-after-its-strikes-on-yemen---white-house-1116165490.html yemen united kingdom (uk) Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International red sea crisis, yemen, houthis, houthi rebels, houtis attacked us vessel, us ship, us vessel, us attacked by houthis in red sea, middle east crisis https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/us-seeks-funds-for-new-bioweapons-projects-from-clinton-soros-rockefeller-foundations-russian-mod-1116177245.html US Seeks Funds for New Bioweapons Projects From Clinton, Soros, Rockefeller Foundations: Russian MoD US Seeks Funds for New Bioweapons Projects From Clinton, Soros, Rockefeller Foundations: Russian MoD Sputnik International Russia's Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense (RCBD) Troops began extensive reporting on Pentagon funding for military-related biological research in... 15.01.2024, Sputnik International 2024-01-15T12:34+0000 2024-01-15T12:34+0000 2024-01-15T15:45+0000 us russian ministry of defense military https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/0f/1116177513_0:0:2974:1672_1920x0_80_0_0_8bd9a16a55341bb1d18818fbc2ecb393.jpg The United States government is actively searching for new sources of funding for military biological research from leading American 'philanthropic' institutions, including the Clinton, Soros, Rockefeller and Biden Foundations, RCBD Troops chief Igor Kirillov has announced."Based on an analysis of documents received in the course of the special military operation, the structure of the system created by the US administration for the global management of biological risks has become clear," Kirillov said in a briefing Monday, summarizing an analysis of US military-biological activities in Ukraine and globally over the course of 2023.According to the RCBD Troops' chief's information, the main private contractors involved in the Pentagon's military-biological program include Metabiota, Black & Veatch and CH2M, with the companies tasked with the construction of facilities and the supply of equipment to labs around the globe. Their work is coordinated by the DoD's Defense Threat Reduction Agency. On the Big Pharma front, Pfizer, Moderna, Gilead, Dynport Vaccine, AbbVie, Parexel, Eli Lilly & Co, Merck and Battelle are identified as key partners.Washington's goals are multifold, Kirillov said, and include the study of the causative agents of "particularly dangerous infections in regions of the world that are strategically important for the United States," and achieving "superiority" in biomanufacturing, including by using biological espionage against potential geopolitical adversaries."Materials received have confirmed that the US military was set the task of monitoring the biological situation in the Middle East and Central Asia, territories bordering China, Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia," Kirillov said. "Over the past year, the Pentagon developed and adopted a number of conceptual documents involving the expansion of the foreign network of US-controlled biological laboratories, and continuing military biological research beyond America's national jurisdiction."Furthermore, the RCBD Troops chief said, 2023 saw the creation of new administrative and technical structures, including the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, and the State Department's new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, with their main aims assumed to be centered on securing the further expansion of America's military-biological activities worldwide.The RCBD Troops chief pointed out, for instance, that by the time Russia kicked off its military operation in Ukraine, the Pentagon was already deeply engaged in a series of dangerous experiments studying the causative agents of dangerous diseases, including tularemia, anthrax and hantavirus, monitoring the local biological environment, collecting virus strains and studying the susceptibility of the local population to various diseases (including via unethical and potentially illegal experiments against an unwitting civilian population, ed.).Washington's European allies engaged in similar projects throughout 2023, promoting a network of 'Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centers of Excellence', which Kirillov said are factually aimed at placing biolabs in former Soviet republic countries. The Ukrainian case has shed light on how such institutions are financed via a series of grants to the country's Science and Technology Center, with similar projects popping up in Central Asia and countries of the Southern Caucasus.Listing examples of military-biological activities by NATO countries in the former Soviet space, Kirillov pointed to 'Project 2410' - conducted with the participation of researchers from the University of Florida, studying natural resistance of the causative agent of the brucellosis virus in domesticated and wild animals, including its possible transmission to human beings.Another initiative, 'Project 2513' deals with risk factors and resistance of virulent enterobacteriaceae, including "isolating strains which are resistant to all known classes of antibiotics.""Project 2545 involves modeling the evolutionary changes of individual viruses which are highly pathogenic to humans. The research was supported by the UK Research and Innovation agency," Kirillov said.As before, the RCBD Troops chief said, US military-biological research abroad in 2023 was designed to take advantage of gaps in international legislation, allowing scientists to engage in highly risky research abroad which they would be prohibited from doing at home.Throughout 2023, Russia continued its efforts to identify individuals engaged in US military-biological activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, from DTRA and Eco-Health Alliance officials to various other government officials and private contractors, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The RCBD Troops' efforts also included uncovering training for potential false flag scenarios to accuse Russia of using bioweapons - including one such training session in Lvov, western Ukraine, in August 2023, involving Ukraine's Security Service and National Police.In light of these activities, the RCBD Troops chief expressed concerns about the potential for the "further deterioration" of the global epidemiological situation, including via the creation of new "artificial foci of diseases and an uncontrolled expansion" of disease carriers. The identification of Asian and African disease-carrying mosquitos in European countries, and the increase in the incidence of atypical infections across the region, from dengue to West Nile virus, are all evidence of this deteriorating situation, Kirillov said."Of particular concern is the growing number of studies of smallpox and other human-pathogenic orthopoxviruses conducted by US military specialists, [including] assessments of the monkeypox virus as a potential damaging biological agent and searching for agent-based imitators of smallpox viruses," the senior Russian officer said. "Furthermore, despite the World Health Assembly ban, members of the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases has conducted aerobiological experiments using two strains of the variola virus."Such efforts could easily spark a global smallpox pandemic, Kirillov warned, citing the examples of the recent monkeypox pandemic and the increased incidence of cowpox observed over the past decade."I will remind you that American researchers are showing keen interest in the synthesis of orthopoxviruses. In 2017, they synthesized the functional genome of the horsepox virus. At the same time, the potential for artificially produced Lassa, Ebola, and Marburg viruses, as well as coronaviruses which are pathogenic to humans, has been demonstrated," Kirillov said, pointing, for example, to the 2022 research at Boston University to create a new type of SARS-CoV-2 that's far deadlier than any previously discovered strain.Ultimately, Kirillov said, the continued "systematic expansion" of the US's military-biological programs poses a clear "threat to the security of the Russian Federation and other states considered by the United States as strategic adversaries.""The scale of dual-use research conducted in the United States and the global biological risks it creates raise questions on the need for an independent international investigation," Kirillov said, noting that Russian revelations uncovered over the course of the special military operation in Ukraine have forced even staunch US allies to reconsider their position regarding potential US violations of the Biological Weapons Convention. https://sputnikglobe.com/20231208/biolabs-at-work-antimicrobial-resistance-sees-alarming-spike-in-ukraine---cdc-1115477113.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231102/russia-concerned-us-may-be-expanding-biolab-network-in-africa-1114656536.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231009/russia-exposes-new-members-of-military-bio-programs-in-ukraine-1114033955.html Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov us, russian ministry of defense https://sputnikglobe.com/20240115/white-house-contender-neocon-nikki-haleys-russophobic--warmongering-rants-exposed-1116175345.html White House Contender Neocon Nikki Haley's Russophobic & Warmongering Rants Exposed White House Contender Neocon Nikki Haley's Russophobic & Warmongering Rants Exposed Sputnik International Sputnik takes a look at some of the statements made by one of the most hawkish of GOP presidential hopefuls Nikki Haley. 2024-01-15T15:44+0000 2024-01-15T15:44+0000 2024-01-15T15:44+0000 americas donald trump 2024 us presidential election iowa caucus palestine-israel conflict ukraine hamas joe biden nikki haley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/0f/1116176453_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_e4c1b441ad16937bd4f95348d0e7ec64.jpg Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, an aspiring foreign policy hawk, has overtaken Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, securing second place in the GOP field ahead of the upcoming Republican presidential primaries. In a recent survey conducted by the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom on the eve of the January 15 kickoff for the 2024 race for the White House, Haley garnered 20 percent support among likely Republican caucusgoers, while Desantis obtained 16 percent.Donald Trump is likely to pull off a landslide victory, as 48 percent of likely caucusgoers indicated the 45th President would be their first choice.Sputnik takes a look at some of the statements made by one of the most hawkish GOP presidential hopefuls.Rabid RussophobeNikki Haley, who has repeatedly touted herself as a populist alternative to the Washington swamp, and claimed it was time for a new generation of leadership, has in actual fact not only followed the Washington foreign policy script, but has won herself the dubious nickname of a hawk in heels.Besides her stint as UN ambassador, Haley cannot boast of any foreign affairs experience worth mentioning, yet she appears to have grown quite adept at churning out hawkish policy statements. In 2017, in her day as the US envoy at the United Nations, Haley blithely warned that the US would be taking names of countries that voted in favor of a resolution condemning then-president Trumps move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.A known Russophobe, in 2018 she had been vocal on the need to slap Russia when the US deemed fit. Russias never going to be our friend, Haley told students at a Q&A session at Duke University at the time, in response to a question about holding Russia accountable for alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election claims that have long been dismissed as false.Washington will work with Moscow when we need to, and we slap them when we need to, quipped the US diplomat. She added that the US was doing two things Russia would never want us to do, namely enlarging the military and expanding its energy policy.You havent seen the end of what this administration will do to Russia. You will continue to see that play out, she had hinted. Regarding sanctions against Russia, at the time Nikki Haley maintained they must be in force, as she vowed continuous support for the Kiev regime.As the more critical of American support for Ukraine Ron DeSantis squared off against Nikki Haley in a debate in Des Moines just ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the ex-South Carolina governor stated:This is about preventing war its always been about preventing war If we support Ukraine, thats only 3.5 percent of our defense budget. She also claimed it was a lie that the American people were being told you have to choose between Ukraine or Israel, Israel and securing the border.The Republican presidential candidate had earlier railed against the stopgap measure brought to the House that had failed to include aid for Ukraine, and instead called for spending cuts elsewhere.Fulminating about dwindling support among some Republicans for propping up Kiev, she also stated at a New Hampshire campaign event:Tough-On-China StanceOn the campaign trail, Nikki Haley has offered up some tough and occasionally bizarre talk on China, slamming Beijing as the biggest threat weve had since Pearl Harbor.Strength and pride are essential to our national survival, especially in the face of Communist China. China is an existential threat. It has spent half a century plotting to defeat us, Haley last year in a speech in New HampshireIt's taken our trade secrets. Now it's taking control of critical industries, from medicines to advanced technology. In record time, China has gone from an economically backward country to the second biggest economy on earth," she said, adding:Last year, Nikki Haley expressed her concerns about the economy, which she also argued was being endangered by China.Haley told the US press that her "plan B" if she were elected president was "going to be a national security plan so that we don't let China threaten or intimidate or do anything against America."Furthermore, Haley has also purported that the Chinese government has been preparing for war with us for years. In September 2023, the GOP nomination hopeful made the audience of potential donors at an event in New Jersey gasp with claims that China was a lead developer of neurostrike arms. These weapons, she insisted, could alter the brain activity of military commanders or segments of the population. This narrative of Chinas mind-control weapons was reiterated by Haley in several other interviews and campaign speeches, although none of this has ever been proven or substantiated.Interestingly, Haley's hefty doses of fearmongering about Beijing radically contradict her previous remarks. During her time as UN envoy, she energetically courted Chinese business, praising Beijing as a great friend, which US media reports have not failed to mention.Iran BogeymanNikki Haley has consistently targeted Iran as a bogeyman throughout her campaign. Yet, disregarding the devastating consequences that resulted from previous US military ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, she seems to be warming to the notion of a war with Iran.Iran responds to strength. You punch them once, you punch them hard, and they back off, said Haley.We need to understand this is Iran giving the green light telling them what to do, and we shouldnt be doing the tit for tat like what Joe Biden has done. We need to go and take out their infrastructure that they are using to make those strikes with, so they can never do it again, said the White House hopeful, in a reference to the US retaliation to strikes on its forces in the region by militias in Iraq and Syria.Incidentally, regarding Syria, when acting as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Haley declared that the administration "in no way" saw "peace happening in that area with Iranian influence. In no way do we see peace in that area with Russia covering up for [Syrian President Bashar] Assad. In no way do we see peace in that area with Assad as the head of the Syrian government.Haley has also repeatedly warned that we can never be so arrogant to think that another 9/11 wont happen when scorning claims made by UN inspectors that they had investigated the Iranian nuclear program.Furthermore, Nikki Haley slammed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as irresponsible for denying a link between the Hamas attack on Israel last October and Washingtons agreement with Tehran to release American detainees. The deal last year had also given Tehran access to $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue blocked by that US sanctions. Insinuating, without any evidence, that the attack had been funded by the prisoner exchange with Iran, she stated that the exchange put a bounty on every Americans head. She also branded Irans President Ebraham Raisi a murderous thug, saying that you cant change a culture, clarifying she meant the culture of this regime.Furthermore, Haley warned that the US should perceive the Hamas attack of early October 2023, as a "wake-up" call, arguing that Iran could infiltrate the US through the open southern border.She has been vocal at every rally that she stands firmly with Israel since Hamas attack on October 7.We need to be a friend to Israel. We need to be there every step of the way, Haley stated at a town hall in Rochester, New Hampshire, last week. She added, Dont ever be so arrogant to think that we dont need friends. America always needs friends.On North Korea, Nikki Haley has branded the countrys leader Kim Jong Un a thug. She appeared to relish taking a swipe at former President Donald Trump for his friendliness with Kim Jong Un, when the ex-POTUS attempted to lock down a deal on North Koreas nuclear weapons programs. After reports surfaced last September claiming Pyongyang was allegedly transferring arms to Moscow, Haley argued:The Kim-Putin partnership is another sign that the dictators of the world are united The tyrants who lead China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea hate America and our values. We must take their threats seriously.Russia denied that its cooperation with North Korea violated UN Security Council resolutions.The accusations made by the 'collective West' of 'illegal' military-technical cooperation between Russia and North Korea are unfounded and unsubstantiated, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova last year.MexicoNikki Haley has repeatedly vowed that if she gets elected, she would deploy military forces across the US-Mexico border to target drug cartels amid the ongoing migrant crisis.Currently, there are a total of six Republican presidential candidates who have gained momentum leading up to the Iowa caucuses. In addition to the frontrunners Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis, there is notable support for Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and author, who is the preferred choice of 8 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers. Meanwhile, Ryan Binkley, a businessman and pastor from Texas, has garnered the support of 1 percent of likely Republican caucus voters. Similarly, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson also holds 1 percent backing from potential caucus voters. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240112/many-in-us-doubt-funds-used-effectively---kremlin-on-arms-supplies-to-ukraine-stop-1116128995.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20230215/nikki-haleys-2024-bid-could-mike-pompeo-in-a-skirt-win-hearts-and-minds-of-gop-voters-1107465946.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240112/nikki-haley-hopes-for-boost-from-former-christie-supporters-1116125292.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20231222/afghanistan-offers-lessons-in-regime-change-to-israel-in-gaza-1115758737.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240113/biden-says-us-not-in-de-facto-proxy-war-with-iran-amid-mideast-attacks-1116138155.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240112/nikki-haley-hopes-for-boost-from-former-christie-supporters-1116125292.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240108/majority-of-americans-believe-us-under-invasion-by-migrants-at-southern-border---poll-1116063481.html americas ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko nikki haley, 2024 presidential primaries, gop presidential hopeful nikki haley, iowa caucuses kick off 2024 presidential primaries, Longtime horseman Peter J. Finnegan, 75, of Waterdown, Ont. passed away on Jan. 8, 2024. Peter was a driver, trainer, owner, blacksmith and horse hauler in the Standardbred harness racing industry for many decades. He is survived by his wife Peggie (nee Seamans) of 54 years, and his children Barbara Gunn (Jason) and John Finnegan (Terri), as well as their children Hailey, Brittney and Tyler. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Peter Finnegan. Scottsbluff and Gering will host the first-ever Restaurant Week 21, beginning Jan. 30 and continuing through Feb. 4. Restaurant Week 21, which recognizes Scotts Bluff Countys Nebraska county number 21, will offer dining experiences ranging from $21 per person to $41 per person, which can be enjoyed at all participating restaurants. Menu selections will be unique and vary from restaurant to restaurant, according to a press release from Scotts Bluff County Tourism issued Monday. The program will allow diners to be treated to new dining experiences and chances to try spots they may consider normally beyond their price point. Diners during Restaurant Week 21 are invited to register for prizes that were donated by the Western Nebraska Pioneers, the Scotts Bluff County Fair, and Midwest Theater. The following restaurants have committed to participating in the new annual event hosted by an organizing committee consisting of tourism partners and the downtown business association: The Flyover Brewing Co, 1824 Broadway, Scottsbluff. The Powerhouse on Broadway, 1721 Broadway Scottsbluff. Tangled Tumbleweed, 1823 Ave. A, Scottsbluff. Sweet Vs, 1818 First Ave., Scottsbluff. The Monument Grill, 2550 Clubhouse Dr., Gering. Melt Fondue 1720 10th St., Gering. Visit the following webpages to view the pre-selected menu items to determine where your friends and family will gather to take in and experience this inaugural county event: visitscottsbluff.com, visitgering.com and creativebeet.org. Facebook will also be a resource for updates and copies of menus. Participants are encouraged to plan to experience the theater and the arts, shopping and the after-dinner nightlife offered in the communitys downtowns year-round. Supporting the restaurants and businesses every day, but especially during Restaurant Week 21, helps maintain the vitality of Scottsbluff and Gering and our local economies, Scotts Bluff County Tourism Director Brenda Leisy said in the press release for the promotion. More than 150 recently repatriated artifacts from the Wounded Knee Massacre were set to be burned Dec. 29. Instead, tribal leaders from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and later the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe asked to halt the ceremony. Instead of burning the artifacts, descendants of Wounded Knee Massacre survivors gathered to pray, sing and remember the more than 300 Lakota men, women and children killed by the United States military. The issue stems from disagreements over what to do with items repatriated from the Woods Memorial Librarys Founders Museum Collection in Barre, Massachusetts. While one group of descendants planned to burn artifacts, others requested more time to consider alternatives. In November 2022, the Woods Memorial Librarys Founders Museum gave items back to a group of descendants of Wounded Knee survivors. The group, SiTanka Ta Oyate Omniceye (Descendants of the Si Tanka (Big Foot) Nation), is comprised of Mniconju and Hunkpapa Lakota survivor descendants most of whom live in the Oglala area on Pine Ridge. Following the massacre, several survivors chose to settle in the Oglala area, said the groups historian Michael He Crow, Mniconju Lakota. He Crows own family settled in the Oglala area after the massacre. The repatriated artifacts had been taken from the mass graves of Wounded Knee Massacre victims killed in 1890. The military had been sent to Pine Ridge to stop a potential Indian uprising. Instead, they encountered a band of mostly Mniconju Lakota led by Chief Spotted Elk (nicknamed Big Foot by the military). The military misinterpreted the groups ghost dance songs as an intent to attack and opened fire on the band. The items returned from the Founders Museum were stolen from the graves of Wounded Knee victims. Most of the items are clothing moccasins and ghost dance shirts. Some moccasins have blood splatters on them. The rest of the items are several peace pipes, hand drums, a few dolls, two tomahawks, a bow with arrows, and a few beaded lizard and turtle amulets/pouches containing umbilical cords. Mixed in amongst the artifacts are items from other tribes Ojibwe-style moccasins, Dakota and Cheyenne beadwork and other items. The Founders Museum is a private collection of items. As such it is exempt from provisions from the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The repatriation did not have to follow federal guidelines. Instead, it was inspired by NAGPRA, according to the museums initial press release. As such, the items were given back to a group of the museums choice. The Founders Museum did not respond to requests for comment about the repatriation process. Since the artifacts were returned, the group has hosted public meetings once a month, sometimes twice a month, for community members. The meetings were meant to be a way for survivor descendants to voice their opinions, He Crow said. The Cheyenne River tribe supported what we planned to do up until October of this year (2023), He Crow said. The tribe published a statement on the eve of the Wounded Knee ceremony voicing its opposition to burning the artifacts. In his initial statement, Chairman Ryman LeBeau asked that the ceremony be halted until all descendants had a chance to give input. "The Wounded Knee artifacts issue is between the tribes and families of the descendants. We respect the decision to be diplomatic in dealing with such historical artifacts," LeBeau said in an email to ICT and the Rapid City Journal. "We are working collectively toward a positive outcome with our relatives. Overall, this is still an ongoing process, and we are still in communication with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on what further steps need to be taken." Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairwoman Janet Alkire issued a statement on Dec. 30 in opposition to the burning ceremony. Today, I understand that the Barre Museum returned Wounded Knee artifacts to the Oglala Sioux Tribe. For the record, descendants from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe were not included in the determination of disposition for these cultural items. The massacre at Wounded Knee was a direct result of the assassination of our Grandfather Tatanka Iyotaka (Sitting Bull) and the Hunkpapa descendants of the massacre must have their voice heard as well, Alkire said in the press release. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe did not respond to requests for comment. The descendants group had chosen to burn the items as they believed the smoke from the items would carry the artifacts back to the spirits. Some items, like pipes, wouldnt be burned. The group also feared that if buried, the artifacts would be stolen and taken back to a museum like they were after the massacre. The objects are part of the people that died there. Those were real personal things to them. And so it would be like an extension of their bodies and a part of them physically. So, (putting them in a museum) it would just be like displaying a hand or foot that was repatriated. So it's not something that we would have hoped that people believe in doing, He Crow said. For example, if it was a hand or a foot you brought back, are you going to display that in a museum and charge people to see? The Oglala Sioux Tribe had been involved with the group's plans and President Frank Star Comes Out had attended meetings regularly. It feels kind of strange that they (the other tribes) would do this right now, He Crow said. I mean, they had a whole year to talk about it, but they didnt come to us. I really don't know what their motivation is. It could be outside influences that are motivating their decisions. The only way we'll know what is going on is to have these meetings and they can inform us, because at the beginning they supported what we're doing. In the days leading up to the 133rd Wounded Knee ceremony, the group had become aware of other parties requesting that items not be burned. We had a meeting on Wednesday, and I told people just to be aware that if anything happens, then we can make some changes, He Crow said. So, we were a little bit prepared, but we didn't expect it to happen that way. Now, its up to the Oglala Sioux Tribe to plan an intertribal meeting about the future of the artifacts. Its unclear when that meeting will take place. PhotoFiles: Wounded Knee trials in Lincoln Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Remembering Wounded Knee trials Ten Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers arrived at Eppley Airfield on Saturday after 10 months spent helping train Ukrainian soldiers in Europe. The 10 soldiers, as well as two others who also returned to the state Saturday, are part of the 1-134th Cavalry Squadron. They were deployed with Task Force Bowie, which was made up of around 160 soldiers in total, as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine in March 2023. Task Force Bowie was the 13th group to deploy in support of the training group, which was created in 2014 after the Russian invasion of Crimea and Donbas. Gov. Jim Pillen spoke to the soldiers and their families as they congregated outside the terminal at Eppley Airfield, welcoming them back to Nebraska. We just can't thank you enough for your service, Pillen said. What you've been through, I can't comprehend it all, but what I do know is you guys have built an incredible team." The soldiers were primarily stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany, where they mentored and advised Ukrainian troops in a combat training center. This included training them on U.S. weapon systems and other equipment, logistical and operational planning processes and leader development, Maj. Scott Ingalsbe said. Altogether, Task Force Bowie directly trained or supported training for about 7,500 Ukrainian soldiers, Ingalsbe said. Lt. Col. Rob Schepers said he hears praise for the work of Nebraskan soldiers time and time again, and this operation was no exception. He said positive feedback on the task force made it all the way up to the secretary of defense. Whether it's domestic, overseas, training, operations ... always Nebraska sets the standard," he said. "You set the standard in Europe for everybody to follow to train Ukrainians, Schepers said. Capt. Jon Gronewold said he was glad to be home after reuniting with his wife, Emily, and 2-year-old daughter, Ada, on Saturday, but he hopes people keep the Ukrainians on their mind as they continue to fight against Russia. Its tough to leave the Ukrainians we trained behind, he said. I know a lot of them are back on the front lines right now." Some of the families gathered at Eppley Saturday morning held signs welcoming their soldier home. Wyatt Cade, 5, held a sign welcoming his dad, Maj. Cody Cade, home that read, Ive waited 285 days for this moment. Wyatts mom, Elaine Cade, said she had surprised him by saying they were picking up a friend from the airport, when in reality it was his dad. We wanted him to be completely caught off guard, and it worked, Elaine said. Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) is kicking off the 2024 Girl Scout Cookie season. This annual sale, where local Girl Scouts unbox their futures as young female entrepreneurs through the worlds largest entrepreneurial program for girls, remains a favorite for the community. Girls use their entrepreneurial spirits and learn important life skills, including goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics, by participating in the program. All proceeds from the cookie program stay within the local GSCP2P area (which covers 40 counties in western and central North Carolina) and with the troops to power Girl Scouts amazing experiences year-round. This season, cookie lovers can enjoy the full assortment of Girl Scout Cookie favorites, including Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Lemonades, Trefoils, Toast-Yay!, Adventurefuls and (in select quantities) the gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip. Nearly 700,000 girls participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program nationally, which provides vital girl-led skills that build courage, confidence and character. When goal-getting Girl Scouts sell a package of cookies, theyre doing much more than whats seen at face value. Every box of cookies sold provides invaluable experiences for Girl Scouts such as service projects, troop travel and summer camp. Girl Scouts can also earn a variety of badges and awards to develop valuable business skills including Cookie Business badges, Financial Literacy badges, Cookie Entrepreneur Family pins and Entrepreneur badges. Here are ways to find cookies near you this season: If you know a registered Girl Scout, reach out to her to find out how you can purchase cookies from her. Beginning Jan. 19, customers who do not already know a Girl Scout can use the Girl Scout Cookie Finder at www.girlscoutsp2p.org/en/cookies.html to find a local booth, purchase cookies and/or to donate cookies to our Cookies for a Cause service project that will be giving cookies to our local first responders and U.S. military in the states and overseas. You can also order cookies online and have them shipped to your door- while still supporting our local troops. Visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org/en/cookies/find-cookies.html and click on the Community Troop link at the bottom of the page for more details. Want cookies straight from your phone? Text COOKIES to 59618 to stay informed about how to purchase Girl Scout Cookies and other exciting Girl Scout news. For more than 100 years, Girl Scouts and their enthusiastic supporters have helped ensure the success of the iconic, annual cookie program. The 2024 cookie program runs through March 3. For more information about the cookie program, visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org. Looking to become involved in the organization? Girls in grades K-12 can join Girl Scouts throughout the year. Visit www.BeAGirlScout.org to learn more and join. An in-person hiring event is being hosted by Davis and Lake Norman Regional medical centers on Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lake Norman Regional Medical Centers community classrooms, 171 Fairview Road, in Mooresville. All interested are invited to drop in at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center during this event where specialists in human resources and leadership will be available to assist in their job searches. During the event, there will be on-the-spot interviews and the opportunity to meet with nursing managers. On-site offers will be made if applicable. Career openings include: registered nurses, CNAs, unit secretary, LPNs, medical assistants and patient sitters. Attendees are encouraged to bring their resume. This event is free, and no appointment is necessary. Davis and Lake Norman Regional medical centers are offering a $15,000 sign-on bonus for experienced registered nurses, $5,000 tuition reimbursement and up to $20,000 for student loan repayment. To learn more about job opportunities available at Davis Regional Medical Center and Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, contact Hailey Navarette at 704-660-4024, or hailey_navarette@lnrmc.com. Michael Berry, Jobs for Virginia Graduates specialist for Smyth County Schools, presented a new program for students at Mondays meeting of the Smyth County School Board. Berry said that about this time last year he and Mike Sturgill, assistant superintendent for instruction, were in Wythe County to learn about that school systems manufacturing educational program that incorporated many of the positive parts of Smyths JVG program to help students interested in manufacturing careers. JVG is an affiliate of is a program to empower students and prepare them for their careers or to further their educations. Berry is also working with the Smyth County Chamber of Commerce on a new manufacturing excellence program. Applications for the program have been sent to high schools with room for up to 25 students this spring, said Berry. From Feb. 2 to March 29, there will be classes at the career center each Friday for soft skills such as filling out applications, doing resumes and going through interviews. Guests will be brought from banking, insurance and retirement benefits, all issues important when beginning a job or career. The core of this program, Berry said, is to help students visit and learn about manufacturing sites like college-bound students visit and learn about colleges. The students would learn about what goes on the manufacturing facilities and the different job opportunities. The program would partner with Virginia Highlands Community College and its trade program and would reach out to students not attending the career center who might want to look at going to work in the community rather than go to college. A goal is to have a majority of the participating students guaranteed a job before they graduate from high school. Newly elected Commonwealths Attorney Phillip Bucky Blevins presented the board with a proposal for a courtroom to classroom initiative to bring General District court cases to the high schools for students to witness. Blevins said this initiative began in Wise County, and he wants to introduce it in Smyth. The proposal would be to hold General District court cases such as trespassing, DUI, reckless driving, petty shoplifting, and Schedule II narcotics arraignment hearings at each of the three high schools, turning the auditorium into a courtroom for the session. One session per school during the year. The board decided to table the issue until a discussion can be held with the school safety committee and the sheriff. Discussion will continue at the February board meeting. The school board elected Susan Williams as chair during the annual reorganization of the board. Todd Williams was elected as vice chair. The board will continue meeting on the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. for public session with closed session at 5 p.m. The board also chose JWM Enterprises as contractor for demolition of the former Marion Intermediate School for a cost of approximately $208,000. Asbestos abatement is finished at the building. In other business, school employees were recognized with monthly awards for outstanding service for January. The awards with nomination comments are for: Silver Apron Award to Mary Ann Rhea, food service assistant at Northwood High School. Mary Ann goes above and beyond to help every student and to make sure that they all are fed. She greets everyone with a smile and brightens his or her day. Extra Mile Award to Bobby Dye, bus driver at Northwood High School. Mr. Dye goes above and beyond in his position as a bus driver. He is always willing to help when there is something to be done. He cares so much about the students on his bus and they know they are in good hands. My School Shines Award to custodians Rusty Nutter, Adam Holmes, and Mike Woodward at Northwood High School. All three custodians work extremely hard to keep the school grounds and the inside of the building looking the best that they have looked in a very long time. They keep the grass and fence lines mowed and weeded during the grass-mowing season, and they keep the building clean and shining year round. From keeping the new gym clean after ball games, the cafeteria after breakfast and lunch, to the main floor and the third floor, they work well together and go out of their way to help each other. Mover of Mountains Award to Melissa Jones, administrative assistant at Northwood Middle School. Melissa Jones wears many hats at NMS. She is the first person that a visitor sees when entering the building. She is the one that a student looks to when they need something. She takes care of the teachers as if they are her children. She does numerous tasks for everyone in the building, and she does it with a smile on her face and no complaintsMrs. Jones goes above and beyond her work obligations to ensure that the school runs smoothly and efficiently. Student attendance awards went to Marion Elementary School for Most Improved and to Sugar Grove Elementary for elementary school level, Northwood Middle for middle school level, and Chilhowie High for high school level. The recent statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan have cast a new light on Turkey's intricate policy towards Syria, Abdulmunem Issa writes in al-Watan. The recent statements by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan have cast a new light on Turkeys intricate policy towards Syria, revealing a nuanced shift in Ankaras strategy. Previously, Turkish diplomacy maintained a certain enigma, especially regarding its actions in Syria. However, Fidans words on January 3 peeled back this layer of diplomatic ambiguity, revealing a more direct approach. Fidan emphasized Turkeys commitment to a political solution in Syria, a stance that isnt new but is increasingly evident. More significantly, he underscored the importance of averting new conflicts between the Syrian government and opposition factions. This rhetoric of reconciliation and forgetting the hatred signals a broader goal one that transcends mere pacification and hints at Ankaras deeper strategic considerations. What stands out in Fidans discourse is the recognition of the need to balance the interests of various factions in Syria, particularly in the context of the Turkish governments concerns over the Democratic Union Partys influence in the northeastern regions. This concern appears to be a driving factor in Ankaras recalibrated approach, especially in the wake of U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkens recent visit. The meeting, while primarily focusing on the situation in Gaza, also touched upon Washingtons support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), underscoring the complex geopolitical interplay at work. The U.S. has been attempting to mediate between Ankara and the Autonomous Administration in Syria, evidenced by recent structural changes within the Syrian Democratic Councils. The appointment of Mahmoud Al-Musalat, a Syrian-American, as co-chair is a move likely inspired by the U.S. to soothe Turkish apprehensions. However, this has not quelled the intensity of Turkish military operations against SDF positions, indicating Ankaras unwavering stance against perceived threats. Furthermore, the frustrations of the SDFs Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, over unfulfilled American promises against Turkish aggression, point to a broader discontent. This dissatisfaction also highlights concerns about the capacity of SDF forces to confront ISIS and manage detention facilities holding ISIS fighters and their families. Turkeys policy thus appears to be walking a tightrope. On one hand, it seeks to foster a semblance of stability in Northern Syria, especially between the Syrian government and Ankara-aligned opposition factions. This push for calm is likely driven by a desire to reinvigorate the stalled settlement process and possibly return to the Astana negotiation track, which has recently faltered. By doing so, Turkey aims to leverage its role as a host to millions of Syrian refugees and as a key player in the Syrian conflict. On the other hand, Turkey is applying significant pressure on the self-administration areas, particularly those under the influence of the SDF. This strategy isnt limited to military means; it also involves political maneuvers. Recent meetings between representatives of the Syrian Opposition Coalition and the Kurdish National Council suggest a Turkish interest in amplifying the latters influence within the Kurdish community. This could be a prelude to bolstering the Rojava Peshmerga, established in 2015, to counterbalance the SDFs influence and align more closely with Turkish interests. In conclusion, Turkeys approach to Syria is increasingly assertive and multifaceted. While Ankara seeks to mitigate conflicts and foster political solutions, it simultaneously strengthens its position against groups it perceives as threats. This dual strategy reflects a deep-seated desire to safeguard national security while navigating the complex geopolitical landscape of the region. As the situation evolves, the world will watch closely to see how Turkeys delicate balancing act plays out in the tumultuous arena of Syrian politics. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. This incident marks the first reported migrant death in the English Channel in 2024. Five migrants lost their lives on Sunday while attempting to reach the Wimereux ship due to issues with their boat while crossing the English Channel from northern France to Britain. France 24 reported that the French maritime authority confirmed four migrant deaths overnight, with the fifth person discovered dead late on Sunday morning. A coast patrol boat conducted the rescue operation and recovered the bodies, according to the agency. This incident marks the first reported migrant death in the English Channel in 2024. Among them are Syrians In a statement from the head of relief operations, Nicolas Leclet, it was reported that at least four young men of Syrian or Iraqi nationality lost their lives, as stated by the French newspaper La Voix du Nord. Deputy governor of the city of Boulogne, Patrick Levreno, was quoted by the French newspaper, revealing that 72 migrants were rescued, among them one individual in critical health condition who was urgently transported to the lOlonnais hospital by ambulance. The newspaper reported that French border police detained two migrants for questioning. Meanwhile, local pages and members of social media groups expressed grief over the loss of four young men from the cities of Nawa and Sheikh Miskin in the countryside of Daraa. They tragically died during their asylum journey from France to Britain. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday, near the coastal village of Wimereux, north of Boulogne. However, there are no further details available about the deceased. 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. Airstrikes have been concentrated along the border strip separating Turkey and Syria, according to Athr Press. For the fourth consecutive day, Turkish military operations persist in targeting positions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern and northeastern Syria, resulting in substantial material damage to infrastructure and service facilities. Airstrikes have been concentrated along the border strip separating Turkey and Syria, focusing on cities such as Amuda and Derbasiya, as well as areas in Qamishli, extending to the eastern countryside of Aleppo through the northern countryside of Raqqa. On Monday morning, Turkish artillery directed its fire toward villages in the Aburasin district, specifically (Dad Abdul um Harmala Nuwaihat Rabiat), in response to SDF strikes on Turkish base sites in um Ashba and Bab al-Khair villages. In Hassakehs northern region, Turkish attacks on Sunday targeted the natural gas production plant in al-Suwaidiya, affiliated with the municipality of Rmeilan. Additionally, the Qahtania power conversion station was hit, rendering it non-operational and causing power outages. Turkish drones aimed at the Tal Odeh oil station, Qamishli power conversion station (leading to its shutdown), an SDF tunnel near the Covid Hospital, and another site near the al-Basel roundabout at the southern entrance to Qamishli near the airport. On Monday morning, Turkish forces also targeted the SDF court headquarters in the al-Sinaa neighbourhood, east of Qamishli. In Qamishlis countryside, Turkish attacks struck an SDF construction headquarters at the Ali Faro junction on the international road, a checkpoint in the village of Khazna (resulting in casualties and material damage), and a military point in the village of Dhubana (leading to the martyrdom of two military personnel). In Amuda, considered the capital by the Autonomous Administration, Turkish operations targeted the electricity conversion station, numerous checkpoints, and the city of Derbasiya. The attacks extended to the village of Karb al-Tali, where an SDF site was hit, as well as the entrance to the city where a vehicle belonging to an SDF leader was targeted. Three civilians were injured, and a house near the incident caught fire. Turkish targets extended to the eastern countryside of Aleppo, hitting the Lafarge cement plant, electricity transmission stations in Ain al-Arab, and various SDF checkpoints. Jalabiya and Ain Issa in the northern countryside of Raqqa were also affected. The airstrikes inflicted substantial material damage, primarily targeting infrastructure and service facilities, leading to the disruption of electricity transmission stations in northern Syria and severe damage to the gas production plant in Sweden. Responding to the Turkish aggression, the SDF released a statement reaffirming their legitimate right to retaliate and pledging to deliver painful blows to the Turkish regime. Turkish air operations entered their fourth day, with renewed raids targeting the power conversion station in the northern belt of Qamishli and the Derbasiya power conversion station, rendering it inoperative. According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler are scheduled to brief the Turkish parliament on the air campaign against SDF headquarters in northern Syria and Iraq during a session on Tuesday, January 16. This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author. The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Mohammad Reza Farzin, has announced the imminent opening of an Iranian bank in Syria, as reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim. The Secretary of the Syrian-Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Musan Nahas, disclosed to Athr Press the upcoming establishment of a Syrian-Iranian joint insurance company. Currently, in the process of formation, the company is poised to commence operations upon the completion of the necessary paperwork. Regarding the Syrian-Iranian Joint Bank, Nahas reported that it is still in the establishment stage and anticipates commencing operations in the near future. Highlighting the advancements in Syrian-Iranian trade relations in recent times, particularly following high-level reciprocal visits between the two countries, Nahas revealed a noteworthy development known as zero customs. This signifies the elimination of customs duties between Syria and Iran, effective since the beginning of January, approximately 13 days ago. Nahas expressed optimism that, owing to collaborative efforts and streamlined procedures by both parties, the volume of trade between the two nations is expected to surge in the coming year. This positive outlook is reinforced by the activation of maritime transport through the Bandar Abbas line, along with plans to revive land freight between Syria and Iran through Iraq in the near future. In local currency Nahas reported that an agreement has been reached for the settlement of goods values between Syria and Iran in each countrys local currency. This arrangement will be overseen in an organized and controlled manner by the Syrian-Iranian Joint Central, aiming to enhance and streamline trade exchanges. Highlighting key imports from Iran, Nahas mentioned significant commodities such as petrochemicals, infant formula, and medicines. Additionally, there is potential for the introduction of Iranian technology in laboratories and other sectors. The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Mohammad Reza Farzin, has announced the imminent opening of an Iranian bank in Syria, as reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim. Simultaneously, the Central Bank of Syria has confirmed an agreement to facilitate trade and financial operations by exchanging local currencies between the two countries. This initiative aims to eliminate reliance on the euro and dollar in transactions. Furthermore, joint coordination is underway to link the electronic payment systems of both countries. This will enable payment cards issued by either country to be utilized on devices in both nations, facilitating seamless trade and tourism operations between Syria and Iran throughout 2023. 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. Up to an inch of freezing rain will threaten in the heart of the Willamette Valley with plowable snow up toward Portland Friday night into Saturday. The entire corridor from Corvallis to Longview, Washington will then see a polar plunge over the weekend. Record cold temperatures are likely. The Lower Columbia Regional Committee of the Poor Peoples Campaign is honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. by advocating for low-income residents of Clark, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties to get needed resources such as housing and healthcare. The Poor Peoples Campaign is a nationwide movement building on a campaign by the same name begun by King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1967. Today, the campaign works to bring together people with a wide variety of perspectives to advocate for change at all levels of government, from local to national. Its very political but nonpartisan, said Darcy Gillespie, one of the founding members of the committee. Basically, its everybodys in, nobodys out. I think the more we work together and see what we have in common, its actually going to make us stronger as a nation. Kings plan was for protestors from around the country to travel to Washington, D.C., and engage in daily demonstrations for over a month to demand the passage of an Economic Bill of Rights that would guarantee income, employment opportunities and low-cost housing for poor Americans. Despite Kings assassination in April 1968, the campaign went forward in May under the leadership of fellow civil rights activist and conference member Ralph Abernathy. The Economic Bill of Rights was never passed, but the campaign is nevertheless credited with drawing attention to the issue of poverty in America and leading to the creation or expansion of a number of welfare programs, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Today, the Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival works to address the intertwined issues of poverty, systemic racism, damage to the environment, military spending, and what they call some Americans distorted moral narrative, which pushes harmful policies like abortions bans. According to the national campaign website, the group began with a period of widespread direct action in 2018 and has grown from there. In Longview, one of the areas of concern is support for the homeless. Members of the Poor Peoples Campaign have been involved in advocating for HOPE Village a tiny home community for the homeless operated by the city which has been a subject of heavy debate in Longview City Council. Were trying to remind our elected (officials) that even though folks are unhoused, theyre still people, and they deserve to be treated as such, Gillespie said. The Washington Poor Peoples Campaign has a rally scheduled in Olympia March 2, which is planned to be part of a multi-state effort to draw the attention of state legislators to the issue of poverty. Gillespie said they hope to see at least 3,000 attendees. Even before the regional committee was officially formed, many members were involved in local politics, such as pushing for an end to a contract between Immigration Customs and Enforcement and a local youth services center in 2020 and 2021. The Lower Columbia Regional Committee, the first regional committee to form in Washington state, was founded March 28, 2021, by a number of local activists with assistance from the Longview Presbyterian Church. The day they announced that our regional committee was official there was probably not a dry eye on that call, said Gillespie. Local need Around the time the original Poor Peoples campaign began, Longview residents, on average, earned above the national median income, according to U.S. Census data, but today they earn less than the current national median income. Now, in Longview, 13.6% of the population lives in poverty, roughly 2 percentage points higher than the national average. In Kelso, 20% lives in poverty almost double the national average. We used to be a really booming community, regional committee founding member Rhonda Walker said. There were positions where you could have a one-income family and not only just survive, but thrive. Thats no longer the case. People are needing to work two to three jobs or have multiple people in their home work two to three jobs. The Census Bureaus threshold for poverty depends on household size and number of children. For one person under the age of 65, the threshold in 2022 was $15,225. A family of two adults and two children must have a combined income of $29,678 or less. The federal poverty guideline used to determine eligibility for many welfare programs is slightly different, with the individual threshold in 2023 at $14,580 and the threshold for a four-person household at $30,000. The Poor Peoples Campaign website argues that this definition of poverty is too narrow, as many people who are not officially designated as poor are still not making enough money to cover all their needs. According to MIT, a living wage in Cowlitz County which is defined as enough to cover basic needs such as food, healthcare, housing and transportation without assistance in 2023 was about $33,113 per year for one individual and $51,084 for a household with two working adults and two children. If only one adult in that household is working, that figure goes up to $79,248. But someone working minimum wage cant reach those figures. The minimum wage in Washington in 2024 is $16.28, which comes out to about $33,862 per year for a full-time position. In 2023, minimum wage was $15.74, or $32,739 per year. The campaign advocates for living wage increases and the expansion of programs like SNAP and Medicaid to help address such discrepancies. It also looks ahead to longer-term solutions, like free public college tuition and universal healthcare, which would remove factors that cause poverty in the first place. To pay for these programs, the campaign has several suggestions such as ending tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals and reducing military spending, which currently accounts for about 1/6 of the federal budget, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April associates an estimated 183,000 American deaths in 2019 with poverty, stating that low-income Americans had roughly the same survival rate as those of higher incomes until their 40s, when poorer people started dying at much higher rates. Poverty kills more people than homicide, yet the powers that be dont want to address it, Walker said. Theres not a scarcity of resources, but a scarcity of political will. Longview and Kelso each have a daytime warming shelter scheduled to be open Monday and Tuesday, in addition to each city's overnight shelters. The city of Longview reports both city's overnight shelters served more than 60 people combined on Saturday night alone. Daytime The daytime warming shelters are located at: McClelland Arts Center from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at 951 Delaware St., Longview. Chai Recovery Cafe from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at 111 N. Pacific Ave., Kelso. The Salvation Army will provide meals at both locations, a city of Longview press release states. RiverCities Transit will also offer free fares Monday and Tuesday so people can stay warm on the buses. Buses will be on a reduced schedule Monday due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. View routes at rctransit.org/#routes. Overnight People can stay overnight at the following shelters: First Christian Church from 6 p.m.-7 a.m., 2000 E. Kessler Blvd., Longview. Kelso Christian Assembly from 7 p.m.-8 a.m. at 300 N. 4th Ave., Kelso. The overnight shelters will continue until overnight temperatures rise above freezing, states a Longview press release. The shelters are looking for donations such as coffee, hot cocoa, bottled water, instant noodles like Cup Noodles, snacks, blankets, gloves and hand-warmers. To volunteer for Longview's shelter, call Kathleen Patton at 360-751-5849. To volunteer at Kelso's shelter, call Glen Sensenbach at 360-843-7376. Longview's overnight shelter was also open all day Sunday to help people avoid the freezing temperatures. The National Weather Service forecasted Sundays and Monday's lows to be about 17 degrees, and Tuesdays to be about 30. Highs through Tuesday are expected to hover just above freezing. The union representing academic student employees across the Washington State University system announced Friday afternoon it is prepared to go on strike starting Wednesday if it cant reach a deal on a new contract in the coming days. Known as the WSU Coalition of Academic Student Employees-UAW, the union represents 1,800 student employees at WSU systemwide, including about 100 at WSU Vancouver. The union claims it has been bargaining with WSU administration on a new contract for more than a year and the school has not been receptive to its concerns about the student health care plan and other cost-of-living issues. Helping students better understand course material is one of my favorite parts of being a teaching assistant. But without proper support from WSU admin including guarantees of fair wages and health care stability we are unable to give our students the academic support they deserve, Malcolm Anderson, a masters student in computer science at WSU Vancouver, said in a release from the union Friday. A release on WSUs website Monday indicated leadership was aware of the impending strike and shared details about proposed salary increases to student employees at each school campus. Theres still more work to do but were confident we can reach a fair and equitable agreement that recognizes the value of our academic student employees as well as the reality of the universitys resources, said WSU President Kirk Schulz on the webpage. Complaint filed On Sept. 18, the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Washington State Public Employment Commission alleging that WSU leadership failed to properly consult the union regarding comprehensive changes made to the student health care plan. The current bargaining session is the first since the union was formally recognized in November 2022. In the complaint, the union claimed it had expressed explicit interest in being involved in the creation of a new student health care plan. Emails shared in the complaint revealed that WSUs director of labor relations and disability services, Kendra Hsieh, had requested the union share a list of topics to bargain regarding the student health insurance plan. The complaint argues that the school didnt adequately communicate about scheduling negotiation sessions throughout the summer and then made changes to the health care plan in August without warning. The union and school bargaining teams will continue negotiations in the coming days to avoid a potential strike Wednesday, but no new sessions had been formally scheduled as of Friday afternoon. January 15, 2024 16:08 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that almost 40% of jobs worldwide could be impacted by the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI), potentially exacerbating global inequality. IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva, in a blog post on Sunday, urged governments to establish social safety nets and implement retraining programs to mitigate the effects of AI. Georgieva highlighted that, in most scenarios, AI is likely to worsen overall inequality, a concerning trend that policymakers need to proactively address to prevent further social tensions. This call comes ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where AI's impact is expected to be a prominent topic. As AI becomes more integrated into workplaces, it is anticipated to have both positive and negative effects on the workforce. The IMF chief pointed out that the effects would be more profound in advanced economies compared to emerging markets, with white-collar workers at a higher risk than manual laborers. In developed economies, up to 60% of jobs could be influenced by AI, with approximately half benefiting from increased productivity. However, the other half might face challenges as AI takes over tasks currently performed by humans, potentially leading to reduced labor demand, lower wages, and diminished hiring. In extreme cases, certain jobs may disappear entirely. In emerging markets and low-income nations, 40% and 26% of jobs, respectively, are expected to be affected by AI. Georgieva emphasized that many of these countries lack the necessary infrastructure or skilled workforce to harness the benefits of AI, raising the risk that the technology could worsen existing inequalities. She cautioned that the use of AI could increase the likelihood of social unrest, especially if younger and less experienced workers embrace the technology to enhance their productivity, while older, more seasoned workers struggle to adapt. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The Justice Department could be nearing the launch of a massive lawsuit against Apple this year that would aim to target the tech giant's alleged anticompetitive business practices, according to the New York Times. The focus would be on how Apple has used its connected hardware and software ecosystem to make it difficult for consumers to leave the Apple bubble and for other players in the industry to compete. Specifically, according to the New York Times report, Department of Justice investigators have been looking into three pieces of that ecosystem: how iMessage prevents competitors from using Apple's messaging app, the Apple Watch and how it works better alongside the iPhone than other companies' devices; and Apple's payment systems that block competitors from providing similar financial services. If the DOJ moves forward with its lawsuit, leading antitrust expert John Kwoka, Neal F. Finnegan distinguished professor of economics at Northeastern University, says it would be the latest domino to fall in the antitrust push against Big Tech's biggest players. Google, Amazon and Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, have all been under the antitrust microscope in the last four years. Apple would be the biggest target yet, not only because it's valued at $2.87 trillion but because its business modela "tightly integrated ecosystem" of products and services that keep customers invested, Kwoka saysis virtually unmatched. But Kwoka says Apple is far from bulletproof. "It's also true that a lot of people end up paying a lot more than the cost of these goods and services and, once in, they have a tough time getting out," Kwoka says. "It's pretty clear Apple has a long list of potential rivals and complainants that made clear by experiences that they have been foiled in their efforts to provide alternatives to some of the package of services that Apple provides. As a result, consumers are denied some choices." The interlocking system of products and services Apple has created is well known for its streamlined nature and its closed-door approach involving potential competitors. In 2021, the European Commission said the company's use of app store fees for Apple Music competitors violated its antitrust laws. According to the Times, the scale of the DOJ's investigation into Apple's business practices has been sweeping. Beyond investigations into Apple Watch, iMessage and payment services, the DOJ looked into how Apple blocked cloud gaming applications, which allow people to play games by streaming them directly to their phone, on the App Store. Kwoka says the end result of Apple's business model is that it offers a high-quality experience to those inside it, but it also limits consumer choice and innovation. "This means that new products and services that might work with other parts of Apple, like the messaging service, the pay systems, and some potential innovators in that space are thwarted because they cannot access consumers," Kwoka says. He points to Tile, a tracking software and device company. The DOJ interviewed Tile in its investigation, and the company previously testified against Apple. In 2020, Tile claimed during congressional testimony that the tech giant hamstrung Tile's ability to effectively operate on iPhones. There's a reason venture capitalists refer to the investment areas that directly compete with the Big Tech companies as the "killzone," Kwoka says. "There's evidence that VC has started to pull back on its funding for startups in the so-called killzone where they know at the end of the day they're simply going to get wiped out by Amazon or Facebook or Google or Microsoft or Apple," Kwoka says. For its part, Apple has argued that the interconnected ecosystem at the core of its business model is what makes the company competitive against its rivals. And Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, said in testimony before a 2020 congressional antitrust committee that his company "does not have a dominant market share in any market where we do business." With precedent somewhat set by a 2001 antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, Kwoka says both the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission have wisened up to this argument. It could mean Apple might not fare well under the DOJ's microscope. "Even if there was some truth to that, the point is it's not product by product that one ought to look at these strategies and practices," Kwoka says. "The agencies are much more attuned to the complicated ways that these large companies with big footprints in a lot of businesses can use the multiplicity of their products and services to create what they call moats around their businesses and to use the linkage between them to lock customers in," he adds. If the Justice Department moves ahead with its lawsuit and wins, which could take years, Kwoka says the end result would be undeniably positive for non-Apple customers and the tech market more broadly. Apple's integrated ecosystem will still be there for those who enjoy it and want it. But for Android users, who are used to picking and choosing which hardware and software they want to use together, it would open up even more options. It's something Apple is already exploring because of the European Commission's Digital Markets Act, which aims to crack open entrenched tech ecosystems. "In this case, it should be quite advantageous to consumers who want to make those choices," Kwoka says. "It will bring prices down because there will be competition for parts of the package of services." "These are all hugely important cases in products and services that we're using as we speak and we use every day," he adds. "It will make a significant difference." This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplane performs a demonstration flight at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, east of Paris, France, June 20, 2017. Indonesia has temporarily grounded three Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners, following an incident in which an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage. Credit: AP Photo/Michel Euler, File Boeing told employees Monday that it plans to increase quality inspections of its 737 Max 9 aircraft, following the failure of an emergency exit door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight last week. It is the latest in a series of troubles for Boeing, whose reputation as the premier American aircraft manufacturer has been tarnished by a series of manufacturing flaws that have led some airlines to hold off aircraft purchases or go with its European rival, Airbus. The inspections come after Federal regulators grounded the 737 Max, and that Boeing has said that after the Alaska Airlines flight and customer complaints, it is "clear that we are not where we need to be" on quality assurance and controls. "Our team is also taking a hard look at our quality practices in our factories and across our production system," said Stan Deal, the president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in an email to employees. Boeing is also bringing in airline customers and independent inspectors to go over the aircraft as needed, Deal wrote. One of two door plugs on an Alaska Max 9 blew out shortly after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, a week ago, leaving a hole in the plane. The cabin lost pressure and the plane was forced to descend rapidly and return to Portland for an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported. Following the incident, Federal Aviation Administration announced last week that it plans an investigation into whether the manufacturer failed to make sure a fuselage panel that blew off was safe and manufactured to meet the design that regulators approved. The National Transportation Safety Board is focusing its investigation on plugs used to fill spots for extra doors when those exits are not required for safety reasons on Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners. The incident on the Alaska plane is the latest in a string of mishaps for Boeing that began in 2018, with the first of two crashes of Max 8 planes in Indonesia and Ethiopiaand more than four months apartthat killed a total of 346 people. Max 8 and Max 9 planes were grounded worldwide for nearly two years after the second crash. Since then, various manufacturing flaws have at times held up deliveries of Max jets and a larger Boeing plane, the 787. Last month, the company asked airlines to inspect their Max jets for a loose bolt in the rudder-control system. 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: University of Glasgow Engineers from UK universities have developed a new method of measuring temperature through the interaction of a soft and flexible "smart skin" sensor with electromagnetic waves. The sensor developed by the team is made from a composite of carbon fibers and silicon rubber, and works without battery power or onboard processing. The team's paper, titled "Wide-range soft anisotropic thermistor with a direct wireless radio frequency interface," is published in Nature Communications. The flexible sensor's ability to absorb and reflect radio-frequency (RF) signals varies with atmospheric heat or cold, enabling the sensing of temperature across a much greater range than other comparable devices. It can also withstand thousands of cycles of bending and stretching without losing its sensitivity to temperature. Temperature sensors are found in almost all electronic devices, and the global market for the technology is currently valued at $58bn. Typical temperature sensors, known as thermistors, work by changing resistance in response to changes in temperature. However, they are usually only capable of measuring over narrow ranges of temperature variation, meaning temperature sensors often rely on an array of different thermistors to cover a wide sensing range. The new soft, flexible temperature sensor, developed by a team led by researchers from the University of Glasgow, is capable of reading temperatures across a record-breaking range from 30C to more than 200C. This could help make future wireless sensors cheaper and more sustainable, as fewer devices will now be required to cover the same temperature sensing range. In the paper, the researchers show how used a 3D printer to mold the flexible material and integrated it into components like antennas, RFID labels, and resonators. Then they tested its ability to absorb radio-frequency (RF) radiation at different temperatures ranging up to 300C. Dr. Mahmoud Wagih, UK IC Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, led the study. He said, "Sensors are the main interface between the analog world and smart devices. To communicate real-world changes in measurements like temperature or humidity to wireless smart devices, those measurements first need to be digitized. "We designed a simple soft composite using common silicone and carbon fibers, which can be easily molded into any shape. These skin-like substrates could be used to design antennas over large areas, which can then radiate signals that are highly sensitive to temperature changes. "Many researchers have used RF and microwave devices to measure liquid formulations, temperature, humidity, and other physical and chemical parameters. However, this level of sensitivity has not been demonstrated before." Researchers from the University of Southampton supported the development of the flexible, stretchable sensor material, which could be easily integrated into bendable electronics and smart fabrics. The paper shows how the material could be bent and stretched for thousands of cycles, without significant changes in its response. Collaborators from Loughborough University worked to characterize the new material's electrical properties, demonstrating how it functioned up to a frequency of 26 GHz, into the spectrum of 5G communications technologies. The team suggests that with "anisotropic" properties that change how the material interacts with electric fields in different directions, the composite could be further tailored to enhance or reduce sensitivity to specific wireless signals. The technology could underpin a wide range of additional future applications including vital sign monitoring, radar sensing, satellite communications, and 6G wireless networks. Dr. Wagih is now leading a new research project that will build on the research to find new applications in sustainable and biodegradable wireless electronics. Dr. Wagih said, "We are delighted to start further research on functional and natively stretchable materials for body-centric wireless sensing, building on our track record in cutting-edge RF sensing. "The UK is already a leader in applied microwave engineering and advanced materials, and we hope that collaborative research like this will help lead to results which can find commercial applications." More information: Mahmoud Wagih et al, Wide-range soft anisotropic thermistor with a direct wireless radio frequency interface, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44735-z Journal information: Nature Communications 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: NASAs X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the apron outside Lockheed Martins Skunk Works facility at dawn in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASAs Quesst mission, which seeks to address one of the primary challenges to supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter. Credit: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency's X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound. "This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team," said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. "In just a few short years, we've gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA's X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time." Melroy and other senior officials revealed the aircraft during a ceremony hosted by prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works at its Palmdale, California facility. The X-59 is at the center of NASA's Quesst mission, which focuses on providing data to help regulators reconsider rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land. For 50 years, the U.S. and other nations have prohibited such flights because of the disturbance caused by loud, startling sonic booms in the communities below. The X-59 is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph. Its design, shaping, and technologies will allow the aircraft to achieve these speeds while generating a quieter sonic thump. "It's thrilling to consider the level of ambition behind Quesst and its potential benefits," said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "NASA will share the data and technology we generate from this one-of-a-kind mission with regulators and with industry. By demonstrating the possibility of quiet commercial supersonic travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world." With the rollout complete, the Quesst team will shift to its next steps in preparation for the first flight: integrated systems testing, engine runs, and taxi testing for the X-59. The aircraft is set to take off for the first time later this year, followed by its first quiet supersonic flight. The Quesst team will conduct several of the aircraft's flight tests at Skunk Works before transferring it to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, which will serve as its base of operations. "Across both teams, talented, dedicated, and passionate scientists, engineers, and production artisans have collaborated to develop and produce this aircraft," said John Clark, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. "We're honored to be a part of this journey to shape the future of supersonic travel over land alongside NASA and our suppliers." Once NASA completes flight tests, the agency will fly the aircraft over several to-be-selected cities across the U.S., collecting input about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it. NASA will provide that data to the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators. The X-59 is a unique experimental airplane, not a prototypeits technologies are meant to inform future generations of quiet supersonic aircraft. At 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide, the aircraft's shape and the technological advancements it houses will make quiet supersonic flight possible. The X-59's thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom. Due to this configuration, the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraftand does not have a forward-facing window. Instead, the Quesst team developed the eXternal Vision System, a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit. The Quesst team also designed the aircraft with its engine mounted on top and gave it a smooth underside to help keep shockwaves from merging behind the aircraft and causing a sonic boom. Is BlackRock's retrenchment from ESG real? By Scott Shepard web posted January 15, 2024 Reports last week are that BlackRock will be laying off 600 employees in its ESG and sustainability departments as part of its at-least-nominal retrenchment away from kneejerk support for an agenda that was sold as non-partisan "doing well [in the funds] by doing good [for the world]," but in practice meant forcing American corporations to adopt policies that mirrored fairly comprehensively the Biden Administration's "whole of government" initiatives and Barack Obama's desktop to-do list. Those layoffs are one piece of evidence in favor of thinking that the nominal pullback is real. (It's also, twinned with DEI-department cuts throughout industry, a warning to zillenials that majoring in Leftwing Grievance studies may not be as remunerative now as it was for their big siblings.) Other indicators muddy the waters. According to Fox Business, at BlackRock "U.S. portfolio managers are no longer required to consider ESG metrics when not using ESG funds," in part because "[i]n 2023, many so-called green investment funds have seen declines in assets amid weak performance as investments in sustainable energy products fail to produce significant returns." That sounds good, but what's remarkable about it is not the moving-away-from ESG part. What it reveals is that heretofore BlackRock had required U.S. portfolio managers to consider ESG metrics when not running non-ESG fund. That's pretty astounding. If BlackRock offers both ESG funds and non-ESG funds, the obvious implication is that for the non-ESG funds ESG considerations are excluded certainly not that they are mandatory. This is a potentially massive legal liability for BlackRock. CEO Larry Fink stands afront the chorus of partisans claiming that, for example, "carbon risk is material risk" to justify forcing companies to make disclosures designed to force decarbonization according to leftwing-political schedules. (Somehow, he didn't think that the costs of such decarbonization and the risks associated with handing company planning over to activists and U.N. types slavering after additional power were material, though.) Having made that claim, Fink and BlackRock are stuck with it. If carbon-related and other ESG-driven decisions are material, then running non-ESG funds according to ESG principles must be a material decision, right? It follows that billing some funds as ESG funds and others as non-ESG funds but running them all according to ESG principles would qualify as material misinformation, a failure to make a material disclosure a serious offense for an investment house. And note that even now it appears that BlackRock is still allowing U.S. portfolio managers to consider ESG metrics when running non-ESG funds. It looks like the material disclosure failure is continuing with the added problem that it's not clear how that permission to use ESG criteria is cabined. Is it up to each manager, so that investors at BlackRock just have to hope that they get one of the managers who's committed to achieving maximum returns rather than one who lets his politics influence his decision-making? I would think that disclosing which fund has which sort of manager would be a very material disclosure indeed, one that BlackRock should be making every time. All of this puts in a rather different light the late-summer development that BlackRock had dissolved its ESG-labeled funds. That was hailed by many proponents of business neutrality as a move by BlackRock away from partisan investing. With this new information the possibility arises that it instead was an act of enhanced dissimulation taking the ESG labels off so that the application of ESG principles to non-ESG funds was no longer so obviously an act of deception against non-ESG fund investors. But that itself would constitute an active and willful attempt to keep deceiving, but more stealthily. Then add as context Fink's interview a month or so before the dissolution of the ESGs during which said he was no longer going to use the term ESG, preferring "conscientious capitalism" but then revealed that by conscientious capitalism he just meant the same old ESG policies and behaviors. But changing the label of a thing for the purpose of continuing to do that thing without people knowing is fundamentally deception. Such deception is fine if the people being "deceived" have no right to know what you're doing. If it's undertaken by an investment house to allow that house to continue with investment-related policies and behaviors that have grown objectionable but to hide that from its clients, it is not fine at all though it could lead to very large fines indeed. BlackRock may well be genuine in all of these changes, and really be getting out of politicization and returning to objectively neutral investment strategies unless openly and clearly disclosed. But it's definitely not there yet. And because of its history of troubling behavior and the years of preposterous assertions by Fink and others that manifestly partisan investment criteria and "behavior forcing" were wholly objective and neutral, the burden lies with BlackRock to prove that it has mended its way, rather than just muddying the waters. And in BlackRock's partial defense, it's clear that its Big 3 partners, State Street and Vanguard, are worse. Scott Shepard is a fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research and Director of its Free Enterprise Project. This was first published at RealClearMarkets. Home The ChiComs, Taiwan, and your toaster By Mark Alexander web posted January 15, 2024 Sometimes it is difficult to grasp the implications of global national security threats, but if you like your toaster and coffee maker, and everything else that requires electronics to operate, read on. Merriam-Webster defines "crazy" as "not mentally sound: marked by thought or action that lacks reason." Thus, it is not clear if Joe Biden has acute dementia, or if his non compos mentis domestic and foreign policy failures are the result of just being crazy. Take your pick either way, Biden and his leftist puppeteers constitute the most dangerous existential threat to our national security. Biden has ignored or ducked all the "red flags" ahead of a growing list of catastrophic foreign policy failures since he took office. The first of his administration's cascading failures was his surrender and retreat from Afghanistan, leaving the country in the hands of the same invading terrorists that hosted al-Qa'ida for its 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation. The second was, in effect, inviting Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. And the third, most recently, was empowering Iranian surrogates with Hamas to attack Israel. After Putin invaded Ukraine, I wrote the obvious: "Power does not tolerate a vacuum, nor an inept and vacuous appeaser." I noted that Red China and Russia are tag-teaming, testing Biden's lack of resolve to confront authoritarian tyrants. They watched him demonstrate his lack of will in Afghanistan when he refused to take on the Taliban a far less threatening adversary than either Putin or China's communist dictator, Xi Jinping. Clearly, Biden does not just miss or ignore red flags; he IS the red flag. What Biden's lack of will has created in the years since is a much stronger alliance between Russia and China what any seasoned national security analyst would acknowledge is the most perilous foreign policy menace since the Soviet Union's collapse. That alliance is the direct consequence of Biden's failed diplomacy and has obviously reshaped global order in some very dangerous ways. This is not a recent revelation. More than 30 years ago, in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet reign of terror, there was a clear consensus in national security assessments and briefings that the Red China threat was ominous. Despite attacks that resulted in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, that Red China risk assessment has not changed, except that it is much more perilous now than it was then. Ahead of the 2020 election, and after Donald Trump had racked up significant domestic and foreign policy successes, however unorthodox his means, Biden declared that Barack Obama chose him as a running mate because of his foreign policy expertise. "I will put my record against anyone in public life in terms of foreign policy," Biden declared. According to Biden's campaign: "We live in the most dangerous moment in a generation. Our world, set on edge by an erratic, unstable president. This is a moment that requires strong, steady, stable leadership. We need someone tested and trusted around the world. This is a moment for Joe Biden a president with the experience to lead." Biden laughably asserted: "Right now, we don't really have a foreign policy. I'm not being facetious we don't have a foreign policy." He could accurately make that statement today. But Obama countered in a conversation with a Demo strategist ahead of the 2020 election, "Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up." In East Tennessee, we have a saying about people who, on rare occasions, get something right: "Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then." Obama knew that Biden would be a disaster. Last October, in the wake of Biden's mounting policy failures, Robert Gates fired a warning shot across our nation's bow. Gates, who served as the 22nd secretary of defense (2006-2011), and previously as director of Central Intelligence, including the post-Ronald Reagan years after the Soviet collapse and the rise of China, asserted correctly that Biden has been "wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue" over the course of his career. According to Gates: "The United States now confronts graver threats to its security than it has in decades, perhaps ever. Never before has it faced four allied antagonists at the same time Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. ... And no one alive can remember a time when an adversary had as much economic, scientific, technological, and military power as China does today." Reread that last sentence if necessary. If you need evidence of Biden's coddling appeasement of China, his response to the ChiCom spy balloon a year ago is a perfect metaphor for how Biden covers for Xi. In fact, during Xi's "state visit" to the U.S. two months ago, despite Biden's repeated assurances that he would confront Xi about "the balloon," there was no confrontation. Biden knows that Xi knows all about "The BIG Guy" and his 10% cut from Hunter Biden's ChiCom deals. And now that direct evidence of Biden's profiteering is emerging, the risk to his presidency and the Democrat Party's 2024 prospects is dire. So, what does all this have to do with your toaster and coffee maker? Xi Jinping is now aggressively threatening "reunification" with Taiwan. So? When, not if, the ChiComs come across the Taiwan Strait, they will do so not because of some nationalist fervor but because strategically, that will give China control of the world's largest production of semiconductors and microchips, which are found in everything Americans take for granted. As National Review's Jim Geraghty observed: "Taiwan is to semiconductors what the Middle East is to oil; this island makes the most advanced semiconductors in the world. Because everything from your cell phone to your car to the Pentagon's F-35 fighter jets runs on semiconductors, there's an argument that Taiwan's role as a key link in the global supply chain of advanced technology acts as a deterrent against a future Chinese invasion or other military aggression that Taiwan, and in particular the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, are so valuable that the world couldn't allow that supply of semiconductors to be interrupted by a war or blockade." However, Geraghty correctly concludes, "But there's reason to wonder if the 'Silicon Shield' is really that much of a deterrent." And that is because China is completely dependent on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for more than 70% of the chips it installs in a plethora of consumer electronics, which are then exported to the U.S. and globally. TSMC is the world's largest chip producer, and when combined with other Taiwanese chip producers, Connie Chang, director general of strategy for Taiwan's National Development Council, estimates, "If something happened to Taiwan, probably half of the world's industries will shut down." Remember that ChiCom Virus pandemic thing, when a lot of production came to a halt because the availability of microchips was enormously constrained? The ChiCom Virus allowed Xi and his strategists to determine everything they needed to know about the economic impact of reduced chip production and likewise, control of chip production. Fear not, though. Biden has convened his new supply chain council to ensure there will be no future issues with economic constraints associated with chip availability. Meanwhile, the ChiComs rapidly expanded military operations in the South China Sea last month, and the potential for China's surge across the Taiwan Straits is a greater risk now than ever. According to high-level officials briefed on Xi's meeting with Biden, he told Biden, "Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but the timing has not yet been decided." As China's domestic economic growth continues to slow, and as its looming real estate bubble blowup is driving foreign investors away, the prospect of its invasion of Taiwan is increasing in order to deter future economic decline. Regardless of what you think about Donald Trump, none of these recent obscene domestic and foreign policy failures I repeat, NONE occurred under Trump, nor would they if he were still president. Trump was tough on China. Let me reiterate: The most dangerous threat to U.S. national security has been and remains Joe Biden. China, knowing Biden is toothless as do all our other adversaries is on the verge of seizing Taiwan. Tell your Democrat friends that the next time they vote for a president, vote as if their toaster and coffee maker, and every other consumer product they rely on, depend on it because they do. But that may be apparent ahead of the November election if Xi decides Biden, or his most likely ballot successor, will not prevail. Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. Chinese, US researchers jointly develop new type of stable semiconductor graphene with 10 times higher performance than silicon 09:19, January 15, 2024 By Leng Shumei ( Global Times Researchers from China and the US have jointly created a new type of stable semiconductor graphene, which displays performance 10 times higher than silicon and 20 times larger than that of the other two-dimensional semiconductors. The achievement marks a leap from silicon chips to carbon chips, Ma Lei, leader of the research from the Tianjin International Center for Nanoparticles and Nanosystems (TICNN) at Tianjin University, who led the research, told the Global Times. The achievement, jointly made by Mas team and researchers from School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, was published online on the website of the journal "Nature" on January 3, 2024. With silicon-based chips gradually approaching the physical limit of two nanometers, there is a surge in global demand for chips based on high-quality semiconductor materials. Two-dimensional materials, due to their excellent electronic transport properties and potential for high integration, have become a new frontier that scientists and semiconductor companies around the world are eager to invest in. Graphene, as the first discovered two-dimensional material that can exist stably at room temperature, has been the focus of scientists' efforts since its discovery in 2004 to design a new type of chip that consumes less energy and operates faster than existing semiconductors. However, the unique Dirac Cones of graphene leads to its "zero bandgap" characteristic, which has been the biggest obstacle to its application in the semiconductor field. By precisely controlling the epitaxial growth process of graphene, Mas team introduced a bandgap into graphene, creating a new type of stable semiconductor graphene, which exhibits electron mobility far exceeding that of silicon materials. It displays performance 10 times higher than silicon and 20 times larger than that of the other two-dimensional semiconductors. We mainly applied a special growth environment and growth conditions to modulate graphene itself using SiC crystals, achieving the opening of a bandgap in graphene. This transforms the originally gapless graphene into a material with a bandgap, Ma said. He noted that what the team created is a true single-crystal graphene semiconductor. The development of this semiconductor not only paves the way for high-performance electronic devices surpassing traditional silicon-based technologies but also injects new impetus into the entire semiconductor industry. As the limits predicted by Moore's Law draw closer, the emergence of semiconductor graphene heralds a fundamental shift in the field of electronics. Its breakthrough properties meet the growing demand for higher computing speeds and miniaturized integrated electronic devices, read a report on the Tianjin Universitys website. Once delivered into large scale production, the single-crystal semiconductor graphene will lay an important foundation for the transition from the silicon era to the carbon era. However, whether graphene semiconductors can lead to a breakthrough in the chip industry still needs time to test, Ma noted. When asked how far the achievement is from industrialization, Ma said he currently cannot predict. When it can be put into large-scale industrial applications depends on the process from millimeter-scale single crystals to inch-scale single crystals. In a related report on January 4 by yicai.com, Ma was quoted as saying that I estimate that it will take another 10 to 15 years before graphene semiconductors can truly be fully implemented. Ma said that now he and his team are working hard to grow larger-sized graphene semiconductor single crystals. In order to continue to promote the development of semiconductors, countries and regions all over the world are actively seeking new materials and paradigms in addition to two-dimensional materials. In November 2023, Huawei and Harbin Institute of Technology jointly applied for a hybrid bonding method for three-dimensional integrated chips based on silicon and diamond. In September 2023, Japanese news outlet Nikkei reported that the Japanese startup company OOKUMA plans to commercialize diamond semiconductors, and will start production as early as the fiscal year 2026. With the intensification of competition, the US has been increasing its export control measures on chips to China, unreasonably suppressing Chinese semiconductor companies, and attempting to strangle China in the semiconductor chip field. In this context, the achievement by Chinese and American teams has attracted special attention. According to Ma, the intensification of China-US semiconductor competition has indeed had an impact on the cooperation between the scientific teams of the two countries, such as information exchange and sample exchange. However, overall, the cooperation between the two teams has been fruitful. Healthy competition is an important factor in promoting development, while malicious competition hinders the development of technology. I hope that cooperation is the mainstream and competition is a stimulant. With cooperation as the mainstream, appropriate competition will make scientific development better and better, Ma noted. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) America's fiat money gestapo: The untold history of the Secret Service By Joshua Glawson web posted January 15, 2024 There is an untold story in American monetary history. Some are reluctant even to discuss it. I'm referring to the U.S. Secret Service's very own role in the destruction of sound money in America. As constitutional, sound money in the form of physical gold and silver coins whether minted privately or not became an annoying impediment to expanding the size and power of the federal government, central planners began circulating unbacked paper proxies and formed a Gestapo-like police agency to enforce the scheme. Founded in 1865, toward the tail end of the American Civil War, the Secret Service originated as a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department. The primary job of this federal police force was to prevent others from counterfeiting the U.S. currency, which had just been nationalized through acts of Congress via the National Currency Act of 1863 and the Coinage Act of 1864. Together, these acts formed what are commonly known as the National Banking Acts of 1863 and 1864 . These Washington, D.C. laws imposed taxes with a levy court system and implemented direct taxation. This led to the country's first income tax. The government also strengthened the establishment of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which had conveniently begun operation in 1862. Conjointly, these propped up the new federal fiat currency system. From around 1837 through part of the Civil War, currency issuance and banking in America had been directed by a more decentralized network of states and free banking institutions. These entities issued banknotes that could be cashed in for standardized gold or silver coins or traded for goods and services. During the Civil War, however, both sides issued their own banknotes to help fund their respective war efforts, often unbacked by the two monetary metals. The Union pushed forth greenback fiat currency in Demand Notes and United States Notes. At the same time, the Confederates printed fiat greybacks in the forms of Confederate Dollars and Confederate Treasury Notes. The number of fiat dollars in a bank and region in the new era would be largely based on population rather than gold and silver reserves, which is one reason the Union continued to encourage immigration both for fiat monetary support and war efforts. The Union pushed to expand American territories through these Acts to increase population and issuance of government fiat money. Since the Union and Congress sought to impose a federal fiat legal tender currency system that did not rely on tangible value and voluntarism, they needed enforcement of those laws. Those supporting laws included income taxes and establishing the IRS. The war, economic strife, and competition between currencies created various types of "counterfeit" currency. Government officials made haughty claims that one in three fractional gold or silver coins at that time were counterfeit and did not contain their original gold or silver weight. By decreasing the amount of gold or silver in a coin, a counterfeiter could turn a profit. Yet, these government hypocrites had no qualms about mandating that unbacked fiat currency must be considered legally equal to gold and silver coinage. Nor did they object to the illicit profit this enabled the central government to rake in. Sadly, the U.S. Supreme Court notoriously affirmed this devious scheme when deciding the "Legal Tender Cases," considered by many legal scholars (including present-day Justices on the high court) to have been wrongly decided. As such, the government changed the definition of money and citizens could henceforth be compelled to accept non-redeemable paper as equal to gold or silver coins. On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation establishing the Secret Service to combat counterfeit money the non-government type, that is. Later that same day, Lincoln was assassinated, and he died on April 15. From 1865 to 1901, the Secret Service's main mission was to bust private counterfeiting operations. In 1881, President James Garfield was assassinated interestingly, not too long after publicly advocating for a return to the gold standard. Then, in 1901, with the assassination of President William McKinley, and under the new presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, the Secret Service was given the additional task of defending U.S. presidents. (McKinley's assassination occurred a year after he signed the Gold Standard Act of 1900, which halted bimetallism by diminishing the monetary role of silver.) The Secret Service grew from its original role of helping to ramrod a new fiat currency standard into a much larger police force that also protects the U.S. Presidents. A full 50 years before the Christmas Eve passage of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, Congress had already set in motion a plan to rob our nation's monetary system of its gold and silver, slip a fiat currency into circulation, promote fractional reserve banking, stamp out state and private banknotes, strengthen the IRS, and spawn the Secret Service to help enforce it all. The solution is to return to a free market for money a system of competition where gold and silver are permitted to circulate alongside other forms of payment and to remove government force from the equation. May the best currency win. Joshua D. Glawson is Content Manager for Money Metals Exchange and is writer on such topics as politics, economics, philosophy, finance, and personal development. He has a Bachelor's in Political Science from the University of California Irvine. Home United Airlines crews work to de-ice planes Monday at San Antonio International Airport as a deep freeze hits the city. Forecasts suggest the late Sunday-early Monday precipitation is over, but bitter cold will continue into Wednesday. William Luther/San Antonio Express-News American Airlines flight information screen shows delayed and canceled flights Sunday at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Wintry weather across the U.S. is snarling air traffic, leading to dozens of canceled and delayed flights at San Antonio International Airport. Nam Y. Huh/AP A worker braves near zero-degree weather and snow to spray deicer on a United Airlines jet Friday at Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. Wintry weather across the U.S. is snarling air traffic, leading to dozens of canceled flights and delays at San Antonio International Airport, with more coming Monday. Charlie Riedel/AP Workers brave near zero-degree weather and snow to spray deicer on a United Airlines jet Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, at Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. Charlie Riedel/AP A worker braves near zero-degree weather and snow to spray deicer on a United Airlines jet Friday, Jan. 12, 2024, at Kansas City International airport in Kansas City, Mo. Charlie Riedel/AP Airlines had canceled three dozen flights by midafternoon Monday at San Antonio International Airport among more than 3,600 scrubbed from schedules at airports across the U.S. as icy weather continued to numb a wide swath of the nation, snarling travel. The cancellations amounted to about 8% of total flights out of San Antonio and 12% of flights arriving, according to airline tracking site FlightAware. Nearly 110 flights 16% of departures and 18% of arrivals had been canceled at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The cancellations at both airports by 3 p.m. Monday easily topped Sundays all-day totals as a brutal winter storm bore down on South Texas with bitter cold and freezing precipitation. The majority of cancellations at San Antonio came from flights heading to or coming from airports in Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Houston, according to FlightAware. By airline across the U.S., Southwest Airlines led the way Monday with 719 flights canceled and 1,171 delayed. United Airlines had canceled 349 and delayed 779. One culprit was an Arctic air mass that spilled south across the U.S. over the weekend and by Monday had about 150 million Americans under wind chill warnings or advisories for dangerous cold and wind. Airports across the nation have been facing challenges since Friday, when severe weather hit the eastern half of the nation and saw every state under some sort of weather-related alert. In a tweet Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration warned travelers that winter storms would impact travel across the U.S. through Monday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The National Weather Service said light freezing drizzle began falling Sunday night at San Antonio International and continued into Monday morning. In its wake, the weather service placed San Antonio and the area under a hard freeze warning until Wednesday morning and crews at San Antonio International rolled out equipment to de-ice planes. Rising cancellations After a rough day Friday, the number of cancellations and delays across the U.S. dropped Saturday but began increasing again Sunday. FlightAware data show 2,520 flights were canceled and 25,493 delayed Sunday. In San Antonio, 22 flights were canceled and 82 delayed. At Austin-Bergstrom, 64 were canceled and 161 delayed. Southwest led Sundays list of cancellations with 464 flights, followed by United with 290, SkyWest Airlines with 200 and Alaska Airlines with 166. At San Antonio International, Southwest canceled nine flights, Frontier Airlines four, United and American Airlines three each, and Alaska two. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The numbers headed higher Monday. As of 3 p.m., Southwest had canceled 717 flights across the U.S. and delayed 1,121. United canceled 345 and delayed 732, SkyWest canceled 236 and delayed 474 and American Airlines canceled 189 and delayed 1,067. At San Antonio, Southwest canceled 14 and delayed 29 flights, while American canceled 10 and delayed 12. Southwest issued an advisory for travelers through Monday. Advisories were also issued by United and American. The cancellations and delays began mounting as hub airports in Dallas, Denver and Chicago increasingly struggled Sunday and again Monday as the wintry weather dipped south in the wake of earlier trouble at airports on the East Coast and elsewhere in the Midwest. They also reflected the FAA grounding the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft after a cabin panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight this month in mid-air, forcing an emergency landing. The action led Alaska and United to cancel hundreds of flights last week. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Warming up At least in Texas, conditions should begin improving Tuesday as forecasts suggest precipitation has ended, leaving the region to contend only with bitter cold until Wednesday morning. San Antonio, where temperatures stayed below 32 degrees Monday, was likely to get only a few degrees warmer than freezing Tuesday and could see overnight temperatures into Wednesday morning dipping as low as 17 degrees downtown and lower at the airport. The thaw begins in earnest Wednesday, with peak temperatures near 47 degrees under sunny skies. High atmospheric pressure will move away to the east, allowing warmer air to flow into the region via southwesterly winds, the weather service said. Peak temperatures Thursday could reach 67 degrees, which is slightly warmer than normal for San Antonio in mid-January. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Luis Espana and Maria Elena Lugo Querales pose for a photo just before she went to have a dental procedure in May 2022. She now has severe brain damage. Courtesy Dr. Stuart Nunnally and Dr. Lane Freeman, principals of the Marble Falls dental practice Nunnally, Freeman & Owens, appeared in a YouTube video with social-medial influencer Dr. Ludwig Johnson last year. Maria Elena Lugo Querales went to the dental practice based on Johnson's endorsement. Courtesy A Miami woman who was left with severe brain damage after visiting a Marble Falls dental office had undergone unnecessary dental surgery, a recent court filing from her husband alleges. Maria Lugo Querales went to Nunnally, Freeman & Owens in 2022 for surgery on alleged cavitations and the extraction of an asymptomatic root canal-treated tooth. But Lugos husband, Luis Espana, who is suing the dentists for medical malpractice in state District Court in San Antonio, said the dentists can produce no evidence on accepted sound, reliable and valid scientific medical knowledge or research that the surgery was necessary. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Espana is asking the court to grant summary judgment in his favor, saying he has established that the dentists committed medical negligence by offering, planning and performing unnecessary dental surgery on Maria Lugo, including negligently causing her to undergo deep sedation or general anesthesia for no valid reason. The dentists want the court to deny the request, arguing in a Thursday court filing that the treatment plan proposed to Mrs. Lugo was within accepted standards of care, thus creating a fact issue precluding summary judgment. Dr. Lane Freeman, who was to perform the surgery on Lugo, disagrees with the allegation that the cavitation and root canal extraction procedures were not necessary, the dentists say in their court filing. In addition, they say Freeman self-reported Lugos hospitalization to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. It conducted an investigation but did not find any violations or breaches in the standard of care, the dentists add. A hearing on Espanas motion is set for Thursday. If he convinces a judge to grant his request, he wants a trial to address the sole issue of the amount of damages he should be awarded. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lugo, 53, allegedly suffered the brain injury because of a lack of oxygen to her brain while she was receiving anesthesia in preparation for surgery. Confidential settlement On May 9, 2022, the day before the surgery, the doctor who administered the anesthesia to Lugo was reported missing by his wife. She told the Marble Falls Police Department that Dr. Jerry Teague was having cognitive issues after recently being diagnosed with cancer. He turned up at his residence in Horseshoe Bay less than 40 minutes after the report was filed. Teague said hed become dehydrated and lost his bearings. He declined to go to a hospital. The events have raised questions about whether Teague, who had pancreatic cancer and died two weeks later, was fit to return to work the next day and administer anesthesia. His wife had driven him to the dental office the day of Lugos surgery because she did not want to risk a repeat of the events from the day before, the lawsuit alleges. Nunnally, Freeman & Owens says the recommended treatment was not actually performed on Mrs. Lugo due to the complication that occurred during induction of anesthesia by Dr. Jerry Teague. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In preparation for the surgery, Espana alleges, Teague failed to intubate Lugo and administered excessive amounts of anesthesia drugs. She overdosed on the drugs without airway protection, causing her to suffer a cardiopulmonary arrest. Emergency medical technicians arrived in response to a 911 call, and they performed CPR before taking Lugo to St. Davids Medical Center in Austin. Lugo now resides in a neurological rehabilitation facility in Florida, where she receives around-the-clock care. She requires mechanical ventilation through a tracheotomy and artificial feeding and hydration. She didnt know the dentist anesthesiologist had gone missing the day before her surgery, and neither the dentists nor Teague obtained her informed consent for the anesthesia, the complaint alleges. Such consent requires a discussion of the risks and alternatives to anesthesia. The recommended procedures and potential risks were discussed with Lugo, and she consented to the recommended care, the dentists say in their court filing. Espana, acting as Lugos guardian, has laid out numerous claims of negligence against the defendants. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Nunnally, Freeman & Owens and Teagues estate each issued a general denial to the claims in the original lawsuit in April. Nunnally, Freeman & Owens said Lugos injuries were the result of a pre-existing medical condition. It added that it had no control over the injuries Lugo suffered, calling it an an unavoidable accident in that it was not proximately caused by the culpable negligence of any party to this action. In their court filing, the dentists say Lugos injuries were the result of a failed attempted general anesthesia. They describe Teague as an independent contractor who provided anesthesia services to their patients, but Espanas court filing says the practice referred to Teague as its staff anesthesiologist. Espana calls Teague an ostensible agent of the practice and said that, consequently, the dentists are vicariously liable for his egregious negligence and Mrs. Lugos severe and permanent injuries. Late last month, Teagues estate reached a confidential settlement with Espana. A court-appointed guardian for Lugo said in a court filing that the settlement likely paid by the doctors medical malpractice insurer was in her best interest and recommended the court approve it. The court also granted a request for the creation of a trust to manage the settlement funds. Unrelated to the Lugo case, an executive committee of the State Board of Dental Examiners suspended Teague in 2016 after a hair follicle test showed positive results for fentanyl, used to treat pain, and midazolam, used in anesthesia to relax patients before surgery. He had obtained those drugs from the supply he kept for his patients, according to a report prepared by the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Teague did not have a prescription for those drugs. Teagues suspension ended and he resumed practicing in 2019, the same year he became Nunnally, Freeman & Owens dentist anesthesiologist. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lawyers for Nunnally, Freeman & Owens and Teagues estate didnt respond to a request for comment. Sean Lyons, a San Antonio lawyer representing Espana and Lugo, had no comment on the motion. Root canals Lugo and Espana left their native Venezuela for Miami about seven years ago. Theyre among the millions of people who have fled the country amid its economic collapse. Lugo learned about Nunnally, Freeman & Owens through her countryman Dr. Ludwig Johnson, a social media influencer who had Drs. Lane Freeman and Stuart Nunnally appear with him on Instagram and YouTube. In the YouTube video, Nunnally and Freeman told viewers that people with root canals have a higher risk of cardiac and cerebral vascular events, Espanas summary judgment motion says. They told the audience that cavitations are wounds in the mouth where teeth have been pulled, such as wisdom teeth, where toxicity can rival that of a gangrenous wound, the document adds. Espana, in an affidavit, says his wife was persuaded by watching the three doctors that her lack of energy, depression, heart issues, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid issues were likely caused by her root canal-treated tooth and the spaces below her pulled teeth, which they called cavitations. These doctors convinced her that she had dental issues that were creating auto-immune issues leading to these health challenges, Espana adds. Itriago told Lugo that she had cavitations and a root canaled tooth that needed to be extracted, Espanas motion for summary judgment says. Lugo described herself as Johnsons patient even though they never met face to face when she reached out to Nunnally, Freeman & Owens in 2021, the court filing says. Without having seen or evaluated Lugo and based solely on a limited patient questionnaire and Itriagos report, the document says, Nunnally, Freeman & Owens in 2021 developed a proposed treatment plan that included cavitation evaluation and possible surgery involving nine teeth. Each cavitation would cost $799, while the entire treatment plan would cost $10,306. It took the couple nine months to save the money for the dental care, as well as to cover the expenses for the trip from Miami to Marble Falls. Freeman evaluated Lugo and performed a thorough oral examination that included a review of the CBCT and dental X-rays, the dentists countered in their court filing. Freeman found areas of less dense and low-density bone where teeth had been extracted that did not appear to have fully healed. Mrs. Lugo was fully informed of the recommended elective procedures and expressed her desire to undergo the recommended treatments, the dentists add in the document. Root Cause Nunnally, Freeman and their practices other named partner, Dr. Candace Owens, appeared in the 2018 documentary Root Cause, which links root canals with cancer and other medical problems. In early 2019, the American Dental Association, the American Association of Endodontists and the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research jointly sent a letter to Netflix, Amazon and others warning that the films claim has been disproven by decades worth of peer-reviewed scientific evidence. The letter is attached as an exhibit to the motion for summary judgment. We respectfully suggest that continuing to host this film is potentially harmful to the public, allowing the spread of fear based on misinformation and speculation that is not supported by medical evidence, the groups added. The film was pulled from Netflix and taken down from Amazon, but it can be viewed on YouTube. Nunnally posted a rebuttal on his dental practices website, saying that the most current research confirms that root canal treated teeth remain infected after treatment. He added that seven of the 10 leading causes of death reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention including cancer, heart disease and stroke can be attributed to inflammation or microbes in the oral cavity. In their response to Espanas motion for summary judgment, the dentists defend the research linking systemic health consequences to root canal therapy. Espana had a far different take in his court filing. Nunnally, Freeman & Owens continues to perform these unnecessary procedures on patients in flagrant opposition to the American Dental Association and the whole evidence-based dental opinion, the document states. Espana cites the conclusions of three medical professionals hes retained as expert witnesses in asserting that the surgical treatment proposed for Lugo was not based on accepted scientific knowledge or research. The defendants will not be able to show that the procedure, including administering Lugo with anesthesia, was medically justified by an examination of Lugo, her medical history or the 3D image of her mouth. Espana adds. No pathology Freeman met Lugo for the first time May 10, 2022, the day of the surgery, Espanas court filing says. Freeman noted in Lugos dental chart that she had developed high blood pressure and tachycardia, an underactive thyroid gland and rheumatoid arthritis after her root canal. But neither the date of the root canal nor the dates she began having the symptoms are specified in the chart, Espana says in his document. In addition, Lugos chart contains no records obtained from any of her medical providers. The dental office performed its own 3D image of Lugos mouth, but no findings or interpretations of it are included in the dental chart, Espana says. The three medical professionals retained by Espana found no signs of disease in reviewing the report by Itriago, the Venezuelan doctor who told Lugo she had cavitations and a root canaled tooth that needed to be extracted. One of the professionals, Dr. Hassem Geha, director of the Advanced Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Program at UT Health San Antonio, said he found no evidence of pathology in the areas where Mrs. Lugo is lacking teeth, or anywhere else. Her dentoalveolar structures (hard and soft tissue) and jawbone appear healthy and without any signs of pathology. Geha also did not find evidence of disease related to the root canaled tooth that Itriago said needed to be extracted. Another professional, Dr. James D. Bates, a Dallas dentist and medical doctor, concluded that Lugos 3D image was completely normal and healthy appearing. He also said Itriagos qualifications are not clear. The minimum standards of care required Nunnally, Freeman & Owens to not persuade or convince Mrs. Lugo to undergo, and not to perform on Mrs. Lugo, cavitation surgery and/or extraction of her root canal-treated tooth, as there was no dental or medical evidence that such dental surgery was reasonably necessary for her, Bates opined. Nunnally, Freeman & Owens therefore planned to perform cavitations surgery and tooth extractions on Maria Lugo, and have her undergo deep sedation or general anesthesia, regardless of their examination findings, the patients medical history, and their CBCT results, Espana says in the motion for summary judgment. The dentists said in their response that patients are not strong-armed, persuaded, coerced or rushed into making decisions regarding a proposed treatment plan. They also do not claim that their therapies are curative with respect to systemic disease. For example, NFO dentists, including Dr. Freeman, do not claim that treating jawbone infections or removing a disease root canal treated tooth will cure or impact a patients diabetes or other systemic disease any more than telling a patient that treating their periodontal disease will cure or impact their cardiovascular disease, the dentists add. Given the medical professionals conclusions, Espana says in the motion for summary judgment that there are no genuine issues as to any material fact and (he) is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Espana also is preemptively challenging any of Nunnally, Freeman & Owens anticipated expert witnesses because there is no accepted scientific knowledge or research that supports the making of such diagnoses, including by CBCT or medical history. Simply put, there exists no knowledge, training, education, or experience that could qualify such an expert to make such a diagnoses, Espana adds in the motion for summary judgment. Nunnally, Freeman & Owens disagrees, saying its experts opinions are based upon scientific evidence and specialized knowledge. They are necessary to understand the evidence and to determine the facts in issue, the dentists say. Aksarben Foundation now accepting applications for 2024 Farm Family Awards OMAHA The Aksarben Foundation, along with Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers, are accepting applications for the Nebraska Pioneer Farm and Nebraska Heritage Farm Awards through April 15. These awards recognize Nebraska farm families who have consecutively held ownership of land in the same family for at least 100 years (Pioneer) or 150 years (Heritage), respectively. We look forward to recognizing and awarding these Nebraska farm families each year, says Sandra Reding, Aksarben Foundation president. The dedication and perseverance demonstrated by these families is a testament to the strong Nebraska values that set our state apart and have been making Aksarben proud, for nearly 130 years. Partnering with Aksarben in sponsoring these awards each year, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue says, Nebraska Farm Bureau is proud to help sponsor these farm family awards. Nebraska Farm Bureaus heritage and continuous mission is to serve Nebraska farm and ranch families, and these awards recognize the commitment to preserve and build Nebraska agriculture for future generations. Each honoree receives an engraved plaque and gatepost marker as permanent recognition of this milestone. The awards are presented during the annual county fair in which the land is located. For more information about the Aksarben Foundation, visit www.aksarben.org. Corn board to meet in Grand Island The Nebraska Corn Board will host its next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at the Hall County Extension Office at College Park, 3180 W. Highway 34. The board will conduct regular board business. The meeting is open to the public, providing the opportunity for public comment. A copy of the agenda is available by writing to the Nebraska Corn Board, 245 Fallbrook Blvd. Suite 204, Lincoln, NE 68521, sending an email to renee.tichota@nebraska.gov or by calling 402-471-2676. The Nebraska Corn Board is funded through a producer checkoff investment of -cent-per-bushel checkoff on all corn marketed in the state and is managed by nine farmer directors. The mission of the Nebraska Corn Board to increase the value and sustainability of Nebraska corn through promotion, market development and research. Corn, soybean expos merge; set for Jan. 25 at NU research center in Ithaca ITHICA The Fremont Corn Expo and the Nebraska Soybean Day & Machinery Expo have merged into one expo the Eastern Nebraska Corn and Soybean Expo. The expo will focus on both crops and will rotate between Saunders and Dodge county locations each year. The 2024 expo will is planned for Thursday, Jan. 25. at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center, 1071 County Road G, in Ithaca. The program will kick off at 8:30 a.m. and will finish up at 3 p.m. The event opens with coffee, doughnuts and the opportunity to view equipment and exhibitor booths at 8:30 a.m. Speakers start at 9:10 a.m. The Eastern Nebraska Corn and Soybean Expo will assist producers in planning for next years growing season, says Aaron Nygren, Nebraska extension educator. We hope you come and learn from a variety of speakers and vendors about important topics for corn and soybean production in 2024. This program is sponsored by Nebraska Extension in the universitys Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Nebraska Corn Board, and the Nebraska Soybean Board. Keynote speaker Mike Zuzolo, president of Global Commodity Analytics & Consulting LLC,, will talk about Navigating 2024 Commodity Markets Funds vs. Fundamentals. Other speakers and topics include: A Look Back at 2023 and a Look Ahead into 2024, Eric Hunt, Nebraska Extension educator of agricultural meteorology; Corn and Soybean Disease Update, Tamra Jackson-Ziems and Dylan Mangel, Nebraska Extension plant pathologists; Pros and Cons of a Precision Sprayer for Detecting Weeds and Spray Herbicide in Real Time for Weed Management in Corn and Soybean, Amit Jhala, Nebraska Extension weed management specialist; and Drone Spraying, from Terraplex Ag. Producers can visit with representatives from a variety of ag-related companies during a 40-minute break at 10 a.m. Complimentary noon lunch will be served. There is no registration fee. Registration is available the day of the expo at the door. For more information about the program or exhibitor information, call 402-624-8030 or email anygren2@unl.edu. Vendor spots are available. Information online at: go.unl.edu/cornsoyexpo. Conglomerate Thaco to make $750 mln agricultural investment in Laos By Tri Duc Mon, January 15, 2024 | 2:49 pm GMT+7 Southern Laos Agricultural Investment and Business Production Co. Ltd. (Southern Laos Agri), under leading Vietnamese private conglomerate Thaco, has received an investment certificate for a $750 million agricultural project in Laos. In an announcement last Saturday, Thaco said the document was granted at the Vietnam-Laos investment conference in Hanoi on January 7, an activity held on the sidelines of Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandons visit to Vietnam on January 6-7. Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Khamchen Vongphosy (front, left) grants an investment certificate to Tran Bao Son, CEO of Southern Laos Agri, in Hanoi on January 7, 2024. Photo courtesy of Thaco. The mega project will cover 27,384 hectares in the provinces of Attapeu and Sekong. Specialized crops will be planted across 10,000 hectares 8,000 hectares of bananas and 2,000 hectares of pineapples. The project will also include fruit trees alongside 210,000 cattle over 14,000 hectares, and the development of a 200-hectare industrial park - home to facilities like factories producing agricultural materials and machinery, plants to process fruit and agricultural products; offices, warehouses and logistics operation centers. Southern Laos Agri was established after the merger between Hoang Anh Attepeu Agricultural Development Co. Ltd. and Hoang Anh Quang Minh Rubber Industry and Agriculture Co. Ltd., which were both under the umbrella of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Agricultural JSC (HAGL Agrico). HAGL Agrico is an agricultural company founded in 2010 by Doan Nguyen Duc, chairman of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai Corporation. In August 2018, Thaco purchased 27.63% of HAGL Agrico's shares. Then in early 2021, Thaco officially took over HAGL Agricos projects, in line with HAGLs withdrawal. Laos is the biggest outbound investment destination of Vietnam. Vietnamese businesses have invested in 245 projects in Laos with registered capital of $5.5 billion, of which $2.75 billion was disbursed, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said at the event. The projects focus on telecommunications, banking, rubber, food processing and manufacturing, and dairy products. Workforce Readiness New Alliance to Upskill Girls and Women in AI, Coding, and Entrepreneurship Global tech education nonprofit Technovation has announced The AI Forward Alliance (TAIFA), backed by partners UNICEF, the Grameen Foundation, Google, and others, to increase support for girls and women to work in the AI industry globally. The effort is being launched in 16 countries spanning five continents, with a goal of skilling 25 million young women in AI, coding, and as educational programming entrepreneurs and preparing 6 million of them to enter the tech workforce by 2030, the organization said. Despite efforts made in the last 10 years to increase STEM education for girls and women, their numbers as tech professionals remain distressingly low, Technovation said, citing statistics from the World Economic Forum. Less than 30% enroll in information communications technology, and less than 36% in STEM areas. TAIFA seeks not only to encourage girls and women to enter the tech workforce, but to "train, develop and deploy their own machine learning models and transformative technologies that tackle real-world problems in their communities," the organization said. Technovation said it hopes to achieve these goals by: Supporting women leaders and innovators as role models and trailblazers for the next generation; Engaging the private sector to support girls' and women's education and empowerment; Implementing large-scale skilling of girls and women in data science and machine learning; and Mobilizing industry leaders, philanthropy, foundations, and individuals to commit resources to help. Major partners have already stepped forward to commit their resources to the effort: UNICEF will give TAIFA increased access to educators, ministries of education, and girls and women in 144 countries. The Grameen Foundation has committed to expand AI-entrepreneurship training to young women in low-income communities around the world and help their families to accept their new skills. The free, open source App Inventor Foundation will help with the development of resources and training for TAIFA's ecosystem educators and facilitators. Girl Geek X, a 400,000-strong community of women tech, business, entrepreneurial leaders, will provide its expertise. Google and the philanthropic Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) are funding partners, with PJMF committing to "invest in the exploration, enhancement, and development of AI and data science for good," TAIFA said. TAIFA and UNICEF have partnered to hold a one-day event, "A World of AI Driven Tech: Addressing a Global Talent Gap," on March 12, 2024, in New York City. Visit TAIFA's event page to learn more and register. "We are thrilled to build upon our fruitful relationship with these organizations through this groundbreaking collaboration, to elevate diverse, women AI innovators around the world," said Tara Chklovski, CEO of Technovation. "The time to act is now we've gathered the research, data and anecdotes that effectively illustrate the positive impact young women can have in STEM fields. Together with the Alliance's key partners and supporters, we can make tangible strides towards the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, driving self-reliance and self-efficacy through technology for all women and girls." 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West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code A 43-year-old Orangeburg man is serving time in prison after pleading guilty to domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and unlawful neglect of a child. Dwayne Anthony Bazemore, of 645 Dantzler Street, entered his guilty pleas before Circuit Judge Heath P. Taylor during a recent term of court held at the Orangeburg County Courthouse. Taylor sentenced him to prison for 15 years, provided that after he serves six years, his term will be suspended to probation for two years. Taylor credited Bazemore for having already served 470 days in jail. He recommended Bazemore to be housed in the addiction treatment unit in prison. Bazemore was also charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, but that charge was dismissed. Bazemores charges stem from a July 4, 2022 incident involving his wife and son. Bazemore and his wife had been arguing throughout most of the day. His wife claims that while she was in the kitchen, Bazemore approached her with a dull knife, according to an Orangeburg Department of Public Safety incident report. Get The Times and Democrat app today Local news has never been this personal. Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. She then retreated to her room and Bazemore pursued her, locking the door behind them, the report states. Bazemores wife alleges that he threatened to blow her brains out. Bazemore then allegedly let their son into the room, grabbed his wifes gun from her purse and pointed it at her. The child ran from the house yelling, Dont kill my mama! and then called 911, according to the woman. When officers arrived, Bazemore wouldnt exit the home, prompting dispatchers to radio other officers about an armed barricaded suspect there, the report said. Bazemore exited the home after several minutes and officers took him into custody without incident. Bazemore had cuts on his arm and leg that required medical treatment. He claimed his wife cut him, the report states. In other recent guilty pleas: * Jordon Middleton, 26, 420 Glenfield Circle, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to financial transaction card fraud. Taylor sentenced him to prison for three years. Because Middleton already served three days in jail, the remainder of his term was suspended to probation for three years. * Daquan Montrel Milhouse, 25, of 192 Neeses Highway, Neeses, pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence and first-offense third-degree burglary. Taylor sentenced him to three years in prison, crediting Milhouse for having already served 144 days in jail. Taylor recommended Milhouse be housed in the addiction treatment unit. * Harold Milton Jr., 26, of 790 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence. Taylor sentenced him to 90 days in jail. Because Milton already served two days in jail, his term was suspended to probation for two years. * Liaterrel Chasea Mitchell, 21, of 7643 Old Number Six Highway, Eutawville, pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic violence, although he was originally charged with first-degree domestic violence. Taylor sentenced him to prison for three years. Because Mitchell already served one day in jail, his term was suspended to probation for two years. * Anthony Graham Ott Jr., 33, of 174 Beaver Creek Road, North, pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence. Taylor sentenced Ott to 26 days in jail and credited him for time served. Ott was charged with malicious injury to personal property valued at $2,000 or less, but that charge was dismissed. * Justin Brian Ott, 35, of 2941 Calhoun Street, Branchville, pleaded guilty to hit and run resulting in property damage and first-offense driving under suspension license not suspended for DUI, although he was originally charged with second-offense DUI license not suspended for DUI. Taylor sentenced him to one year in prison. Because Ott already served two days in jail, his term was suspended to probation for two years. * Brianne Cherie Smith, 31, of 1748 Bonner Avenue, Santee, pleaded guilty to second-offense possession of one gram or less of methamphetamine/cocaine base and two counts of second or subsequent offense possession of a controlled substance. Taylor sentenced her to five years in prison. Because Smith served 213 days in jail, her term was suspended to probation for three years. Smith is also required to complete substance abuse counseling, undergo random drug/alcohol treatment and receive intensive outpatient treatment. Smith was also charged with the following, but the charges were dismissed: first-offense possession of one gram or less of methamphetamine/cocaine base, first-offense possession of a controlled scheduled drug and second or subsequent offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana. * Willis Bradley Stroman, 35, of 721 Manning Street NE, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to stop for blue lights. Taylor sentenced him to three years in prison, crediting him for having already served 42 days in jail. Stroman was also charged with the following, but the charges were dismissed: second-offense DUS license not suspended for DUI, possession of a stolen vehicle valued more than $2,000 but less than $10,000, third or subsequent DUI license not suspended for DUI, first-offense uninsured motor vehicle fee violation, registration and license of foreign vehicle of resident owner and use of license plate other than for vehicle which issued. * Corrie Ann Warren, 27, of 24 Drawdy Avenue, Olar, pleaded guilty to two counts of injury to real property to obtain nonferrous metals damage valued less than $5,000. Taylor sentenced her to three years in prison. Because Warren already served one year in jail, her term was suspended to probation for one year. Warren also faced the following charges, but they were dismissed: two counts of transportation or possession of stolen nonferrous metals and one count of petit larceny valued $2,000 or less. * Byron Zavier Williams, 20, of 361 Maxcy Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary. Taylor sentenced him under the Youthful Offender Act not to exceed six years. He credited Williams for having already served two days in jail. * Jair Kolby Wilson, 25, of 445 Dantzler Street, Orangeburg, pleaded guilty to first-degree domestic violence and resisting arrest. Taylor sentenced him to five years in prison. Because Wilson already served 30 days in jail, his term was suspended to probation for two years. Wilson was also charged with second-degree domestic violence, but that charge was dismissed. * Georgia Leann Howe, 34 of 730 Surfside Drive, Holly Hill, pleaded guilty to willfully harboring or concealing an offender who is not in compliance with requirements of sex offender registry and threatening the life of a public official. Taylor sentenced her to prison for three years. Because Howe already served one day in jail, her term was suspended to probation for two years. Howe was also charged with hindering officers serving a warrant and an additional count of threatening the life of a public official, but those charges were dismissed. The founder of South Carolinas first and only civil rights museum says Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a worldwide impact on the fight for justice and equality. I think Rev. Martin Luther King came to Orangeburg about four times in my recollection. We have some of that history on display in our museum. He played a very, very important role in not only Orangeburg's and South Carolina's history, but, of course, his actions and his wisdom and philosophy provided much guidance for how we went about accomplishing, overturning and overcoming racism and discrimination, renowned photographer Cecil Williams said. For example, there was a movement at a time in history when it was really a revolution, but we didn't use any weapons," Williams said. Williams said Kings commitment to nonviolence was noteworthy in the fight for justice and equality. For that we owe him so much credit for what he did and the guidance that he gave to us," he said. Williams founded the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg in 2019. Williams said his museum, located at 1865 Lake Drive, has exhibits with detailed displays about Kings involvement in the civil rights movement in Orangeburg and beyond. There are plans to move the museum to Railroad Corner as part of Orangeburgs downtown revitalization. We pretty much have a display of the Rev. Martin Luther King in our museum here, and certainly its presence will be in the new museum coming up, too. For example, we have artifacts, photographs and documents that relate to his history here in South Carolina in particular, Williams said. I have, for example, the 16 mm three-lens Bell and Howell motion picture camera that I filmed Rev. King with, and I also have the still camera, the 35 mm Nikkormat camera, on display that I photographed him with, along with pictures of him at Claflin and at the home of James Sulton, he said. Williams said there are other preserved documents pertaining to Kings involvement with the civil rights movement, including his connection with the Rev. Matthew McCollom, a former pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church and a past president of the South Carolina Conference of the NAACP. He was the one involved with the makeup when the Rev. Martin Luther King created the Southern Christian Leadership. Rev. McCollom was very important. There are artifacts at Claflin University showing an exchange of telegrams and letters in the Claflin archives. In my work with Claflin as director of historic preservation, we have preserved that history. Those are very important documents that reflect the history of Claflin University, Orangeburg and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Matthew McCollom, Williams said. He said one of the images in his museum is of King and McCollum during Kings visit to Claflin in 1960. We have a visual of that on display. That's also a part of the Claflin archives," Williams said. He said while we still have very clear evidence of the fact that South Carolina is at the forefront of the origin of the American civil rights movement, as with the Briggs v. Elliott case, Kings leadership provided motivation for the fight for justice and equality to continue. Originally a lawsuit filed by 20 Black parents in Clarendon County for equal educational opportunities for their children, Briggs v. Elliott was the first case in the 20th century to challenge the constitutionality of racially segregated schools. "King never marched or was part of the demonstrations that were ongoing. That was all a part of the local, grassroots people who were marching and demonstrating to overcome racism and discrimination. He appeared mostly at rallies and those rallies, of course, inspired us to continue the demonstrations and getting involved, Williams said. Kings charisma and great oratory skills helped him to become a national and international figure, he said. "Nationally, he was the icon of the civil rights movement worldwide. He inspired others to become involved because, again, you can have local and regional things going on, but when it takes on a national presence and everybody is in the same accord working to overcome racism nationally, that, of course, helped to transform the laws of the nation, Williams said. After his great (I Have a Dream) speech, Congress enacted laws that put some of the things that he had spoken about in motion so that there were laws on the books that helped to transform this country from that of a segregated society to that of an integrated society, he said. Williams continued, He was also a worldwide symbol for freedom, justice and equality. The Berlin Wall being torn down between east and west Germany could be attributed to the encouragement of the civil rights movement that King led. The 10 nations gaining their independence from Great Britain in Africa can be traced to, again, being encouraged by what was going on with the civil rights movement in the United States. So he had a worldwide impact on people wanting to achieve their own independence, freedom, justice and equality. While King had a role in nudging legislators to pass laws such as the Voting Rights Act, his wife, the late Coretta Scott King, was instrumental in carrying his legacy on following his death in 1968, Williams said. Mrs. King then took up his role and participated here, for example, in the Charleston hospital worker strike, which we also have on display in the museum. Mrs. King came and marched and demonstrated with the people in Charleston who were trying to get better wages and working conditions during the strike which took place in 1969, he said. Williams said Kings philosophy and speeches will live on in history for a reason. He had his philosophy and his oratory, which were fantastic in motivating and inspiring people to get behind a common cause," he said. One of his favorite King quotations is: The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. "He had so many other words of wisdom that were, of course, very encouraging to people and that were uplifting. It's important for people to be encouraged, especially with doing things that are very difficult. I believe that when we record the things that people did, it helps us to remember whose shoulders we really stand on, people who marched and demonstrated so that everyone will have freedom and justice and the law will be equal to everyone. That then transforms into a better society, Williams said. He said the civil rights museum in Orangeburg will educate all generations on civil rights history locally, across the state and nationwide. The young need to be able to see and feel and walk through and look at the artifacts, photographs and documents because we think this will help them to build a value system in knowing important things in life and help to encourage them to even carve out a better and brighter future for themselves," Williams said. Williams said he will be on hand at the annual King Day at the Dome event in Columbia on Monday when Vice President Kamala Harris will serve as keynote speaker. He said the struggle for equality continues. Most of the things we have in our museum now and the one that we will be getting in the future will pretty much take place from the 1950s to 1970s, but there are still barriers and obstacles out there. We're not quite yet living in a color-blind society. We have a way to go. I like to say that the struggle continues," he said. The city and county of Orangeburg are really to be congratulated for taking the role of making sure that we preserve the great history of the civil rights movement, especially here as it occurred in the state of South Carolina, Williams said, noting that the civil rights movement did not involve just African Americans. Civil rights are not just about Blacks only. The civil rights of all of us are very important to be able to engage in a society like the one we live in. Often there were people from all nationalities coming together for the American civil rights movement. So we want everyone to rejoice in the fact that this is American history, not just African-American history, he said. Williams said the renaming of Amelia Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Orangeburg County Courthouses MLK monument and the civil rights museum all serve important roles in preserving Kings legacy. These will be things that are available right now that people will be able to reflect on and be encouraged by. ... I hope there will be other things in Orangeburg named after some of the heroes that affected the history of Orangeburg and who stood up for freedom, justice and equality, he said. Williams continued, I would love to see a Matthew McCollum Boulevard. ... These are all important things that we can look at that should encourage us to know who was behind it and that there were actually people that really sacrificed to make things happen for the democracy and freedom. Kate Cox and her husband appeared on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend to discuss the fight for an abortion with news correspondent Tracy Smith. It was the couples first TV appearance since the Texas Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling allowing Kate, whose fetus was diagnosed with a typically fatal disorder, to get an abortion. Associated Press In her first TV interview since leaving the state to get an abortion, Kate Cox, the Dallas woman who sued Texas for permission to terminate her pregnancy, has opened up about the emotional toll of the lawsuit. Cox and her husband shared their story on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend with news correspondent Tracy Smith. It was the couples first TV appearance since the Texas Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling allowing Cox, whose fetus was diagnosed with a typically fatal disorder, to get an abortion. It was crushing, the 31-year-old said. I was shocked the state of Texas wanted me to continue a pregnancy where I would have to wait until a baby dies in my belly or dies at birth or lives for days and put my own health at risk and future pregnancy at risk. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Cox sued the state for the right to an abortion in December after receiving test results showing that her fetus had trisomy 18, a chromosomal disorder that often results in stillbirth or early infant death. Coxs doctors said the baby, if it survived the pregnancy and birth, would live for less than one week, she explained during the newscast. I didnt want to watch her suffer, the mother of two children said, adding that following through with the pregnancy would put her at higher risk of complications and threaten her ability to have more children in the future. READ MORE: Texas woman asks judge to OK emergency abortion in first lawsuit from someone in immediate distress Texas is one of 14 states that has broadly banned abortion with very limited exceptions. The state law, which has been in effect since August 2022, says abortion is only allowed in medical emergencies involving a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function. The laws vagueness has caused many health care professionals, including Coxs Houston physician, to steer clear from providing the procedure for fear of retribution. Doctors who perform abortions in Texas can face up to a $100,000 fine and up to 99 years in prison. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A Travis County judge ruled in early December that Cox could terminate her pregnancy but, shortly after, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a threatening letter informing her medical providers that they could be liable if they performed the procedure regardless of the court order. On Dec. 11, the Texas Supreme Court struck down the lower courts ruling, stating that doctors must use their reasonable medical judgment to determine whether a patient qualifies for an abortion. The decision came hours after Coxs lawyers announced that she would leave the state for the procedure. Cox said she ended up getting the abortion in New Mexico. I wanted to be here, close to home, Cox said through tears during the interview. Its the hardest thing Ive been through. I wanted to come home, cry in my own pillow, hold my babies, be near my doctors, so I was really hopeful. Advertisement Article continues below this ad One of Coxs lawyers, Molly Duane with the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the higher courts ruling shows that the exception in Texas doesnt exist at all. But despite the outcome of the lawsuit, Duane said Coxs case has absolutely made a difference in the fight to provide essential reproductive health care in the state. She got the health care that she needed, she got an abortion, but in terms of the big picture she brought people along on this journey with her and she helped people understand the true human toll that abortion bans take on families, she said. Cox said shes grateful to have received hundreds of letters of support but has largely steered clear of social media where people on both sides of the issue have weighed in. The couple said the holidays with their family gave them time to get back to normal and that they will soon try to have another baby. Her name is Chloe, Cox said about the fetus she lost. I gave her a name because shell always be my baby. Her middle name is my grandfathers name so she knew who to look for in heaven. The Delta Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. held the 35th annual MLK Unity Breakfast to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Unity Breakfast Attorney and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers giving the keynote speech at the 35th annual MLK Unity Breakfast. Attorney and political commentator Bakari Sellers said the event gives us a chance to remember a great man who was stolen from us far too soon. Around 500 people attended the commemoration, for which Sellers was the keynote speaker. He is living the power of the dream and making it a reality, right here in this community, attorney Jarrod Loadholt said of Sellers. Sellers spoke to the theme of The Power of the Dream: Making it a Reality, with focus on the importance of unity. We are tied in a single garment of destiny, Sellers said. What happens in Bamberg affects you in Orangeburg. What happens in Atlanta affects you in Miami, Florida, he said. Get The Times and Democrat app today Local news has never been this personal. Free to download. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access. Sellers emphasized a quote from King: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Sometimes you want to just pull your covers over your head and pretend like there isnt a monster in the closet. But for Black folk, thats not really a choice, it wasnt to Dr. King, and it cannot be to us, he said. Sellers highlighted the efforts of Black activists mobilizing and registering voters in 1964, which ultimately led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Right-wing legislatures are currently pushing new laws that restrict voting rights, Sellers said. Now its our turn, whether youre 17 or 77, he said. They did this in 1964 and we can do it in 2024. Because if we dont, no one will. During the event, the organization also recognized five individuals, including two university presidents, for their commitment to service and the impact they make on the community. South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers and Claflin University President Dr. Dwaun Warmack were the recipients of the MLK Jr. Distinguished Service Awards. Conyers was recognized for his continued efforts to resurrect South Carolina State. Warmack was recognized for growing Claflins endowment by an incredible 119% increase in the last four years. The Alpha on the Move award was presented to Jeffery Hughes. The chapter president, Eric Ham, presented the Presidents Award to David Thompson and Willie Jeffries. The Delta Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity also gifted a $2,500 scholarship donation to both Claflin and SC State. Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler acknowledged the fraternity for being of service to the community and representing the legacy and dreams of MLK. Your work does not go unnoticed, Butler said. You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning last week met with Gov. Gordons special task force on the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan (RMP) in a closed door meeting that participants described as productive, releasing steam from the contentious issue and moving a multi-year-long effort closer to the finish line. At the meeting the task force presented their final recommendations, detailed in a report published Wednesday, that include 24 agreements in principle highlighting a strong consensus on topics like big game corridors and the regions sodium mining industry; as well as 100 distinct management actions with prescribed language addressing more specific concerns and locations within the management area. Stone-Mannings Jan. 5 visit took place in the final weeks of the extended public comment period, and marks something of a course correction for the touch-and-go process, which has been a recurrent flashpoint since August when the agency first revealed its emphatically conservationist vision for the 3.6 million-acre swath of southwestern public lands in parts of Lincoln, Sweetwater, Uinta, Sublette, and Fremont counties. The process was dogged early by misinformation from both residents and the BLM: At the same time as residents were spreading unsupported claims about a virtual shutdown of all public access, the agency inadvertently published erroneous language from a separate management plan, increasing confusion that came to a pitch during an autumn public hearing in Pinedale. Even after the agency made clarifications, the draft plan saw vehement opposition from Wyomingites who believed it would hinder resource development, deprive local economies, and curtail general access by designating close to one-third of the lands Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). How could you not know Wyoming, and not know that there would be so much concern with the proposed alternative? said public lands advocate Steff Kessler, speaking with Gov. Gordon on Jan. 2 during The Morning Gather podcast, where she called out the BLM for a lack of tactfulness. To me that shows a clear breakdown in communication and dialogue between the agency and the states, In an attempt to cool tensions, the BLM extended the public comment period and Gov. Gordon chartered the special task force to draft a rebuttal recommendation. Now task force members say the process is on better footing, and that last weeks meeting with Stone-Manning restored a sense of good faith while putting a serviceable compromise within reach. I feel like were at a better place than where we started. Weve moved the needle forward, and I have great confidence that were going to see a much different and improved product when it comes out, said Joshua Coursey, a board member of the Muley Fanatics Foundation, and task force delegate. Stone-Manning and Coursey agreed on the need for landscape-specific guidelines, and she said the agencys decisions would reflect the expertise of local stakeholders, including the Greater Little Mountain Coalition, which since 2008 has steered management for the Greater Little Mountain area that accounts for 15% of the Rock Springs Management Area. Her response to me was that she was more interested in the prescriptions at the landscape level than the ACEC designation. I took comfort in at least knowing that theres a detailed or precision-oriented effort for management instead of some blanket approach. Sportsmen are also allayed to know that some of the ACECs overlap with preexisting Wilderness Study Areas and other protected habitat which means management practices may not change despite the added ACEC designation. Maybe [ACECs] is a box that needs to be checked for the political agenda of our current administration, but wilderness study areas and priority sage grouse habitat areas have such strong and stringent protections on the landscape already. So that recognition, and understanding thatoverlaymade it more palatable. Other task force members press the importance of management flexibility. Jim Magagna, vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, raised the issue of resting standards applied to lands damaged by wildfire. The initial draft plans preferred alternative would rest some damaged lands for up to five years. Five years simply wouldnt work for ranchers from an economic perspective, and wouldnt be in the best interest of resources, he said. In some cases, we agree it needs a little more, but in other cases the land agencies themselves want us back even the first year because that helps slow down the spread of any new noxious, invasive weeds. So we need that flexibility. Stockgrowers are also lobbying to alter the plans language on rangeland degradation, which they say is too punitive. Under the BLMs initial RMP preferred alternative, stockgrowers that failed to meet the standard for healthy rangelands could see their permit reduced by as much as 20% for up to three consecutive years. Magagna says the policy is draconian and believes there are ways to safeguard rangeland without penalizing permittees. Though he remains vigilant, he believes the stockgrowers position is being heard. The fact that [Director Stone-Manning] cared enough to come out here and meet with the governor and meet with us gives me a little bit of hope. Time will tell whether the BLM was really listening to us or not, but at least at this time I hold out some hope that they will pay attention, Magagna said. Magagna and other members admit there are still areas where the task force disagrees. But they nonetheless say the effort offers an impressive standard for problem solving. Through a process of discussion and ranked voting, the task force formed consensus proposals for a list of independent elements in the plan. If there was an area of the proposal that didnt meet a certain threshold of consensus, the body left the topic alone, instead focusing on areas where they could present a unified position. It seems these resource management plans have been swinging around to extremes from one administration to the other, and theyve become a political agenda document at times more than trying to find a balance, said Steff Kessler, on The Morning Gather podcast. I like the idea of getting more local people in the room who are trying to forge a balanced vision and not being swayed by those political agendas. Im hesitant to say its all going to be great, but I think theres a tremendous willingness on the part of people in that room to come together and find some consensus. ENERGY Minister Stuart Young has taken umbrage at comments made by Ronald Harford, former chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Ltd, as he boasted about the success of the energy sector. Young said whenever somebody becomes a former, their mouth gets big, as he quoted from an article in Fridays Express report where Harford made critical comments. Over the last few years, Leon Coldero has arguably become just as renowned for his insatiable cuisine as he is as an entertainer. Having spent four decades in entertainment, giving soca parang lovers hits that never get old, opening his restaurant was just a natural progression for Coldero, who used the downtime during the Covid-19 pandemic, to delve full throttle into the restaurant business. A new camera system is being installed along this countrys roadways with the aim of tackling traffic congestion and reducing the countrys crime. This was said yesterday by Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan, who spoke with the media at the intersection of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and Golden Grove Road in Piarco. With ten people murdered between Thursday and Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley took to Facebook yesterday to assure citizens that State agencies will not give up the fight to rid our streets and other places of the evil that is now widespread as a gun culture in Trinidad and Tobago. And in a voice note to the media, Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher said, We are determined to dismantle criminal gangs and make a difference in transforming impacted communities. With coffees in hand, friends Laura Ruiz-Roehrs and Gabriel Ruiz brave the wind as they make their way down Houston Street on Friday in downtown San Antonio. A hard freeze is expected as low temperatures fall to around 25 degrees in San Antonio on Monday morning. Wind speeds of 15 mph will make the wind chill values closer to 15 degrees in the Alamo City. Light freezing rain also is expected in the morning. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, operator of the states power grid, issued a call for voluntary conservation early Monday morning as demand for electricity soared amid plummeting temperatures. ERCOT said it had enough capacity (or supply) to meet projected demand although it expects conditions to be tight. Nevertheless, it asked Texans to cut their energy use, saying that because of freezing temperatures, very high demand, and unseasonably low wind, operating reserves are expected to be low during the morning hours of Monday, January 15, prior to the solar ramp up. It's expecting similar conditions early Tuesday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad What is TXANS? Its ERCOTs system for alerting the public about weather events that could affect the power grid and, if needed, calling for voluntary energy conservation. The public is following ERCOT and how the grid is performing more closely than ever before, CEO Pablo Vegas said when announcing the start of the new system. We know this, and we are committed to building credibility and trust through transparency. TXANS has two main components. It issues notifications about weather conditions, and it lets Texans monitor grid conditions. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The notifications are broken down into two categories: weather watches and calls for voluntary conservation. Lets tackle them in reverse order. What does it mean when ERCOT issues a voluntary conservation notice? ERCOT calls for voluntary conservation to ensure grid reliability in other words, when conditions are such that predicted demand could cut into the grids reserves. What do I do when ERCOT calls for voluntary conservation? ERCOT asks that Texans cut back on their power use during peak demand if its safe to do so. On Monday, its asking Texans to conserve electricity from 6 to 10 a.m. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It provides tips for both residents and businesses on how to save power. Tips for residents include lowering the thermostat by a degree or two, turning off and unplugging nonessentials lamps and devices, and avoiding use of large appliances such as ovens, washers and dryers. ERCOT also provides summertime tips for saving energy. For other conservation tips, go here. How does ERCOTs weather watch work? When ERCOT is predicting significant weather and high demand, it will issue a weather watch, usually three to five days in advance of the expected weather system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The current arctic front spurred ERCOT to issue a weather watch on Wednesday. It extended the watch on Friday. Although summer heat accounts for most of the demand on Texas grid, weather watches also could be spurred by freezes. What do I do when ERCOT issues a weather watch? ERCOT advises Texans to monitor grid conditions (more on that later) and check out its energy-saving tips. Advertisement Article continues below this ad So how do I find out about TXANS notifications? There are three ways to get them follow the grid operators social media accounts, download its mobile app or sign up for email notifications. Bundled-up pedestrians walk through downtown San Antonio on Friday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News How do I sign up for TXANS email alerts? The first step is registering. Youll need an email address and a password. You can register at the TXANS log-in page by clicking on Register Password. Once youve completed your registration, go back to the TXANS log-in page and sign in. Youll be taken directly to the page for signing up for the TXANS alerts. Follow the instructions. Once youve signed up, youll get an email asking you to confirm you want to subscribe to the alerts. Now, lets talk grid conditions Grid condition levels are the second main component of TXANS. There are four levels listed on the TXANS main page: normal grid conditions, ERCOT weather watch, voluntary conservation notice and energy emergency alert. As you can tell by the names, theyre tied to the notification part of the system. Normal grid conditions are defined as when the supply and demand of power are balanced. Texans dont need to take any action. At the ERCOT weather watch level, grid conditions are still normal, but ERCOT is forecasting a possibility of significant weather and high demand. After listing the actions to take (monitor grid conditions and prepare to conserve energy), it provides a link to ERCOTs six-day forecast of supply and demand and to ERCOTs conservation tips. The next level is when ERCOT issues a voluntary conservation notice. In addition to calling on Texans to cut back on energy use, the grid operator will ask all government agencies to take steps to reduce power use. That includes city of San Antonio and Bexar County offices. At the energy emergency alert level, the grid is at system-wide emergency supply and demand conditions. There are three tiers, with controlled outages possible at the third level. Texans are advised to monitor grid conditions, and a link is provided to the grid conditions dashboard. PROTECT PIPES: How to prevent pipes from freezing in cold weather How do I get ERCOTs energy emergency alerts? You need to sign up for them. Like the TXANS alerts, youll need to be registered. Once youve taken care of that, go here to sign up. A crew member with Milbergers Landscaping works to secure a tarp over plants ahead of Mondays frigid temperatures as strong winds blow through Friday in downtown San Antonio. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News What do I need to know about the grid conditions dashboard? It has two displays, one showing the grids operating reserves and the other its daily PRC, or physical responsive capability, essentially the emergency power reserve. The operating reserves meter matches up with the levels on the TXANS page. Like CPS Energys conservation guidance, its color-coded. When the meter is green, that means the states grid is experiencing normal conditions. Yellow is used to indicate that ERCOT has called for energy conservation. PROTECT PLANTS: Protect your plants during San Antonio winter Next are the three energy emergency alert levels. Orange indicates the grid is at the first emergency level. Low reserves have spurred the system to begin emergency operations, but it hasnt begun controlled outages, or brownouts. ERCOT continues to call for cuts in energy use. If power levels continue to remain low and additional steps are needed, the level is raised to red. There are still no controlled outages, but residents are urged to plan for them. Those with critical medical needs will need to have a backup plan. ERCOT also recommends they register with their utility company. Black is used to indicate energy emergency level 3. At this stage, local utilities have been told to start controlled outages. Energy conservation is deemed to be critical. Under the color-coded meter is the amount of available reserves and a description of the current conditions. The daily PRC graphic measures the grids physical responsive capability. The North American Electric Reliability Corp., a not-for-profit international regulatory authority, defines PRC as a real-time capability measure used by ERCOT to indicate the amount of capacity that can quickly respond to system disturbances. In other words, the amount of power that can be quickly added to the grid. Anything else? If you like delving into data, ERCOT offers a plethora on its Grid and Market Conditions page. This page not only has the grid conditions dashboard but also the supply and demand graphic (it offers both current-day information and a six-day forecast). There are another eight charts, breaking down things such as the fuel mix, real-time pricing by location, and wind and solar power. For example, if you want to know how much power is coming from fossil fuels as compared with renewable sources, this is the place to go. Were three weeks into the new year and youre still sitting on the couch, contemplating those resolutions to make 2024 the year you got more active. Most health experts would suggest you walk before you run. Harvard Health says a 15-minute walk can lower your chances of developing certain cancers, boost immunity, promote weight loss and, one of our favorites, tame your sweet tooth. Once you tackle walking, might we suggest you up your game to hiking. After digging into our extensive vault of favorite hikes, we came up with several options for short(ish) hikes with views that will put you on track to meet your resolution goals. Esperero Trail A short hike on the Esperero Trail in Sabino Canyon northeast of Tucson offers expansive views of upper reaches of the canyon and peaks of the Catalina Mountains. Begin by following a broad path that starts at the southeastern end of the canyon parking lot at 5700 N. Sabino Canyon Road, where visitors pay an $8 per vehicle day-use fee. Walk a short distance east, pass a signed turnoff for the Bajada Loop Nature Trail, and continue briefly to a signed left turnoff for the Esperero Trail. The first half-mile of the trail is mostly flat and easy going. Just after crossing the main canyon road, the Esperero Trail traverses more flat terrain before reaching a steep uphill stretch. The trail continues to a broad ridge with an overlook point about a mile into the hike. This makes a good turnaround point for a short walk, but energetic hikers can follow the route higher into the Catalinas. Learn more at tinyurl.com/espererotrail. Douglas Spring Trail This 5.9-mile trail, which slices into the foothills of the Rincon Mountains in Saguaro National Park east of Tucson, offers possibilities for a short walk of a mile or so or longer hikes depending on where you choose to stop and turn around. Beginning at the eastern dead end of Speedway, the Douglas Spring Trail passes through saguaro cactus terrain in its lower reaches. But youll see some mountain plant species as you move upward. Less than a mile up the trail after the route passes a deep, rugged drainage on the left and ascends a steep, rocky section a small hill just off the trail provides a good view and a sit-down spot. Hikers sometimes take a short side trip to the site of Bridal Wreath Falls which may or may not be running depending on recent weather. To reach the site, follow the Douglas Spring Trail 2.5 miles from the trailhead and then take a spur trail 0.3 miles to the falls. Learn more at tucne.ws/saguarowilderness. Accessible Trail Madera Canyon south of Tucson has plenty of challenging trails but some of the canyons best scenery is along a route accessible not only to hikers, but people in wheelchairs. The 0.7-mile Accessible Trail leads through woodlands of mesquite and oak set against the backdrop of a rugged rock summit called Elephant Head. But the surfaced, mostly flat route quickly changes personality when it enters a riparian, or stream-side, zone along Madera Creek. In this area, walkers and visitors in wheelchairs pass towering cottonwood trees and other vegetation watered by the creek. If it happens to be flowing with water, the creek provides an aqueous soundtrack as it gurgles downstream and plunges over small waterfalls. Birds are abundant, and its not uncommon to see deer along the trail. Other attractions include small bat houses mounted on tall poles. They were erected to serve as dwellings for the areas bat population. To reach the trail from Tucson, take Interstate 19 south to Green Valley and get off at the Continental Exit. Continue southeast to Madera Canyon ($8 per-vehicle fee) and the Proctor Parking Area. The trail begins there. Learn more at friendsofmaderacanyon.org/aboutmc. King Canyon Trail A short hike up the King Canyon Trail, in Saguaro National Park west of Tucson, takes in not only pristine desert terrain but also some signs of the historic and prehistoric past. The trail takes trekkers past an old stone-walled building built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and, nearby, ancient petroglyphs etched into rocks between A.D. 300 and 1450. Its an easy 0.9-mile hike to the stone-walled building and petroglyph sites from a trailhead along Kinney Road near the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The trail, which follows an old, rocky road thats now closed to traffic, takes hikers gradually uphill to a high point and then descends to the Mam-A-Gah picnic area. The historic building, on a nearby slope, once served as a restroom. The petroglyphs mysterious zigs, zags, circles, symbols and possibly some animal forms are etched on rocks along a sandy wash just downstream from the picnic area. There are no signs pointing out the glyphs, but spotting them is quite easy. Left behind by ancient Indians known today as the Hohokam, the chipped and weathered petroglyphs are far from the best examples of rock art in the Southwest. But they provide a glimpse into the lives of people living in this region long ago. The trail continues to connecting trails that lead to the summit of 4,687-foot Wasson Peak in a hike of 3.5 miles. To reach the trail from Tucson, go west on Speedway, which becomes Gates Pass Road. Cross the pass and continue to Kinney Road. Turn right, northwest, on Kinney and follow it 2.8 miles to a trailhead parking lot on the right side of the road just a few hundred feet past the entrance to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Pets, bicycles and vehicles are prohibited. Learn more at tucne.ws/kingcanyon. Tumamoc Hill Located off West Anklam and North Silverbell roads across from St. Marys Hospital, Tumamoc is the place where you can test how much progress youve made on those smaller treks. But be warned: at a 70% incline and just short of 3 miles up and back, Tumamoc can be a beast. Its a paved road that climbs 732 feet, peaking at 3,112 feet at its highest point. You start feeling every inch of that incline until you reach the University of Arizona research center, which the UA has operated since the 1960s. Thats the halfway point; you still have two inclines and three switchbacks before you reach the top. Hang in there; the view from the top is worth the pain youll feel over nearly every inch of your body. Depending on the time of year, you can witness javelinas or families of deer making their way across the saguaro-studded mountain range in search of breakfast. In the summertime, you might even spot a rattlesnake making its slow way across the road while hikers in both directions stop to give him room to move. Parking is off-street unless youre an early, early riser. You can park in the adjacent hospital lot until 7 a.m. Hiking is permitted on Tumamoc from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Learn more at tumamoc.arizona.edu/tumamoc-hill/walk-hill. Tucsons Barrio Viejo is a Top Place to Go in North America in 2024 in Conde Nast Travelers list. Go for a historic melting post galvanized by delicious dining and cultural programming, the travel publication says. Sitting in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, on the ancestral lands of the Tohono Oodham and Pascua Yaqui tribes, Tucson has always drawn travelers looking for outdoor adventure. And now, they will have a whole new reason to visit: a revitalized downtown, Conde Nast says in a piece written by Amber Gibson. In particular, Barrio Viejo, which has a significant mix of cultural influences, will receive a National Historic Landmark designation in 2024. Originally home to Mexican and Chinese immigrants, among others, the neighborhood boasts one of the largest concentrations of stylistically unchanged 1880s adobe buildings in the US, some of which have been converted into all-day cafes and restaurants. The new designation will likely light the fuse on even more restaurant and gallery openings. Barrio Viejo is also where Tucsons oldest performing arts venue, the 300-seat Teatro Carmen, is currently being restored, with plans to reopen for live performances, film screenings, dining, and outdoor programming on its 8,000-square-foot patio. When in Barrio Viejo, shop for hand-glazed tiles at Carly Quinn Designs, sip a mesquite cold brew at Exo Roast Co., or learn about agave spirits at Crisol Bar, all within walking distance from the cool new Leo Kent Hotel that opened in summer 2023. Downtown highlights, including the Tucson Museum of Art, which marks its 100th anniversary in 2024, are a 20-minute walk away, Conde Nast points out. By the way, last year Time named Tucson to its Worlds Greatest Places 2023 list, lauding the city for its innovative restaurants, historic neighborhoods and new boutique hotels and calling it The Soul of the Sonoran Desert. The NYT list This year, the New York Times new list of 52 Places To Go In 2024 includes one Arizona destination, the recently designated Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni or Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Considered the ancestral homelands of more than a dozen Indigenous tribes, the monument preserves more than 3,000 Native cultural and historic sites, reflecting the areas deep spiritual and sacred significance, the New York Times says in an article by Gina Rae La Cerva. It also recommends that travelers book a Colorado River adventure with the Hualapai River Runners while in the area and that they be sure to look up to see a California condor. PHOENIX The way Alexander Kolodin sees it, a well-crafted deep fake video or audio has the capacity to swing an election. So he is proposing a path for candidates to get a quick ruling from a court to allow them to try to convince voters with a court order in hand that what they are seeing really isnt them. But the proposal by the Scottsdale lawmaker would not allow a judge to actually order a deep fake of a candidate to be removed from the internet, or wherever it is posted. Still, Kolodin said, it provides candidates some avenue of relief. This solves something that is going to be a real problem in very short order, he said. And its all due to changes in technology and the use of artificial intelligence, which has made audio and in some cases, video virtually indistinguishable from reality. Its something that could really cause a lot of disruption if it happens prior to an election, he said. So there needs to be something to try to address it. That something is laid out in his bill, HB 2394. To get that declaration that something is a deep fake, a candidate would first have to prove to a judge that the the digital impersonation was published without his or her consent. And then it would require showing that the intended audience was not informed that the post did not depict an actual event or statement or that its not otherwise obvious that the post is fake. As Kolodin crafted it, a judge would be required to rule within two court days whether the image was real. Providing the proof to get such an order, however, remains a separate question. And it could depend on the situation. Consider, he said, if there were a video of a candidate purportedly on a beach in Thailand having sex with a hooker. In that case, Kolodin said, a judge could consider the declarations of campaign workers who would avow that the candidate was not in Thailand. That, he said, might be sufficient for the candidate to get that judicial declaration that the video is clearly a fake. Of course, theres other contexts where you would need a technical expert, Kolodin said. Still, he conceded, it might be difficult for a candidate to come up with the kind of testimony to prove that whats in the video isnt real. Maybe a presidential campaign has full-time technical staff that they could immediately produce, Kolodin said. And everyone else seeking a court declaration that something is a fake? Kolodin said they may be out of luck. Weve made it not so easy to do, he said. Our primary concern is to protect the First Amendment. All that goes back to the limited relief that HB 2394 could provide to candidates: the court declaration that something is a deep fake. Kolodin said he does not want to give judges, handling such complaints on a two-day expedited basis, the ability to order something actually removed from publication. Anyway, he said, having an Arizona judge simply issue a finding that something is a fake gets around other legal issues, like trying to force someone who isnt even in Arizona to remove the post. Youre getting a judicial declaration, Kolodin said. The court doesnt have to enforce any order outside the state of Arizona. That, however, is only the case if the person is a public figure or candidate. Kolodins legislation would allow others to go to court if someone published a deep fake of them naked or engaged in a sex act. And in that case, he said, these individuals if they prove their case after a full-blown hearing could get not only an injunction ordering that the video be taken down but also be able to sue for damages. But the prime focus of his legislation, he said, is the political side, where problems already are popping up. The presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a video last year criticizing Donald Trump. One of the images purported to show Trump embracing Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had been his head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the COVID outbreak. Some conservatives have criticized Fauci for what they have said was an over-zealous approach to dealing with the pandemic. Twitter eventually added a note to the post declaring that three images of the embrace were generated by artificial intelligence. Some states are taking a more proactive stance than what Kolodin is proposing. Minnesota last year enacted a measure that prohibits the use of manipulated video, images and audio within 90 days of an election if it is done with the intent of hurting a candidate or influencing the outcome of the vote. Public Citizen reports that four other states have adopted their own measures. And the Federal Election Commission voted last year to review a petition asking that it regulate ads that manipulate the content to make it look like political foes saying or doing something that did not happen. Kolodin acknowledged he took a deliberately lighter touch with his plan. It simply lets candidates get a judicial determination of whether something is real or fake. My view with legislation is, if theres a problem you first find the mildest possible way to address it, he said. Kolodin said what would need to be seen if HB 2394 becomes law is whether it adequately addresses the problem. If its sufficient, then great, we dont need to do more and we dont want to do more, Kolodin said. If its not sufficient, then the Legislature can reassess. He also said that this approach sidesteps a judge having to determine what could be deeper issues of whether a fake actually qualifies as satire, which is constitutionally protected. PHOENIX Pluto may not be a planet according to the guidelines uses by astronomers. But as far as Rep. Justin Wilmeth is concerned, it should still be Arizonas planet. The Phoenix Republican has introduced legislation that would make what had once been considered the ninth and farthest planet in the solar system the official state planet. Now he just needs to convince a majority of colleagues in the House and Senate to go along, and, if it gets that far, get Katie Hobbs to sign it. If that happens, it would join an ever-growing list of official state items, ranging from the cactus wren as the state bird and turquoise as the state gemstone to lemonade as the state drink and the Colt single-action Army revolver as the state firearm. And, of course, Arizona has the Bola tie as official neckwear. Each of those measures came to the Legislature with a story. And this is no different. Wilmeth said he recently toured an expansion project at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. I was very impressed with their plans and what they were doing up there, he said. And I was reminded that Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory. And Wilmeth said its the only one of the planets that was discovered in the United States. So I think thats worthy of historical note, he said, as well as underscoring the role Arizona plays in astronomy including multiple telescopes. This is good press for that history the state has, Wilmeth said. Only thing is, a group of scientists known as the International Astronomical Union voted years ago to conclude that the only things that can be called planets are bodies that rotate around the sun the and clear the neighboring region of other objects. And Pluto, being so small, has not attracted and absorbed the space rocks in its orbit. Now it is listed as a dwarf planet. Wilmeth said that demotion means nothing to him. I was raised from the generation we had nine planets, said the 44-year-old lawmaker who was in grade school in the 1980s, long before the IAU made its proclamation. For me, its a planet. And even if its not, Wilmeth said there are still good reasons for the Legislature to give it and its discovery formal recognition. We in Arizona, in this state, discovered something in the air billions of miles away and were able to identify it, he said. I think thats worthy of historical mention. Given the mixed history of naming official state items, its hard to determine how much controversy the proposal will provoke. With little debate, copper became the official state metal in 2015 following an exercise in a class at Copper Creek Elementary School in Tucson where teacher Jennifer Royer asked students to look at what is on the list and discuss what might be added. Two years later, lawmakers added wulfenite as the official state mineral. Other designations have proven more difficult. A 1998 proposal to have the Dilophosaura declared the official state dinosaur ran headlong into opposition from some volunteers at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. They argued it was more appropriate for that honor to go to the Sonorasaurus, discovered on state land near Sonoita in 1994. Both proposals died. And it took another decade before lawmakers were ready to tap the Sonorasaurus as the official dinosaur. Other designations have been politically more controversial, like the 2011 vote to declare the Colt single action Army revolver to be the official state firearm. Albert Hale, then a state representative from Window Rock, objected to providing official state recognition to an instrument of destruction. And Hale, a Navajo, said his people were all to often on the wrong end of that weapon. Does this mean we honor and celebrate the killing of my relatives? he asked. A majority of lawmakers, however, decided to proceed with the designation. Other proposals provoked a more light-hearted debate, like a 2019 plan by a Gilbert teen to add lemonade to the items that are listed official. Garrett Glover pointed out that Arizona is known for the five Cs, specifically cattle, copper, climate, cotton and citrus. But he said there was nothing official to represent citrus. And Florida already had laid claim to orange juice. Some lawmakers, however, sought something a little more Arizona specific. Sen. Victoria Steele, D-Tucson, sought to have the margarita designated the official state drink. Sun tea was the choice of Sen. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix. And Sen. Juan Mendez, D-Tucson, said Jamaica tea, made from hibiscus flowers, was more representative. Its all over the Mexican restaurants, he said. Anywhere you can get a burrito, you can get a Jamaica drink, pronounced ha-MAI-ca. In the end, the other ideas fell away and lemonade got added to the list on the signature of then-Gov. Doug Ducey. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: It can feel difficult, even impossible, to break free from the chains into which you were born, chains in which generations of your ancestors lived their lives. Dr. Martin Luther King knew about that challenge. He was born during forced segregation in the South to a people who had endured hundreds of years of slavery and, despite being emancipated, were not yet truly free. He led the movement to enshrine civil and voting rights and inspired millions with his determination, tenacity, and bravery. He looked to break free from a reality that was imposed upon him and people of color, and in doing so, he drew inspiration from the Jewish People who did the same. The Jewish People endured more than 200 years of slavery in Egypt. Generations were born into servitude in a nation that did not only enslave them for financial gain: the ancient Egyptians were deeply racist, and even before enslaving the Jews, they would not so much as share a table for a meal with them. But the Jewish People endured because they knew that one day, God would remember them and would take them to the Promised Land. Dr. King often echoed this dream, couching the fight for civil rights in terms of the Biblical story of the Jewish Peoples journey. Facing a society that had enslaved his ancestors and who still would not share a table with him, he led the movement to break free from the chains of segregation. He knew this work did not come without risk from those whose order he was toppling, but he remained stalwart, turning again and again to the story of the Jewish Peoples journey to the Promised Land for inspiration. Famously, in his speech in Memphis the day before he was murdered, Dr. King said he didnt mind the threats to his life because Ive seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. But the Promised Land wasnt just an allegory for Dr. King. He repeatedly defended the Promised Land of Israel and the Jewish Peoples right to live peacefully there. Dr. King lauded Jewish support for Black rights, defended Israels right to exist, and supported the Jewish state during the Six-Day War. As Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam were circulating antisemitic tropes, Dr. King was supporting American Jewry and the importance of the Nation of Israel. Dr. King once attended a dinner at Harvard University in 1967, during which a student stood up in a negative confrontation and asked Dr. King to address the issue of Zionism, the ideology behind the establishment of the State of Israel. According to Congressman John Lewis, Dr. King responded, Dont talk like that. When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. Youre talking antisemitism. Two weeks before his death, Dr. King said, Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality. This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I hope that we can draw inspiration from his lifetime of struggle against inequality, subjugation, and bondage, and from his stalwart support for the Jewish People and the Jewish Homeland. I hope that both Israelis and Palestinians can break free from the dictatorship and subjugation of Hamas to value life over death, equality over oppression, and growth over destruction. This MLK Day, lets all break free. Jewish supremacy Lets look at the numbers. Very few of the richest people in the world are practicing Jews. The current population of world Jewish citizens is approximately 20 million, and the United States is home to 8 million of that number. Breaking it down, that represents .25% of the world population and 2.5% of the U.S. population. Why is that such a threat to people? We should also be looking at the significant number of white Christian members of the elite who are running things and see how those percentages play out. Perhaps we could start with the Presbyterian Rupert Murdoch or the Catholic Bill Gates. Its time to refocus on who is really calling the shots. Steve Horn Midtown Antisemitic screed in the Star The Note to Readers apology in the Jan 3 Arizona Daily Star does not explain how such a Letter on Jan 2 got through to publication. Is no one watching? The editor of the Letters section must have been blind or incompetent to have let a letter written by todays equal of a Nazi brownshirt get through. NO: Jews do not control the press, do not hold dual citizenship, do not buy their way into elite schools, do not all have rich aunts and uncles. To say this and have it published is promulgating lies and age-old shibboleths. Your apology goes to readers who were offended by the letters appearance in the Star. How about readers who read these lies and were not offended? You are putting the blame on the readers who were offended. Why not accept the blame at the ADS, which published the slander and gross distortions? Why not put the blame on the ADS editor who let these scurrilous distortions get published? Stanford Lamberg Foothills Abortion semantics There has been an ongoing discussion debating whether abortion is really womens healthcare. Certainly, there are cases where abortion is medically necessary when the mothers well-being is in danger. In addition, there are other circumstances where abortion is appropriate. However, most abortions are elective procedures conducted for a myriad of reasons. The key word is elective. Whatever your stance is regarding abortion, we should never forget or obscure the fact that, in most instances, it is an elective procedure. It is not a medical necessity. We should be accurate in our definitions and state the actual facts, not muddle words for a specific end. Loyal M Johnson Jr. Oro Valley Star must do more The publication in this newspaper of two blatantly hate-filled antisemitic letters on Jan. 2 by the same author, followed by an anemic note of apology to readers who were offended on Jan. 4, is unacceptable. This was a major insult to the Jewish community and to your readers of all faiths and colors, and you need to do much more to demonstrate your regret. I have been a subscriber for 45 years, encouraging others to support local journalism in spite of the reduction in quality and timeliness of your reporting. This grave error on the part of your editor is beyond the pale. If you do not publish a more formal and prominent statement of apology within a short while, I will cancel my subscription and encourage others to do the same. Leonard Joffe MD Foothills New rules for vouchers I heartily approve of Governor Hobbss proposal to provide more transparency and accountability in the way state funds for school vouchers are spent. Not only will this provide a reckoning of taxpayer dollars (something we should all be interested in), but it will protect children by making sure homeschool tutors and private school teachers undergo the same background checks as those in public schools. Some people are all about protecting the unborn child, but they somehow lose interest in that childs well-being once it is born. Making sure private school teachers and homeschool tutors are not predators should be a given. And while we are at it, how about checks on those homeschoolers? Without accountability, parents can just take the $7,000+ per child and fail to provide adequate instruction. The system is ripe for abuse without people checking up on what those children are taught. Kathleen Dubbs West side Vouchers are not market forces Republican legislative leaders insist that draining the Arizona state and public education budgets to throw nearly a billion dollars at unregulated private and parochial schools, home-schooling, or extra-curricular activities is market forces at work. It is not any more than building an empty container wall with the budget exploding from $6 million to over $160 million. I could go on with examples of fraud, non-compete contracts, and just the general contempt that these gerrymandered legislators regularly show to the voters and residents of Arizona. As a taxpayer, property owner, and voter, I thank Howard Fischer for reporting verbatim their asinine rationales for mangling a basic capitalist construct in their ongoing effort to impose fiscal irresponsibility and destroy public education in Arizona. Polly Parks Downtown Horne advertises vouchers Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne was quoted in the Daily Star as saying, My job is to administer the ESA program in line with state law. He is correct that his job is to administer, not to advertise. I wondered where the money came from for him to advertise vouchers on television. I looked it up, and it turns out it is taxpayer dollars to the tune of $10 million. Arizona lawmakers got $30 million each to us as they pleased last session, and Senator Janae Shamp gave Horne $10 million to market ESAs. Somehow the Superintendent of Public instruction using our money to push private schools does not seem right. Is this how you want your tax money spent? Kathleen Dubbs West side U of A financial difficulties Regarding the financial difficulties at the U of A, I am relating a story that occurred more than 30 years ago when I was in charge of hiring at my place of employment. I interviewed a job applicant who was working at the U of A. She stated that she was leaving her employer because there wasnt enough work for her, yet the department was adding another employee per the new upcoming budget. Unfortunately, she rejected our employment offer because we couldnt match the generous fringe benefit package offered by the U of A, nor could we match her bloated salary. That tells me, and this is my opinion only, that in light of college tuition annual increases that always seen to exceed the cost-of-living index and the concurrent annual increases in student loan funding, the U of A has no incentive in controlling employee expenses. Could this be the same for other expenditures? James Knoff, retired CEO Northwest side Claudine Gay is a disgrace She should be dismissed immediately from the Harvard faculty. She and her major professor should be banned from academia. A dissertation is a description of the procedures, analysis and conclusions of original research, including references to other relevant research. It is a demonstration that the student can do original research and report on it with clarity. Her considerable plagiarism raises the question as to how much original research she did, if any. She has expressed no remorse about her theft of intellectual property, so presumably she will continue to teach and/or condone it. She is a disgrace and a threat to our profession. Even her resignation letter has grammatical errors. Wiliam Wolfe, Professor Emeritus, The University of Arizona WASHINGTON President Joe Biden's administration keeps pressing Israel to reengage with Palestinians as partners once fighting in Gaza is over and support their eventual independence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps saying no. That cycle, frustrating to much of the world, seems unlikely to end, despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's fourth urgent diplomatic trip last week to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war started. Though the United States, as Israel's closest ally and largest weapons supplier, has stronger means to apply pressure on Israel, it shows no willingness to use them. For both Netanyahu and Biden, popular opinion at home and deep personal conviction in the rightness of Israel's cause, and each man's battle for his own short-term political survival, are combining to make it appear unlikely that Netanyahu will yield much on the U.S. demands regarding the Palestinians, or that Biden will get much tougher in trying to force them. Support of Israel is a bedrock belief of many American voters. Biden's presidential reelection bid this year puts him up against Republicans vying to outdo one another in support for Israel. For his part, Netanyahu is fighting to stay in office in the face of corruption charges. Some experts warn it's a formula that may lock the U.S. into deeper military and security engagement in the Middle East as hostilities worsen and Palestinian civilians continue to suffer. "It's a self-defeating policy," said Brian Finucane, a former policy adviser in the State Department on counterterrorism and the use of military force. "What may be expedient in terms of short-term domestic politics may not be in the long-term interests of the United States," said Finucane, who is now a senior adviser to the International Crisis Group research organization. "Particularly if it results in the United States involving itself in further unnecessary wars in the Middle East." The administration says Biden's approach of remaining Israel's indispensable military ally and supporter is the best way to coax concessions from Netanyahu, whose government ministers were trumpeting their rejection of some U.S. requests even as Blinken was still in the region. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the U.S. rushed arms and other aid to Israel, deployed forces to the region to confront escalated attacks by Hamas' Iran-backed allies, and quashed moves in the United Nations to condemn Israel's bombing of Palestinian civilians. As Blinken was wrapping up his diplomatic mission, U.S. warships and aircraft hit targets in Yemen, hoping to quell attacks that country's Iran-allied Houthis launched on commercial ships in the Red Sea since Israel started its devastating offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza. American officials claim modest success for Blinken's latest diplomatic efforts. He secured limited, conditional support from Arab leaders and Turkey for planning for reconstruction and governance in Gaza after the war ends. But prospects are uncertain because Israel's far-right government is not on board with several key points. The Biden administration placed a particular premium on Israel reducing the number of civilian casualties in its military operations. The U.S. urging seemed to have some effect in recent days, as Israel began to withdraw some troops from northern Gaza and moved to a less-intensive campaign of airstrikes. Israel has been openly hostile toward some smaller U.S. requests, such as when Blinken pressed Israel to turn over the tax revenue it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which Israel refused to do. "We will continue to fight with all of our might to destroy Hamas, and we will not transfer a shekel to the PA that will go to the families of Nazis in Gaza," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X, in a message welcoming Blinken to Israel last week. The biggest U.S. disagreement with Israel has been with Netanyahu's refusal to consider the creation of a Palestinian state. Arab states say a commitment on that point is essential to convincing them to participate in and contribute to postwar planning for Gaza. The Palestinians have been divided politically and geographically since Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, overran Gaza in 2007, leaving internationally backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with self-rule over isolated enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The U.S. wants Abbas' Palestinian Authority to undergo administrative reforms before setting up a unified government in Gaza and the West Bank, as a precursor to statehood. Blinken and his aides believe Israeli leaders eventually will realize that Palestinian statehood is the key to Israel's long-term security and accept it because it will have the effect of isolating Iran and its proxies, which are the biggest threat to Israel and the region. "From Israel's perspective, if you can have a future where they're integrated into the region, relations are normalized with other countries, where they have the necessary assurances, commitments, guarantees for their security that's a very attractive pathway," Blinken said in Cairo, his last stop. "But it's also clear that that requires a pathway to a Palestinian state. We've heard that from every single country in the region." Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., called Blinken's remarks "tone deaf." For Israelis, the U.S. push to revive negotiations for Palestinian statehood signals that American leaders haven't realized how Israeli public opinion hardened on Palestinian issues over the years, and especially since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Ultimately, he said, U.S. and Israeli interests don't always converge. "At the end of the day, there's a limit, because if (Biden) says stop, we're not going to stop," he said. Israel-Hamas war at 100 days Vietnams tax revenue from lottery sales reached an all-time high of VND45.8 trillion (US$1.9 billion) last year, according to the Ministry of Finance. The figure was up 22 percent or VND8.3 trillion ($339.7 million) over the target set by the law-making National Assembly. The major contributors to the lottery tax revenue were 21 lottery companies in the south, such as those in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Dong Nai Province. Ho Chi Minh City Lottery Co. Ltd. was projected to generate over VND11.37 trillion ($464.4 million) in turnover and nearly VND1.5 trillion ($61.3 million) in pre-tax profits in 2023. It also looked to submit over VND3.8 trillion ($155.2 million) to the state coffers. Meanwhile, Vinh Long Lottery Co. Ltd. in the namesake southern province yielded a revenue of some VND6.4 trillion ($261.3 million) and paid VND1.7 trillion ($69.4 million) in taxes, according to the Southern Lottery Council. Long An Lottery Co. Ltd. reported lottery sales at around VND6.3 trillion ($257.2 million) and tax payments to the state budget at nearly VND2.4 trillion ($98 million) last year. The respective figures of Ben Tre Lottery Co. Ltd. were VND6.3 trillion (257.2 million) and over VND1.76 trillion ($71.9 million). Soc Trang Lottery Co. Ltd. submitted nearly VND1.43 trillion ($58.4 million) to the state budget in January-September last year, reaching 92 percent of the full-year target. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Farmers and their tractors rumbled towards Berlin from every corner of Germany on Sunday ahead of a giant protest demanding a rethink of plans to tax farmers more. Some 3,000 tractors, 2,000 trucks and 10,000 people were expected to fill the streets around Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Monday for a rally that will cap a week of protests against the government. The protests have heaped pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition as it struggles to fix a budget mess and contain right-wing forces. Caught on the back foot, it has already agreed not to scrap a tax rebate on new agricultural vehicles and to spread over years the scrapping of an agricultural diesel subsidy. But farmers, with the vocal backing of the opposition conservatives and the far-right, say this does not go far enough. German farmers line up their tractors at the Strasse des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate to prepare one day before a large protest against the cut of farm vehicle tax subsidies of the so-called German Ampel coalition government, in Berlin, Germany, January 14, 2024. Photo: Reuters "Farmers will die out," said farmer Karl-Wilhelm Kempner on Sunday as he boarded a bus in Cologne heading for the demonstration. "The population must understand that far more food will be imported" if subsidies are not restored. The government is showing a conciliatory face amid concerns that political debate in the country is becoming radicalised and that demonstrations could turn violent. Tractors drive at the Strasse des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate to prepare one day before a large protest against the cut of farm vehicle tax subsidies of the so-called German Ampel coalition government, in Berlin, Germany, January 14, 2024. A writing reads: 'If the farmer dies, the country dies'. Photo: Reuters Finance Minister Christian Lindner will address the protest and coalition party leaders have invited leaders of the demonstrations for talks. Disruption caused by protests and train strikes last week hurt coalition parties in the polls and propelled the far-right Alternative for Germany party to new heights. In a video podcast on Saturday, Scholz said the government had listened to farmers' demands and compromised. "We've taken the farmers' arguments to heart and revised our proposals. A good compromise," he said. German farmers line up their tractors at the Strasse des 17. Juni in front of the Brandenburg Gate to prepare one day before a large protest against the cut of farm vehicle tax subsidies of the so-called German Ampel coalition government, in Berlin, Germany, January 14, 2024. Photo: Reuters Mandi Tillman gets out of the cold at the Central Library warming center on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Ten libraries were open as warming shelters on Martin Luther King Day due to the freezing temperatures. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Jarrett Summers gets out of the cold at the Central Library warming center on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Ten libraries were open as warming shelters on Martin Luther King Day due to the freezing temperatures. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Ty Grant, 37, left, and Omari Bratcher, 13, lead horses Big Easy, left, and Kit Kat through Pittman-Sullivan Park on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. They decided to ride the horses along the nearly 3-mile Martin Luther King Jr. March route after learning the 37th annual march was canceled due to inclement weather. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Bob Gasman puts on gloves before leaving the Central Library warming center to go back out in the cold on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in San Antonio. Ten libraries were open as warming shelters on Martin Luther King Day due to the freezing temperatures. Salgu Wissmath/San Antonio Express-News Crews work Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, to de-ice planes at the San Antonio International Airport as a deep freeze its the city. William Luther/San Antonio Express-News A very active winter weather is setting up across South Texas. First, light freezing rain mixed with sleet Monday morning made travel difficult throughout the region, including in San Antonio. Temperatures will fall to their lowest levels by Tuesday morning, and wind speeds will increase. That will result in dangerous wind chill values. Heres the update and everything you need to know. Extreme cold incoming After moisture melted away Monday afternoon, what was left will refreeze early Tuesday. Temperatures will fall below 30 degrees after 7 p.m., and theyll continue to fall through the night. Lows will reach the mid- to upper teens in San Antonio. The Hill Country will be even colder, falling to 12 degrees or below. Unfortunately, wind speeds will be increasing Tuesday morning. Northerly winds are expected in the 20- to 25-mph range, putting wind chill values close to zero in San Antonio. Some areas in the Hill Country will even have wind chills 6 to 10 degrees below zero. If you have to be outside during this time, be sure to bundle up properly with multiple layers from head to toe. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Slow warm-up Conditions will stay cold all day Tuesday. Thankfully, afternoon sunshine will help temperatures to rise above the freezing mark and reach the mid-30s. As we push into the night, though, the clear skies will work against us and result in another night of bitter cold. Low temperatures by Wednesday morning will be in the upper teens yet again. This time, wind speeds will be only around 5 mph, limiting the effect of the wind chill. The real warm-up begins Wednesday afternoon as temperatures rise back into the mid-40s for the first time since Saturday. It will be even warmer on Sunday as highs rise all the way into the mid-60s under mostly sunny skies. San Antonio will not be able to enjoy the warm weather for long, though. Just as soon as temperatures warm up, another cold front is expected to move through by the end of the week. High temperatures will drop to the upper 40s and low 50s by Friday, and another hard freeze is possible as early as Saturday morning. LONDON -- Britain will commit 20,000 military personnel to serve across Europe in a major NATO exercise in the first half of this year, as well as warships and fighter jets, the defence ministry said on Monday. The deployment includes 16,000 British army troops who will be based in Eastern Europe from February to June, an aircraft carrier strike group and F35B Lightning attack jets and surveillance planes. NATO's Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 marks the Western alliance's 75th year. "I can announce today that UK will be sending some 20,000 personnel to take part in one of NATO's largest deployments since the end of the Cold War," Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in excerpts of a speech due to be delivered later on Monday at Lancaster House, published by the defence ministry. The NATO alliance has boosted the number of combat-ready troops after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack of Ukraine almost two years ago and has continued to support Kyiv with military, economic and humanitarian aid. "It will see our military joining forces with counterparts from 30 NATO countries plus Sweden, providing vital reassurance against the Putin menace," Shapps said about the exercise. Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that Britain will increase its support for Ukraine in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.19 billion), an increase of 200 million pounds on the previous two years. A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, with molten lava flows reaching the outskirts of a small fishing town by midafternoon, setting some houses alight, although the town was evacuated earlier and no people were in danger, authorities said. Fountains of molten rock and smoke spewed from fissures in the ground across a wide area stretching to the town of Grindavik, where at least one house had caught fire, live video published by daily Morgunbladid showed. "No lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be under threat," Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson said on social media site X, adding there had been no interruptions to flights. The eruption began early on Sunday north of the town, which just hours before had been evacuated for the second time since November over fears that an outbreak was imminent amid a swarm of seismic activity, authorities said. A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, January 14, 2024. Iceland Civil Protection/Handout via Reuters Authorities built barriers of earth and rock in recent weeks to try to prevent lava from reaching Grindavik, some 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the capital Reykjavik, but the latest eruption have penetrated the town's defences. The nearby geothermal spa Blue Lagoon had closed on Sunday, it said on its website. Volcanic hotspot It was the second volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland in less than one month and the fifth outbreak since 2021. Last month, an eruption started in the Svartsengi volcanic system on Dec. 18 following the complete evacuation a month earlier of Grindavik's 4,000 residents and the closing of the Blue Lagoon, a popular tourist spot. More than 100 Grindavik residents had returned in recent weeks, before Saturday's renewed evacuation order, according to local authorities. A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, January 14, 2024. Iceland Civil Protection/Handout via Reuters Iceland, which is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Kentucky, boasts more than 30 active volcanoes, making the north European island a prime destination for volcano tourism - a niche segment that attracts thousands of thrill seekers. In 2010, ash clouds from eruptions at the Eyafjallajokull volcano in the south of Iceland spread over large parts of Europe, grounding some 100,000 flights and forcing hundreds of Icelanders to evacuate their homes. Unlike Eyafjallajokull, the Reykjanes volcano systems are not trapped under glaciers and are thus not expected to cause similar ash clouds. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated Vietnams consistent stance to uphold the One China policy and develop no state-level relations with Taiwan after the islands leadership election results were announced on the weekend. The ministrys spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang made the reaffirmation on Sunday in reply to reporters questions about Vietnams viewpoint after Taiwans election results, according to which Lai Ching-te, a representative of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won the islands leadership on Saturday. Emphasizing its commitment to the 'One China' policy, Vietnam is steadfastly maintaining and fostering people-to-people and non-governmental relations with Taiwan in various sectors such as economics, trade, investment, science and technology, culture, and education, Hang stressed. It is essential to note that Vietnam has no intention of establishing state-level ties with the island, as highlighted by official statements. Vietnam respects the principle of non-interference in each others internal affairs and believes that peace, stability, and cooperation in the Taiwan Strait is crucial for both the region and the global community, the spokesperson stated. In a statement quoted by Chinas Xinhua News Agency, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, declared on January 13 that the election result in Taiwan will not impede the inevitable trend of Chinas reunification. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday asserted that the result of the leadership election in the Taiwan region cannot change the basic fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. Stressing that Taiwans independence has never been and will never be possible, Wang warned that anyone attempting to advocate for Taiwan's separation from Chinese territory will certainly be "severely punished" by history and the law. The minister expressed his belief that the international community, based on the one-China principle, will continue to support the just cause of the Chinese people in striving for national reunification and opposing the separatist activities of seeking Taiwan's independence. In the election last weekend, Lai, 64, a Harvard University graduate with a masters degree in public health, beat his rivals Hou You-yi of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan Peoples Party (TPP). He was once a lawmaker and the mayor of Tainan City on the southwest coast of Taiwan. Before winning the election, Lai served as deputy to leader Tsai Ing-wen, whom he has succeeded. In a recent statement, the new Taiwanese leader vowed to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait area and strengthen the islands defense capability. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Vietnam's Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and many Party and state leaders sat in on the opening of the lawmaking National Assembly (NA)s fifth extraordinary meeting in Hanoi on Monday morning. The 15th NAs extraordinary gathering is scheduled to last for 2.5 days. It wraps up on Thursday morning, according to an announcement made by the NA general secretary. The National Assembly is slated to have one day off on Wednesday so that its agencies and relevant units can garner feedback and suggestions to complete some draft decrees and resolutions. Vietnams Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong (R) attend the opening of the 15th National Assemblys fifth extraordinary meeting on January 15, 2024. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal Following the opening address by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, the extraordinary session will focus on amending the Law on Land in the morning and adjusting the Law on Credit Institutions in the afternoon. During the extraordinary meeting, the NA will consider passing the amended Law on Land and the revised Law on Credit Institutions. Vietnam's Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong waves as he walks with top Vietnamese leaders at the opening of the 15th National Assemblys fifth extraordinary meeting on January 15, 2024. Photo: Pham Thang The legislative body will also approve some draft resolutions on special policies and mechanisms aimed at removing obstacles and streamlining procedures for national programs and plans. At the extraordinary meeting, the National Assembly will add the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-25 period, sourced from the backup state budget, and supplement a medium-term public investment plan for state utility EVN. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Over one hundred bags of sticky rice looted from a truck after it tipped over in Dakrong District, Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam on Saturday night were given back on Sunday afternoon. Ho Thanh, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Dakrong Commune in the namesake district, said on the same day that residents had brought 106 looted sticky rice bags to the communes police station. These bags would be handed over to their owner as soon as possible, Thanh said. Several locals in Vung Kho and Lang Cat Villages in the commune were identified as the looters of the truck, which flipped over while it was driving on National Highway 9 in the commune at 8:30 pm on Saturday. The truck, driven by Nguyen Van Dong, 29, was carrying hundreds of sticky rice bags at that time. After the crash, the driver and the conductor of the truck were stuck in the cabin, while a number of bags of sticky rice fell onto the road. Some locals quickly approached the accident scene to help the driver and conductor escape from the truck cabin, while a mob rushed to take away the bags of sticky rice. A few bystanders captured what was happening and posted these videos on social media, sparking outrage among the public over the looting. Local authorities and police officers on Sunday morning called on the looters to return the sticky rice bags to atone for their ugly behavior. The looters, realizing their wrongdoings, voluntarily brought the bags to the police station, said Thanh. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The rising number of affluent Vietnamese and their higher travel spending prompted Japan to focus on attracting this group, according to Uchida Shusuke, deputy chief representative of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam. The Japanese tourism agency will start luring richer Vietnamese visitors instead of taking into account the total number of visitors in 2024, he underlined. Japan will accelerate the introduction of its high-end tourism products and services to travelers from Vietnam and other nations, said Shusuke. The soaring number of wealthy Vietnamese and their higher spending on travel to Japan have fueled our belief about an increase in the number of Vietnamese opting for higher quality travel styles, Shusuke told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. An annual Wealth Report made by Britains real estate firm Knight Frank indicated that the number of ultra-rich people in Vietnam skyrocketed 320 percent from 2006 to 2016. Vietnam is seen as a potential tourism source market in the world. There were over 1,000 super-rich people in the Southeast Asian nation in 2022, nearly double the figure recorded in 2017. According to the JNTO, the number of high-income Vietnamese has soared over the past few years, encouraging Japans tourism sector to deploy its luxury tourism development strategy targeting the Vietnamese market. In addition, Vietnamese travelers total spending in Japan in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 outbreak, was 87.1 billion yen (US$599 million), making the Vietnamese one of Japans biggest travel spenders. To promote Japan's high-end tourism segment to the Vietnamese audience, the JNTO plans to enhance its marketing efforts through travel and fashion magazines. The organization will conduct various tourism promotion programs within the local market to increase awareness and interest. Japan is home to a diversity of unique cultural features and natural landscapes that are able to enchant high-end visitors, according to the JNTO. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! More than 1,500 people joined a charity walk on Truong Sa Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday morning to raise funds to help the poor celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, commonly known as Tet, scheduled for next month. Residents as well as employees and executives of enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City joined the walk, jointly organized by the administration, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee chapter, and the business association in District 3. The program helped raise over VND3.3 billion (US$134,700). The program attracts both adults and children. Photo: Ngoc Quy / Tuoi Tre Speaking at the opening ceremony of the program, vice-chairwoman of the Peoples Committee of District 3 Pham Thi Thuy Hang said many enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City had always accompanied local authorities to support underprivileged residents, especially during the Tet holiday, despite the difficult 2023. The humane act showed their affection and social responsibility, Hang added. Bui Thi Nhan, a 47-year-old resident, said the program should be expanded to other wards and districts to help more people enjoy a warm Tet. Many employees and executives of enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City join the walk. Photo: Ngoc Quy / Tuoi Tre Children arrive early to accomplish a 2.5-kilometer journey. Photo: Ngoc Quy / Tuoi Tre Walkers cover a section of Truong Sa Street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Quy / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Popular Netflix show Taxi Driver 2 from South Korea, featuring several scenes shot in Vietnam, was honored as Best Drama Series at the 28th Asian Television Awards ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City on the weekend. The Asian Television Awards ceremony, an annual event celebrating excellence in the Asian television industry, debuted in Vietnam at the Hoa Binh Theater in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 10 on Saturday night. The international gathering included participants from South Korea, Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, India, and Vietnam. The awards ceremony saw the presentation of over 20 prizes in various categories, with South Korean show Taxi Driver 2, which had been released internationally via Netflix, securing the Best Drama Series title. The cast of South Korean Netflix series Taxi Driver 2. Photo: Supplied The series, featuring Lee Je Hoon, captivated Vietnamese audiences with its scenes shot at iconic landmarks in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang City, Thua Thien-Hue Province, and Quang Ninh Province. Actor Lee Je Hoon and actress Shim So Young wear traditional Vietnamese ao dai (long gown) in the drama. The original drama Island by South Korean streaming service TVING clinched the Best Original Digital Drama honor. Vietnamese actor Nguyen Quoc Truong Thinh at the 28th Asian Television Awards ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 13, 2024. Photo: Hoai Phuong / Tuoi Tre Despite two nominations for the Best Leading Male Performance - Digital and the Best Adaptation for An Existing Format awards, Vietnamese actor Nguyen Quoc Truong Thinh for Bui Doi Cho Que and the TV program 2 Days 1 Night Vietnam did not secure victories, respectively. Originating in 1996, the Asian Television Awards, often likened to the Emmys of Asia, is a prestigious ceremony where winners are chosen by a committee of over 50 members. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! US drama Three Women, adapted from the best-selling book from author and show creator Lisa Taddeo, will premiere on Stan. Starring Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), DeWanda Wise (Jurassic World: Dominion), Betty Gilpin (Gaslit, Glow) and Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin), the 10 part drama is described as an intimate, haunting portrayal of American female desire that finds three women on a crash course to radically overturn their lives. Lina (Gilpin), a homemaker in suburban Indiana, is a decade into a passionless marriage when she embarks on an affair that quickly becomes all-consuming and transforms her life. Sloane (Wise), a glamorous entrepreneur in the Northeast, has a committed open marriage with Richard (Blair Underwood), until two sexy new strangers threaten their aspirational love story. Maggie (Creevy), a student in North Dakota, weathers an intense storm after accusing her married English teacher of an inappropriate relationship. Gia (Woodley), a writer grieving the loss of her family, persuades each of these three spectacular ordinary women to tell her their stories, and her relationships with them change the course of her life forever. Three Women is based on the non-fiction internationally best-selling book of the same name by Taddeo, who adapted it for screen. Three Women is executive produced by Taddeo, showrunner Laura Eason (House of Cards), Kathy Ciric (Nurse Jackie) and Emmy Rossum (Shameless). Louise Friedberg directed the first two episodes, which she also executive produced. Three Women is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution. All episodes Tuesday February 16 on Stan. Adult themes. The Critics Choice Awards was staged at Barker Hangar, Santa Monica Airport today. Host Chelsea Handler took to the stage and dropped plenty of jokes. We are back, she declared after the strikes ended. Of course, nobody had a harder time this year than studio executives, who were forced to vacation for six consecutive months in a row. There were nods to Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig for Barbie, Oprah Winfrey for The Color Purple. There were also references to a very horny 2023, with Fellow Travelers, Ali Wong in Beef, Cillian Murphy being horny for uranium, and 2023 being the year everyone became horny for Pedro Pascal. Unlike last weeks Golden Globes event host by Jo Koy, her jokes all went over well in the room. Thank you for laughing at that. My writers wrote it. There were big wins for Succession, Beef and The Bear. TV winners in bold: Best Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television Maria Bello Beef Billie Boullet A Small Light Willa Fitzgerald The Fall of the House of Usher Aja Naomi King Lessons in Chemistry Mary McDonnell The Fall of the House of Usher Camila Morrone Daisy Jones & the Six Thank you so much for inviting me to your party, she said to producers. Best Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television Jonathan Bailey Fellow Travelers Taylor Kitsch Painkiller Jesse Plemons Love & Death Lewis Pullman Lessons in Chemistry Liev Schreiber A Small Light Justin Theroux White House Plumbers I share this with you, Matt. Those of you who have seen Fellow Travelers will know that Matt and I come together this is a reminder that LGBTQ+ people have always existed I thank those who came before me, Jonathan Bailey said. Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series Nicole Beharie The Morning Show Elizabeth Debicki The Crown Sophia Di Martino Loki Celia Rose Gooding Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Karen Pittman The Morning Show Christina Ricci Yellowjackets This role has been an incredible challenge, Elizabeth Debicki said. My only hope was I would do this remarkable woman proud, by playing her in the show. Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series Khalid Abdalla The Crown Billy Crudup The Morning Show Ron Cephas Jones Truth Be Told Matthew MacFadyen Succession Ke Huy Quan Loki Rufus Sewell The Diplomat You really gave me something that I didnt really expect at this point in my life, Crudup said to producers and Apple TV. Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series Phil Dunster Ted Lasso Harrison Ford Shrinking Harvey Guillen What We Do in the Shadows James Marsden Jury Duty Ebon Moss-Bachrach The Bear Henry Winkler Barry This is such a privilege to play this part a really beautiful experience to take this man froma. dark place, into the light. Its not often you get to do that, he said. Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series Paulina Alexis Reservation Dogs Alex Borstein The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Janelle James Abbott Elementary Sheryl Lee Ralph Abbott Elementary Meryl Streep Only Murders in the Building Jessica Williams Shrinking Meryl Streep was not in attendance. Best Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television Kaitlyn Dever No One Will Save You Brie Larson Lessons in Chemistry Bel Powley A Small Light Sydney Sweeney Reality Juno Temple Fargo Ali Wong Beef This is such an honour. Ali Wong said before thanking creatives for manking an original and intense show. Best Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television Matt Bomer Fellow Travelers Tom Holland The Crowded Room David Oyelowo Lawmen: Bass Reeves Tony Shalhoub Mr. Monks Last Case: A Monk Movie Kiefer Sutherland The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Steven Yeun Beef We had a fun time making this show, said Yeun. I appreciate this, Love to my family, love to my mum and dad. Margot Robbie presented the SeeHer Award to America Ferrera. I grew up as a first generation Honduras American girl in love with film and TV who desperately wanted to be a part of a storytelling legacy that I could not see myself refelcted in, Ferrera said. We are all worthy of being seen Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, Trans, Disabled, any body type, any gender. We are all worthy of having our lives richly and authentically reflected. I would not be standing her today without Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. Best Actress In A Comedy Series Rachel Brosnahan The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Quinta Brunson Abbott Elementary Ayo Edebiri The Bear Bridget Everett Somebody Somewhere Devery Jacobs Reservation Dogs Natasha Lyonne Poker Face Ayo Edebiri thanked her colleagues and creatives before saying Wait is that the music no were in an air hanger. Best Actor In A Comedy Series Bill Hader Barry Steve Martin Only Murders in the Building Kayvan Novak What We Do in the Shadows Drew Tarver The Other Two Jeremy Allen White The Bear DPharaoh Woon-A-Tai Reservation Dogs We made this show with no expectations we made sandwiches, said Jeremy Allen White. Thank you to my parents for just making me think that this was something thatw as possible for me. Harrison Ford received the Career Achievement Award presented by director, producer and screenwriter James Mangold. I feel enormously lucky. Im happy for this honour and appreciate it very much, said Ford. Im grateful to all the fine actors, many I see here tonight, that Ive worked with. Im deeply to have happy to have had the opportunities that Ive had. . thank you, I wont take any more of your time, thank you. In awards handed out earlier: Best Movie Made For Television The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Finestkind Mr. Monks Last Case: A Monk Movie No One Will Save You Quiz Lady Reality Best Foreign Language Series Bargain The Glory The Good Mothers The Interpreter of Silence Lupin Mask Girl Moving Best Animated Series Bluey Bobs Burgers Harley Quinn Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Star Trek: Lower Decks Young Love Best Talk Show The Graham Norton Show Jimmy Kimmel Live! The Kelly Clarkson Show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Late Night with Seth Meyers The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Best Comedy Special Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits John Early: Now More Than Ever John Mulaney: Baby J Trevor Noah: Where Was I Wanda Sykes Im an Entertainer Best Actress In A Drama Series Jennifer Aniston The Morning Show Aunjanue Ellis Justified: City Primeval Bella Ramsey The Last of Us Keri Russell The Diplomat Sarah Snook Succession Reese Witherspoon The Morning Show Sarah Snook thanked co-stars Matthew MacFadyen and Kieran Culkin and her real husband, for being the best husband in a supporting role, you are the joy of my life, thank you. Best Actor In A Drama Series Kieran Culkin Succession Tom Hiddleston Loki Timothy Olyphant Justified: City Primeval Pedro Pascal The Last of Us Ramon Rodriguez Will Trent Jeremy Strong Succession Culkin joked about ear-hairs (!) before thanking the under-appreciated camera department the show was really through them. Best Comedy Series Abbott Elementary Barry The Bear The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Poker Face Reservation Dogs Shrinking What We Do in the Shadows Hulu, Disney, thank you for loving and embracing us said the Bear team. And especially the people of Chicago for opening their hearts and their kitchens to us. Best Drama Series The Crown The Diplomat The Last of Us Loki The Morning Show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Succession Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Wed like to say thanks to the critics. It wasnt a completely smooth ride for our show but I think the support the critics gave it, helped our show find an audience, said creator Jesse Armstrong. Best Limited Series Beef Daisy Jones & the Six Fargo Fellow Travelers Lessons in Chemistry Love & Death A Murder at the End of the World A Small Light In my 20s I used to sneak into awards like these all by myselfif I could just make something people love then maybe Ill be happy. here we are 20 years later and I can assure you that is not the case, said creator Lee Sung Jin before acknowledging what has made him happy are the connections made from Beef. Thank you to the community and for accepting us as we are. Thats a wrap of TV categories! Tomorrow onto the Emmys. This post updates. The Ukrainian military announced on Sunday that Russian forces had suffered significant losses in a single day. The conflict, which began in late February 2022 with Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, has now surpassed expectations in terms of duration, as it nears its two-year mark. The Ukrainian military estimates that Russian forces have incurred over 360,000 casualties, both in terms of personnel and military hardware, as per Newsweek. Ukrainian Military Reports Significant Russian Losses While the Kremlin does not provide a running total of reported Ukrainian losses and Newsweek's attempts to independently verify these numbers were unsuccessful, experts agree that the situation for Russia's forces is dire. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces regularly updates statistics on losses it claims Russia has suffered in the conflict through its official Facebook page. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully neutralized 11 enemy drones, 13 artillery systems, and 9 tanks, along with 14 armored vehicles. While these figures cannot be verified independently and are not acknowledged by the Kremlin, they offer some insight into the evolving impact of the war. According to the most recent report released on Sunday, Russian forces allegedly lost a significant amount of hardware on Saturday alone, including 36 artillery systems, 24 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and 22 armored personnel vehicles. The report also noted the loss of four tanks during the same time frame. On the personnel front, the Ukrainian military claimed that Russia suffered 860 deaths on Saturday, bringing the total number of Russian soldier deaths since the conflict's outset to 364,730. The General Staff's Facebook post concluded with a rallying cry: "Strike the occupier! Let's win together! Our strength is in the truth!" This show of defiance highlights the determination of the Ukrainian military amidst a challenging fight against Russian forces, according to DNYUZ. Read Also: Museum World Hit by Cyberattack, Causing Online Collections to Go Down Putin Frames Ukraine Conflict as Western Confrontation Meanwhile, a recent report from the US-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), suggests that Putin is seeking to expand the scope of the Ukraine conflict to portray it as a confrontation with Western forces. This strategy aims to justify the significant troop build-ups and mounting battlefield losses experienced by Russia. With limited territorial gains made in 2023 and heavy troop casualties, this ideological justification signals a potential intent on Putin's part to engage in a prolonged conflict. The ISW report highlights that Putin's statements likely indicate his preparation for a long-term justification to maintain mobilized forces and sustain combat in defense of Russia's sovereignty against the West. By portraying Ukraine as a mere pawn without agency in the broader Russia-West conflict, Putin obscures his true expansionist goals of establishing complete Russian control over Ukraine. In the latest developments, Ukraine's Defense Forces reported the killing of 800 more soldiers and the destruction of 36 Russian artillery systems and 22 armored vehicles in the past day. These losses continue to mount as both sides remain entrenched in the ongoing conflict. As the anniversary of the invasion approaches, the situation in Ukraine remains critical, with no sign of a swift resolution in sight. The toll on both human lives and military equipment continues to rise, and the conflict's long-term implications for the region and its global implications remain uncertain, Yahoo News reported. Related Article: AI Putin: Ukraine Military Intelligence Claims Russian President Uses 3 Doppelgangers L to R: Tenille Kennedy, Kirby Brierty. Screenwest has announced Tenille Kennedy as Head of Scripted: Content and Talent, with Kirby Brierty joining the team as Scripted Production Program Manager. Having served as Scripted Executive at Screenwest for over two years, Tenille Kennedy will now oversee the design, development and implementation of scripted production funding and development programs. She has produced a number of Western Australian feature films including AACTA-nominated The Furnace (2020) which had its World Premiere at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival. She is also the producer of Australian French co-production Slam (2018) which was an official selection at the Tallin Black Night Film Festival, Bad Girl (2016) which was an official selection at the Busan International Film Festival and she co-produced sections of the compendium feature The Turning (2014) which was an official selection at Berlin International Film Festival. In 2019, she produced H is for Happiness which opened Generation Kplus at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize. The film went on to receive 10 AACTA nominations and win the 2020 CinefestOZ $100,000 Film Prize. I am thrilled to take on the new role of Head of Scripted: Content and Talent. There is an undeniable creative energy in Western Australia and during this dynamic period of growth for the industry I am eager to contribute and collaborate with our local storytellers and screen practitioners, said Tenille Kennedy. As Scripted Production Program Manager, Kirby Brierty will support Screenwests scripted production funding programs. She has worked across multiple arts industries throughout her career. Having studied both stage management at WAAPA and producing at the WA Screen Academy, Brierty has worked for numerous Australian arts organisations such as Bell Shakespeare and Sydney Theatre Company, as well as working on local WA films including The Turning, H is for Happiness, The Furnace and Blueback. She has an Advanced Diploma from WA Academy of Performing Arts, a Bachelor of Communications (Screen Studies) as well as a Graduate Certificate in Business from Notre Dame. I could not be more excited to join the team at Screenwest. Working on local films I know firsthand the amazing group of filmmakers we have here in WA. I look forward to working with our incredible pool of talented creatives and crew, and to support and advocate for the WA film industry on a larger scale. said Kirby Brierty. Were so pleased to welcome Kirby to the Screenwest team, along with Tenille in a new capacity. Both Tenille and Kirby have a wealth of knowledge and real-world industry experience, which will no doubt serve the WA scripted sector incredibly well during this exciting time of growth. said Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest CEO. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Logo of Atos is seen on a company building, in Nantes By Sudip Kar-Gupta PARIS (Reuters) -French technology company Atos named Paul Saleh as its new chief executive on Monday and warned that free cash flow would be slightly below its initial target for the second half of the year, sending its share price tumbling. Atos said Saleh, currently chief financial officer, would become CEO - the company's fourth in less than two years as it has grappled with a series of profit warnings. Atos shares were down by 16% in early trading. The stock has fallen by about 40% since the start of the year. Saleh takes over from Yves Bernaert, who leaves the company "after an intense period of transformation", Atos said, with Jacques-Francois de Prest coming in as CFO after finance roles with car parts business Mobivia and telecoms group Vodafone. ADVERTISEMENT Les Echos newspaper reported on Monday that the company's restructuring plan was facing difficulties. Atos, which is taking longer than expected to negotiate the sale of its loss-making Tech Foundations arm, said it has not filed a request to open conciliation proceedings with creditors. The potential Tech Foundation sale to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EPEI seems a long way off. Les Echos on Monday cited an unnamed source as saying a "last chance" meeting between the parties was slated for the next few days. Representatives for Atos and the Kretinsky camp did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the report. Atos said on Monday that CEO Saleh will still focus on refinancing debt, the sale of the Tech Foundations business and the sale of the company's Big Data & Security (BDS) activities to Airbus. ($1 = 0.9119 euros) (Reporting by Sudip Kar-GuptaEditing by Tassilo Hummel and David Goodman) The air strikes against targets in Yemen by the US and UK military have not been without criticism. They aim to keep the Houthis from attacking merchant vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Less than 30 ships have been attacked by Houthis since they seized the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader vessel in November. Its a relatively small number, compared to the thousands of ships that have passed through the area since. Unlike the 2021 Suez Canal blockage, traffic is still moving along the shortcut between Asia and Europe. While it adds one to two weeks of travel time and around US$1 million (786,000) in cost, ships can also go around Africa. In response, container prices have increased sharply, but are not at the levels reached at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if the path through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal becomes unusable, this is hardly unprecedented. The Suez Canal was closed due to war from 1967 to 1975. But the reasons for the strikes carried out to protect global trade are likely to lie deeper than this. Global supply chains have become a lot more important for everyday life since the 1970s, so the impact of disruptions in the Red Sea is now much bigger. Also, crucially, Bab el-Mandeb is only one of several maritime choke points that are vital for world trade. Map showing the world's biggest trade routes and the various chokepoints that pose a risk. Transport choke points Choke points are narrow parts of main trade lanes, usually straits or canals. As the geopolitical weaponisation of supply chains increasingly becomes a part of economic statecraft, their vulnerability grows. As the Houthis have shown, disrupting global trade at one of these choke points, does not require huge military power. Disabling the biggest choke points could have severe global consequences. While about 12% of global trade passes the Suez Canal, more than twice as much goes through the Malacca Strait between Indonesia and Malaysia. The Malacca Strait regularly has issues with piracy. Disruptions at choke points potentially have much larger effects around the world, as they affect traffic going to and from many countries. Alternative routes to them are difficult, if not impossible, to find. This was maybe most impressively demonstrated by the 2021 Suez blockage when a container ship was wedged across the canal and held up US$9.6 billion in trade per day for nearly a week. Story continues Today is not 2021. Ships continue to use the Suez Canal and the Red Sea is not closed to shipping, the volume of shipping containers passing through Suez fell drastically from 500,000 per day in November 2023 to 200,000 per day in December 2023. Demand is not nearly as high as it was back then. Indeed, there has been over-capacity on many shipping routes over the past year. This can now serve as a buffer when vessels spend more time on longer routes. Running out of routes But another of the main choke points is currently suffering severe disruptions. The Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific, is experiencing an intense drought. Now water levels in the Panama Canal are so low that shipping capacity is severely limited. Shipping giant Maersk recently shifted cargo to the railway line running in parallel to the canal. Before the current crisis, some ships took a ten-day detour on their journeys between Asia and the US east coast by going through the Suez Canal. Alternatives for the route through the Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal are limited. The Panama Canal is not a viable option at the moment. The Northern Sea Route is 40% shorter than the alternative via the Suez Canal for connecting Asia to Europe. But ice makes it navigable for no more than five months per year and there are concerns about the impact of ships on the fragile Arctic ecosystem. The railway line linking China to Europe has seen significant growth in freight transport in recent years. But both rail and Northern Sea Route connection are affected by sanctions on Russia. What is left for most who are keen to avoid the Red Sea is the long detour around Africa. Strait of Hormuz The original military mission in the Red Sea was aptly called Operation Prosperity Guardian. Countries involved in the White Houses announcement regarding the strikes on Yemen include major exporters such as Germany and South Korea, Denmark, the home of affected shipping line Maersk and others, as well as countries such as Australia and Canada. This is an indication of the profound global effects this disruption is having. After Houthi attacks continued despite warnings, the military actions have sent a signal that free navigation will be protected despite the high cost. They can also be understood as a signal that countries are ready to defend other choke points. The most likely target for this is what a former chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) called called a horrible and inevitable progression that could see the situation in the Red Sea spread to the strait of Hormuz. At least one-fifth of global oil and gas transports is shipped through the 39km wide stretch of sea between Oman and Iran. Iran backs the Houthis in Yemen, as well as other groups in the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz has a long history of tensions. By blocking this choke point, Iran could throw the global economy into serious disarray. However, experts also highlight the likelihood of a severe global backlash to any such action doing more harm to Iran than good. The justification for the current military actions against the Houthis is likely to also contain a nod to this. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The Conversation The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. One of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies, the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, has cut ties with the self-governed island in favor of Beijing. The move comes just days after Taiwan voted to elect the ruling Democratic Progressive Party candidate William Lai Ching-te, who the Chinese government calls a "troublemaker" for his pro-independence stance. The Nauru government on Monday announced it would no longer recognize Taiwan as a separate country, leaving Taiwan with a new low of just 12 diplomatic allies, including Haiti, Paraguay, Guatemala and the Marshall Islands. Taiwan's deputy foreign minister, Tien Chung-kwang, called it a retaliatory move for holding elections and accused China of using financial aid to buy over the country. "China thinks it can suppress Taiwan with such methods, I think it is wrong. The world has noticed Taiwan's democratic development," Tien said. PHOTO: Confetti flies over the stage and crowd as Taiwan's Vice President and presidential-elect from the Democratic Progressive Party Lai Ching-te, center, speaks to supporters at a rally at the party's headquarters on January 13, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images) MORE: Video: Victory for ruling-party candidate in Taiwans presidential election China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province that will be brought under its control by force if needed, unsurprisingly welcomed Nauru's switch, saying it "fully demonstrates once again that the one-China principle is the will of the people and the trend of the times." Speaking Sunday at a press conference in Cairo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Taiwan "has never been a country, not in the past and certainly not in the future." He went on to say that "Taiwan independence has never been possible, it has not been possible in the past, and it will never be possible in the future." Beijing has made its anger clear over Taiwan's elections held on Saturday, which saw Lai win the presidential race. Lai said Taiwan will cope with Chinese pressure "calmly" and continue to cooperate with "like-minded allies, including the U.S.," to maintain peace in the region. Meanwhile, on Monday, an unofficial delegation from the Biden administration met with the president-elect and also held a meeting with the current leader, Tsai Ing-wen, in a show of American support following the election. Story continues PHOTO: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen shakes hands with former US national security advisor Stephen Hadley and former US deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg during a visit at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Jan. 15, 2024. (Cna Pool/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) "Taiwan's democracy has set a shining example to the world. We are honored to have the opportunity to meet with you today to reaffirm that the American commitment to Taiwan is rock solid, principled and bipartisan, and that the United States stands with its friends," said former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley. The delegation, including former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, is led by the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto American embassy, which said the U.S. government asked Hadley to travel in their "private capacity." PHOTO: TOPSHOT - A woman walks past a mural at a museum about Wu Guocai, a Chinese soldier who died fighting against nationalist forces in 1949, on Pingtan Island, in China's southeast Fujian province on Jan. 15, 2024. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Taiwan is a major flashpoint in tensions between the U.S. and China, and the election result will test those ties even further. The United States has never officially denied or recognized China's claim over Taiwan. However, it continues to supply Taiwan with military training and weapons. When former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022, Beijing launched unprecedented drills and flew missiles over the island. Taiwan loses another diplomatic ally, while unofficial US delegation offers support following presidential election originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Views & Analysis 45 days on, Success Eludes Israeli Army in Khan Younis The Israeli army are still trying to enter Khan Younis ever since their military campaign on the southern city started on 1 December, 2023. Read More Monday January 15, 2024 10:30 PM , Dr Marwan Asmar The Israeli army are still trying to enter Khan Younis ever since their military campaign on the southern city started on 1 December, 2023. We are well into the first month of 2024 and Israeli soldiers are still trying to enter Gazas second largest city but with little success. They are being hammered by the Palestinian resistance movement on a daily basis despite their missiles and bombs with the help of Israeli warplanes striking homes and ambulances and their drivers. There is a snagging feeling that the Israeli soldiers are also being aided by the British reconnaissance flights but with no apparent success. Khan Younis must be seen as the resistance hub that is yet to be dominated and controlled. But this is not the north. Here, Izz Aldin Al Qassam and Saraya Al Quds fighters are moving full throttle ahead with their booby traps laid in circles outside the city to make sure the invaders dont enter. These are proving death traps for the Israeli soldiers who are falling on daily basis together with their tanks, military convoys and bulldozers. Battle of Khan Younis Despite their daily clobbering, they are determined to dominate Khan Younis with the Israeli army increasing the brigades to around 30,000 soldiers but as yet this is not happening. Regardless of the low and messaged numbers daily regurgitated by the Israeli army, one soldier blasts the Netanyahu government for being irresponsible and turning a blind eye to the number of deaths and the hostages that are still in Hamas captivity. The soldier tells them on the social media to stop playing with the figures. He says Jewish parents already know the extent of deaths because they see their siblings coming home in draped coffins. He says 3000 Israeli soldiers have already been killed with over 10,000 injured. This is not to mention the thousands disabled by the war so far and are now no use for fighting. The Israeli deaths in Khan Younis reflect the overall number of the soldiers being killed in the Gaza whether its in the north middle, east and to the south of the Strip. While the warplanes wreaked criminal havoc on the Palestinian population, Israeli soldiers have been getting as much as they are giving despite the fact the Israeli army point to mass deaths in the ranks of the Palestinian resistance movement, claiming they have killed 8000 of them since 7 October. But they also killed over 23,000 Palestinian civilians which they fail to mention. And if the Israeli army are doing so well why havent they entered Khan Younis yet, a city of over 2000 people and a major commercial and intellectual hub. If the Israelis are on the periphery of the city, they should have entered its center by now. But they are being blocked. They are still to the east of the city, bogged down in towns like Bani Suhaila, Al Qarara and Absan. They are meeting stiff resistance there by Palestinian fighters in jeans and flip-flops facing a highly mechanized Israeli army. Battering But the Israeli army are getting a battering along with their heavy military hardware with tanks and machinery lost in their hundreds. So if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps saying the war will go on for a few more months yet, a position repeated by his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, then he will continue to face the military music of more deaths and destruction. But the military top brass are not convinced, agreeing with the politicians who say the war must go on whilst believing this is a new stage III of the war that focuses on the south and have been withdrawing some brigades especially from the northern parts of the strip to its outer part. We are yet to see how will the shape of this war unfolds. But here as well, they maybe adhering to the American position which wants them to tone down the bloody conflict while opposing Hamas and hopping, maybe, it can be finished off. Despite this the battle of Khan Younis rages on and a ceasefire is nowhere in sight. [The writer, Dr Marwan Asmar, who has a PHD from UKs Leeds University, is a frequent contributor on Middle East affairs.] Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Views & Analysis To restore trust in Jammu and Kashmir, Govt needs to do a hell lot of hard work Jammu and Kashmir has suffered and is suffering the way it has suffered never before. The mistrust is on the rise and is growing day after day. Read More Monday January 15, 2024 9:33 PM , Raqif Makhdoomi The parliament was roaring with the slogans of the opposition against the abrogation of Article 370, the Home Minster with all his strength screamed Abrogation of 370 will strengthen the grassroots level Democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minster Spoke About Democracy while the Member of Parliament from Srinagar constituency, including two former Chief Ministers, Minsters, MLAs, Mainstream political party workers, Journalists, Activists and Advocates were logged in SKICC or in jail & all the communications snapped. People were locked in open-air prison, no one was allowed to speak or protest. Even some news channels were shut. The home Minister justified this unannounced suspension of fundamental rights as Preventive Measures. They seemed in no way preventive but actions which meant Fall in Line, or face the consequences. While the whole world was happy with the launch of 5G, people of Kashmir had to struggle with 2G and this was called grassroots democracy. Many newspapers that didnt give government narrative were stopped ads. These advertisements are the main source of income, so they had no choice other than to fall in line. All of them have fallen so badly in line that all they do now (most of the newspapers) is copy paste. They receive news on WhatsApp and they paste it on their newspapers. No research, no fact checking. Just copy and paste. With time the situation started to get even worse. The media policy fully curbed, giving the government sweeping right to decide what news is fake and what isnt. The policy was implemented the way no other policy was ever done. Many newspapers that didnt bow down were asked to vacate or were forced to vacate the government accommodation. Many journalists faced charges under the draconian UAPA and many are still languishing in jails. The government opened centres that provided journalists with internet access, which they used to send news outside Kashmir. Many of the journalists called it harassment, they had to wait in long queues to get a computer so that they send news to their news channels or newspapers they worked for. Also Read Kashmir After Abrogation of Article 370: Lies and Propaganda Galore Imagine how annoying it must have been for them to wait for their turn to get internet access when everyone has it in pockets. Well Kashmir has always done many things for the Nation and still being called anti-National. Assembly elections are still a dream. It has been five years since the Article 370 was abrogated. But the government is yet to give any clarification on elections and restoration of Statehood. Every time they repeat the same sentence Once the situation on ground improves, we will hold the elections and then restore the statehood. Well they arent able to improve the situation on ground while the Home Minster on 5th of August 2019 kept screaming about the situation being normal in Jammu and Kashmir. But, now they are unclear about the situation. The BJP isnt sure about its win in the region and thats the main reason why they dont want to hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir. They are just fine to control it through LG. People of Jammu who were seen dancing to the drum beats are now beating their chest after feeling betrayed by the central government. Jammu has suffered much more than the Kashmir Valley. When they were betrayed about the protection of jobs, they got to know that they have been played with. Jammu and Kashmir was not the only state to have the Special Status. North Indian states also have the Special Status under Article 371. But no one speaks about inequality being done to others because of their Special Status. All the evils were seen in Article 370. The way Article 370 prevented outsiders to buy land, the Tenancy Act also prevents outsiders to buy land in Himachal Pradesh but no one claims that it hampers the development of Himachal but Article 370 used to do. The main reason to Abrogate Article 370 was the elections that were ahead. No one speaks about Naga Accord. The Naga Accord has a demand of separate flag. Jammu and Kashmir has suffered and is suffering the way it has suffered never before. The mistrust is on the rise and is growing day after day. People have lost all hope in Democratic Institutions. And to restore the trust, the government has to do a hell lot of hard work. [The writer, Raqif Makhdoomi, is a student of law and a Rights Activist. Views and opinions expressed in the article is personal.] Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Middle East Israel urged to avoid further journalist casualties The National Press Club has put the death toll of the Journalists in the ongoing war as 82, terming it a devastating number. Read More Monday January 15, 2024 12:54 PM , ummid.com News Network Washington: Expressing deep concerns over the alarming deaths of media professionals during the ongoing Israel-Palestine war, the National Press Club has urged the far right Zionist regime to avoid further journalist casualties in Gaza. The National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute call on the Israeli Forces to do everything in its power to avoid further journalist casualties, the world's leading professional organization for journalists said in a statement. Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every leading news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom worldwide. Journalists are not combatants and must be protected, the organisation said. Devastating The National Press Club has put the death toll of the Journalists in the ongoing war as 82, terming it a devastating number. "We mourn the loss of at least 82 journalists killed since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7. The overall death toll in this conflict is devastating, the organisation said. The 82 journalists killed included 75 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese journalists and media workers, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The working press in Gaza face great risks every day as they bravely cover the conflict and inform the world about the deadly fighting and its aftermath, including disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages, the organisation said as the world marks 100 days of the ongoing war . The National Press Club had in December termed deadliest the casualties of media professionals in the Israeli airstrikes. Gaza Death Toll Latest The relentless and indiscriminate Israeli bombardment of Gaza in the last 100 days has also forced some Palestinian journalists to quit their profession . The Israeli Occupation Forces has been accused of deliberately targeting the women and children, including the media professionals killing 23,968 and injuring over 60,000 Palestinians. According to the Health Ministry of Palestine, over 70 per cent of those killed and injured are women and children. The Health Ministry further said more than 7,000 Palestinians again majority of them women and children, are under the rubble and presumed dead. Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. The war between Russia and Ukraine has reached a stage of shelling and missile attacks that have not been seen since the beginning of the war, reports Al Jazeera Ukraine's increased shelling of Belgorod represents a tactical pivot of sorts. In April 2023, two Ukrainian attack helicopters cross the border and fired on an oil depot in Belgorod. It was the first time since the invasion that Russia reported a Ukrainian airstrike on its territory. Since that time, Ukraine has gone on the offensive in Kursk, Crimea near the Black Sea, and even in Moscow. On Tuesday, Russia stated that its armed forces will do whatever it takes to stop the shelling of Belgorod, which sits on the Seversky Donets River approximately 25 miles north of the Ukraine border with Russia. Currently, the ground war along the front line in eastern Ukraine is at a relative standstill. Russia has not pushed back the counteroffensive of Ukraine, but Ukraine has not taken back much ground either. So, Russia has reverted to a tactic of aimed at civilians and looks to attack power, fuel and food production to make life even more difficult for them. The Belgorod attacks injured three people and resulted in the evacuation of hundreds and school closures as well. "Of course, our military will continue to do everything in order to minimise the danger at first and then eliminate it entirely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters."Now there are three people in intensive care, all of them have undergone surgeries. Doctors assess their condition as stable and severe," said Vyacheslav Gladkov, the head of the Belgorod region. Russia had launched another barrage of missiles against Ukrainian targets in eastern Ukraine on Monday, killing four civilians and injuring 30, according to Ukrainian officials. Recently, HNGN reported that U.S. intelligence believes Moscow is increasingly dependent missiles from North Korea to restock its supplys. A centuries old Russian military tactic is to use the winter against its enemies. Analysts believe this is exact what Moscow is attempting to use the North Korean short-range ballistic missiles for. Last week, HNGN reported that Ukraine had fired two Tochka-U missiles and seven rockets late Tuesday evening followed by six Tochka-U missiles and six Vilkha rockets on Wednesday. The Soviet era Tochka-U missile system is equipped with a range of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) and a warhead capable of carrying cluster munitions. Welcome Guest! You are here: Home Views & Analysis Let AMU be in Possession of the Muslim Community, Its Legitimate Heir The minority status case is purely a legal issue but it has never been handled carefully and enthusiastically by the AMU administration prior to 2004. Read More Monday January 15, 2024 11:23 AM , Dr Anwar Khursheed The Jinn of Minority Status of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is out of the bottle again in Supreme Court. The minority status case is purely a legal issue but it has never been handled carefully and enthusiastically by the AMU administration prior to 2004. After the passing of 50% reservation for Muslims in 2004, the case went to the court of law and argued with full power by senior lawyers namely - S.S. Ray, Dr. S. Dhawan & Company under the best possible supervision of Prof Faizan Mustafa, who took charge of the Registrar by the time this case, went for hearing. But, we lost the case in Allahabad High Court in 2005. The volte-face by the Government on the minority institution status in Supreme Court and the subsequent developments triggered serious debate in the media. I as a member of the Executive Council (EC) was also witness and a party to this entire episode when reservation was approved. It is unfortunate that now we have been entangled into this legal web, but more unfortunate is our ignorance about its details even as the media trials are making the matter more complex. MAO College The chequered history of this great seat of learning was itself expressed by the Viceroy Lord Lytton, on January 8, 1877 while laying the foundation stone of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO College), which Sir Sayed conceived with Islamic spirit and secular character. In furtherance of the objective of establishing a Muslim University, Mohammedan University Foundation Committee was formed on January 10, 1911 presided over by Sir Agha Khan. A Memorandum based on Muslim denomination was submitted to the Government of India in 1912. On the Governments demand, a huge sum of Rs 30 lakhs as reserve fund (endowment) was raised (equivalent to Rs 800 Crores of now). The preamble of the draft Constitution, which has now become more significant, reads: And whereas from the beginning the object of the founder and the Muslim community was to raise such College to the status of a University, And whereas during the last thirty five years of its existence the said College has very largely extended and expanded, And whereas a memorial has been presented to the Trustees of the said College and other representative of the Muslim community praying for the erection of a Muslim University at Aligarh, and inviting attention to the advantages which a University of their own would confer on their community, to the inadequate representation which their community has in the existing Universities, to the enthusiasm which their own University would create amongst the Musalmans for education at every stage, to the advantages of teaching over a purely examining University, and to the need for religious teaching and the protection of oriental learning, And whereas it appears to the Government that, considering the peculiar circumstances of the Muslim community and its special educational requirements such a prayer is just and reasonable Amendments in AMU Act The Aligarh Muslim University Bill was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council and Gazetted on December 1, 1920. The first amendment in the AMU Act in the post-independent India was enacted in 1951 by allowing non-Muslims as the members of the Court, theology was declared as non-compulsory subject and composition of the Court, the Academic and the Executive Council was changed drastically. Another amendment in the Act in 1965 was a severe blow to the original character of the University. The Democratic supreme governing status of the Court reduced to a nominated advisory body. It was criticized by all the sections of the Muslim community and was challenged by Aziz Basha in the Supreme Court on the ground of minority status of the institution. He lost the case on a very narrow and debatable technical ground. It was held that as the University was established by the Central Legislature, the Muslim community cannot claim to administer it. Hence the said amendment is constitutional. Also Read AMU Minority Character, Judiciary and The Executive In 1972 another amendment was passed but it could not fulfil the aspirations of the Muslim community. As a result the movement for the restoration of the minority character of the University remained continued with renewed vigour and zeal. Finally, some major changes in sections 2(l) and 5(2) (c) were incorporated with the promulgation of another amendment in the AMU Act in 1981. Under Section 2(l): Earlier the University was defined as University means the Aligarh Muslim University, which was amended as University means the educational institution of their choice established by the Muslims of India, which originated as Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, Aligarh and which was subsequently incorporated as Aligarh Muslim University. The Section 5(2) (c) provides: The University shall have the powers, namely- to promote especially the educational and cultural advancement of the Muslims of India. AMU Admission Criteria The University always maintained admissions based on competition open to all sections of the society . It was only in 2003, the Supreme Court in Saurabh Chaudhri vs. Union of India case decided that 50 % seats of MD/MS should be surrendered to the AIIMS for All India test after validly reserved seats for SC/ST etc. The Director General of Health Services asked the University to surrender 50% seats after validly reserved seats for SC/ST etc. The AMU was earlier allocating its 25% seats to All India quota, decided to reserve 50% seats for Muslims, 25% of the total for All India quota and remaining 25% for Internal students. The surprising element was that the Supreme Court directed 50% of the total seats for All India quota, while DG Health asked 50% after reservation for SC/ST etc. It is indeed unabsolvable that our Vice-Chancellor and then Registrar completely forgot that at MD and MS level, even constitutional reservations for SCs and STs do not exist and in a cynical haste they tried to befool the Supreme Court also (presuming that earlier also we were giving 25% of the total seats and with 50% reservations for Muslims, we will manage to give only 25% of the total). However, next year, AMU was directed once again that 50% of the total seats prior to any reservation shall be surrender as All India quota as the letter of DG Health GOI was not correct and currently this is our practice till date. It simply means that had we would have won the reservation case, it would have been impossible to save our 25% seats from All India quota. This also defeated the very basis of our reservation. The Allahabad High Court quashed the reservation policy and subsequent decision of striking down sections 2(l) and 5(2) (c) by the divisional bench of High Court is the basis of the recent appeal in the Supreme Court. Discrepancies The lack of preparedness on part of the then dispensation can best be judged by their handling of reservation issue, how easily it has been jeopardized. The university did not realise that MD/MS is the most prestigious admission in the country and at that time also there were nearly dozen cases in the SC including Magan Malhotra, Pradeep Jain, Dinesh Kumar and many more. It was not realised that any tinkering with the reservation in MD/MS would have been far reaching consequences and the same did happen. If the university was really interested they could have started reservation with admission in B.A/B.Sc./B.Com program and subsequently apply over others quietly. Why I am writing all these is to point out that the University administration shall work on unanimity and should give weightage to all stakeholders. I distinctly remember that I was an elected member of that EC which took decision about the reservation and the AMU administration was so complacent that they did not make Saurabh Chaudhry case a part of the agenda. It was only on my insistence it was supplied to me in the evening just about 14-15 hours before the meeting. I pointed out the discrepancy in the judgment and DG health letter but nobody gave ears to it. No legal opinion was tabled in the EC meeting. Even the committee constituted for this purpose was devoid of any legal authority or even member from our own law faculty. Remember another person was the Registrar at that time and had a person with legal acumen like Prof Faizan Mustafa would have been at the helm of the affairs, the situation would have been different. The administration in its populist enthusiasm forget that the Aziz Bash case shall be undone before any such action (remember AMU was not a party in Aziz Basha case and never appealed against it unfortunately). It is not intended to doubt the intention of the then University administration, it was indeed done with the best intention to prevent surrender of 25% more seats but the method was inappropriate, in haste and summarily rejecting the advice of members in the council by treating them as opposition. Even a liberal dissent in AMU is treated as a big crime and the administration treat them as persona non grata. The next VC shall give a serious thought to this attitude. Right of minorities to establish educational institution Historically, the vast majority of the Muslim community and the well-wishers of the University rightly consider it a minority institution. The 1981 AMU amendment Act has further strengthened our belief, as it has duly recognized its origin as MAO College. Our views were also based on the fact that the principle of reservation and preference (Article 15 and 16) is embedded in our Constitution and it does not flout the right to equality (Article 14). Further, Article 29 does not control the scope of Article 30(1), which provides the minorities to establish and administer their educational institution. The Supreme Court in one of its judgment in 1993 ruled that: There is no absolute when claims to justice on complaints of inequality are considered. The goal of Articles 14 and 16 are limited to equality among comparables. By any standards, Muslims are the weakest section of our society and are obviously incomparable. The principal considerations before the Supreme Court while deciding Saurabh Chaudhris case were also similar: There can be no doubt that the policy of ensuring admissions to the MBBS Course on All India basis is a highly desirable policy, based as it is on the postulates that India is one nation and every citizen of India is entitled to have equal opportunity for education and advancement, but it is an ideal to be aimed at and it may not be realistically possible, in the present circumstances, to adopt it, for it cannot produce real equality of opportunity unless there is complete absence of disparities and equalities a situation which simply does not exist in the country today. Article 14 of our constitution forbids class legislation but permits reasonable classification based on intelligible differentia. The Supreme Court in Saurabh Chaudhris case has justified 50% institutional quota on grounds of institutional continuity in education. The internal quota in our present admission policy is a classification based on intelligible differentia and hence in harmony with the Supreme Court judgment. The question on the validity of reservation on account of a government aided institution has also been settled by the Supreme Court in TMA Pai case: A minority institution does not cease to be so, the moment the grant-in-aid is received by the institution. The aided minority educational institution, therefore, would be entitled to have the right of admission of students belonging to minority group. The Allahabad High Courts judgment in 2005 and the pronouncement of the Central government now that the AMU is not a minority institution clearly point out the incompetence of the Parliament to incorporate the 1981 amendment. It has also stirred majority of common people, as to how the Parliament, which is the supreme authority is unable to prevail. The relevant articles of fundamental rights of our constitution, Aziz Basha case and procedures of validation need to be mentioned here to clear this cloud of confusion. As described earlier, the concluding para of the above said Aziz Basha judgment explicitly mentions: These provisions in our opinion clearly show that the administration was also not vested in the Muslim minority; on the other hand it was vested in the statutory bodies created by the 1920 Act, and only in one of them, namely, the Court, there was a bar to the appointment of anyone else except a Muslim, though even there some of the electors for some of the members included non-Muslims. We are, therefore, of opinion that the Aligarh University was neither established nor administered by the Muslim minority and therefore there is no question of any amendment to the 1920 Act being unconstitutional under article 30 (1) for that article does not apply at all to the Aligarh University. H.M.Seervai in his detailed critique concluded with respect to Aziz Basha ruling: The Muslims brought the University into existence in the only manner in which a University could be brought into existence; namely by invoking central legislation. The Muslim community provided funds, building, colleges and endowment for the University and without them, the University as a body corporate would be an unreal abstraction. It is submitted that the decision is clearly wrong and productive of great public mischief and should be overruled. Therefore, in all practical sense the Supreme Courts decision is acceptable that it is parliament who established AMU and not the Muslims. But then please accept that the Imperial parliament established Aligarh Muslim University for the Muslims. The provision of only Muslim members in the Court which was executive body and inclusion of theology as a compulsory subject in 1920 Act was a clear assertion of the then legislature. It was only post independent India in 1951 when these provisions were withdrawn. Possible Remedy The final picture emerges out of above discussion with due respect to H.M.Seervai, is that technically the legislature is competent to change the basis of a decision by enactment of a general law to the extent that the decision could not have been given under amended conditions, but it cannot set aside the fact determined by the Court. Therefore, the possible remedy is enactment of general law under Article 30 of the Constitution, so that the AMU, which was originated as MAO College and later, incorporated as a University by an Act of Parliament in 1920, can be classified as a minority institution. The same remedy is suggested by the High Court divisional bench judgment. Our Constitution through Article 368 empowers Parliament to amend, by way of addition, variation or repeal any provision of the Constitution according to the laid down procedures. Unlikely but significant is the fact that in1973 in Keshavnandan Bharti case and in 1980 in Minerva Mills case, the Supreme Court in its doctrine has held that the basic structure or the framework of the Constitution cannot be changed by the Parliament. Also Read To Honour And Value Aligarh Muslim University Is Duty Of Everyone Of Us The purpose of the procedure of Constitutional amendment as laid down in Article 368 is not to restrict the amending powers of the Parliament, but only to ensure that any amendment which affects the right of the constituents of the Indian federation is made only if it has their support to the extent and in the manner prescribed in the Article. The procedure is also a tribute to the care taken by the authors of the Constitution to ensure that the federal government respects the rights of its constituents. All these categorical assertions and care in the letter and spirit of the Constitution face the assertion of this unprecedented and novel doctrine. The doctrine is not sanctioned by any provision of the Constitution, its ambit is neither defined nor perhaps definable, and its application is unpredictable. What it says amounts to saying that the Parliament cannot amend any provision of the Constitution which the Court may going by its own unstated criteria and whenever it may decide to do so, consider being a basic feature of the Constitution. The most pertinent question is that what happens then if the Parliament passes a Constitutional amendment in compliance with Article 368 and the Court declares it invalid under its own doctrine? This question is not imaginary. My apprehension lies on the present judicial activism, the fact that the concept and process of reservation vis-a-vis minorities is under maturation and finally the observation of the High Court bench on page 24 that the Supreme Court has taken a view and once this view is taken, it cannot be dislodged by an Act of Parliament; it cannot be perhaps be dislodged by any means, and in this issue the point of changing the basis of the judgment, or brazenly overruling a courts judgment is not involved. It is a point of incompetence of the Parliament. However, by any stretch of imagination the definition of AMU under section 30(1) amounts to tinkering with basic structure of the constitution as depicted in the above doctrine. Moreover, article 31-A provides saving (protection) to the laws which are inconsistent with fundamental rights under Article 13, 14 and 19. The Courts have been too harsh on the AMU minority subject in the past. Technically such interpretations may be possible, but successively the spirit of entire case is ignored. Whatever may be the level of apprehensions and complications, we expect that the Supreme Court will undo the Azeez Basha judgment through present constitutional bench. It is not only our wish but also firm belief that our University would ultimately be in the possession of its legitimate heir the Muslim Community. The Courts of law and secular people of this Country have always behaved with objectivity and justice in the past and this is the sole reason that our optimism has not deserted us. [The writer, Anwar Khursheed is Professor at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He can be reached via e-mail: akhursheedalig@gmail.com.] Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic. As part of the agreement, Oakwood Ha Long will be the new name for the Premier Village Ha Long resort, created and operated by Sun Group since 2020. According to the agreement, The Ascott Limited will take over direct management and operation of the entire resort, as well as be responsible for training and guiding the resort's personnel. With the mission of bringing international living standards and inspiration to each customer's journey, Ascott promises to elevate Oakwood Ha Long in Quang Ninh to an international standard resort, delicately combined with charming local features. This is also the next collaboration project between Sun Group and The Ascott Limited, following their partnership in managing a high-end hotel and serviced apartment complex on the banks of West Lake, Hanoi since October 2021. The Ascott Limited is the world's largest international serviced residence business operator, established in 1984 and based in Singapore. The Ascott's network currently comprises over 940 serviced apartments and hotels, spanning over 220 cities in over 40 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. The Ascott manages more than 14 serviced residence and hotel brands, offering a diverse portfolio of serviced apartments, hotels, co-living spaces, senior living residences, and student accommodation. As a wholly-owned business unit of CapitaLand Investment Limited, Ascott is a pioneering vertical integrated lodging business model globally. Under the management of Ascott, Oakwood Ha Long will have wide access to millions of members of the Ascott Star Rewards loyalty program, promising to bring the resort closer to potential customers not only in Vietnam but also worldwide. Nestled along the World Heritage-listed bay, Oakwood Ha Long offers a collection of luxurious and modern villas with 5-star amenities, perfect for families and groups of friends. Centred around the core value of "Home + Beyond," Oakwood Ha Long provides guests with a sense of familiarity and comfort, just like being at home. The living experience at Oakwood Ha Long is defined by a unique set of values and carefully curated amenities. The resort has 86 villas, designed to be open, capturing the fresh sea air and lush, pristine nature of the heritage region, making each vacation a true energy renewal journey for every family. Aiming to be a "second home" the villas at Oakwood Ha Long are equipped with amenities so guests can feel familiar and comfortable no matter where they are. The spacious living rooms are suitable for large multi-generational families to gather. The well-equipped kitchen with an indoor dining table and outdoor party table allows families to organise their events or use the chef rental service to prepare a feast right at the villa. In addition to the common living space, the villas at Oakwood Ha Long still provide each member with private areas to enjoy moments in their modern, comfortable bedrooms, or relax at the spa with special therapies for health and beauty, or simply unwind by the pool with a cocktail, enjoying the sea view without having to go far. One of the key highlights of the Oakwood brand's experience in Ha Long is its culinary offerings. A standout feature is Oakbar, a beverage service available at any location within the resort where guests can feel comfortable and convenient with their work and leisure schedules. Whether at the Oakbar in the resort lobby or the in-room Oakbar upon request, every resident will have the most flexible options to enjoy their favourite drinks. In addition, the two restaurants within the resort promise to bring guests exceptional local culinary experiences in a cosy atmosphere. Sharing the joy of Oakwood's presence in Quang Ninh, Ms. Serena Lim, Development Director of The Ascott Limited, said: "At The Ascott Limited, we prioritise meeting the expectations of investors and value the common vision to collaborate and achieve success together. Sun Group is known as one of the leading private economic groups in Vietnam with internationally acclaimed projects, a broad vision, and great development potential. This collaboration once again reinforces the strategic partnership between Ascott and Sun Group. We are delighted to share a common vision with Sun Group and work together to turn that vision into reality. With our capabilities and experience, Ascott will provide customers with unforgettable experiences. With our experienced operational team in Vietnam and concentrated resources, we are confident in successfully winning over customers." During the signing ceremony, Nguyen Vu Quynh Anh, CEO of Sun Hospitality Group, the resort and tourism brand of Sun Group, emphasised, "The signing ceremony marks another important milestone in the cooperative relationship between Sun Group and The Ascott Limited. The Oakwood Ha Long project demonstrates the commitment of both partners to enhancing the customer experience. With a general vision of creating a truly superior living environment, where international standards coexist with local essence, along with the prestigious reputation and extensive operational management experience of Ascott, we expect Oakwood Ha Long to become an unmissable destination for any traveller on the journey to explore the wonders of the world-renowned Ha Long Bay." After the signing ceremony, the Oakwood Ha Long resort will officially commence operations and welcome guests from January 15. HCM CITY Trading through commodity exchanges would help mitigate risks for both buyers and sellers and create fair, competitive prices for Vietnamese agricultural products as well as prevent the recurring crashing of prices when farmers have bumper crops, speakers told a seminar in HCM City late last week. At the seminar "Buying and Selling through Commodity Exchange - Sustainable Business Solutions, Multiplying Profits" held by Doanh nghiep & Hoi nhap magazine, Pham Hai Tung, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, said commodity exchange is popular around the world. Indices of a number of reputable commodity exchanges have become benchmarks for the world market, he said. While it is possible to trade in physical commodities, it is far more common to trade in financial contracts based on commodity prices, known as derivatives. Tung said the Mercantile Exchange of Vietnam (MXV) was established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2010. The legal corridor for trading on the exchange is as open as at international exchanges. MXV currently lists 45 products under five commodity groups connected to eight major commodity exchanges in the world. By the end of August 2023, the number of accounts on the MXV platform reached more than 30,000. The average transaction value per session in the first eight months of last year was VN4 trillion (US$163.4 million), with the peak session topping VN9.5 trillion ($388.2 million). Dr. inh The Hien, director of the Research Institute of Informatics and Applied Economics, said the commodity exchange plays an important role in the process of developing a market economy, a financial market and an agricultural market. When participating in the commodity exchange, a farmer can sell the crop in advance at a known price via futures contracts, manufacturers can purchase raw materials in advance to hedge against a potential rise in input prices in the future, saving on storage fees, while exporters can sell in advance to fulfill price commitments with foreign customers, and investors can make profits through the use of leverage," Hien said. Participating in the commodity exchange will also help create fair, competitive prices for Vietnamese agricultural products and prevent prices of produce from plummeting when farmers have bumper crops, and enable farmers to directly access the market and connect with the global agricultural market. Nguyen Quoc Thinh, chairman of Gia Cat Loi Commodity Trading JSC, said that participating in the commodity exchange may bring superior returns to investors and businesses regardless of the market's ups and downs. The market features flexible transaction time, high liquidity and fast transactions. In particular, investors do not bear much inventory risks when trading on the exchange. However, according to Hien, the Mercantile Exchange of Vietnam has not fully promoted its role in contributing to the development of the agriculture industry and creating benefits for farmers and agricultural production companies. Products listed on the exchange are of foreign commodity exchanges, without any domestic products listed on the MXV platform yet despite Viet Nam having strengths in the production and export of Robusta coffee, pepper, rice, seafood and other farm produces. Therefore, MXV needs to do more in order to bring more benefits to local agriculture, farmers and businesses, he said. Luong Van Tu, former chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, said that there is huge potential for selling agricultural products through commodity exchanges. But this is a form of investment, so there is still potential risk if investors do not have knowledge and experience. He noted that they need to participate in professional training courses before joining in the market. They also need to keep abreast with market information and factors that could affect prices, he added. VNS HA NOI Phuc Sinh JSC has announced that the company successfully sold shares to an investment fund from Europe with an undisclosed amount. Phan Minh Thong, general director of Phuc Sinh JSC, said the fund would not participate in operating the business but simply provide financial support. This has been the first time the company received foreign investment in 22 years of operation. The deal was completed after 18 months of negotiation. In the context of a limited capital market, having an investment with a moderate capital price is very meaningful. We are valued at US$320 million. The amount is not too large but not small either, which could help us build two coffee processing factories this year, Thong said. He added that in recent years, many companies wanted to invest in Phuc Sinh. However, they were refused because of not properly evaluating Vietnamese agriculture value, which is very low compared to companies in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the Philippines. Viet Nam's agricultural industry is developing strongly and has many opportunities to attract foreign investment. Phuc Sinh Group also wants to raise more capital to develop factories, and also call for additional capital specifically for the K-Coffee coffee chain. However, we only accept financial investment and do not need strategic investors, he said. Established in 2001, Phuc Sinh Group is one of the leading exporters of pepper, coffee and agricultural products in the country. In the spice industry, the company has been leading since 2007. A recent report from SFV-Export (the project to strengthen export capacity for small and medium enterprises in Viet Nam's spices, vegetables and fruits industry) showed that Phuc Sinh is the largest exporter of Vietnamese spices to the EU, with 15.1 per cent market share, a sharp increase from 8.4 per cent in 2022. VNS HA NOI Information related to research and survey in the field of agriculture, especially production, and trade of agricultural machinery, was shared and discussed at an online seminar on mechanisation in agricultural production in Viet nam, on January 15. The online seminar on mechanisation in agricultural production in Vietnam, jointly held by the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-harvest Technology (IAEPT) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Italian Embassy in Viet Nam, aimed to facilitate cooperation between Italian mechanical businesses and the Vietnamese market. The mechanisation level in Viet Nam's agriculture is relatively low compared to other countries in the region and the world, according to IAEPT Director Pham Anh Tuan. Synchronous mechanisation is crucial to increase the added value and sustainable development of the agriculture sector. The forestry industry, in particular, has the lowest level of mechanisation at only about 30 per cent. While the agricultural machinery market in Viet Nam has significant potential, it also faces challenges. The country's engine equipment falls behind the average level in other ASEAN countries, and domestic manufacturers have a relatively low market share. Their production capacity can only meet 32 per cent of the market demand. Director of the Italian Trade Office in Viet Nam, Fabio De Cillis, highlighted that Italy is among the top 20 agricultural machinery suppliers in Viet Nam. He emphasised the opportunity for foreign businesses to become partners in providing mechanization and modernisation solutions, advanced technologies, and efficient agricultural machinery to meet the growing demand and contribute to the development of the sector. Cillis also mentioned that smart agriculture development is a key aspect of restructuring the agricultural sector and combating climate change in Vietnam. Italian companies can contribute by developing smart farming methods and providing affordable solutions that are tailored to the needs of Vietnamese farmers. IAEPT Director Tuan expressed hope that Italian businesses would invest in the support industry in Viet Nam, which would help the country integrate, access technology faster, and increase the rate of mechanization in agricultural production. VNS TOKYO Vietnamese and Japanese healthcare firms engaged in discussions aimed at enhancing their cooperation during their working session in the Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka on January 15. The Vietnamese business delegation, accompanied by experts, also visited the manufacturing facility of AFC-HD AMS Life Science company where they gained firsthand insights into its production process. The company adheres rigorously to scientific and safety standards, using a modern and enclosed production line. Hiroshi Suzuki, a representative of AFC-HD AMS Life Science, highlighted the company's involvement in the research and development of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health food and healthcare products, adding that AFC-HD AMS Life Science is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The same day, an agreement for the exclusive distribution of Hone Plus products in Vietnam was formalised at a signing ceremony between Luu Huy Nhat, Director of Ensou Vietnam, and Suzuki. Nhat said products from AFC-HD AMS Life Science, including Hone Plus, must meet the stringent requirements of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and global export standards. Hone Plus, a nutritional supplement containing key ingredients such as calcium, collagen, vitamin D, L-Arginine, is designed to support growth in height among children.- VNS HA NOI - Vietnam Animation Joint Stock Company (VAJTC) has announced the release of new animated films on their Youtube channel - Phim Hoat Hinh Viet Nam. According to screenwriter Pham Thanh Ha, head of the Script Department at the VAJTC, 11 films produced in 2023 were valued for their high quality and were granted permission for distribution by the National Film Censorship Board. Besides the traditional genres of 2D films, there were also 3D and computer-generated paper-cut films, which contributed to the diversity of animation styles in Vietnamese cinema. The highlights of the film lineup are three historical animated films computer-generated paper-cut film inh Tien Hoang e (Emperor inh Tien Hoang), 2D film Tieng Cong Nui Nua (The Gong Sound of Nua Mountain), and 3D film Anh Hung Nui Tan (The Hero of Tan Mountain). The Hero of Tan Mountain tells the classic story of the battle between Son Tinh (Mountain God) and Thuy Tinh (Water God), as well as the struggle of the Vietnamese to reclaim the land from the water since ancient times, in a fresh and modern approach. Viewers can enjoy the familiar ancient tale through magnificent 3D visuals and impressive visual effects that are expected to provide a new and engaging experience. The Gong Sound of Nua Mountain is about the uprising led by celebrated national heroine Trieu Thi Trinh (aka Lady Trieu) against northern feudal rule in the third century, thereby celebrating the heroic spirit and courage of Vietnamese women. It is one of the few historical animated films that vividly portrays historical figures on the screen with depth. The character of Lady Trieu is no longer confined to historical accounts but becomes relatable, vibrant, and has a soul and emotions, creating a sense of affection among viewers. Another success lies in its storytelling approach, the cinematic camera angles, and the improved animation 2D genre. Combined with epic and grandiose music that carries a sense of legend, The Gong Sound of Nua Mountain stands out as a captivating historical animated film of 2023, Ha said. Meanwhile, Emperor inh Tien Hoang impressed viewers with its intricate and creative computer-generated paper-cut animation style. It revolves around the image of the national hero and first Vietnamese Emperor inh Bo Linh (924-979) who defeated the twelve lords, unified the country and laid the foundation for the establishment of Vietnamese independence and political unity in the 10th century. Besides historical genre, VAJTC has also introduced new episodes of animated series that have become close friends of young viewers in recent years, such as Hiep Si Nghe Vang (The Golden Buffalo Knight), Chiec Mat Na Min Ho (The Mask of Min Ho) and Chien Binh Meo Mui o (Red Nose Cat Warrior). Other animated films in the 2023 film lineup are set in fairy worlds with touching and profound life lessons - Khoang Troi Mo Uoc (Dreamy Sky), Vung at Xanh (Greenland), Cu Nem Bong Than Sau (The Melancholic Ball Throw), Rung Xanh Noi Gian (Angry Green Forest) and Ba Gia Sieu Quay (The Mischievous Granny). Artist Pham Ngoc Tuan, the General Director of the VAJTC, emphasised that the company will seek to ensure that film production plans for 2024 are completed on schedule and with excellent quality. VAJTC is working on four animated films that are expected to be finished this year, including 2D film Lien Ket (Connection) and three computer-generated paper-cut films Thanh Am Hi Vong (Voice of Hope), Hiep Sy Lon Hong (Pink Pig Knight) and Su Tich Hoa Trang Nguyen (The Legend of Christmas Flowers). VAJTC will continue to strengthen our efforts in building the image and brand. We will also incorporate new technologies into the film production process, ensuring the application of the latest advancements. At the same time, we will focus on training staff and artists to enhance the quality of films and meet the increasing demands of viewers and the market, he said. We aim to fulfill the mission of nurturing the development of the young generations by providing them with an entertaining and meaningful channel, he added. VNS Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, has made a surprise visit to Lithuania, a crucial Kyiv ally amid the conflict against Russia's aggression. A jet wearing Ukraine's coat of arms landed Zelensky at the airport in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on Wednesday, January 10. After that, he reportedly said he would go to Estonia and Latvia, the other two Baltic nations, although he did not say when. War Talks Between Zelensky and Nauseda In a report by CNN, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that he and Zelensky would meet to discuss the current conflict and Ukraine's integration into the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. In light of the ongoing Russian airstrikes on Ukraine at the beginning of this year, Zelenksy said that collaboration with electronic warfare and drones would also be discussed. While opinions on the matter have changed in the United States, support for Ukraine in the Baltics has stayed strong. In December 2023, the US sent its last shipment of military supplies to Ukraine. This support will continue until the Biden administration's financing proposal, which aims to support Ukraine as it approaches the third year of conflict, is approved by a deeply divided Congress. The modernization of his country's air defense systems is something that Zelensky has said is very necessary. When asked about the one thing that the Russian government and its allies cannot offer in the near future, Zelensky said it is the updated air defense systems. He made the comment while speaking with Nauseda at a news conference in Vilnius. "I think you've seen, and journalists know the details, that in the last days of December, the 'holiday' days for us, and in the first days of January, Russia attacked civilian infrastructure, people, kindergartens, schools, electricity," Zelensky stated. "In total, there were 500 missile and drone strikes. We were able to repel an average of 70% of these attacks. Unfortunately, there were casualties. My condolences to those who lost their loved ones." See Also: Russia Suffers Significant Losses Everyday, Ukrainian Forces Claim Ukraine's NATO Membership Ambition Zelensky last made a state visit to Lithuania in July 2023 as part of his attendance at the annual NATO summit. During his stay there, he advocated for a more transparent process and a set date for his nation to become a member of the alliance. However, US President Joe Biden said on CNN before the conference that Ukraine could not be admitted to NATO while conflict raged on its land, despite Zelensky's optimism and urgency. Nevertheless, Ukraine did manage to get a faster track to potential membership. According to NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, the organization has simplified the membership process for Ukraine by eliminating the Membership Action Plan, a stringent set of reforms that other newly admitted countries were required to undergo to join the alliance. See Also: US Intel Officials Claim Russia Will Interfere in 2024 Election Despite Ongoing War HCM CITY A series of activities to promote reading culture will be offered at the annual HCM City Tet (Lunar New Year) Book Fair, which will take place from February 7-14 (or December 27 to January 5 on the lunar calendar) in District 1. The event, themed Xuan Yeu Thuong Tet Sum Vay (Spring of Love Tet Gathering), is organised by the city Department of Information and Communications to create an entertaining and cultural activity for residents and visitors during the Tet holiday. The fair will display around 3,000 book titles of various topics from the citys major publishers and book distributors such as Tre (Youth) Publishing House, Phuong Nam Books, and HCM City General Publishing House. The highlight of the fair will be an exhibition zone featuring publications and poets to celebrate Tet, news articles written by President Ho Chi Minh from 1954 to 1964, and publications by Party and State leaders. The showcase will also include documents, photos and publications to mark the 70th anniversary of the ien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 2024), and the 80th anniversary of the Viet Nam People's Army. Photos and publications on HCM Citys achievements in different fields will be featured as well. The HCM City Journalists Association will display more than 100 special publications to welcome Tet from the citys major newspapers and magazines such as Tuoi Tre (Youth), Thanh Nien (Young People) and Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon). This year, the publishers will introduce hundreds of e-books and audio books at the event. The fair will also feature several talks between authors and cultural experts and visitors, book introductions, and music performances. A kids zone and a reading space will be set up as well. One highlight will be the organiser will give books as Lunar New Years gift to readers who visit the Tet Book Fair on the first day of Lunar New Year on February 10. The Tet Book Fair will take place on Le Loi Street in District 1. It is expected to attract around 1 million visitors. VNS HCM CITY -- Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers has debuted its premium Tet gift collection with luxurious designs, and it is expected to be the top choice for guests looking for gifts to deliver love and respect on the occasion of Tet, the biggest national celebration of Vietnamese people. With two boxes, the special gift collection titled Luu Nien Cat or Eternal Luck is inspired by the combination of Luu Nien, which means long lasting, and Cat, which means good, representing the blessings for the new year. Adorned with two main colors - the signature red of Tet and gold, the Luu Nien Cat collection introduces two hampers with eye-catching appearances with exquisite design and meticulous craftmanship, carried by a charm handle and locked by two leather straps. Designed with elegance and functionality, each hamper is not only the heartfelt gift for the year of the Dragon, but also an iconic fashion accessory. In red, the first trunk called Minh Chau or The Emerald Pearl is the signature of Tet while the second named Kim Buu, or The Golden Gem, is featured in gold exemplifying prosperity and plentitude as a fabulous trunk. The trunks boast premium delicacies accompanied with five or six items. The top drawer is accompanied by options for two teas or one wine while the bottom drawer presents handcrafted cookie and roasted items. The pineapple cookie is the highlight, bringing a mild sweetness with sensational aroma, buttery skin with coconut flavor and fresh yet golden pineapple jam fillings with a refreshing sour and sweet mixture. Based on the Asian custom, a pineapple cookie is served on the first day of the Lunar New Year with hot tea. Other items include roasted nuts such as almonds, cashews and dried hibiscus flowers. The thoughtfully selected delicacies with different items cater to diverse tastes for such a warm gathering. Both packages of the 2024 Tet gift collection are priced at VN 1,588,000++ per box and are available at the hotels hamper booth until February 8. For more information, call +84 28 3827 2828 or access via the link: https://forms.gle/B1b7ZwPcdtsZdASQ6. VNS The Food Safety Department of Ho Chi Minh City officially commenced operations on January 1, with high expectations as the country's first Food Safety Department. To gain a deeper understanding of the advantages and challenges posed during the transition from the Food Safety Management Board to the Food Safety Department, the VNA spoke with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, director of the HCM City Food Safety Department. After nearly seven years of piloting this model, what achievements has the Food Safety Management Board of HCM City accomplished? Food safety in HCM City has seen remarkable improvements in recent years, with various measures and indices evaluated. Firstly, we have a team dedicated to food safety management that regularly conducts inspections and checks to promptly detect and address violations. Secondly, the number of mass food poisoning incidents has decreased both in scale and the number of affected individuals. To achieve this, the Food Safety Management Board has focused extensively on preventive measures against food poisoning, especially in communal kitchens within schools and industrial catering services in companies and factories. Thirdly, there has been an increase in the supply and consumption of clean food through safe food chains and awareness of businesses engaged in production and distribution is also raised. All these figures indicate an improvement in the city's food safety situation. However, I would still say there is much more to be done before we can claim it as the best. What issues will the Food Safety Department of HCM City address that the previous Food Safety Management Board could not? Previously, the Food Safety Management Board was established from three sectors Health, Agriculture, and Industry and Trade to create a comprehensive food management system down to the district, commune, ward and market levels. It comprised 10 food safety management teams that served as both inspectors and local liaisons to monitor and address issues. However, during inspections, we faced many legal challenges. For instance, some entities questioned not whether we had the authority to penalise but whether we had the legal standing to do so. With the transition to the Food Safety Department, we will have a more solid legal foundation and undoubtedly receive more attention to strengthen our workforce and improve efficiency. Moreover, we plan to integrate information technology into various projects, such as source tracing initiatives and safe food chains, to increasingly promote clean food and combat contaminated food. Being the country's first Food Safety Department, can you share the pressures and difficulties you anticipate in the near future? Certainly, there will be pressures, with the most significant coming from the community. However, these pressures will help train and enhance the skills of our specialists and officials. In the future, we aim to strengthen our connection with the media to provide timely information to the community. As for the challenges we are currently facing, the most prominent is the shortage of personnel and human resources. We currently only have 10 food safety teams. These teams not only perform inspection duties but also conduct sample collection, monitoring, information dissemination and food poisoning response. According to the plan, each wholesale market should have a dedicated food safety team. However, currently, only Binh ien and Hoc Mon markets have their own teams, while the Thu uc Agricultural Products Market has to share with the No.2 Food Safety Management Team. When the department was established, we were assigned 468 personnel from three departments and sectors. Now, we only have 369. However, we are not requesting an increase in personnel and would rather maintain the previous staffing levels. Furthermore, we recognise numerous challenges, with the most significant arising from the awareness of citizens and communities still accepting the use of unsafe food. The living conditions of many citizens are difficult, leading them to be content with cheaper street food. Therefore, I believe that food safety should be part of the collective consciousness, developing synchronously with the socio-economic situation. What are the key tasks for 2024 of the Food Safety Department of HCM City, especially concerning ensuring food safety during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday? Despite the transition from the board to the department, we never have "free time" in our daily operations. This means that tasks are consistently ensured and maintained to guarantee the public's safety during Tet, preventing food poisoning incidents. We began the Tet food safety assurance work two months ago, establishing eleven inspection teams across all districts, towns and Thu uc City, including wholesale markets. Initially, our focus was on inspecting warehouses and places storing food ingredients. From now until Tet, we will concentrate on inspections at distribution points like wholesale markets and traditional markets. Alongside inspection work, we will conduct communication campaigns to raise awareness of producers, businesses, and consumers on food poisoning prevention. In 2024, the department plans to elevate food safety management to a higher level. Specifically, we will continue to strengthen coordination and management collaboration with the departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in provinces, cities and HCM City to ensure the source of clean food. We will collaborate with sustainable food businesses to find outlets and stabilise the market in HCM City; imported food into the city must meet the stipulated standards. We will increase the supply of clean food and push back against contaminated food. We aim to take the initiative in improving the traceability of food sources, applying advanced technology to production and distribution, aligning with the overall strategy of scientific and technological development. Regarding inspection work, we will focus on the quality and effectiveness of inspections. I will strive to enhance irregular inspections and inspections based on information to ensure that all businesses and establishments are diligent in complying with regulations at all times and places. We are currently holding a very important task for all three sectors: Health, Agriculture, and Industry and Trade. We hope to always receive the attention of leadership at all levels, from the community, and will make every effort to fulfil our mission. VNS Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang talks to the press about the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's trip to Davos, Switzerland to attend the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF-54) and his official visits to Hungary and Romania from January 16-23. Could you please provide insights into the significance and importance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's participation in the 54th WEF Davos Conference in Switzerland? Taking place from January 15-19, 2024, under the theme "Rebuilding Trust", the 54th WEF Davos Conference marks the largest gathering since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, boasting unprecedented attendance by leaders from various countries and international organisations. With the active involvement of nearly 100 senior leaders from countries and international organisations, along with approximately 3,000 leaders representing global corporations and businesses, this year's conference stands as the premier global event for exchanging ideas and fostering multi-dimensional discussions on worldwide economic prospects, emerging trends and global development visions. It aims to facilitate economic, trade, investment and other forms of cooperation between nations and businesses. Simultaneously, the conference seeks to mobilise global strength, with a particular emphasis on public-private collaboration, to create new growth drivers and address common challenges amid the current difficult, risky and uncertain global context. The Prime Minister's attendance is a crucial opportunity to further solidify Viet Nam's commitments and solutions. Given the scale and significance of the conference, this marks the Prime Minister's inaugural business trip of the year, carrying several key implications: First, the conference serves as a valuable platform to grasp global perspectives, ideas, development models, governance structures and emerging trends. In essence, it allows for an exchange and understanding of the world's 'pulse', enabling Viet Nam to leverage timely opportunities, respond effectively to challenges and attract maximum resources for the country's socio-economic development. Second, considering the recent years' notable accomplishments in pandemic prevention and socio-economic development, Viet Nam has cultivated an exceptionally favourable foreign affairs environment. This opportune moment presents an ideal opportunity for us to disseminate information, share insights and promote Viet Nam's achievements, orientations, national development strategies, policies and foreign relations. It is a platform to convey a compelling message about Viet Nam being a dynamic, innovative and attractive investment destination for global corporations. We aim to translate our current favourable foreign policy environment into tangible economic cooperation results and practical investment projects, fostering new driving forces for rapid and sustainable national development. Third, the Prime Minister's active participation in the conference, coupled with the sharing of assessments and proposals on global-level situations, development perspectives and solutions to stimulate economic growth and address emerging challenges, will reaffirm Viet Nam's responsible and effective contributions to peace, development, and common global concerns. This engagement serves to bolster the country's position and prestige in the international arena, particularly within the global business community. Fourth, given the presence of numerous leaders from countries and international organisations in Davos, the conference provides an opportunity for Viet Nam to strengthen exchanges and foster cooperation with Switzerland, its partners and international organisations. This engagement aims to deepen relations across various fields, with a special emphasis on economics, trade, and investment, aligning with the directives set forth by the 13th National Party Congress. What contributions does Viet Nam aspire to make at this conference? The Prime Minister's agenda includes a comprehensive programme of activities. This entails active participation and addressing pivotal discussion sessions, particularly those dedicated to Viet Nam. Additionally, the PM plans to host numerous discussions with leaders of leading corporations, engage in bilateral contacts with counterparts from various countries, international organisations, and businesses. The fact that Viet Nam is among the nine partners proposed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to co-organise the National Strategic Dialogue, and PM Pham Minh Chinh is one of the eight leaders chosen for separate dialogue sessions with WEF, underscores the attention, recognition, and appreciation from both WEF and multinational corporations towards Viet Nam's role, international standing, achievements and development vision. In line with this acknowledgment, PM Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation are poised to actively participate and contribute at the conference. First, the Prime Minister will share Viet Nam's assessments, observations, and perspectives on the prospects, opportunities, challenges, and adjustment trends of the global economy in terms of both structure and model, along with their impacts on global and national development. Drawing on the experiences and lessons learned from Viet Nam and ASEAN, the Prime Minister will propose immediate and long-term solutions to strengthen international solidarity, rebuild trust, and enhance cooperation among countries, governments, businesses and partners. This collaborative effort aims to share common responsibilities, navigate challenges effectively and transform obstacles into opportunities. Second, the discussions will emphasise Viet Nam's responsible contribution to addressing global challenges, particularly in areas where the country has strengths such as food security, smart agriculture, and climate change adaptation. The Prime Minister will share experiences in macroeconomic management, highlight the prompt embrace of new trends, and underscore Viet Nam's readiness to attract investment, especially in priority areas like high technology, research and development, green transformation, digital transformation and the circular economy. Third, the dialogue will extend to proposing directions to leverage the potential, strengths, and central role of ASEAN and Viet Nam in promoting growth, strengthening global trade and investment links and supporting the resilience of the global economy during economic recovery. Could you elaborate on the special significance of PM Chinhs official visit to Hungary and Romania? Upon receiving invitations from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, accompanied by his wife, is set to embark on an official visit to Hungary and Romania from January 18-23. Notably, this marks the first delegation exchange at the Prime Ministerial level between Viet Nam and Hungary in the past seven years, and with Romania within the last five years. Hungary and Romania hold a distinctive place in Viet Nam's diplomatic history, being among the first ten countries globally to recognise and establish diplomatic ties with Viet Nam following our independence. Reflecting on the past 70 years, the Governments and people of both nations have consistently demonstrated unwavering support and affection towards Viet Nam in its struggles for independence, national unification, innovation and socio-economic development. During the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hungary and Romania emerged as steadfast supporters, becoming the first countries to assist Viet Nam with substantial vaccine donations and medical equipment. This assistance significantly contributed to Viet Nam's successful containment of the disease and subsequent economic recovery. Furthermore, Hungary and Romania actively support Viet Nam's comprehensive partnership and cooperation with the European Union (EU). They played crucial roles in the negotiation, signing, and ratification of the Free Trade Agreement between Viet Nam and the EU (EVFTA) and the Viet Nam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). Romania, in particular, exerted significant effort to facilitate the signing of the EVFTA during its EU Presidency, while Hungary proudly became the first EU member state to ratify the EVIPA. In light of the enduring friendship spanning three-quarters of a century and considering the complex and pivotal global landscape, the Prime Minister's visit holds paramount importance. It signifies Viet Nam's commitment to consistently implement its foreign policy of independence, autonomy, multilateralisation and diversification of foreign relations. The visit underscores the nation's dedication to strengthening and deepening ties with traditional partners and friends in this dynamic international context. As part of the visit's agenda, the Prime Minister is scheduled to engage in talks, meetings, contacts, and collaborative work with the senior leadership of Hungary and Romania. Additionally, he will explore various localities, universities, research centres, and businesses, fostering connections with the Viet Nam Friendship Association in Hungary and Romania. This visit holds the potential to significantly contribute to the deepening of political trust, reinforcing the traditional friendship, and enhancing active mutual support between Viet Nam and Hungary and Romania. The Prime Minister's efforts are geared towards elevating traditional areas of cooperation, including economics, trade, labour, culture, education, and human resource training, to a new stage that aligns with the developmental needs of each nation. Furthermore, the visit seeks to stimulate collaboration in promising and robust sectors such as science and technology, information and communication, pharmaceuticals and innovation. Ultimately, the visit aims to strengthen the bonds between the Vietnamese people and the citizens of Hungary and Romania. Beyond bilateral relations, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit presents an opportunity to advance cooperation with Hungary and Romania, fostering connections between Viet Nam and the Central Eastern European region. It also aims to strengthen ties between the two countries and the ASEAN community and underscores a commitment to close coordination in addressing global challenges, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development within the region and worldwide. VNS HA NOI The 15th National Assembly (NA) started its fifth extraordinary meeting in Ha Noi on Monday, where NA deputies will discuss and adopt the draft revised laws on land and credit institutions. This extraordinary meeting opened in the presence of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, NA Chairman Vuong inh Hue, and many Party, State and NA officials and former leaders. The revised land law has 16 chapters and 260 articles, with the removal of five articles and amendments to 250 articles in the law presented at the 15th NA's sixth session. Meanwhile, the revised law on credit institutions has 15 chapters and 210 articles, with the removal of four articles, supplement of 11 articles and amendments made to several others from the law presented at the previous session. The deputies will consider a draft resolution on several mechanisms and special policies to remove bottlenecks to accelerate the implementation of national target programmes. Besides, they will scrutinise the capital supplement of the mid-term public investment plan with central budget capital for the 2021-2025 period from the general reserve source, and the capital supplement of the mid-term public investment plan for Vietnam Electricity from the reserve source of the mid-term public investment plan. The extraordinary meeting will conclude on Thursday (January 18), with a break on Wednesday (January 17) for competent agencies to revise and complete the draft laws and resolution. Addressing the meeting, NA Chairman Vuong inh Hue emphasised that the fifth extraordinary session of the 15th NA had special significance in implementing the resolutions of the 13th National Party Congress and the five-year socio-economic development plan for the period of 2021-2025, aiming towards the 14th National Party Congress. The decisions made at this session were crucial for the socio-economic development for the entire tenure, he said, urging NA deputies to uphold a high sense of responsibility in providing opinions on draft amended laws to submit to the NA for consideration and approval. Presenting the explanation, reception and revision of the draft of the amended Land Law, Chairman of the NAs Economic Committee Vu Hong Thanh stated that to improve administrative procedures regarding land when organisations or businesses transferred real estate, the State would not reclaim the land but would allocate and charge land use fees or lease the land without auctioning land use rights or competitive bidding for investor selection. The recipient of the transfer would be issued a certificate of land use rights and ownership of land property according to Government regulations after both the transferor and the transferee fulfilled their financial obligations as stipulated by law. The draft amended law stipulated that, except for cases where the recipient considered themselves as heirs, individuals who did not directly engage in agricultural production must establish an economic organisation and present a plan for the use of agricultural land when receiving transfers or gifts of agricultural land exceeding the regulated area. In addition, the draft amended law specified that land could only be reclaimed for commercial housing projects, or residential and commercial combination projects under the category of "urban construction investment projects". It also prioritised negotiated land use rights for projects not utilising State budget funds in cases of land reclamation and those currently holding land use rights. According to the draft amended law, individuals with land use rights and approved land use purpose conversion could propose investment projects and continue to use the land even when they were in the specified land reclamation list. The NA Standing Committee urged the Government to promptly propose regulations on higher taxes for individuals using large land areas, owning multiple houses and engaging in land speculation. Additionally, efforts should be made to enhance the quality of appraisals to prevent the accumulation of land by organisations and individuals, hindering the ability of other investors to access land. The draft amended law also outlined various land valuation methods, including comparison, surplus value, income and adjustment factors for land prices. Land valuation methods During the discussion, Deputy Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran from the southern province of Binh Duong proposed that the surplus method for land valuation, based on assumptions and estimates, might have low reliability. Additionally, she argued that assuming a constant increase in land value was unreasonable, as economic conditions might lead to a decline, especially in a stagnated real estate market. This method might not accurately measure risk factors and economic disadvantages. "Calculating assumptions is very complex, resulting in uncertain, inaccurate valuation with significant errors. Changing a single parameter in the assumed factors can alter the valuation result. This has been the cause of difficulties and delays in determining and deciding specific land prices in recent times," she noted. Sharing a similar viewpoint, Deputy Ha Sy ong from the central province of Quang Tri suggested not applying the surplus method, instead favouring the direct comparison method for more accurate land valuation. Regarding the issuance of land price lists, ong said that it was impractical to establish land price lists annually and suggested a five-year interval instead. If there were market price fluctuations, an adjustment coefficient method should be applied to ensure compatibility. Concerning land use rights, Deputy Le Thanh Hoan from the central province of Thanh Hoa remarked that the limitations of landowners land use rights have not been sufficiently clarified. Using examples from various countries worldwide, he suggested that this legal amendment was an opportunity to specify land users' rights, particularly in the case of underground construction. He proposed adding provisions stating that land users had the right to use the airspace above the land surface and the subsurface land, reasonably and legally according to government regulations. Regarding the principles of compensation and resettlement when the State reclaimed land, Deputy Nguyen ai Thang from the northern province of Hung Yen proposed that regulations must ensure that citizens had adequate housing, income, and living conditions equal to or better than their previous residences. In agreement with the provision that the location for resettlement areas should prioritise choices within the commune, ward or town where the land was being reclaimed, Deputy Hoang Van Cuong from Ha Noi recommended giving priority to selecting land areas designated for residential purposes, with the most advantageous location within the chosen area for the formation of the resettlement area. VNS ONG NAI ong Nai Province plans to have all of its communes recognised as advanced new-style rural ones by 2025. The south-eastern provinces 120 communes have already been recognised as new-style rural communes under a national programme, and being recognised as advanced is a step up. Le Van Goi, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the former was achieved in 2019, and since then the focus has been on achieving advanced and exemplary status. To attain recognition as a new-style rural commune, a commune must adhere to the programme's 19 criteria covering aspects such as infrastructure, irrigation, electricity, environment, income, education, healthcare, social security, and culture. Communes must meet higher standards across all these criteria to be named an advanced new-style rural commune. Currently, the province boasts 105 advanced new-style rural communes and 30 exemplary new-style rural communes. Exemplary communes surpass advanced ones in meeting elevated standards, and the province aims to have 25 per cent of its communes acknowledged as exemplary by 2025. The outstanding features of the province's advanced and exemplary rural communes include an annual per capita income of VN80-90 million (US$3,300-3,700) and low poverty rates. These areas exhibit well-invested infrastructure, predominantly paved roads, and a commitment to environmental protection and social security. Rural communes have integrated the development of new-style rural areas with agriculture restructuring, focusing on modern, large-scale and sustainable production. The province has created large-scale growing areas for pepper in Cam My, Xuan Loc, inh Quan and Tan Phu districts, durian and rambutan in Long Khanh City and Xuan Loc District, and mango in Vinh Phu, inh Quan and Xuan Loc districts. It has fostered linkages in the production and sales of agricultural products, involving 160 companies and co-operatives and 15,000 households. Exemplary models, such as creating aesthetically pleasing new-style rural areas with road lamps, trimmed tree branches and proper waste disposal, have been implemented in Cam My District. Vinh Cuu District's communes have introduced "knowledge houses" with books and computers to benefit locals, while exemplary residential areas prioritise environmental protection and climate change adaptation. Women in the province play a pivotal role in environmental sanitation, tree care and maintaining clean village roads. The Women's Union actively promotes women's roles through campaigns like "Five No's and Three Cleans," focusing on poverty reduction, legal adherence, domestic harmony, family planning, and cleanliness. Women groups aligned with new-style rural development have built 283 green, clean and beautiful roads totalling over 200km. The province has formed 116 women groups and clubs with over 3,500 members dedicated to environmental protection. The Farmers Association also reported proactive engagement by its members, who contribute land and labour to build infrastructure. During 2018-23, they donated cash exceeding VN 209 billion ($8.6 million), 147,000sq.m of land, and 67,000 working days to enhance rural facilities. In this period, the province achieved significant milestones, repairing 972km of rural roads, upgrading 448 irrigation canals, building 128 bridges and sewage systems, completing 1,000 power supply projects, and upgrading nearly 34,800 healthcare and education facilities. Vinh Cuu District's Binh Loi Commune stands out as the province's first exemplary new-style rural commune, showcasing substantial improvements in its overall appearance. Local testimonials attest to the positive impact of the new-style rural areas programme, highlighting enhanced infrastructure, improved living conditions, and successful collaboration between local authorities and farmers to establish efficient production models and concentrated farming areas. Top of Form Residents of Binh Loi Commune, such as Le Thi Nguyet, acknowledge the transformative effects of the new-style rural area initiative. With co-ordinated infrastructure investments, roads are cement-paved and supply of power and water for orchards has been improved, enabling farmers to reforming their practices, leading to enhanced incomes, she said. Exemplary residential areas boast a clean environment and guaranteed access to education, healthcare and social security. In Quang Trung Commune of Thong Nhat District, o Van Hieu shares similar sentiments, noting that the new-style rural areas programme has significantly altered the locality's landscape. Commune- and hamlet-level roads now feature asphalt paving and street lamps, contributing to a green, clean and beautiful residential environment. Collaborative efforts between authorities and farmers have resulted in effective production models and the establishment of concentrated farming areas yielding substantial incomes. VNS GoGreen Plus provides Datalogic with an effective solution for reducing carbon emissions in Full-Container Load (FCL) and Less-Than-Container Load (LCL) shipments. For LCL shipments, a combination of insetting and offsetting methods is employed. The insetting approach involves substituting heavy fuel oils with eco-friendly alternatives such as biofuels or sustainable marine fuel, substantially reducing emissions. Simultaneously, offsetting is achieved by utilising Gold Standard Verified Emission Reduction carbon credits, implementing a comprehensive door-to-door strategy that addresses emissions throughout the entire lifecycle. Meanwhile, for FCL shipments, the primary focus is offsetting the main haul transportation, ensuring a significant environmental impact to support sustainable shipping. In the logistics industry, leadership extends beyond efficiency; it encompasses responsibility. We are honoured to support Datalogic in delivering a more sustainable logistics approach. Through this partnership, we are not merely moving goods but forging a path where environmental consciousness meets operational excellence. Together, we are navigating a course where each shipment signifies a commitment to a greener, more responsible future for our industry and the planet we share, said Laurence Cheung, managing director of DHL Global Forwarding Vietnam. The logistics giant has maintained a longstanding partnership with Datalogic Vietnam. Both companies share a dedication to sustainable logistics, actively contributing to the global fight against climate change. This collaboration is expected to reduce 40,000 kilogrammes of CO 2 'well-to-wheel' emissions. Sustainability is at the core of our values. Partnering with DHL on the GoGreen Plus initiative aligns with our commitment to responsible business practices. This collaboration benefits our operations and contributes to the broader goal of fostering a sustainable and environmentally mindful supply chain," said Le Xuan Vinh, global logistics manager, Datalogic. DHL Express opens new gateway in Hanoi Bernardo Bautista, general director and country manager of DHL Express Vietnam, spoke with VIR's Thanh Van about the company's latest investment to facilitate global trade for Vietnam, while deepening its contributions to eco-friendly business practices. ACB and DHL Express form strategic partnership on green fuel Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) inked an agreement with DHL Express on September 19 to fully offset carbon emissions for its international express shipments by harnessing DHL's GoGreen Plus service. The information was revealed at the meeting between Crystal Group and Nam Dinh People's Committee on January 12. Crystal is one of Asia's largest garment manufacturers, with a closed-loop textile and garment chain. The Hong Kong-listed group makes clothes for brands such as Uniqlo, Victoria Secret, and other American brands. Vietnam has been Crystal's key manufacturing hub for the past 20 years. The group operates five factories in Hai Duong, Haiphong, Bac Giang, Phu Tho, and Binh Duong. With an export revenue of about $1 billion, the garment manufacturer is creating employment for 40,000 people. At the meeting, Chan Chi Yuen, representative of Crystal Vietnam, said, "The group is exploring the possibility of investing in the 6th project in Vietnam. The yarn, fabric, and garment production project is planned to be located in Nam Dinh's Rang Dong Textile Industrial Park." Under the plan, the project will be developed in two phases with a total capital of $200 million. In the first phase, the group will invest $60 million in a fabric factory with an output of 55 million metres of fabric. It aims to achieve a revenue of $110 million, contribute $6 million to the state budget, and generate employment for 800 people. The remaining capital will be earmarked for the second phase, in which the group will develop a jeans factory to double its revenue and generate jobs for 4,000 people. "The Nam Dinh project marks the group's first project in Vietnam to be invested in on a chain scale. It is promising to be the group's greatest achievement," Yuen said. Nam Dinh is becoming a bright spot for attracting foreign direct investment capital. In November 2023, Nam Dinh Industrial Zones Management Authority awarded an investment certificate to Singapore-based Xingyu Safety Technology for an $84 million medical equipment factory. In October 2023, AEON Vietnam, under Japanese retailer AEON, signed an MoU with Nam Dinh People's Committee to develop the AEON Nam Dinh shopping mall. Meanwhile, Thailand's Gulf Energy Development Public Co., Ltd. has proposed the development of a power centre and a liquefied natural gas terminal. Furthermore, Apple supplier Quanta Computer invested in a computer production project with a total investment of $120 million and a designed capacity of 4.5 million computers per year. JiaWei Corporation, a Taiwanese company, has decided to invest $100 million in high-tech household appliance manufacturing, support printing, and paper box production plants. Another investor, Sunrise Material from Singapore also develops a polymer wrap film production project worth $100 million in the locality. Strategic advantages on show in Hong Kong Stock Exchange Positioned as Asias premier initial public offering hub, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) offers unparalleled access to vast capital resources. Christina Bao, co-head of Sales and Marketing at HKEX, discussed the opportunities and strategic advantages it extends to enterprises with VIRs Luu Huong. Hong Kong looks to boost financial cooperation with Vietnam Hong Kong is looking to strengthen its financial services cooperation with Vietnam to facilitate capital flows, investment, and trade activities. A green industrial park in Bac Tan Uyen district, Binh Duong province (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Despite formidable challenges for the real estate market in 2023, industrial property market has stood out as a bright spot that has maintained its growth momentum on the back of the foreign direct investment (FDI) flow, according to insiders. While other segments showed signs of slowing to a crawl, industrial property continued to see growing rent demand, mostly from the FDI enterprises. Director of the IIP Bac Hung Hai JSC Nguyen Huu Trang described the upgrade of the Vietnam US relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year as a boon for Vietnam to lure giants from the US and many other countries. Meanwhile, Director General of the largest industrial real estate portal in Vietnam - IIP Vietnam Doan Duy Hung said that most customers seeking industrial space were foreign companies, adding despite economic woes in the year, FDI capital kept flowing into Vietnam, backing the industrial property segment. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investments Agency of Foreign Investment, as of December 20, 2023, total registered FDI into the country surged 32.1% year-on-year to nearly 36.61 billion USD. Disbursement of FDI capital hit a record high of some 23.18 billion USD, up 3.5% from the same time last year. In the year, nearly 20.19 billion USD was funneled into 3,188 new projects, respectively rising 62.2% and 56.6% year-on-year. Experts said this was a positive factor for the industrial real estate market, elaborating that an increase in the FDI capital means higher demand for land and warehouse space to serve foreign firms production and business. However, they said opportunities are not equally shared among localities and investors of industrial parks due to disparity in industrial park development between regions, provinces and cities. Hung said localities with advantages in transport, logistics, human resources, business climate and infrastructure are more attractive to investors than those without these conditions. He suggested localities work to boost their own strengths, and improve capacity and competitive edge to lure more investors, with focus sharpened on transport and logistics infrastructure development, tax incentives, and trade promotion activities. Chairman of S-Group Vietnam Corporation Han Minh Cuong highlighted that as digital transformation and green transition are an inevitable trend of the industrial real estate sector, it is necessary for investors to develop green and smart industrial parks. International businesses have set strict standards on environment and technology when they invest in Vietnam, he said, adding many from the US and Europe expressed their wish to land investment in industrial zones meeting green and smart criteria. However, challenges are on the horizon to branch out eco and smart industrial park, including incompletion of relevant regulations. Relishing the prospects of industrial property sectors better growth in 2024, experts said it will have an important role in leading the real estate markets recovery in the coming time. Industrial real estate gaining M&A interest Although not dominating in terms of the number and value of deals, the industrial real estate market is starting to record more interest in mergers and acquisitions from foreign investors. Industrial real estate developers implement decarbonisation to increase appeal As the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent and the race towards carbon neutrality intensifies, businesses are expected to play a more active role in reducing their carbon footprints. Southern industrial real estate sees high demand in Q3 The industrial real estate market in the south was vibrant and thriving in the third quarter of 2023, with the rental area reaching 143,000 sq.m, up 2.4 times compared to the previous quarter. Taiwanese developer Joyoung Universal Group on January 10 become a strategic shareholder to Tin Hung Investment, to expand real estate business in Vietnam and Taiwan. The signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between Joyoung Universal Group and Tin Hung Investment took place in Ho Chi Minh City. As a shareholder, the Taiwanese corporation will invest financial resources in Tin Hung Investment and advise on business activities. The two sides aim to expand business activities, not only making Tin Hung Investment a leading distribution unit, but also becoming a developer of high-end real estate projects in Vietnam and Taiwan. Representatives of Joyoung Universal Group and Tin Hung Investment at the strategic shareholder signing ceremony Trinh Quoc Thang, general director of Tin Hung Investment said that the investment from Taiwanese partners would help the company develop its full potential and strengths, increasing competitiveness in the market. Tin Hung Investment, formerly known as Tin Hung Property, was found in 2020. This enterprise focuses on distributing real estate projects in the middle and high-end segments in large cities across the country and satellite cities of Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, Joyoung Universal Group, founded in 1989, is a renowned Taiwanese real estate group. It mainly operates in construction and real estate investment in Taiwan, China and Southeast Asia. Apart from developing more than 50 real estate projects in Taiwan, Joyoung's business activities also cover the of manufacturing stainless steel, screws, auto components, yachts and smart home systems in Vietnam. Webinar promoting friendly relations between Taiwan and Vietnam The webinar "Taiwan and Vietnam join hands for a healthy life" on July 13 brought together 11 prestigious healthcare institutions from Taiwan, such as Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, and Landseed International Hospital, among others to tighten ties between the two countries. Britain is sending 20,000 troops across Europe to join NATO's Arctic exercise, marking the largest deployment since the end of the Cold War. The global military alliance's exercise is scheduled for the first half of the year and Britain will also be sending warships and fighter jets. The entirety of the deployment includes 16,000 British army troops, who will be based in Eastern Europe from February to June, an aircraft carrier strike group, and F35B Lightning attack jets as well as surveillance planes. Britain Deploys 20K Troops To Join NATO Arctic Exercise The latest exercise is known as NATO's Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 and marks the military alliance's 75th year. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapp was the one who announced the deployment of troops on Monday at Lancaster House. The NATO military alliance has boosted the number of combat-ready troops after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine nearly two years ago. It has also continued to express its support for Kyiv with military, economic, and humanitarian aid, as per Reuters. Speaking about the exercise, Shapps said that Britain's military will join forces with counterparts from 30 NATO countries plus Sweden to provide vital reassurance against the "Putin menace." Last week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that his country will increase its support for Ukraine in the next financial year, bringing total aid to $3.19 billion. The exercise will have British forces practicing with NATO partners how to defend against Russian aggression amid escalating concerns that another big war in Europe could break out. The planned deployment also comes in the wake of UK air strikes on Houthi fighters in Yemen who were responsible for attacking Red Sea shipping vessels. It also seeks to show off NATO's capabilities to Russia's allies, including China and Iran, the latter of which supports the Houthis. During Shapps' remarks, he said that we have entered a new era where they must be prepared to deter enemies, lead allies, and defend the nation. Read Also: Ukraine Attacks Belgorod as Moscow Missile Strikes Intensify Message Against Vladimir Putin's Aggression The development now makes a total of 31 members of NATO joining the exercise and comes after Russia's neighbor, Finland, joined in April. While Sweden is not officially a member of the military alliance, it will also be joining the exercise, according to Mirror. European and Norwegian neighbors have raised concerns about Putin's Arctic rearmament against the backdrop of Moscow's war on Ukraine. Prior to the Russian strongman's invasion of Kyiv, NATO membership was not on the agenda neither in Helsinki or Stockholm. A core element of the Nordic Response, previously known as Cold Response, is to train cross-border defense and movement of military hardware between the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Air forces will also be active with roughly 100 aircraft. On the other hand, the coast of northern Norway will have more than 50 submarines, frigates, corvettes, aircraft carriers, and various amphibious vessels. Unlike NATO's previous exercises in northern Norway, core areas of operations this time around have been moved north to the Alta, Lakselv area. This corresponds with sailing by warships off the coast of Finnmark, said The Barents Observer. Related Article: Italy Refuses to Extradite Priest Accused of Murder and Torture to Argentina The Investment Promotion and Connection Agency under the Vietnam Mergers and Acquisitions Community, or M&A Vietnam on January 7, organised an event to review the 2023 performance and discussed plans for 2024, as well as market trends and recommendations for successful cases. Pham Thuy Duong, chairman of the Digital Economy Council, the Ministry of Science and Technology and head of the Campaign Committee for establishment of the Vietnam M&A Association, gave the opening speech The event attracted representatives of state management agencies and received the greetings from others, including the Prime Minister's Advisory Group, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Commercial Counsellors, embassies, along with numerous delegates, guests, and members. Ha Tuan Anh, vice chairman of the Vietnam Marketing Association, chairman of Viewest Group and co-head of the Campaign Committee said, Market developments and great opportunities from M&A in the current period and the upcoming time will open a new period for the interested and active in M&A. The establishment of a specialised M&A association is extremely necessary, he added. According to Vu, M&A Vietnam has more than 20,000 members globally. During 2023, M&A Vietnam carried out numerous activities, including the establishment of the Industrial Real Estate group and then developed into the Industrial Real Estate Investment Promotion Centre (IPC M&A Vietnam) in August 2023 and piloting the operation model of the centre in cities and provinces like IPC Haiphong, IPC Ninh Bunh, and IPC Bac Ninh-Bac Giang. Also, last year, the Legal Agency and the Renewable Energy Centre were established to support M&A activities. Luu Quang Vu, chairman of the Board of Directors of M&A PARTNERS, vice chairman of Asia Investment Management JSC and head of the Investment Promotion and Connection Agency and head of the Organising Committee of the New Year Welcome 2024 presented the report of 2023 activities, and plans for 2024 of the agency We plan to organise more activities in 2024 to increase connection among members and their efficiency, such as talks, M&A cafe and meetings, Vu said. We are working actively to promote the establishment of the Vietnam M&A Association in 2024. During the meeting, experts and businesses joined two panel discussions about M&A trends, opportunities and challenges. In the first panel, the discussion focused on Business M&A with the participation of representatives from INMERGERS, A.G.S Consulting, and UOB. They agreed that the M&A trend in 2024 would focus on logistics, especially the field of frozen food transportation and warehousing, and health and the tech application, specifically aimed at IT companies developing software for hospitals. Regarding the taste of Singaporean investors in 2024, panellists said that they would prioritise finding businesses with the potential for sustainable development in the long term. The panellists said that changing the mindset towards selling shares or selling a company at a time when business develops well, would increase the likelihood of finding potential investors and creating synergistic value through the combination of two companies. They enterprises should not do M&A alone, but look for a consulting unit for doing M&A deals to advise them on the selling price, transaction structure, as well as assist them in preparing documents to approach investors, and negotiating necessary terms. Vietnam is increasingly integrating into the global economy. Therefore, to participate in global M&A, Vietnamese enterprises need to have transparency in their financial flows, they recommended. In the second panel, the discussion was about M&A in the realty sector which attracted the participation of Vu Thi Thu Ha, director of the law firm ATS; Dr. Nguyen Van Tuan from the law firm LNT & Partners; Le Dinh Chung, deputy general director of SGO Group; and Raoul Imback, deputy head of the Swiss Embassy Delegation to Sri Lanka. According to experts, the real estate market in 2023 was really very difficult for businesses in the industry, especially the housing market. Highlights in recent times have been M&A deals related to real estate of hospitals, schools, and office buildings. From the perspective and experience of the speakers, what leads to poor real estate M&A deals is constant price changes from the businesses. Initially, when they approached investors, they offered one price, but after two to three times of negotiations and exchanges, they increased the price, thus failing to build trust with investors, leading to unsuccessful M&A deals. Industrial real estate gaining M&A interest Although not dominating in terms of the number and value of deals, the industrial real estate market is starting to record more interest in mergers and acquisitions from foreign investors. Hopes raised for M&A improvement in 2024 With 2023 focused on finding a balance to move towards sustainable development, Vietnams mergers and acquisitions market is forecast to converge, ready for a new growth phase. Taiwan-based Radiant Opto-Electronics Corporation will invest $120 million to develop a factory at VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park (IP). Covering an area of 6.1 hectares, the factory will manufacture electronic components, including backlight modules, light-guide plates, brightness enhancement films, and moulded plastic frames. Likewise, Hong Kong-backed Everwin Precision Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd. will build an electronic component and auto part manufacturing plant in VSIP Nghe An. With the total investment capital of $115 million, the project will spread across 16.5ha. Another investor, Luxcase Precision Technology (Vietnam) Co., Ltd., under Singapore's Casetek Singapore Pte. Ltd., will build a $24-million factory to produce metal components at the same IP. Other investors are licensed to invest in WHA IP, including the $32-million project by China's Fujian Xinfeng Technology and the $20-million project by Gaojia Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd. Besides the foreign investors, one local firm, Hoang Thinh Dat Corporation, has received an investment certificate to build Hoang Mai II IP in Southeast Nghe An Economic Zone. With an investment of VND1.9 trillion ($77.54 million), the park will cover almost 334ha. In 2023, the province lured over $1.6 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) capital, up 66.8 per cent from a year earlier. Nghe An climbed to 8th place among Vietnam's 63 cities and provinces in terms of FDI. Vietnam's FDI story continues to blossom Vietnam's appeal to foreign investors continued to improve last year, as did the quality of the foreign direct investment (FDI) the country attracted, according to a VinaCapital report that was released on January 9. Vietnam attracts over 39,100 FDI projects with registered capital of nearly 469 billion USD so far Vietnam had attracted 39,140 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with total registered capital of over 468.91 billion USD by the end of 2023, reported the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). PM orders urgent investigation into cause of house fire in downtown Hanoi, At the scene of the January 15 house fire on No. 4 Hang Luoc Street, Hoan Kiem district. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has freshly signed a dispatch ordering urgent investigation into the causes behind a fire that killed four people in downtown Hanoi on early January 15 morning. The fire occurred at a house on No. 4 Hang Luoc Street, Hoan Kiem district, at 4:39 am.In the document, the PM extended profound condolences to the bereaved and directed the capital authorities to provide material and spiritual assistance to the affected family. Additionally, he emphasised the need for the city's close coordination with the Ministry of Public Security to promptly address the aftermath and urgently investigate the causes of the fire to take strict legal actions against any violations.Furthermore, he called for enhanced public awareness campaigns and guidance on fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue skills for citizens and at-risk establishments across centrally governed provinces and cities. This is particularly crucial in light of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) - the biggest and longest of its kind in Vietnam. The same day, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh also instructed the city's police, in coordination with the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem district and relevant agencies, to investigate the cause and handle the consequences of the fire. Hanoi sets new investment, trade and tourism promotion plans for 2024 With achievements made in 2023, Hanoi has set its tasks and plans for investment, trade and tourism promotion for 2024 to increase its effectiveness. Thailands Pollution Control Department (PCD) has warned the rising concentration of PM2.5 pollutants is caused by poor air circulation in many areas of Bangkok (source:bangkokpost.com) Bangkok Thailands Pollution Control Department (PCD) has warned the rising concentration of PM2.5 pollutants is caused by poor air circulation in many areas of the capital while advising Bangkok residents to work from home to avoid the worst of the air pollution. Preeyaporn Suwanakate, the PCDs director-general, said that the intensifying accumulation of PM2.5 pollutants is a consequence of compromised air circulation in several areas across the city. This complication is largely attributed to the combination of low atmospheric pressure and fluctuating wind patterns in the region, leading to the buildup of pollutants. Currently, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has increased its scrutiny of all pollution sources within the city. Additionally, it has directed schools to establish dust-free rooms at all kindergartens and schools under its jurisdiction. Government agencies and companies are encouraged to support remote working, as commuting within the city contributes significantly to air pollution. To further mitigate pollution, the government is offering up to 55% discounts to those intending to change their engine oil and oil filters. Satellite imagery from Thailands Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) identified 1,566 hotspots on January 9; 1,139 on January 10; and 1,023 on January 11. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been updated on the situation and plans to discuss the matter with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet during his visit to Thailand on February 7. Previously, PM Srettha mentioned that Thailand and Cambodia will establish a joint task force to combat transboundary haze pollution. Also, Preeyaporn stated that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has requested the secretary-general of ASEAN to persuade all countries within the Greater Mekong Sub-region to prevent forest fires and crackdown on activities leading to transboundary haze, such as slash-and-burn farming. Thailands Kasikornbank to expand operation in Vietnam Kasikornbank (KBank), Thailands second-largest lender by total assets, is focusing on expanding its international banking business this year in Vietnam and Indonesia, given the two ASEAN economies high growth potential. Illusrative Image (source: atlaslogistics.co.uk) Bangkok Thai exporters have been urged to promptly refine their export strategies given the escalating situation in the Red Sea that is affecting shipping costs and available vessel space while extending shipping duration. Speaking after a meeting held on January 11 with the Ministry of Commerce, related agencies and shipping lines to assess the impact of the attacks on international cargo ships in the Red Sea, Chairman of the Thai National Shippers' Council Chaichan Chareonsuk said the Houthi attacks are driving up costs to ship goods to North Africa, the Middle East and the EU. The uncertainty is leading to delays in goods delivery to customers. The International Chamber of Shipping said 20% of the world's container ships are now avoiding the Red Sea, using the much longer route around the southern tip of Africa instead. According to Chaichan, Thai exports affected by the attacks include automotive parts bound for Saudi Arabia, North Africa and Europe, as well as car tyres, food products and electronic components headed to Europe. Thailand's exports to Europe comprise 7-8% of total shipments, making it a crucial market. Sompol Tanadumrongsak, Managing Director of Fortune Parts Industry Plc, said shipping costs to the Red Sea have increased by 200-400%. For shipping routes to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Aqaba, Jordan, and Sokhna, Egypt, the cost has increased from 1,500 USD to 8,500 USD per 20-foot container. For containers bound for Turkey, the cost has risen from 2,400 USD to 7,500 USD per container. For routes to Europe, the cost has tripled compared with the previous year. He said exporters and importers need to prepare in advance for container bookings and shipping schedules, ideally around one month ahead. If the export goods are not time-sensitive, it is advisable to wait until the first weeks of February during the Chinese New Year holiday because freight costs are expected to decrease during that period, given the rush in activity occurring in China before the holiday. Director-General of the International Trade Promotion Department Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit said the Ministry of Commerce requested shipping companies maintain their freight rates as promised. He said the shipping companies have assured the ministry the pre-booked freight rates will be honored without adjustment, though this is subject to the discretion of their parent companies. Regarding surcharge costs, the ministry asked shipping firms to make clear announcements to enable exporters to plan and negotiate with importers, said Phusit. The ministry is sending a letter to shipping companies to communicate these concerns and request clarity on the announcement of surcharges, he said, adding that these moves can facilitate exporters and importers in their planning of business operations. COVID-19 cases increase in Thailand after New Year holiday Thailand is witnessing a rising number of COVID-19 cases after the New Year holiday, with those hospitalised up 7 per cent on last week, according to an epidemiologist at Chulalongkorn University. VF8 cars by Vietnamese auto maker VinFast (Photo: VNA) Jakarta Indonesian Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has invited Vietnam to cooperate in the development of several sectors, including the electric vehicle (EV) industry, green industry, food security, research and development, and human resources. We invite Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade to maintain a discussion with us to strengthen this cooperation and collaboration, Minister Kartasasmita said in a statement as quoted by the countrys national news agency Antara. He highlighted that Indonesia has a large market in the automotive sector. Car ownership in Indonesia is pegged at 19.1 million units, and motorcycle ownership at 128 million units. Furthermore, the projected demand for electric vehicle batteries in Indonesia is expected to climb in the coming years. Minister Kartasasmita expressed his hope that the two countries will support each other at the yearly ASEAN Industry Ministries Meeting because the potentials and challenges in the industry sector are expected to become even more visible. Indonesia currently ranks among the worlds top ten manufacturers, with a global manufacturing output value of 1.4 per cent, according to data released by Safeguard Global. Meanwhile, according to World Population Review Data, Indonesia ranks 12th and Vietnam 23rd. As of November 2023, Indonesias capital investment in Vietnam reached 651.21 million USD with a total of 120 projects. In terms of investment realisation in Vietnam, Indonesia ranked fifth among the ASEAN countries. Malaysian gov"t encourages people to use electric vehicles The Malaysian government is committed to increasing the acceptance level of Malaysians to shift to electric-based vehicles including electric motorcycles, the countrys Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said on December 8. A factory of Phuc Sinh JSC in the southern province of Binh Duong. (VNA/ Photo courtesy of the firm) Hanoi - Phuc Sinh JSC has announced that the company successfully sold shares to an investment fund from Europe with an undisclosed amount. Phan Minh Thong, General Director of the Phuc Sinh JSC, said the fund would not participate in operating the business but simply provide financial support. This has been the first time the company received foreign investment in 22 years of operation. The deal was completed after 18 months of negotiation. In the context of a limited capital market, having an investment with a moderate capital price is very meaningful. We are valued at U320 million USD. The amount is not too large but not small either, which could help us build two coffee processing factories this year, Thong said. He added that in recent years, many companies wanted to invest in Phuc Sinh. However, they were refused because of not properly evaluating Vietnamese agriculture value, which is very low compared to companies in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even the Philippines. Vietnam's agricultural industry is developing strongly and has many opportunities to attract foreign investment. Phuc Sinh also wants to raise more capital to develop factories, and also call for additional capital specifically for the K-Coffee coffee chain. However, we only accept financial investment and do not need strategic investors, he said. Established in 2001, Phuc Sinh is one of the leading exporters of pepper, coffee and agricultural products in the country. In the spice industry, the company has been leading since 2007. A recent report from SFV-Export (the project to strengthen export capacity for small and medium enterprises in Vietnam's spices, vegetables and fruits industry) showed that Phuc Sinh is the largest exporter of Vietnamese spices to the EU, with 15.1 per cent market share, a sharp increase from 8.4 per cent in 2022. Nguyen Van Thanh, CEO of GSM, announced the move on January 13, as it was unveiled amid discussions featuring Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. VinFast is set to invest approximately $1.2 billion, heralding a phased entry into the Indonesian market, while GSM, steered by the Vietnamese billionaire chairman of Vingroup Pham Nhat Vuong, plans an infusion of around $900 million. This move is solidified by an MoU between VinFast, GSM, and GoTo Gojek Tokopedia for collaboration in the electric vehicle (EV) sector. A key aspect of this partnership involves facilitating Gojek drivers' transition to EVs and introducing Indonesian consumers to GSM's premium Green SM mobility services through VinFast's eco-friendly vehicles. "We are not just investing in a market. We are investing in a greener future. This partnership aligns perfectly with Indonesia's goals to reduce transport emissions," Thanh stated. This collaboration marks a significant leap in VinFast and GSM's international strategy for 2024. "The Indonesian market represents not just a new geographic location, but a pivotal step in our global journey," Thanh added. The strategic significance of this partnership was highlighted during President Widodo's visit to VinFast's Haiphong facility, where he expressed his admiration of the brand's capabilities. Looking beyond Indonesia, GSM's CEO has also announced plans for a Green SM taxi service in Cambodia post-Lunar New Year 2024, underscoring the company's broader Southeast Asian aspirations. "Our eyes are set on expanding and diversifying our market presence," Thanh noted. Earlier this month, GSM debuted internationally with its electric taxi service in Laos, planning to deploy 1,000 VinFast VF 5 Plus cars. This move into Laos is seen as a stepping stone in GSM's regional expansion, encompassing major cities and provinces in the next phases. Nestle makes another $100 million investment into Nestle Tri An in Dong Nai On January 9, Nestle Vietnam announced an additional investment of $100 million into the Nestle Tri An factory in the southern province of Dong Nai, raising the total investment capital of the factory to $500 million. The Waco area endured record-breaking cold temperatures, power outages and event cancellations Monday and braced for more bone-chilling weather and school delays on Tuesday. The temperature dropped to 14 degrees Monday morning, beating the 1905 record of 17 degrees for the coldest Jan. 15 on record in Waco, according to the National Weather Service. The high was 23 degrees, setting the record for the lowest maximum temperature on Jan. 15. The freezing weather, which began Sunday, was expected to continue until Wednesday, with a low of 12 overnight Monday, a high of 30 on Tuesday and a low of 15 Tuesday night, according to the NWS. Waco roads were passable Monday but accumulated a thin layer of ice and snow, and Texas Department of Transportation Waco District officials urged caution in driving. The weather forecast led to the decision to cancel the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Peace March at the Waco Suspension Bridge and Bridge Street Plaza. School districts were off for the holiday Monday but most were on track to open Tuesday on a delayed schedule. Waco Independent School District announced it would start bus routes and classes two hours late Tuesday. Midway, La Vega, Lorena, West, Moody, and Robinson ISDs announced a similar schedule, while China Spring ISD planned to keep normal hours. Baylor University was also set to start classes Tuesday. Texas State Technical College, the city of Waco and McLennan County were expected to open at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Energy Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the statewide grid, has issued a conservation appeal from 6 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, repeating a call it made for Monday morning. ERCOT is asking customers to turn down their thermostats and avoid using large appliances if possible during those hours. More than 400 electric customers, mostly in the Hewitt area, were without power Monday morning, according to Oncors outage map. Power was restored to most customers by later afternoon. Juan Reyes, Oncor spokesperson, said the outages were caused by the strain put onto Oncor equipment by the low temperatures and uptick in energy usage. Both the city of Waco and the Salvation Army opened warming centers over the weekend due to the weather. The Salvation Armys shelter, located at 300 Webster Ave., opened Saturday and will remain open until Wednesday, while Wacos shelter at the Dewey Community Center opened Sunday and will also remain open until Wednesday. Ryan Dirker, emergency management coordinator with the Waco-McLennan County Office of Emergency Management, said by email nine individuals had sought shelter at the citys warming center by Monday morning. Temperatures are expected to remain freezing until Wednesday, when the high is forecast to be 45. Recording new voice-overs without speaking a word: For a busy voice actor, it might sound like a dream unless that actor is worried about artificial intelligence being used to devalue her work and make hiring her unnecessary. But under a new deal with an artificial intelligence company, members of the Screen Actors Guild will be able to create and license digital simulations of their voices for video games and other projects while enjoying safeguards against their potential misuse, the Hollywood labor union said last week. Touting an agreement with Replica Studios a tech firm that says it is building the worlds greatest library of AI-powered voice actors during an event at the recent CES tech expo in Las Vegas, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland described the deal as an example for how other tech companies can build trust with showbiz talent. The deal comes in the wake of SAG-AFTRAs protracted strike last year, in which the union sought expanded protections against AI from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or AMPTP, the group representing Hollywoods major producers. The contract that the Guild ultimately secured mandated that the studios get permission from actors in order to digitally clone them, and pay for the use of those clones. Like our recently negotiated AMPTP terms, the Replica agreements are an expression of SAG-AFTRAs intent and ability to work with employers to create terms that benefit and protect our members, and allow them to engage with opportunities driven by new technologies, Crabtree-Ireland said from a lectern during the CES event. The Replica deal will allow professional voice-over artists to safely explore new employment opportunities for their digital voice replicas with industry-leading protections tailored to AI technology, according to SAG-AFTRA. Simulated voices licensed under the deal can be used in video games and other interactive media projects, the union added. The agreement establishes minimum rates for voice actors, Crabtree-Ireland said, and includes guardrails to ensure that performers know what projects a digital voice replica will be used in and that they consent to its use in future projects. Their data must also be stored safely. This is a great example of AI being done right, said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher in a statement. Protections for game voice actors fall under a SAG-AFTRA contract for interactive work. But that contract, negotiated in 2017, did not include protections around AI. Voice actors have said they know society cant stop AI technology from advancing. Instead, they hope that workers can secure contracts that would require their consent to reproduce their voice or likeness and compensate them when that happens. SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating its video game contract, the Interactive Media Agreement representing about 2,500 performers, for more than a year. In September, members voted to authorize union leaders to call a strike against video game companies. Although the technology to reuse a likeness or modify a voice has existed for years, actors say AI ups the ante because it can scrape more information more efficiently and potentially turn it into a plausible clone of an actor, combine actors work or pass as a new, ersatz artist. Were creating new revenue streams here; were not replacing the old way of doing things, said Shreyas Nivas, chief executive of Replica Studios. Explaining what this deal might look like in practice, he said that the popular video game Red Dead Redemption 2 included 500,000 lines of recorded dialogue, and suggested that automated voice acting could make that process cheaper and more efficient. Game voice actors say AI poses an equal or even greater threat to performers in the video game industry than it does in film and TV particularly because many work in voice-over. The capacity to cheaply and easily create convincing digital replicas of performer voices is already here and widely available, SAG-AFTRA said in a message posted on its website.You can find the tools to do it yourself with a simple Google search. Without protections, not only will this be the future of how voices are recorded for video game characters, but your own voice recordings will be used to train the AI systems that replace you. Voice actors have pointed to game mods in which players or fans of a game alter content as proof that their likenesses could be used without their consent and in ways that they would not approve. Last year, actors decried mods in the popular role-playing game Skyrim, which used AI-generated voices based on actors performances and cloned them for pornographic purposes. Conversations between Replica and SAG-AFTRA began several years ago, Nivas said. The SAG-AFTRA strike, as well as the accompanying Writers Guild strike, found stakeholders across Hollywood raising concerns about the role artificial intelligence will play in their industry. Even after SAG leaders secured a contract, some union members maintained that its language left studios too much latitude to use AI going forward. 5 of the top AI roles companies are seeking to hire 5 of the top AI roles companies are seeking to hire #5. Data architects #4. Machine learning engineers #3. AI data scientists #2. Data engineers #1. Software engineers Talented male embroiderer promotes Uygur embroidery, leads fellow villagers to prosperity People's Daily Online) 09:19, January 15, 2024 Using his nimble fingers, Kader Rahman, a 50-year-old male inheritor of traditional Uygur embroidery in Hami city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has secured a happy and fulfilling life for himself while at the same time leading his fellow villagers to prosperity. A historical stop along the ancient Silk Road, Hami city is known for its time-honored Uygur embroidery craft. Skilled local Uygur embroiderers often adorn hats, collars, cuffs, pillows, and bedclothes with exquisite patterns of flowers, grass, trees, and landscapes. Kader Rahman, an inheritor of traditional Uygur embroidery in Hami city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, makes an embroidery handicraft. (Photo courtesy of Dawuti Rexiati) Kader was born into a family that also values the tradition of Uygur embroidery. Growing up watching his mother and elder sister make various embroidery handicrafts, Kader showed an extraordinary gift for the craft when he was young. At the age of 6, he designed and cut out an embroidery pattern on his own for the first time. The pattern was then turned into a handicraft by his mother and purchased by a customer. As he was the only male embroiderer in his village of Qiaomaizhuangzi, Taojiagong township, Hami city, Kader faced ridicule for his interest in embroidery, which is traditionally believed to be a woman's job. But his enthusiasm for the craft never waned. Kader Rahman (middle), an inheritor of traditional Uygur embroidery in Hami city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, talks about embroidery techniques with embroiderers. (Photo/Pulati) In 2008, Uygur embroidery was designated as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. The news became a great source of encouragement to Kader. In the next year, 10 of Kader's embroidery works displayed at a folk art exhibition impressed experts, who were surprised to learn they were made by a man. Photo shows the process of making a traditional Uygur hat. (Photo courtesy of Dawuti Rexiati) "Since then, more people have learned my name and my fellow villagers gradually accepted who I am," Kader said, adding that the number of orders for his works has also grown since the exhibition was held. Kader has taken his craftsmanship to new levels through a training program initiated by China's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education for inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in 2015. A member of the professional embroidery team led by Kader Rahman, an inheritor of traditional Uygur embroidery in Hami city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, embroiders patterns with a Hami melon motif on a piece of cloth. (People's Daily Overseas Edition/Sun Yi) As one of the trainees of the first training session for Hami Uygur embroidery held in Guangzhou University in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Kader learned the techniques of the four most famous embroidering styles in China, integrating them with the traditional Uygur embroidery techniques to create innovative designs. He has also opened an embroidery and paper-cutting training agency under the support of a traditional craft work station in Hami, the first of its kind established by the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education in China. The agency has trained more than 3,000 embroiderers to date. In addition, he leads a professional team consisting of more than 30 skilled embroiderers. The team realizes more than 1,000 orders annually, helping embroiderers shake off poverty and embrace better lives. Photo shows some of the cultural and creative embroidery products designed and crafted by Kader Rahman, an inheritor of traditional Uygur embroidery in Hami city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of Dawuti Rexiati) "As long as you keep working hard, your flower will finally blossom one day," Kader said, noting that intangible cultural heritage inheritors and ordinary embroiderers are both important driving forces for the innovative development of Hami's Uygur embroidery. "Now all our flowers are blooming," he said happily. Kader Rahman (middle), an inheritor of traditional Uygur embroidery in Hami city, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, talks about embroidery techniques with embroiderers. (Photo courtesy of Dawuti Rexiati) (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman pledges to donate $1 million to Dean Phillips' presidential campaign as he calls on President Joe Biden to drop out of the race. Ackman's remarks were made in a lengthy post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. Phillips had launched a largely symbolic primary bid against the current sitting president last October. Bill Ackman Pledges $1 Million to Dean Phillips' Campaign In his post, the Pershing Square Capital Management founder said that the $1 million pledge is by far the largest investment he has ever made in someone running for office. He noted that he was donating a large amount of money at a high-risk but critically important moment for Phillips' campaign. The announcement of the pledge also comes on the same day that Ackman argued that President Biden is already too old to run for re-election. His remarks came during an appearance on CNBC's "Squawkbox" where he talked about his ongoing feud with Harvard University. Ackman argued that a big part of the reason why there are issues in the world geopolitically is that Biden is perceived as a "weak president." The hedge fund manager said that the Democrat will only become even weaker with time, as per the New York Post. In his social media post, the billionaire made the case for a Phillips presidency and went into great detail about the 54-year-old's background and business acumen. He called the primary challenger a "first-class human being and person of character." He also brushed off polling that showed the three-term congressman's upstart primary candidacy trailing the president by 67%. Ackman insisted that Phillips has a "credible path to winning the nomination" despite what the oddsmakers may think. Ackman wrote that Biden is polling poorly against former United States President Donald Trump, noting that his numbers are only going to get worse as he gets older. He also noted that there is a reasonable chance that Biden is forced to withdraw for health reasons. Read Also: Chris Christie Drops Out of Presidential Race To Curb Donald Trump's Campaign Efforts Challenging Joe Biden He argued that as Phillips continues to rise in the polls as Biden deteriorates, the Democratic Party will have to choose a candidate that can be the Republican nominee. He predicts that when the time comes to choose, the party will choose Phillips over the current president, according to Fox Business. Ackman also explained that for Phillips' bid to best Biden to become successful, he would need to perform well in the New Hampshire primary that is scheduled on Jan. 23. He noted that this is the reason why he was frontloading his investment in Phillips' campaign now and urges others to invest in the same manner. Despite the billionaire's remarks, a New Hampshire poll last week showed that 69% of likely Democratic primary voters plan to support Biden while only 7% plan to vote for Phillips, said Axios. In response to weak polling numbers in some areas, Ackman touted Phillips' rise in New Hampshire primary polls. He noted that the Democratic challenger went from zero to 26% in a matter of weeks. His remarks came as nobody attended Phillips' Manchester, New Hampshire outdoor campaign on Jan. 9. Related Article: US 2024 Election: Ron DeSantis Accuses Fox News of Protecting Donald Trump Atlanta became the first major southern city to elect a Black mayor in 1974 and has selected one in every election since. Black citizens in the Atlanta metro earn college degrees at a rate almost 50% higher than the national black average. When Ebony magazine named Atlanta, Georgia as the Black Mecca of the South in 1971, it was less than a decade after the passage of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In Atlanta, according to writer Phyllis Phyl T. Garland, Black folks have more, live better, accomplish more and deal with whites more effectively than they do anywhere else in the South or North. Slowly but surely, this trend is extending beyond the city limits. Farming communities outside of the city that once relied on enslaved people for labor are now home to many Black professionals who commute to the city for work. One such community is Stockbridge, located 30 minutes south of Atlanta and the birthplace of Martin Luther King Sr. in 1899. Martin Luther King Sr. Heritage Trail The racial divide has thinned in Stockbridge since 1899. Signs along the historic downtown streets guide visitors along the Martin Luther King Sr. Heritage Trail established in 2015. The eponymously named thoroughfare connects downtown to this community. It leads to the Floyd Chapel Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Sr. worshiped as a child and preached his first sermon in 1915, at age 15. The elder King, also known as Daddy King, was a civil rights leader in his own right. He became assistant pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta in 1927 and senior pastor in 1931. He guided the church through the Great Depression and was a widely respected church leader by 1934. Daddy King was the pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church for four decades, influencing the Black community and earning respect from the enlightened portions of the white community. As a local leader of the Civil Rights Movement, he served on the executive committee of the Atlanta NAACP chapter and as an officer in the Civic and Political League. He also inspired his son to become active in the movement. In his essay, An Autobiography of Religious Development, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, I guess the influence of my father also had a great deal to do with my going into the ministry. This is not to say that he ever spoke to me in terms of being a minister, but that my admiration for him was the great moving factor; He set forth a noble example that I didnt mind following. Juxtaposition of Old and New Just 30 miles to the North is Stone Mountain, Georgia, only 16 miles from downtown Atlanta. The site of the worlds largest bas-relief sculpture, which depicts three Confederate leaders: Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, was completed in 1972. Stone Mountain Park officially opened on April 14, 1965, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincolns assassination. Thankfully, things are changing. You can see the difference in Henry County as you walk along Stockbridges downtown strip. Youll notice the BarnBeautiful woodshop among the downtown boutiques, where craftsmen transform wood reclaimed from old barns into hand-crafted home decor. Store manager and head craftsman Chris Bradley will often work on his latest project behind the counter. Bradley is always open to conversation, and he doesnt take long to tell you why he loves his work. Ive found that working with your hands can bring you a much closer connection to the world than anything else, says Bradley with a smile. To work with woods that have seen thousands of experiences over, sometimes, hundreds of years, to feel the history, to help shape a future, is spiritually fulfilling. He picks up a board and explains that the woods imperfections are the most beautiful parts, and he reveals that beauty with polish and hard work. The juxtaposition of old and new is evident as you walk out of BarnBeautiful and continue along the downtown strip. Looking past the bare foundation of the Stockbridge Station, torn down in the 1980s, youll see the new city hall and amphitheater. This construction wasnt the first time Stockbridge relocated. Over 140 years ago, in 1882, present-day Stockbridge was established a mile south of Old Stockbridge to accommodate the Southern Railroad expansion and plans for a rail station. Trains still pass through Stockbridge, although they no longer stop or even sound their horns. Their legacy lives on, though, including delineating the historic center of Stockbridges Black community once viewed as, the wrong side of the tracks. Traveling the Martin Luther King Sr. Heritage Trail The Green Front Cafe is a little farther down the street. This historical marker in front of the building reads, The Green Front Cafe was a popular gathering place from the late 1940s until the early 2000s. The establishment was synonymous with Mrs. Carrie Mae Hambrick, who became the proprietor in 1949. She was known for serving tasty hamburgers, hot dogs, and soul food delicacies, especially her famous cornbread. Its believed this little cafe was the first restaurant in Henry County. Under Hambricks management, all were welcome. Both Black and White residents dined together under the same roof, regardless of prevalent segregation practices. Ms. Carrie Mae must have had some mighty good cornbread to challenge the color barrier in 1940s Georgia. Just mentioning its name evokes fond memories in the many who frequented this place when Ms. Carrie Mae owned and operated it. Diane D. Miller, the new owner and curator of the Green Front Cafe, told us why it was important to her to reopen The Green Lady and restore it with authentic Henry County touches wherever possible. Miller recognized the cafe was an icon of a resilient community full of hope. When she started renovating the building, she turned to BarnBeautiful to help weave the community into the very fabric of the cafe by incorporating reclaimed wood from nearby Broder Farm into the beams of the ceiling. Visitors who step through the front door of the Green Front Cafe today are welcomed like family. This is a throwback to a time when neighbors knew each other and the community cared for those living there. It was essential to Miller to create a place to preserve, the stories and to make new memories. After the grand reopening of the Cafe in May 2023, Miller commissioned BarnBeautiful to create a miniature replica of the Green Front Cafe as a symbol of the community to help tell the story beyond the four walls of the place. The Green Front Cafe welcomes all who visit Stockbridge for a history lesson, a great meal, and a dose of Southern hospitality. The King Legacy Its easy to feel welcome when eating a delicious plate of cornbread and fried catfish, but change isnt always simple, and theres still work to be done. If asked, Miller will tell you how she helps local charities with coat drives and participates in other community outreach programs because there are still pockets of poverty in the area. During the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the King family gave everything they had to the movement. On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his final speech. His voice strong and assured, he opened with, If I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in? Kings speech traveled through great moments of change and freedom. He made stops at the exodus from Egypt, the birth of philosophy in ancient Greece, the growth of civic leadership in the Roman Empire, and the rebirth of learning in the Renaissance. He touched on the leadership of Lincoln with the Emancipation Proclamation and President Franklin Roosevelts inaugural address. After honoring the past, he embraced living in the present, Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy.' Later that night, a single shot fired outside of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis took Kings life. Martin Luther King Jr. was pronounced dead at 7:05 P.M. King Sr.s wife, Alberta, was murdered on June 30, 1974. The elder King lived until age 84 and died of natural causes in Atlanta. Stockbridge Embodies the Dream Between Mrs. Carrie Maes cornbread, Daddy Kings preaching, and the hard work of the Civil Rights Movement, the color barrier is coming down not only in Stockbridge, but also in all of Henry County. The 2000 census showed that of the nearly 122,000 people who live in the county, 81.38% were White, and 14.68% were Black or African-American. By 2020, that percentage was 35.85% White and 48.37% Black or African-American, with a county population of 239,000. Residents embrace this shift from a farming community to a bedroom community for affluent Atlanta families pursuing the American Dream. Stockbridge, Henry Countys largest city, was even named among the 10 best cities in the nation for African-Americans to live, according to Livability.com. History is a winding, complex road navigated through conscious preservation, whether barn wood, cornbread recipes, or historic trails. The Martin Luther King Sr. Heritage Trail and Stockbridge, Georgia, tell the story of great people who have come before us their challenges and victories, heartbreak and hard work, but most of all, their unwavering commitment to a dream of freedom and equality for all. WATERLOO Future, former and current students joined faculty members as they celebrated the official opening of Central Middle School with an open house Thursday night. After a year of going to school in a newly built wing of the neighboring Waterloo Career Center, students and staff moved back into Central on Jan. 4 following their return from winter break. For Principal Ross Bauer, the feedback about the renovated building is something to marvel at. Its a space that we are really proud of already, he said. For the students and staff it means a lot. Weve only been here a week, but everything is really fitting our needs well. Remodeling of the school was initially approved in April 2021 when the Board of Education approved a nearly $29 million contract to both build an annex to the Career Center and renovate Central. Once the annex was built, students moved into it as renovation on the middle school began. Invision Architecture of Waterloo spearheaded design services for the dual venture. Larson Construction of Independence was the contractor. Changes to the school include more of an open air plan throughout the facility. Speakers in the ceiling allow each teacher to use a microphone to speak to students. For STEAM instructor Jon Dennis, who has taught in Waterloo Community Schools 24 years, changes like these allow him to connect with students in new ways. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Im able to lead the class from the back of the room and talk to the kids, he said. The space is great. I have room for 3-D printers and everything we need for our robotics league. Future Central Crusaders were also at the open house. The Hein family came to the event so that son James and daughter Kaitlin could take a look at where James will be attending school next year. I love tech with a little bit of science in it. I also like space, so this room is so cool to me, said James while exploring the STEAM room. I cannot wait to be here next year. I loved the library. Everything is really cool, said his sister, who is in the third grade. Centrals open concept also allows for a greater sense of community throughout the campus but particularly in the cafeteria and the facilitys many study areas. Barbara Henning, a retired Waterloo Schools teacher, loved the layout of seventh grade teacher Ashley Chases room. This is so awesome and Im excited for this, said Henning. We love supporting the Waterloo Schools, and this is just absolutely beautiful. Close Seventh-grade language arts teacher Ashley Chase, right, meets with a family during the open house for Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. People gather during the open house to showcase renovations of Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. Changes to the school include more of an "open air" plan throughout the facility. Students walk the hallways during the open house for Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. People tour Central Middle School during an open house on Thursday in Waterloo. Attendees at a Central Middle School open house on Thursday tour the library. A study area inside Central Middle School in Waterloo. Art teacher Henry Riley's art classroom at Central Middle School. The newly renovated cafeteria at Central Middle School. Instructors and students with their families meet during the open house for Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. Central Middle School open house Jan. 11, 2024 After a year of renovations, Central Middle School students return to the building Jan. 4, 2024. The community got a look at the upgrades during the open house Jan. 11, 2024. Seventh-grade language arts teacher Ashley Chase, right, meets with a family during the open house for Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. People gather during the open house to showcase renovations of Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. Changes to the school include more of an "open air" plan throughout the facility. Students walk the hallways during the open house for Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. People tour Central Middle School during an open house on Thursday in Waterloo. Attendees at a Central Middle School open house on Thursday tour the library. A study area inside Central Middle School in Waterloo. Art teacher Henry Riley's art classroom at Central Middle School. The newly renovated cafeteria at Central Middle School. Instructors and students with their families meet during the open house for Central Middle School on Thursday in Waterloo. WAVERLY A familiar Republican is embarking on the campaign trail again after nearly a decade away. As first reported by Waverly Newspapers, Bob Brunkhorst, the citys former mayor, state representative and senator, is running for the Director District 1 seat on the Bremer County Board of Supervisors. The seat is held by Ken Kammeyer, also a Republican. Kammeyer will reportedly not seek reelection at the end of the year, concluding his fifth term after first being elected in 2005. The District 1 position represents Waverly Wards 2, 3, 4 and 5. Two election losses in 2014 and 2015 for a seat on the Waverly City Council were Brunkhorsts most recent campaigns. A Waverly native, Brunkhorst, 58, has been an information technology professional in the insurance sector for close to 35 years. He is seeking elected office now because his children are grown up and out of the house. Additionally, hell soon be stepping aside from the Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community board and will have more time for a campaign. Its the right timing for me, so I can refocus on doing some elected government work, he said during a telephone interview. And the county has lots of things going on. Hed lend experience when it comes to the countys big building projects, the future reorganization of its public health department and economic development in general. I can definitely help navigate some of those things, said Brunkhorst. As mayor and having been in the state Legislature, it helps me understand those issues and navigate long-range planning. I believe I can be an asset. The reorganization comes as part of a state measure, he said. Thats going to be important to execute correctly, said Brunkhorst. And economic development is a priority for many in local office growing our county and growing the tax base, he said. How can we put the county in a better position to do that? We have a lot of great assets in Bremer County. How can we work with public and private assets to try to grow our county? Im looking for people to ask questions and engage. Its a three-person supervisor board, so its important to ask questions so people can understand where you want the county to go, he added. Brunkhorst was mayor from 2010 to 2013. His time in the Iowa House and Senate spanned 1993 to 2002 and 2003 to 2006, respectively. Brunkhorst is currently a member of the Waverly Utilities board of trustees. If Im elected, all those things should help, Brunkhorst said. He graduated from Waverly-Shell Rock High School in 1984 and Loras College in 1989 before getting his masters of business administration degree about 15 years later from the University of Northern Iowa. The veteran politician has been around a long time. Still, he is expecting some competition. Its early. But Im positive there will be a race, he said. WATERLOO On the eve of the 2024 Iowa caucuses, Michael Blackwell related how Martin Luther King Jr.s dream is still relevant today. Blackwell was the speaker for the 45th annual Martin Luther King Jr. banquet celebrating Kings birthday Sunday. King was born Jan. 15, 1929, and assassinated in 1968. Blackwell an educator, pastor and scholar compared the height of the civil rights movement to the movement today. Nineteen sixty-three seems like 2024, doesnt it? Blackwell asked the room of a few hundred people at the Waterloo Convention Center. Along with likening the present to the past, he paid tribute to King using messages from the Bible. The past eight years proves the autocratic and fascistic disposition of events are a reason why Jesus calls such people fools, he said. Blackwell specifically pointed toward former President Donald Trump. (Tomorrow) there will be people here supporting that felonious SOB on the day of Martin Luther Kings birth, he continued. The theme of the speech became apparent as Blackwell said attendees needed to speak up and get in the way, especially with local, state and national general elections coming in November. Instead of running away from injustice or enduring it without a fight and being silent, we should be invigorated by the law of reassurance knowing that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice, Blackwell said, quoting King. He listed events that people should cause trouble for a phrase he would say again and again, his voice strengthening each time it was repeated. He urged his audience to fight to end racial disparities. He said one way that Iowa, which he noted is 88% white, can do that is to increase the number of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the state instead of cutting them. In November, the Iowa Board of Regents, which runs the three public universities, voted to eliminate DEI positions not required by laws or accreditation purposes, under guidance of a law passed by the Legislature in 2023. He focused on policy changes for K-12 schools, saying schools need to improve their history classes. Lets start causing trouble to keep social studies and civics classes for all students that tell the truth about the immense failure of the United States domestically, as well as internationally, he said. Lets start causing problems to stop the banning of books in a state that keeps up the propaganda. Other subjects he said people should start rallying around include looking at racial disparities in incarceration rates, creating livable incomes, making sure children eat three meals a day and womens right to an abortion. Lets start causing trouble to elevate the dignity and worth of all human beings, he said, wrapping up his speech, and make the impact of Kings dream of living a sustainable and universal reality. Nursing students have strong feelings about DEI initiatives at their schools Nursing students have strong feelings about DEI initiatives at their schools WATERLOO A house sustained damage from a small fire Saturday while temperatures sat below zero. Waterloo Fire Rescue was dispatched to 245 Boston Ave. around 7 p.m. for a smoke investigation. While examining the house, firefighters found flames in an interior wall. They dismantled the wall and put the fire out before it spread farther. No cause has been determined. One of the houses residents called in saying they saw smoke, and the family was not inside the house when firefighters arrived. Battalion Chief Troy Luck wasnt sure how many people live in the house, but they are being assisted by the Red Cross due to the power being shut off. Luck said the colder it is outside, the longer it takes for fires to be put out due to extra precautions taken by firefighters and potential difficulties of accessing water. Close A winter storm starting overnight left the Cedar Valley, including downtown Waterloo, covered in snow Tuesday morning. A Ford Fusion caught fire after it became stuck in heavy snow on South Street and overheated on Tuesday. No injuries were reported. A Ford Fusion caught fire after it became stuck in heavy snow on South Street and overheated on Tuesday. No injuries were reported. Fresh snow blanketed Waterloo and Cedar Falls on Tuesday. Fresh snow blanketed Waterloo and Cedar Falls on Tuesday. Winter weather across Iowa Jan. 9-12, 2024 Photos from winter storms that hit the Cedar Valley and across Iowa on Jan. 9 and 12, 2024. A winter storm starting overnight left the Cedar Valley, including downtown Waterloo, covered in snow Tuesday morning. A Ford Fusion caught fire after it became stuck in heavy snow on South Street and overheated on Tuesday. No injuries were reported. A Ford Fusion caught fire after it became stuck in heavy snow on South Street and overheated on Tuesday. No injuries were reported. Fresh snow blanketed Waterloo and Cedar Falls on Tuesday. Fresh snow blanketed Waterloo and Cedar Falls on Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump maintained his wide lead among likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers, while former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley pulled ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis just days before Mondays high-stakes Iowa GOP caucuses that could help determine whether either candidate has a viable shot at upending Trumps path to the nomination. The latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Saturday night shows Trump holding a nearly 30-point lead among likely Iowa GOP caucusgoers, while Haley moved ahead of DeSantis in a tight race for second. The top line results from the poll: Trump at 48 percent, Haley at 20 percent, DeSantis at 16 percent and Ramaswamy at 8 percent. Haleys upward momentum comes despite a decline in her overall popularity with Iowa voters. Haleys favorability ratings fell in the latest poll to 48 percent, from 59 percent. And 46 percent viewed her unfavorably, up from 31 percent. DeSantis also saw his favorable ratings decline, though 58 percent still view him positively. The poll also found Haleys supporters were much less enthusiastic about caucusing for her. A 61 percent majority of Haley backers said they are mildly enthusiastic or not that enthusiastic about turning out to caucus for her on what is forecast to be a bitterly cold caucus night with a low of around minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit and wind chill values as low as minus 35 degrees. By contrast, 88 percent of Trumps supporters said they are extremely enthusiastic or very enthusiastic about caucusing for him, while 62 percent of DeSantis supporters said the same. Overall, 55 percent of poll respondents said they will definitely, rather than probably, attend the caucuses on Monday. Among DeSantis supporters, 62 percent said they will definitely attend, compared to 56 percent for Trump supporters and 51 percent for Haley supporters. Overall, Trump leads with independents who plan to caucus with Republicans, but independents and Democrats make up half of Haleys backers going into the caucus, according to the poll. Trump jabs at Haley Former President Donald Trump sat down with Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird for a livestream event Saturday from Des Moines. Bird endorsed Trump in the fall. She asked him about primary rival Nikki Haley, who served in his administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Bird noted Trump has been critical of Haleys rhetoric on immigration, highlighting her opposition to a travel ban Trump imposed on several Muslim-majority countries while president which hes vowed to reinstate if elected in 2024 pointing to Haleys comments in 2015 that Americans shouldnt describe illegal immigrants as criminals, and falsely claiming Haley opposed the construction of a border wall. Bird asked Trump: Given the thousands of unvetted illegals that are coming across our Southern border every day, why are Nikki Haleys comments dangerous and naive? Trump responded by calling Haley a globalist who is not aligned with his nationalistic America First agenda. He also mentioned former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his presidential campaign last week, caught on a hot mic saying GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley will get smoked in the primary race. I dont think Nikkis strong enough to be president. I know her very well, Trump said. Haley has sharpened her criticisms of Trump in recent weeks saying his countless legal problems are major distractions, and that the country doesnt need more chaos in government. We cant have a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We wont survive it, Haley often says on the campaign trail. Bird, Iowas chief legal officer, accused Biden of weaponizing the justice system and committing election interference. Trump has been indicted by federal grand juries composed of average citizens following investigations that included witness testimony and a trove of evidence over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. The former president faces a total of 91 felony counts across multiple criminal cases that include conspiracy to defraud the United States and witness tampering over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Bird also said she didnt think weather would stop Trump supporters from showing up on caucus night. Were used to it being cold, dark, and snowy in January, but we also remember what it was like when you were president and people are on fire, she said. They are going to make it happen on caucus night. Ramaswamy responds to Trump brushback Trump brushed back at Ohio biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on social media, stemming from Ramaswamy's recent insistence that support for Trump would be wasted because "the system" is lined up against him. The former president took to social media, posting on Truth Social: "Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the other side don't get duped by this. Vote for TRUMP, don't waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA. The post stemmed from shirts that Ramaswamy's campaign handed out that say Save Trump, Vote Vivek. Ramaswamy reposted a photo with a group of young men wearing them after a recent campaign event in Iowa, which caught Trumps attention. On social media and at a the campaign event Thursday in Cedar Rapids, Ramaswamy urged voters to support him as the candidate who will save Trump from these made-up, trumped-up prosecutions. Ramaswamy responded to Trumps post in a statement. Its an unfortunate move by his campaign advisors, I dont think friendly fire is helpful, Ramaswamy said. Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, and Im not going to criticize him in response to this late attack. Pentagon has drafted and adopted a number of documents involving the expansion of the overseas network of U.S.-controlled biolabs Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: During 2023, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation carried out a detailed analysis of U.S. military biological activities in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world, which provided a more complete understanding of the military biology programmes they are implementing. Based on the analysis of documents obtained during the special military operation, the structure of the system set up by the U.S. administration for global biological risk management became clear. It is made up of government agencies and private contracting companies, including the so-called Big Pharma companies. Through the U.S. executive branch, a legislative framework is being formed to fund military biological research directly from the federal budget. Under state guarantees, funds are attracted from non-governmental organisations controlled by the Democratic Party leadership, including the investment funds of the Clintons, Rockefellers, Soros, and Biden. The main contractors of the American military department are Metabiota, Black & Veatch, and CH2M HILL, which are entrusted with the construction of biobased facilities, supplying equipment for the Pentagons biolaboratories around the world. The work is being coordinated by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The activities of this system are aimed at studying pathogens of especially dangerous infections in the regions of the world strategically important for the USA, controlling the biological situation and achieving superiority in the field of bioproduction. One of the priority tasks is the so-called biological espionage analysing the epidemiological situation along the borders of geopolitical adversaries and in the proposed areas of deployment of military contingents. Materials were received confirming that the American military department had set tasks to monitor the biological situation in the Middle East and Central Asia, territories bordering China, Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Over the past year, the Pentagon has developed and adopted a number of conceptual documents that envisage the expansion of the foreign network of U.S.-controlled biolaboratories and the continuation of military biological research beyond national jurisdiction. In addition, administrative and technical structures (the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, and the State Departments Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy) were created in 2023 with the primary mission of implementing policies for further biological-military expansion. While the stated goals are to monitor infectious diseases and assist developing countries, the example of Ukraine has made it clear how the U.S. is building up its biological-military capabilities. Read full text Russian Defence Ministry The United States blocks any international initiatives to verify the Biological Weapons Convention Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: By the time the special military operation was started, the Pentagon was implementing UP and TAP projects in the country aimed at studying pathogens of particularly dangerous and economically significant diseases (tularemia, anthrax, hantavirus infections). The research was conducted in three main areas. These include monitoring the biological situation, collecting endemic strains, and studying the susceptibility of the local population. In 2023, the EU countries actively promoted an initiative to deploy a network of centres of excellence in the field of NBC protection, which envisages the deployment of biolaboratories on the territory of the former USSR. The prospective partners are highly recommended not to advertise this initiative due to its extreme sensitivity for the Russian Federation At the same time, it is stressed that the Central Asian countries are already benefiting from technical cooperation The distribution of funds on the territory of the post-Soviet space is carried out, including through a system of grants through the Ukrainian and International Science and Technology Centres. I would like to draw attention to the names of individual projects financed in the states of the Transcaucasia and Central Asia. Project 2410 Assessment of natural resistance of brucellosis pathogen in domestic and wild animals is aimed at studying the possibility of transmission of this pathogen to humans. The research was carried out with the participation of specialists from the University of Florida. The 2513 Project studies risk factors and molecular properties of resistance in the external environment of virulent enterobacteriaceae. The research aims to isolate strains that are immune to all known classes of antibiotics. The 2545 Project involves modelling evolutionary changes in selected viruses highly pathogenic to humans. The research was supported by the UKs national research and innovation agency. Taking advantage of gaps in international legislation, the United States administration is consistently building up its biological-military capabilities in various regions of the world. Of particular concern is the fact that the United States has blocked any international initiatives to verify the Biological Weapons Convention. This eliminates the ability to inspect laboratory operations both inside and outside the United States. The 2023 BWC events once again confirmed Washingtons fundamental reluctance to resume negotiations on a legally binding verification mechanism. Read full text Russian Defence Ministry The work of US military biologists is aimed at creating artificially managed epidemics and is not controlled under the BWC Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: In the course of the events held at the BWC, the Russian Federation raised more than 20 questions concerning violations by Kiev and Washington of the requirements of the Convention. It concerned the nomenclature and quantities of pathogenic microorganisms studied under the Biological Threat Reduction Program, the conduct of research on Ukrainian servicemen and mentally ill persons, and the concealment by Ukraine and the United States of the facts of cooperation in the military-biological sphere in international reporting. None of the questions have received substantive answers to date. At the same time, the initiatives promoted by the United States were aimed at replacing the provisions of the Convention and other norms of international law with its own rules, which were developed in U.S. interests, supported by the collective West and imposed on third countries for implementation. This can be traced in the work at other international platforms, when Western delegations pushed through decision-making only on issues of interest to them, without regard for the priorities of other states. At the same time, attention is deliberately shifted to the consideration of secondary issues not directly related to the problems of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, for example, such as the creation of all kinds of databases, ensuring gender equality, participation in BWC activities by youth organisations, etc. To mitigate the political damage from the Russian revelations, the U.S. administration is trying to put pressure on its allies and developing countries. This is due, in particular, to the results of the consideration of the issue of U.S. biological-military activities in Ukraine in the United Nations Security Council and the outcome of the vote in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to re-elect Russia to the Executive Board of that organisation. We have repeatedly noted that the work of U.S. military biologists is aimed at forming artificially managed epidemics and is not monitored under the BWC and the UN Secretary Generals mechanism for investigating the use of biological weapons. At the same time, the forecast of the situation assumes further deterioration of the epidemic situation with possible formation of artificial disease foci and uncontrolled expansion of the vector area. Read full text Russian Defence Ministry The increasing research on smallpox viruses and other human-pathogenic orthopoxviruses being conducted by U.S. military specialists is of particular concern Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: For example, an increase in non-endemic Asian tiger mosquitoes has already been recorded in Southern and Central Europe during the last two years. In Germany, populations of this species have developed in five federal districts. Another mosquito species that is a vector of the West Nile fever has been identified in Sweden and Finland. At the same time, an increase in the incidence of uncharacteristic vector-borne infections was noted in the EU countries. More people infected with dengue fever were reported in Europe during the year than in the previous decade. The peak incidence of the West Nile fever has also been recorded more than a thousand cases, 92 of them fatal. Of particular concern is the increase in research on smallpox viruses and other human pathogenic orthopoxviruses by U.S. military specialists. This involves the evaluation of monkeypox virus as a potential infectious biological agent and the search for agent mimics of smallpox viruses. I would like to note that only two institutions are allowed to work with this virus the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR in Russia. However, despite a ban by the World Health Assembly, aerobiological experiments using two strains of smallpox virus were conducted by staff of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The relevant document showing the involvement of the U.S. DoD in the research is shown on the slide. This situation clearly demonstrates the U.S. administrations disregard for international biosafety norms. Such work has the potential to trigger a global epidemic emergency, as a significant proportion of the population has become susceptible to smallpox and other orthopoxviruses as a result of loss of population immunity. The monkeypox pandemic and the increase in the incidence of cowpox virus worldwide over the past 10 years are clear examples. I would like to remind you that American researchers have a keen interest in the synthesis of orthopoxviruses. In 2017, they synthesised a functional genome of the equine smallpox virus. At the same time, the possibility of artificial production of Lassa, Ebola, Marburg, and human pathogenic coronaviruses was shown. A recent example is the gain-of-function studies conducted at the Boston University, where directed modification of the COVID pathogen resulted in 80% lethality causing atypical neurological symptoms and severe lung lesions in model animals. Read full text Russian Defence Ministry Investigation obtains dossier on US bio-military figures in Ukraine Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: As a result of the analysis of the documentation received, more than 50 persons were identified including US and Ukrainian government officials, employees of intermediary organisations and private companies. They include DTRA employees Kenneth Myers, Robert Pope and Joanna Wintrol; and Pentagon contractor representatives (Battelle and EcoHealth Alliance) Kevin Olival, Karen Sailors, and Lewis von Thaer. This list includes Ukrainian citizens who took part in the implementation of the UP and TAP projects: Mikhail Usatiy, Tatyana Kiryazova. For a long time, employees of the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) and the U.S. Agency for International Development remained in the shadows developing scenarios aimed at accusing the Russian Federation of using biological weapons. I would like to remind you that the relevant training took place in Lvov in August 2023 with the participation of representatives of the SBU and the National Police of Ukraine. The event was attended by Filippa Lentzos, Gemma Bowsher, Head of the Reference Laboratory for the Diagnosis of Viral and Highly Dangerous Pathogens Irina Demchishina, and Head of the Biosafety and Biological Protection Department of the Centre for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Darya Ponomarenko. Demchishina had previously acted as an intermediary in dealing with Pentagon contractor Black & Veatch and its vice president, Thomas Wahl. Research on the study of pathogens of economically significant infections and mechanisms of their spread was led by Denis Muzyka. Viktor Gavrilenko and Aleksandr Mezinov were involved in collecting and sending materials. Among those involved in the biological-military dossier, those involved in the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and who benefited financially from the distribution of substandard vaccines deserve special mention. They include former CIA Director Gina Haspel, Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and White House adviser Anthony Fauci, who deliberately obstructed investigations into the causes of the COVID-19 pandemic and manipulated public opinion. These are top officials of the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna, Albert Bourla and Stephane Bancel, who made super profits on sales of drugs dangerous to human health. The list includes Pentagon contractor executives Nita Madhav, CEO of Metabiota, and Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance involved in laundering money from the U.S. government budget allocated to study the agent of a new coronavirus infection and fight the pandemic. The U.S. and Ukrainian officials shown on the slide are only a small part of the biological-military dossier; more complete information has been transferred to military investigative bodies for appropriate legal assessment. Russian Defence Ministry Pentagon announces bioprogramme specialist training to start in autumn 2023 Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: I would like to point out that the United States signed the Convention in 1972 and ratified it in 1975. We have in our possession a Pentagon document dated 1977 (i.e., after the BWC was ratified). It shows the main activities of the US Army in the biological weapons development programme. According to the authors, this material was prepared for Congressional representatives to raise their awareness of the U.S. Department of Defenses biological programme. It is noteworthy that many of the government and scientific institutions listed in the document as Pentagon contractors under the biological weapons development programme are now involved in the so-called Biological Threat Reduction Programme conducted by DTRA in Ukraine. These include universities in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and others. The directions of research implementation have not changed. The same pathogens of tularemia, anthrax, tick-borne infections are the priority. In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense announced the launch of a training programme for the biomanufacturing strategy, with former military personnel with biomedical warfare experience being prioritised as candidates. The official press release noted that the Department of Defences activities will focus on revitalising U.S. domestic manufacturing capabilitiesthat enhance Americas strategic competitiveness and enable the military of tomorrow. Read full text Russian Defence Ministry The worlds opinion of US bioprogrammes is changing because of the findings of the special military operation Chief of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: Such language may be indicative of Washingtons attempts to recreate technologies for the large-scale production of biological formulations as part of an offensive biological programme. Thus, the systemic expansion of biological-military activities poses a threat to the security of the Russian Federation and other States considered by the United States as strategic adversaries. The scale of U.S. dual-use research and the global biological risks it poses raise the question of an independent international investigation. Due to the unprecedented pressure from Washington, many states have taken a passive position on this issue, but the information received in the course of the special military operation on the development of biological weapons components on the territory of Ukraine in violation of Articles 1 and 4 of the Convention makes them change their point of view. In the current situation, we consider it extremely important to resume work on a legally binding protocol to the Convention, which would be binding on all States Parties to the BWC, and first and foremost on the United States. We are continuing to analyse incoming documents and will keep you informed. Read full text Russian Defence Ministry WtR Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks out over the affair allegations against her and special prosecutor Nathan Wade amid the state's case against Donald Trump. On Sunday, Willis defended Wade's qualifications, marking her first public remarks since the allegations of misconduct between the two of them surfaced last week. The district attorney did not directly address the allegations of improper relationship with Wade during a congregation at the Big Bethel AME Church. Fani Willis Misconduct Allegations However, she fiercely rejected claims that she acted improperly when she hired Wade in the state's election interference case involving former President Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants. Last week, the allegations against Willis and Wade came from one of the Republican businessman's co-defendants, Mike Roman. He is a political operative who served as the former president's director of Election Day operations on his 2020 re-election campaign. He accused Willis and Wade of engaging in an "improper romantic relationship." Roman's lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant cited "sources close" to both Willis and Wade who claimed that the two have been involved in an "ongoing, personal, and romantic relationship." The two allegedly went on vacations together, as per The Hill. The filings also argued that the relationship, which Merchant claimed began before the election interference started, makes the indictment "fatally defective" and requested it to be dismissed. On Sunday, Willis said that she was confused because it was her right to appoint the three special counselors and pay them all the same hourly rate. While not directly naming Wade, Willis defended the special prosecutor by saying that he had been a judge for more than 10 years and had run a private practice for more than 20 years. He is said to represent businesses in civil litigation and served as a prosecutor, a criminal defense lawyer, and a special assistant attorney general. In the filing last week, Merchant pointed out the payment made to Wade, who received nearly $654,000 in legal fees in 2022 and 2023. The payment was made for his work on the investigation as shown by county records. Read Also: Trump Probe Prosecutors Plan to Summon FBI Digital Experts as Witnesses Having an Improper Relationship Willis' emotional speech on Sunday lasted for more than 30 minutes where she also detailed the difficulties that she faced in her position as Fulton County DA as well as prosecuting the Trump case. She detailed feeling "isolation," "loneliness," "backstabbing," and facing constant death threats, according to ABC News. She noted that the threats made against her were often fueled by her race, noting that she and her family members' lives have been "threatened so regularly" that it was normal to receive two death threats every week. The Fulton County district attorney claims that the allegations against her and Wade are because they are both Black. She said that the opposition was playing the race card in trying to tell her how to do her job properly. However, Roman was unfazed by Willis' accusations that the issue was racially charged against the district attorney. He noted that the biggest difference between Wade and the other two prosecutors in the case is that the first two were not in a relationship with Willis, said the New York Post. Related Article: US 2024 Election: Ron DeSantis Accuses Fox News of Protecting Donald Trump We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form British law enforcement personnel arrested six individuals in relation to an alleged plot to disrupt the London Stock Exchange. On Sunday, police announced that the suspects were members of a Palestine Action group. The Met Police noted in a press release that they received information regarding the plot from the media outlet Daily Express on Friday. London Stock Exchange Disruption Plot The media outlet published an exclusive story regarding the alleged plans on Sunday morning, in which one of its reporters posed as a prospective group member as part of a two-month investigation. The pro-Palestine suspects allegedly planned to chain themselves by the neck to the stock exchange's entrances on Monday. In one case, they sought the use of a ladder placed above revolving doors to prevent the exchange from opening and to prolong the disruption for a full working day if possible. In a press release, Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas said that the arrests they made were significant. He added that they believe the pro-Palestine group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging plan that could have had serious implications if it was successfully carried out, as per Fox Business. Thomas noted that he was grateful to the Express for the media outlet's willingness to provide the information gleaned from their own investigation. He said that the development was "instrumental" in helping authorities intervene in the alleged plot successfully. The detective superintendent said that they were mindful of the suggestion that the plot was one part of a planned week of action. They are now in contact with the City of London Police as well as other forces across the United Kingdom. They want to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to deal with any disruption in the coming days. While the arrested individuals were trying to disrupt trading, there was none taking place at the London Stock Exchange itself. This is because equity trading is fully electronic and the exchange has not had a physical trading floor since 1986. Read Also: Italy Refuses to Extradite Priest Accused of Murder and Torture to Argentina Pro-Palestine Action Group Members All of the apprehended suspects were in their 20s or early 30s and had planned the disruption plot to cause financial losses for UK companies that were doing business with the Israel Defense Force (IDF), according to CNBC. Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023, London has become the site of some of the largest demonstrations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The pro-Palestine activists involved in the latest incident also planned to spray fire extinguishers and shoot fake bank notes painted red out of "money guns" around the stock exchange. Law enforcement authorities said that a 31-year-old man was arrested in Liverpool on Sunday on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage in relation to the incident. Five others, who were believed to be part of the same alleged plot, were arrested on Sunday for the same charge. These were a 29-year-old woman from Albert Road, Brent, a 23-year-old man, from Voss Street, Tower Hamlets, two women aged 28 and 26 from Liverpool, and a 27-year-old from Brighton, East Sussex, said The Independent. Related Article: Britain Sends 20K Troops Across Europe To Join NATO's Arctic Exercise Recently, English actor Emma Watson was seen on an online messaging board reading Hitlers manifesto Mein Kampf. Well, you guessed it right; it was the handiwork of some online crook (or crooks) using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that could create a digital replica of peoples voice. When ElevenLabs, the AI company behind this voice-cloning tool, noticed the misuse, it imposed restrictions, including the need for users to pay. But such limits were incapable of putting an end to the barrage of AI-created voices. Generative AI has taken the world by storm, but it has not been without challenges and consequences. How do you deal with a misinformation-spouting AI chatbot? Who will take responsibility? Is it the AI machine, or those who have fed data into the machine, or the tech company behind that Large Language Model (LLM)? Adgully attempts to find answers to these questions and more in this two-part series. Digital sweatshops! The prevailing narrative that AI tools are being dished out by shiny happy people inside those shiny Silicon Valley glass towers is just a modern-day bubble. A 2023 August investigative report by The Washington Post burst that bubble, unraveling the dark underbelly of AI. The investigative report exposes the exploitation of workers in the Global South by tech firms like OpenAI and Meta, revealing the digital sweatshops in the Philippines, where AI models are trained taking advantage of low labour costs. The report highlights the often-overlooked human labour involved in maintaining the shiny new toy that is AI. According to the report, payments were routinely delayed or cancelled at Scale AI, which provided services for Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, and the US Department of Defense. While AI is often thought of as human-free machine learning, the technology actually relies on the labour-intensive efforts of a workforce spread across much of the Global South and often subject to exploitation, says the report. ChatGPT has already gained global acclaim for its innovative AI capabilities, boasting over a million users within a week of its November release. However, a TIME investigation reveals that OpenAI employed outsourced labour in Kenya, paying workers less than $2 per hour to label explicit content, highlighting the sinister side of the AI industrys reliance on hidden human labour in the Global South to ensure the safety of AI systems. Despite the foundational role played by these data enrichment professionals, a growing body of research reveals the precarious working conditions these workers face, the TIME report quotes the Partnership on AI, a coalition of AI organisations to which OpenAI belongs. Global efforts There is no doubt that the misuses or risks associated with AI are international in nature, and as such it calls for an international approach. Last year, none other than the top leaders at OpenAI, including Sam Altman, called for an international watchdog, akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency, to regulate the AI. In 2023, we saw certain efforts in this direction. The Bletchley Declaration, hosted by the UK in November last year, was the first international AI Safety Summit that outlined the commitment of countries (India included) to harness the potential benefits of AI while addressing associated risks. The Declaration, while emphasising the importance of safe, human-centric, trustworthy, and responsible development and use of AI, highlights the need for international cooperation to address risks posed by AI. Then there was this G7 Leaders Statement on the Hiroshima AI Process, which underscored the potential of advanced AI systems while stressing the need for developing a policy framework for safe and trustworthy AI. Big tech monopoly This year, we may witness the potential reinforcement of Big Techs monopoly through the AI revolution, raising concerns about collusion and coordination among major players in the AI industry. A slew of AI start-ups flourished in recent times, but the stark reality is that they have to depend on big-tech. For example, while Google, Amazon, and Microsoft dominate cloud computing, Nvidia has dominance over the chips required for AI tools. All these point to the aspect: the growing consensus on the need for global regulation in the AI space. Industry experts underscore the importance of regulatory mechanisms to address risks, ethical considerations, and the potential concentration of AI power among a few large companies. We need to look no further than last years Hollywood writers strike and The New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for why there is growing consensus around the need for global regulations, observes Minhyun Kim, CEO of AI Network. Concerns over replacement and lost revenue will only continue to get louder, and the only recourse will be litigation. This is not the hallmark of a healthy industry. At the same time, AIs growth has already created chip shortages, allegations of clickworker exploitation, concerns over training data bias, and serious privacy issues. With the advent of deepfakes, it has also become a powerful mis- and disinformation tool. People both inside and outside the industry have found these issues hard to ignore. The sense is that something needs to be done to ensure AI develops in accordance with the best interests of society, Kim says. Today, AI is being used to make crucial decisions, says Sheshgiri Kamath, CEO and Co-founder of Kapture CX. He believes that the global consensus on the need for AI regulation stems from unclear accountability pertaining to such decisions, which could have potential implications for individuals or the society as a whole. Moreover, he adds, the lack of regulations, standards or best practices poses risks across sectors such as healthcare or banking and financial services that are seeing increasing adoption of AI, and deal with sensitive data. The growing consensus on global AI regulation stems from concerns about ethical use, accountability, and potential risks, says Archit Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Tikshark Solutions. The absence of regulation poses challenges, risking unchecked deployment, privacy violations, biased algorithms, and a lack of standardised safeguards, impacting industries and societies worldwide. Unregulated AI development risks biases, privacy breaches, and safety issues. A global regulatory mechanism could establish ethical standards, ensure accountability, and foster innovation by providing a framework that promotes responsible AI practices and international collaboration in the industry, he adds. Recognising the global impact of artificial intelligence, the push for international regulation gains momentum, says Devdatta Potnis, CEO, Animeta. The consensus stems from the need for uniform standards, ethical concerns, and a level playing field. Without such regulation, industries and societies worldwide grapple with challenges posed by the uncharted terrain of unregulated AI. Unchecked AI development brings forth risks, including biases, privacy concerns, security vulnerabilities, and job displacements. The remedy lies in a global regulatory framework, enforcing transparency, fairness, privacy guidelines, security measures, and accountability, adds Potnis. Regulatory mechanism And then there are the potential risks associated with unregulated AI development and deployment. The world needs a globally acceptable regulatory mechanism that could address these concerns while fostering innovation and collaboration in the industry. In 2023, the European Commission introduced the AI Act to regulate AI applications in all 27 European Union member states. The Act envisages an AI Office to enforce and supervise rules. However, some researchers point out gaps in the Act, such as assumptions about low-risk AI and a lack of reviewable criteria for classifying applications. Concerns include the self-assessment of high-risk AI by developers and the need for independent verification systems. Minhyun Kim sees two big risks. The first, according to him, is that control of the technology will ultimately reside with a handful of large companies. Control, in this case, means siloed ownership of the models, computing resources, and talent, with virtually no accountability other than to the bottom line. The result will be AI serving the profit needs of these companies first, not remaining people first. As a corollary, we risk repeating the mistakes of the social media era, where the lack of regulation resulted in a few companies making hundreds of billions of dollars in profit from user data and behaviour, he explains. The second risk, according to him, is deepening inequality. While the jury is still out on whether and when it will happen, rapid mass unemployment would be catastrophic to an already-widening wealth gap. This is because the jobs most likely to be replaced by AI are often held by the people least prepared to handle sudden job loss. Regulation can prevent monopolistic control of the technology. It can ensure that AI models are developed in the open source, that copyright laws are respected and data owners are adequately compensated, and that the technology is governed transparently outside of traditional corporate structures. It can also provide the foundation for a transition plan and the creation of programs, such as universal basic income and reskilling, to ease the burden of sudden job loss. And I would argue that regulations like these would do more for collaboration and innovation than an unregulated industry, Kim says. Sheshgiri Kamath is certain that unregulated application of AI poses risks such as unclear accountability, human rights violations, and moral value disparities globally. A necessary solution is a globally acceptable regulatory mechanism, such as standardised agreements or responsible-use frameworks. Collaborative leadership, notably from the US and EU, is vital to balance innovation and address concerns, ensuring ethical AI development, says Kamath. (Tomorrow, Part 2 of this report will dwell on the principles and ethical considerations central to a regulatory framework for AI.) As the rhythmic beats of Kombu echo and the Kummi performers grace the land, Pongal arrives in Tamil Nadu, transforming the landscape with renewed spirit. Asian Paints intimately captures the spirit of Pongal, creating a canvas that resonates on a personal level with the people of Tamil Nadu. In a heartfelt tribute to Tamil Nadu's rich culture and creativity, Asian Paints unveils initiatives that showcase the soul of the state. The special heritage-inspired festive pack of Asian Paints Royale Glitz, their luxury interior emulsion, adds colour and becomes a bridge to tradition. Adding to the festive cheer, 22 MTC buses have been transformed into art showcases adorned with designs inspired by the Asian Paints Royale Glitz special edition festive packs. It's more than just paint; it's a celebration of culture and a genuine connection to the heart of Tamil Nadu's festivities. Royale Glitz Special Edition Festive Edition Tamil Nadu's rich cultural heritage is woven with the threads of ancient temples, performance and fine arts, and timeless Tamil architecture. And Asian Paints special Festive Pack of Royale Glitz pays homage to these cultural cornerstones. Equipped with the in-mould labelling (IML) packaging, the Asian Paints Royale Glitz festive pack features an exciting Augmented Reality (AR) feature. By scanning the QR code on the pack, consumers will be taken on a delightful journey through the heritage of Tamil Nadu via a musical symphony titled 'Tribute to Tamil Nadu'. The video that has been released digitally is a captivating walkthrough of the many marvels of Tamil Nadu from the Meenakshi Temple to the Thanjavur Palace with a catchy beat in the background. The vivid hues in the packaging are inspired by the magnificent Gopurams framing the skyline and striking Athangudi tile work. These rich colours beautifully contrast with the intricate gold design work inspired by the world-famous Kanchipuram silk weavers. The design also portrays the graceful poses of Bharatanatyam and Karakattam dancers and depictions of Thanjavur temples renowned for their intricate carvings. MTC Bus Makeovers In collaboration with XXL Collective, Asian Paints is enriching the urban landscape by turning the citys buses into moving art canvases starting this festive season. The makeover of 22 MTC (Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses constitutes the transformation of the exteriors and the interiors inspired by the design of the Royale Glitz Festive Pack. The goal of the redesign is to capture the spirit of the people of Tamil Nadu and join in the celebrations of people during this joyous event. Embarking on a journey through tradition, the two extravagant buses have been revamped inside out. They will be running on the route 21G from Broadway to Kilambakam weave a personal connection with Tamil Nadus soul. It's not just a ride; it's an emotional voyage, a celebration of heritage that resonates with the hearts of the people. The other 20 buses adorning the myriad elements from the festive pack will reach different corners of Chennai through the A1, E18, 7H, 40A, 109,102X and 23 C routes. Speaking on this occasion, Amit Syngle, CEO and MD of Asian Paints Limited, said, Asian Paints has been a part of the homes, festivities and culture of Tamil Nadu for decades. The rich culture of the state has inspired us to do something truly special this year - our first-ever festive pack of Asian Paints Royale Glitz inspired by the rich culture of Tamil Nadu, and the transformation of 22 MTC buses into moving canvases. We wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of Pongal, and these initiatives are our gift to the people of Tamil Nadu, adding to the celebrations of this diverse and vibrant community." Thanish Thomas, Co-Founder, XXL Collective added, "The Chennai Bus Project turns MTC buses into mobile canvases of cultural storytelling, bridging the past and present, making heritage both accessible and engaging. It is a vision to turn routes into roots, allowing every commuter to engage with the state's rich traditions in a tangible way. This project marks the start of a broader movement to bring cultural wealth to the masses, ensuring that every journey within Chennai becomes an immersive experience of Tamil Nadu's collective history and vibrant culture." Sharing thoughts on the initiative, Dr Alby John, Managing Director, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai, said, "The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) recognizes how buses play a pivotal role in the city's social and cultural landscape. This initiative, in collaboration with Asian Paints and XXL Collective, transforms our buses into dynamic cultural hubs, breathing new life into the daily commute and enriching the urban experience. This initiative marks a significant step towards reimagining public spaces as arenas of cultural engagement and celebration in Chennai." The year 2024 marks a momentous 125th anniversary milestone for Castrol, a global leader in lubricants, and part of the BP Group. As the global brand celebrates its 125th year, Castrol is unveiling a bold new Onward, Upward, Forward strategy to meet the changing needs of customers as well as a special 125-year commemorative logo that will be used throughout 2024 in events and sponsorships across the world. New strategy Onward: Advancing mobility solutions that help people and goods move with greater efficiency through innovative technologies and a commitment to the principles of circularity. Upward: Aimed at helping Castrols industrial customers and the machines they rely on, to perform better, improving the efficiency of their operations. Forward: Exploring exciting opportunities and a path of progressive diversification. Castrols initiatives include end-to-end digital and service solutions, data centre immersion cooling, and battery thermal management. This forward-thinking approach underscores Castrols commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation. Already in action The world of mobility is changing, and Castrol has the potential to help drive that change. To signal this change and reflect its new direction, Castrol refreshed its iconic brand in 2023. To continue being at the cutting edge of innovation and be future-ready, Castrol is investing further in its global technology hubs in China, Germany, and the Americas, as well as a planned $60 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) battery testing centre and analytical laboratory in the UK. Under the Onward pillar of its strategy, Castrol has already launched a range of advanced Castrol ON EV Fluids, including EV Transmission Fluids, EV Thermal Fluids and EV Greases. The growing market for electric vehicles will most likely co-exist with the continued demand for internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrids for many years. Castrol aims to keep helping ICE and hybrid vehicles be more efficient, while aiming to lead the way in EV Fluids. Castrol will also focus on launching more circular products and offers by re-using base oils, which are used as the main constituent ingredient in lubricants. More circular transmission fluid has already been tested in an extreme environmentwith Jaguar TCS Racing successfully utilising Castrols more circular transmission fluid in their Formula E race cars at the 2023 Monaco E-Prix. With the Upward pillar of its strategy, Castrol will support its industrial customers to create more efficiencies, boost productivity, deliver circularity and drive value. Castrol serves the automotive, machinery manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, and wind sectors and in 2023, partnered with SKF to introduce its Oil as a Service offer for the metal working industry. This enables re-use of the lubricant fluid, reducing consumption while improving machine performance. Castrol also entered a research collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys (MIT) Media Lab to support its AstroAnt Payload Program. AstroAnts constitute a miniature robotic swarm designed to perform inspections and diagnostic tasks on the external surfaces of spacecraft, rovers, and landers. Castrol will work closely with the MIT Media Lab to test space-grade lubricants to withstand the extreme environment of the lunar surface. While the Onward and Upward pillars of the Castrol strategy focus on strengthening and growing existing areas of the companys business, its Forward initiatives chart out new areas where Castrol has the knowledge, capability and expertise to win. Castrol has identified thermal management and diversification into data centre cooling solutions as new growth opportunities. Castrols work on accelerating the adoption of immersion cooling for more efficient and more sustainable data centre operations is gaining momentum with Submer, Hypertec, GRC and IT hardware OEMs approving the use of Castrol ON immersion cooling fluids. Michelle Jou, CEO, Castrol, said, As we celebrate 125 years, Castrol is not just reflecting on the past, but charting a course for the future. Our Onward, Upward, Forward strategy embodies our dedication to accelerating our customers progress, helping them to face the challenges of tomorrow. We aim to grow our core business in new ways, using our cutting-edge technology and our trusted global brand to stay at the forefront of our sector. Were developing more circular offers to help customers achieve their sustainability goals and exploring exciting new growth opportunities beyond lubricants. Its a privilege to take Castrols 125-year-old iconic brand forward to serve the changing needs of customers and set our business up for future success. Reflecting on Castrols journey, Sandeep Sangwan, Managing Director, Castrol India, said, As Castrol globally commemorates 125 years, our Indian legacy stands strong at 115 years. Over these years, weve not only marked technological milestones, but have also created a special place in the hearts of countless Indian families, spreading smiles across the nation. This significant milestone underscores our commitment to innovation. The Onward, Upward, Forward strategy reflects our dedication to advancing mobility, enhancing industrial efficiency, and exploring new frontiers. We are proud to contribute to Castrols rich history while propelling it into a future of continuous growth and relevance. It was on March 9, 1899 that Sir Charles Wakefield founded CC Wakefield & Co Ltd, the company that became Castrol as we know it today. To mark the 125th anniversary, Castrol has released a video that brings Sir Charles Wakefield back to life using AI to reflect on how the business he founded is doing today! Watch the video here. Doordarshan plans to enhance its coverage of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, including the new Ram temple complex, by installing nearly 40 cameras at various locations. The live broadcast, utilizing cutting-edge 4K technology, will extend beyond the main temple premises to feature live visuals from significant spots such as Ram ki Paidi near Saryu ghat and the Jatayu statue at Kuber Tila. Multiple channels will carry the live coverage, ensuring a comprehensive and immersive viewing experience for the audience. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Apurva Chandra, announced that Doordarshan is set to broadcast the 'pran pratishtha' of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 in cutting-edge 4K technology. This live coverage, spanning various locations and channels, will be available in different languages. More than 7,000 guests, including dignitaries and sadhus from across the country, have been invited to the ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Uttar Pradesh government and Ayodhya administration are leaving no stone unturned in preparations for the event, with the entire city being adorned for the occasion. The Ram temple complex will open to the public from January 23, following the grand ceremony. With about 40 live cameras strategically placed at locations like Ram ki Paidi and the temple complex, the coverage aims to capture every significant moment, including the Prime Minister's events. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is actively preparing for the ceremony, and the city will be virtually fortified on the big day. The 'pran pratishtha' is scheduled for 12:20 pm on January 22, with additional events and preparations showcased in a special laser show at Ram ki Paidi. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry officials have collaborated with local and state administrations to set up a media center for journalists covering the consecration ceremony. Doordarshan's extensive preparations involve around 250 staff members and aim to provide a comprehensive and visually enhanced experience for viewers. Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo anxiously awaited his inauguration on Sunday, while facing frustrating delays from the old-guard Congress. The delay has sparked angry protests from demonstrators who are exhausted by the months-long attempts to prevent him from assuming office. Guatemala's Hours-Long Inauguration Delay Frustrated by yet another delay, supporters who had been waiting for hours for a festive inauguration celebration in Guatemala City's Plaza de la Constitucion decided to take matters into their own hands. They marched towards the building where congress was meeting. A heated confrontation ensued between the protesters and the riot police, forcefully pushing them aside. The demonstrators then congregated outside the congress, urging the legislators to put an end to the delays and announce the delegation that should participate in the ceremony. According to Dina Juc, the mayor of the indigenous village of Utatlan Solola, the demonstrators are determined to swear him in if the authorities fail to do so. The inauguration was marked by ongoing legal disputes and heightened tensions, mirroring the atmosphere that has persisted since Arevalo's decisive election win on August 20. During the inauguration, Congress faced internal conflicts as members engaged in heated debates over the recognition of individuals within the congressional delegation. Tensions ran high as members passionately expressed their differing opinions. The leadership commission responsible for this was filled with individuals who were opposed to Arevalo's agenda, and the decision to delay was perceived as a strategic move to prolong the inauguration and undermine Arevalo's position. According to Roman Castellanos, a congressman from Arevalo's Seed Movement, the commission's review of legislators' credentials is being criticized for its lengthy duration and the imposition of requirements that are not mandated by law. In a recent statement on his social media accounts, Arevalo expressed concern over what he perceives as attempts to undermine democracy through the use of illegal tactics, trivial matters, and abuses of power. In a statement on behalf of the foreign delegations present at the inauguration, Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, emphasized the importance of the congress transferring power to Arevalo and upholding the will of the people as expressed in the elections. The attorney general, Consuelo Porras, made numerous attempts to prosecute or imprison Arevalo before he assumed office, utilizing various legal strategies. Arevalo's party is unlikely to secure a majority in Congress and may not even receive formal recognition there. Per NBC News, Arevalo is a multi-talented individual with a strong academic background and experience in diplomacy. His election brought about a significant shift in the political landscape, as the population was eager for change and tired of the prevailing issues of corruption and impunity. Read Also: Hezbollah Leader Accuses US of Damaging Yemen's Houthis Maritime Security International Leaders React to President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo's Victory Samantha Power, the US aid chief, expressed certainty that Arevalo is the president of Guatemala and urged everyone involved to stay calm. Taiwan, which has diplomatic ties with Guatemala, stated through its foreign ministry that it unequivocally recognizes Arevalo and Herrera as the president and vice president of the country. Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina emphasized the importance of respecting Arevalo's inauguration in a message shared on X. He conveyed this message on behalf of the delegations present in Guatemala, including those from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union. In a resounding triumph, Arevalo, 65, emerged as the victor in the August presidential run-off in Guatemala, a nation of 17.1 million people. With a firm commitment to rejuvenating democracy and eradicating pervasive corruption, he aims to bring about positive change. In the months following, Guatemala's attorney general, who is perceived as a supporter of outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei, has been making increased efforts to undermine Arevalo's win and impede his transition. The attorney general has made attempts to remove legal immunity from Arevalo and his Vice President-elect Karin Herrera, suspend their Semilla party, and invalidate the election. Tens of thousands of Guatemalans have taken to the streets in what Arevalo refers to as an attempted coup.The international community, including the United States, has exerted significant pressure on Giammattei's administration to move forward with the transition of power. Last month, the US government implemented additional visa restrictions on approximately 300 Guatemalan nationals. Among them were 100 lawmakers from the 160-member unicameral Congress. These individuals have been accused of undermining democracy in the Central American nation, according to Reuters. The events preceding Arevalo's inauguration highlight the precarious state of Guatemala's legal system, as the country teeters on the edge of a governance crisis that may impede his capacity to govern and fulfill his promises to combat corrupt politicians, tackle organized crime, and generate employment opportunities. Related Article: Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's Ruling Party Secures Victory In Presidential Election In conversation with Adgully, Lavanya Wadgaonkar, PhD, Global Vice President of Communications and Global DEI Champion at Nissan Motor Co Ltd, shares insights into Nissans performance in 2023, emerging trends in the automotive industry, and the communication strategies adopted by the company for the year 2024. Year in Review: The discussion kicked off with an overview of Nissans performance in 2023. Wadgaonkar expressed satisfaction, noting that it marked the completion of Nissans transformation plan. Highlighting the success of their presence at the Japan Mobility Show, she emphasized the positive strides made by the company during the year. Trends in the Automotive Industry: When asked about the observed trends, Wadgaonkar delved into the changing landscape of consumer behaviours and communication strategies. She emphasised on the impact of generative AI, big data, and the need for agile communication, especially post-COVID. She also discussed the evolving purchase funnel, highlighting the me-centric consumer, who values environmental consciousness and credibility in addition to pricing. Communication Strategies for 2024: Wadgaonkar detailed the changes in Nissans communication strategies for 2024, emphasising on four key pillars. These pillars include strategic excellence, operational excellence with a focus on ground-level communication, talent acquisition, and skill development, especially in the dynamic field of communication. Challenges and Opportunities in India: Though cautious about delving into business specifics, Wadgaonkar acknowledged Nissans plans to introduce entry-level ASUV and CSUV in India. She underscored Nissans commitment to a pan-India market and global strategies, with a strong focus on sustainability and culture in communication. Global Communication Strategy: Discussing Nissans global communication strategy, Wadgaonkar outlined two key objectives: building trust and fostering pride among stakeholders. She detailed five key strategies, including corporate strategy, empowering journeys campaigns, social initiatives, digital channels, and employee communication, all aligned with Nissans ambitious 2030 vision. Future Trends in the Automotive Industry: Looking ahead to 2024, Wadgaonkar highlighted trends such as continued emphasis on climate change, software-defined vehicles, and evolving consumer behavior. She discussed the industrys disruption, driven by electrification, battery technology advancements, and the emergence of new business areas and services. Safety Communication: Addressing the critical aspect of safety, Wadgaonkar emphasised on Nissans long-standing commitment to safety. While safety is considered a given, she stressed the importance of creating awareness about safety features and advancements. She showcased Nissans campaigns, including those focused on autonomous drive technologies contributing to enhanced safety. What to expect from Nissan in 2024: While maintaining secrecy about specific announcements, Wadgaonkar hinted at exciting developments in the pipeline for 2024. She urged anticipation for Nissans upcoming mid-term plan and emphasised the companys continuous commitment to innovation. The start of a new year is seen as bringing in new operational efficiencies, stronger strategies, a far greater emphasis on building deep bonds with various stakeholders and consumers. In keeping with the current market ecosystem, technology and a human approach are seen as going hand in hand. As 2024 kicks off, Adgully has approached key industry leaders to Crystal Gaze into 2024 to highlight the major trends and developments that they see dominating the industry in the year ahead. In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Sanjay Sehgal, Chairman & CEO, MSys Technologies, Venture& Angel Investor, Philanthropist, highlights the key trends in the Tech industry in 2024, the challenges, as well as strategic plans and goals for the year ahead. Key trends dominating the VC industry in 2024 AI is the current most touted trend. But it is the destiny of a new trend to first reach unexpected heights, then plateau and plummet. This industry norm was rather an abrasive wake up call for the tech industry as the sheer scale of credit squeeze and staggering losses mounted. It is worth noting that news cycles of 2023 gave us an impression that all is well even after one of the biggest slumps and massive layoffs, by waving the bright torch of Generative AI. But the 2024 VC industry outlook demands tangible growth, sound business models and more than anything else, a promised fast-track of the products potential to be acquired by tech giants. Major expectations from 2024 AI startups will continue getting larger shares of the seed money, but investors are more likely to also exit them if they continue yielding low capital and looming threat of regulation in various parts of the world. This is an obscure problem to navigate the gold rush tech trends as it may be too early to bet on AI products beyond Gen AI and too late if they align well with target market demographics and policies. From this problem arises a new opportunity of identification of strong insight based start-ups that fundamentally solve problems, niche or mass, and gearing up for the 2025 phase of tech IPOs. Some vigilant investors are holding out for the IPO market to ripen, anticipating public listings of tech companies in FY25 from the April-June quarter onwards. Even the AI FOMO of the investors is expected to wear off, and global tech investments in AI will stabilise, where only the big leagues in the game would be able to demand the current level of funding. This turmoil of funding brought an eventual closure of thousands of companies that solely were dependent on VCs. According to global estimates, approximately 3,200 private venture-backed US companies have gone out of business this year. When combined, those companies raised north of $27 billion. This also resulted in massive world-wide layoffs, over 240,000 jobs lost in 2023, a total thats already 50% higher than last year and growing. The year 2023 saw mass workforce reductions that included even tech giants like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, Meta and Zoom. The trend of massive layoffs is towards its fad end as the industry and markets adjust to the macroeconomic factors and an overall course correction in light of the current situation. Key focus areas for the industry in 2024 Profitability and sustainability of the business model will be an aggressive decisive factor in deciding the fate of tech startups. AI fad will pass and investments required to power up such expensive infrastructure will eventually dry up for small companies. We are slowly going back towards the simpler times, where hyper localised solutions fixated towards solving problems of targeted communities is making a huge comeback! Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has instructed the district collectors to undertake a cleanliness drive at all temples in the state and ensure the change is visible within a week, ahead of the consecration of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Shinde gave these instructions at a review meeting chaired by him at his official residence on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call to keep temples clean. The district collectors in Maharashtra should undertake a cleanliness drive across all the temples and decorate them with electric lights. The change should be visible within a week, Shinde said. He said the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) of every district should allocate some funds for undertaking the cleaning of temples and surroundings at regular intervals. DPDCs can allocate funds through a special scheme, Shinde told the collectors, as per a release. The chief minister also asked the state revenue department to appoint a nodal officer to monitor this work. A massive fire broke out at a BMC school in Mumbais Parel on Monday morning, officials said. Around two-three explosions in the school escalated the fire, as per the officials, adding that the cause of the fire is being probed. Officials further said there were no injuries reported or casualties in the blaze, adding that there was no one in the school because of the holiday due to Makar Sankranti. This morning, a fire broke out in a BMC school in Parel. There was no one in the school because of the Makar Sankranti holiday. The fire spread to a hall attached to the school building. There were mattresses in the hall, which led to the further spreading of the fire. There were sockets near the mattress areas, which caught fire and resulted in 2-3 explosions, officials said. They said that the fire department received the call about the fire at 9.10 am. Upon receiving the word, four fire tenders and as many water tankers were deployed to the scene and started the operations to bring the situation under control. As of now, it is a level 1 fire (lowest level). Four fire tenders and four water tankers are on the spot, officials said. No injuries or casualties have been reported as of now, they said. Earlier during the day, a fire broke out in a 23-storey building in Mumbais Kandivali area, as per officials. There were no injuries or casualties reported in the fire incident. Independent presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West will spend the day in Birmingham commemorating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., culminating with a keynote address in the citys Kelly Ingram Park. West is set to attend a schedule of events on Monday, starting with the 38th annual MLK Day Breakfast at Birmingham Southern College. According to a press release on Wests campaign website, the gathering will see Dr. West engaged with local community leaders and residents, and local lawmakers, sharing his insights in the spirit of Dr. Kings legacy. See also -- Roy S. Johnson: MLKs historic Montgomery speech demands we vote, not disenfranchise ourselves After the breakfast, West will take a tour of the 16th Street Baptist Church with Rev. Arthur Price. Following the tour, West will host a press conference outside of the church. Other items on Wests agenda include a march to City Hall, a series of meetings, and tours of additional civil rights sites in the city. The events will culminate with Dr. Wests keynote address at the People Over Party rally at Kelly Ingram Park at 3 p.m. This rally, according to the same release, will include various community members and leaders, and highlight the continued importance of Dr. Kings teachings in advocating for truth, justice and love in our society, while confronting the triple evils of poverty, racism, and militarism as characterized by King. In a statement in the press release and on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), West expressed his sentiments on coming to the city. I cant think of a better place to commemorate MLK Day. Birmingham, like Brother Martin, is a staple of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, said West. In June 2023, West announced his run for president. I entered the race because I think were at such a low point in the history of America. Weve got to reintroduce each other to the best of ourselves, the best of our tradition, West said in an interview on C-SPANs Washington Journal that month, naming a number of social justice leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Dorothy Day. Were at a point where theres so much hatred. Theres so much revenge and not enough talk about love and justice and not enough talk about something bigger than ourselves and our groups and tribes, West added. And what is bigger? Truth. Im in it because Im engaged in truth and the quest for truth and the condition of truth. Since announcing his run, West has changed his party affiliation multiple times -- first to the Green Party and then to being an independent candidate. People are hungry for change, said West, in a report from the Associated Press. They want good policies over partisan politics. We need to break the grip of the duopoly and give power to the people. Wests platform, according to his campaign site, includes economic, worker, and environmental justice. An analysis from ABC news says West is courting a group President Joe Biden may struggle to attract in the upcoming election: Muslim and Arab-American voters. West has openly criticized the way Bidens administration has handled the Israel-Hamas war. We got to do something, West said at a December rally in Dearborn, Mich., reported POLITICO. Thats why Im here to tell the world and especially straight to Gaza, where theyre dealing with a genocidal assault. We believe that a Palestinian baby has the same value as any baby in the world. Joyce Randolph, a veteran stage and television actress whose role as the savvy Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners provided the perfect foil to her dimwitted TV husband, has died. She was 99. Randolph died of natural causes Saturday night at her home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, her son Randolph Charles told The Associated Press Sunday. She was the last surviving main character of the beloved comedy from televisions golden age of the 1950s. The Honeymooners was an affectionate look at Brooklyn tenement life, based in part on star Jackie Gleasons childhood. Gleason played the blustering bus driver Ralph Kramden. Audrey Meadows was his wisecracking, strong-willed wife Alice, and Art Carney the cheerful sewer worker Ed Norton. Alice and Trixie often found themselves commiserating over their husbands various follies and mishaps, whether unknowingly marketing dogfood as a popular snack or trying in vain to resist a rent hike, or freezing in the winter as their heat is shut off. Randolph would later cite a handful of favorite episodes, including one in which Ed is sleepwalking. And Carney calls out, Thelma?! He never knew his wifes real name, she later told the Television Academy Foundation. Originating in 1950 as a recurring skit on Gleasons variety show, Cavalcade of Stars, The Honeymooners still ranks among the all-time favorites of television comedy. The show grew in popularity after Gleason switched networks with The Jackie Gleason Show. Later, for one season in 1955-56, it became a full-fledged series. This is a scene from the classic television show "The Honeymooners", shown in this undated photo. Pictured are, from left: Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden; Art Carney as Ed Norton; Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden; and Joyce Randolph as Trixie Norton. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS Those 39 episodes became a staple of syndicated programming aired all over the country and beyond. In an interview with The New York Times in January 2007, Randolph said she received no compensation in residuals for those 39 episodes. She said she finally began getting royalties with the discovery of lost episodes from the variety hours. After five years as a member of Gleasons on-the-air repertory company, Randolph virtually retired, opting to focus full-time on marriage and motherhood. I didnt miss a thing by not working all the time, she said. I didnt want a nanny raising (my) wonderful son. But decades after leaving the show, Randolph still had many admirers and received dozens of letters a week. She was a regular into her 80s at the downstairs bar at Sardis, where she liked to sip her favorite White Cadillac concoction Dewars and milk and chat with patrons who recognized her from a portrait of the sitcoms four characters over the bar. Randolph said the shows impact on television viewers didnt dawn on her until the early 1980s. One year while (my son) was in college at Yale, he came home and said, Did you know that guys and girls come up to me and ask, Is your mom really Trixie? she told The San Antonio Express in 2000. I guess he hadnt paid much attention before then. Earlier, she had lamented that playing Trixie limited her career. For years after that role, directors would say: No, we cant use her. Shes too well-known as Trixie, Randolph told the Orlando Sentinel in 1993. Gleason died in 1987 at age 71, followed by Meadows in 1996 and Carney in 2003. Gleason had revived The Honeymooners in the 1960s, with Jane Kean as Trixie. Randolph was born Joyce Sirola in Detroit in 1924, and was around 19 when she joined a road company of Stage Door. From there she went to New York and performed in a number of Broadway shows. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she was seen often on TV, appearing with such stars as Eddie Cantor, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Danny Thomas and Fred Allen. Randolph met Gleason for the first time when she did a Clorets commercial on Cavalcade of Stars, and The Great One took a liking to her; she didnt even have an agent at the time. Randolph spent her retirement going to Broadway openings and fundraisers, being active with the U.S.O. and visiting other favorite Manhattan haunts, among them Angus, Chez Josephine and the Lambs Club. Her husband, Richard Lincoln, a wealthy marketing executive who died in 1997, served as president at the Lambs, a theatrical club, and she reigned as first lady. They had one son, Charles. January 15 is the day people across the nation remember and honor slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Annually celebrated on the third Monday of January, this year the federal holiday falls on the revered civil rights icons actual birthday. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. Four days later, legislation was introduced to make Kings birthday a federal holiday. More than a decade later, in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the measure into law though it wasnt celebrated in all 50 states until 2000. The holiday aligns with the Uniform Holiday Act of 1968, which ensures a number of federal holidays, including Memorial Day and Labor Day, are observed on a Monday to guarantee a long weekend. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the memorial established in 1968 by civil rights activist and MLKs widow Coretta Scott King, proclaims an annual theme. This year, the nonprofits theme is Shifting the Cultural Climate through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence. The center also hosts an annual commemorative program on Martin Luther King Day. A live stream of this years program, which starts at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta at 10 a.m. EST ( 9 a.m. CST), is also available to watch on YouTube. Madison Marsh, Miss Colorado 2023, was crowned Miss America 2024 on Sunday night at the Walt Disney Theater in Orlando, Florida. Marsh, 22, a private pilot and officer in the U.S. Air Force, graduated in 2023 from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Shes pursuing a masters degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Marsh will receive a $50,000 scholarship as Miss America and immediately start a yearlong reign. A second lieutenant in the Air Force, Marsh is the first active duty Air Force officer to win the Miss America title. Miss America 2023, Grace Stanke, crowned her successor at Sundays finals competition, which streamed on the Watch Miss America website. Marsh received a glittering crown, a flowing red cape and a bouquet of roses at the end of the ceremony. The new winner also received hugs from her fellow contestants and took her first walk on stage as Miss America 2024. Marsh performed a spoken-word piece in the talent portion of Sundays finals, telling the story of her first solo flight. She answered on-stage questions, walked the runway in an evening gown, strutted in fitness clothes and emphasized her philanthropic platform. Marsh is the founder of the Whitney Marsh Foundation, raising money for research to fight pancreatic cancer. The foundation is named after her mother, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2018. A total of 51 women competed in the Miss America finals, including Brianna Burrell, Miss Alabama 2023. Burrell didnt make the top 11 in the competition, so she wasnt featured in Sundays evening gown, interview, fitness or talent segments. Burrell could be seen during the show, however, as she introduced herself to the audience, danced in a production number, walked in a Parade of Evening Gowns segment and participated in videos filmed earlier in the week. Burrell earned a $3,000 scholarship at Miss America, as one of three winners this week at the pageants evening gown preliminary competition. Another woman in the running for Miss America has a tie to Alabama. Taylor Blatchford, Miss Nevada 2023, is a graduate of the University of Alabama, with a bachelors degree in business management. Blatchford was not among the 11 semi-finalists on Sunday. 51 1 / 51 Miss America 2024: Meet 51 women competing for the title The top 11 contestants were featured in segments that emphasized fitness wear, talent, evening gowns and on-stage questions focusing on hot topics in America such as education, politics, money, drugs, technology and climate change. Each segment was weighted as 25 percent of the contestants total score in the semi-finals. The 11 semi-finalists were: Miss Texas 2023, Ellie Breaux. Miss North Carolina 2023, Taylor Loyd. Miss Indiana 2023, Cydney Bridges. Miss Kansas 2023, Courtney Wages Miss Colorado 2023, Madison Marsh. Miss Maryland 2023, Kennedy Taylor. Miss Florida 2023, Juliette Valle. Miss Rhode Island, Caroline Parente. Miss Kentucky 2023, Mallory Hudson. Miss Arkansas 2023, Cori Keller. Miss New York 2023, Amelia Collins. The contestant list was then trimmed to a top five, who returned to the stage for one more question apiece, focusing on their plans as Miss America. The top five were: Miss Colorado 2023, Madison Marsh (winner). Miss Texas 2023, Ellie Breaux (runner-up). Miss Indiana 2023, Cydney Bridges (second runner-up). Miss Kentucky 2023, Mallory Hudson (third runner-up). Miss Rhode Island, Caroline Parente (fourth runner-up). Terrence Jenkins, an actor and TV personality known as Terrence J, was the host of Sundays finals ceremony, along with model and actress Nikki Novak. Miss Americas team of judges for this year featured Alabama native Cynthia Bailey, a reality star best known for her work on The Real Housewives of Atlanta; Nancy G. Brinker, founder of the nonprofit organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Susan Malzoni, a wellness consultant and founder of the Vitamyna company; David Tutera, a wedding planner and fashion designer; Elena Cardone, a real estate investor and author; and Shelley Goodstein, a model and entrepreneur. Some previous Miss America winners appeared on stage, as well, in a segment called Miss America Forever. They included Alabamas Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America 1995. The Dothan native was the first deaf woman to become Miss America. READ: Has Miss Alabama ever won the Miss America pageant? The Alabama Department of Transportation will pretreat roadways and bridges across the state ahead of possible ice and snow starting Sunday evening. Winter weather could be headed for a slew of counties in north and central Alabama and impact roadways between late Sunday night through Tuesday morning. ALDOT, which maintains state, U.S. and interstate highways, will have crews ready to address any more snow or ice clearing needs, the agency said. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, starting on Sunday at 6 p.m., with heavy snow expected for Colbert, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Marshall, DeKalb, Cullman, Marion and Winston counties. And the following counties are currently under a winter weather advisory, with expectations of light snow and ice, starting on Monday at 6 a.m.: Blount, Cherokee, Etowah, Fayette and Lamar. Then, starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, the winter weather advisory will dip down to the following counties, per the National Weather Service: Calhoun, Cleburne, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Hale, Perry, Bibb, Chilton, Marengo, Dallas, Pickens, Sumter and Greene. An Alabama Emergency Management Agency release warned of widespread travel impacts near and north of I-20, and that road conditions could deteriorate quickly. The agency advises motorists to avoid travel in the case of snowy or icy conditions, and to monitor road conditions and weather reports at algotraffic.com or via the ALGO traffic app. As Valerie Abbott tells it, the timing of her car battery dying before midnight on New Years Day was horrible. The sounds of rapid gunfire through the streets of Birmingham were compared with Fallujah, Iraq. In other words, she was walking through a warzone. It occurred to me I could die on my way home from a bullet from one of those idiots who are shooting their gun in the air, Abbott said during the Jan. 2, Birmingham City Council meeting occurring less than 48 hours after police reportedly sheltered underneath viaducts to protect from falling bullets. People dont realize that once a bullet goes up, it has to come back down, she said. When it comes back down, it is going just as fast as it came out of their gun. Celebratory gunfire did prove deadly in at least a few cases nationwide this new year including the death of a 3-year-old boy in Memphis. And around Alabama, at least two people in Birmingham and one in Tuscaloosa were injured by celebratory gunfire in Birmingham as 2024 began, police reported. For a countless number of years, police in Alabama cities and metro areas throughout the South issue warnings about the dangers of shooting a gun in the air as New Years arrives. Get caught, they say, go to jail or pay a fine. But the gunfire continues, and policing it remains difficult even with improvements in shot detector technology. The result are scenes in large cities like Birmingham that play out like a Hollywood dystopian film where overnight lawlessness rules as gunfire and fireworks overwhelm neighborhoods. Its illegal, its dangerous, said Birmingham City Councilman Hunter Williams. Its crazy that we get a call that a neighbor is shooting a gun in the air. I cant go over (to) the neighbors house and take the gun away. Stop shooting in the air. Legislation coming? Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, speaks out against HB261, which would force transgender athletes at the collegiate level to compete on teams that align with the gender on their birth certificate. Sarah Swetlik/AL.com Some Alabama officials outside Birmingham are taking notice and are willing to consider penalties that might deter the activity. While celebratory gunfire legislation has not been addressed in recent memory if at all -- some lawmakers believe there could be a way to do something that might deter the persistent and dangerous tradition of shooting a gun in the air to honor the New Year or the Fourth of July. Cities do have penalties on the books, and it is illegal to fire a gun in Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, and other cities. But in those cases, the penalties are often small even if someone is caught which is rare. In Montgomery, its a $100 fine and seven days in jail. It caught my attention how low the fines are, said state Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Montgomery, who has pushed for gun control legislation before and would be willing to consider backing state proposals adding more teeth to curb celebratory gunfire. Maybe if (a shooter) gets hit with a whopping amount, maybe that might sway some people, Ensler said. But of course, what I hear from law enforcement is they cannot predict where or when people shoot those celebratory gunshots. And the reality of it is that if its a young person who is firing off a gun, and they are hit with a few thousand dollars fine, chances are they wont have it. Ensler said community service could carry more of an impact. Right now, its a misdemeanor, said state Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Birmingham, who retired three years ago from the Birmingham Police Department following a 31-year law enforcement career. He said that examining increased penalties is an option. Ive been out of law enforcement for three years and I havent seen anything that indicates its going away, Treadaway, chair of the Alabama House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, said. Its a serious crime people that people think has no consequences. It does. What goes up, must come down. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall at the International Trade Center building on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in downtown Mobile, Ala.John Sharp/jsharp@al.com Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who has been supportive of measures to protect police, said he would be open to having discussions about curbing the activity. The one thing I know is that law enforcement is incredibly proactive in discouraging this behavior, Marshall said, noting public awareness efforts warning against celebratory gunfire before the holiday. He added, I welcome law enforcement to have a discussion on what that may look like and to the extend we may look at other states in helping us in that front. Missouri, Texas answers In this Aug. 6, 2020 photo, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson speaks during a news conference in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)AP A few conservative states are taking action, but its been an uphill battle in getting new laws adopted. Bipartisan legislation called Blairs Law has been pitched for years and was finally passed out of the Missouri Legislature last spring before Republican Gov. Mike Parson vetoed it. Parsons, according to media outlets, was not opposed to the legislation. He said he only vetoed it because it was within an omnibus package of other pieces of legislation he did not support. Blairs Law is named after an 11-year-old girl who was shot and killed by a stray bullet by celebratory gunfire during a Fourth of July celebration in Kansas City in 2012. The bill named in her honor elevates charges for reckless discharge of a firearm within a city limit. In Texas, which has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, Democratic State Rep. Armando Martinez is attempting to push for increased penalties for people who shoot in the air anywhere in the state. Right now, he said there are only penalties for people who fire their gun off illegally if they are within one of largest cities. Martinez has personal experience with the issue. He was struck in the head by a bullet while watching a New Years Eve fireworks show in 2017. At the stroke of midnight, I kissed my wife and wished her a happy new year, Martinez said. I was then struck by a stray bullet and needed surgery to remove the bullet. He added, What is upsetting to me is the fact that holidays are a time to celebrate for friends and family and not worry about stray bullets because there is an irresponsible gun owner firing weapons into the air. Martinez first pitched increased penalties against celebratory gunfire while he was in his hospital bed recovering from the bullet wound. He said he will continue pushing for legislation this year that would assess a misdemeanor penalty of a year in jail, and up to $4,000 in fines to people who shot their guns in the air. Martinez said previous bills have died in the Texas State Senate. He blames the influence of the nations largest gun rights group, the National Rifle Association, for the setbacks. They feel like this is an attack on guns, Martinez said. This has nothing to do with removing guns. Im an outdoorsman and a hunter. My dad brought us up to hunt and fish and understand the importance of safety and not being irresponsible. When the NRA doesnt get behind safety, its really upsetting. An NRA spokesperson did not respond to AL.com for a request for comment. Kale Hollon, a board member of Alabama-based gun rights group Bama Carry, said there are already city ordinances in Alabama that outlaw discharging a firearm. He said if additional penalties were considered to curb the shooting, his group would not have any issues with it other than looking at what it is in the bill or what the penalties are and what they are calling for. I dont think it would be something that would necessarily affect our members or law-abiding citizens as long as there is no way it could be used against someone who is engaged in self-defense or some type of situation like that, Hollon said. You never know how these things will get twisted and turned. Addressing danger Birmingham police investigate a deadly shooting in the 8400 block of Seventh Avenue South, the city's first homicide of 2024.(Carol Robinson) For now, police continue to push out the public service notices, but the amount of gunfire continues to swell. In years past, Birmingham police have responded to more than 1,200 Shot Spotter calls. Mobile police responded to 223 reports of shots fired or fireworks mistaken as gunfire over New Years Eve. In Birmingham, police hunker down on New Years Eve as midnight approaches. But Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond and Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine both told AL.com their agencies do not instruct officers to shelter in place during New Years Eve, or on the Fourth of July. Combatting celebratory gunfire is a very challenging issue because officers must witness the individual firing the firearm to arrest them for discharging a firearm within the city limits which is a misdemeanor, Thurmond said in a statement. The police departments primary goal is the safety of our citizens. Unfortunately, celebratory gunfire has taken place in Birmingham and other cities for many years. We encourage the citizens of Birmingham to be mindful of this dangerous behavior. Ed Delmore, police chief in Gulf Shores and a former law enforcement officer for agencies near St. Louis, said he can recall routine occurrences in St. Louis where police officers would seek shelter at a gas station or somewhere with a roof to avoid falling bullets on New Years Eve. He said in small cities like Gulf Shores, there are no concerns about shooting guns on New Years. The only problem is with fireworks, which are illegal within the city limits. Delmore said that in St. Louis, while the gunfire could be heard you could tell its not semiautomatic fire, but fully automatic which is concerning. Its never a responsible gun owner, in my experience, Delmore said. When it happens, its always (from someone who has gotten) that gun illegally. Treadaway said he believes technology will improve, and that gunfire detection technology will be able to better pinpoint where the gunfire occurs. The technology is getting closer where it puts me within (a few) feet where the shot went off, said Treadaway. It gives officers a better indication and tools to go to those areas. It also lets us know how bad its been. But its costly. And the coverage (of shot detector technology) is not city wide. When I left law enforcement three years ago, it was in areas where we felt were most problematic. The number of shots (fired off on New Years Eve) is incredible in what was taking place. Lack of officers Treadaway said the next concern would be with a lack of police officers who could follow up on the shot detections. He said there are over 450 fewer law enforcements officers patrolling the streets in Jefferson County than there were a few years ago, calling the situation a crisis. Birmingham community activist Harry Traveling Shoes Turner said the shortage of police is just one of the problems. He said the prevalence of guns in cities like Birmingham is the result of a culture in which youths experience gun violence tragedy at a very young age and respond with vows to someday purchase a gun to retaliate, often by the ages of 14 and 15. We need to find those children who are connected to the homicides because I think its affecting them and there needs to be counseling in schools once we find out about one of these homicides, Turner said. He said New Years Eve is more dangerous than it was years ago when someone would fire a gun in the air at midnight, and then walk back inside their house. He said the guns that youths are obtaining are weapons you only use in a war. Turner said the lack of police officers is also notable. The lack of fines and arrests will also mean there was a lack of a deterring effect on New Years Eve, and that the celebratory gunfire will only be worse by the Fourth of July. If no one went to jail, and no one was fined, guess what, Turner said. It will be show-out mode and it will escalate more. You will have shootings all day. Its not cute and its not fun but these 14- and 15-year-olds have guns. They are going to outdo New Years Eve, which was bad enough. A young child is currently in critical condition at the hospital following an encounter with a crocodile in Kakadu National Park. A nine-year-old child was airlifted to Royal Darwin Hospital following an incident on Saturday near Munmalary Homestead, located between the South Alligator and East Alligator Rivers within Kakadu. Kakadu National Park Crocodile Attacks Child The patient was airlifted by helicopter from Jabiru at 9pm Saturday in a stable but critical condition with a number of puncture wounds after being bitten by the crocodile, according to CareFlight NT. Jabiru is a small town with a population of 1,000 that was established in 1982 to cater to the needs of the national park. CareFlight manages the Top End Medical Retrieval Service on behalf of the Northern Territory Government. After the attack, the patient was taken to the Jabiru Community Health Center. CareFlight's specialist doctor and flight nurse provided treatment at the Jabiru clinic. CareFlight declined to disclose additional information regarding the child's condition or the circumstances surrounding the attack. St. John Ambulance NT stated that they were not involved in the incident, except for their role in coordinating the transfer of a 9-year-old patient with Careflight. After the attack, the patient was taken to the Jabiru Community Health Center. CareFlight's specialist doctor and flight nurse provided treatment at the Jabiru clinic. The patient was then airlifted by CareFlight to Royal Darwin Hospital, where they are currently in a critical but stable condition. CareFlight declined to disclose additional information regarding the child's condition or the circumstances surrounding the attack. St. John Ambulance NT stated that they were not involved in the incident, except for their role in coordinating the transfer of a 9-year-old patient with Careflight. Read Also: Ancient Sea Monster: UK Paleontologists Discover Skull of Pliosaur on Jurassic Coast Child is Expected to Survive Crocodile Attack Craig Garraway, the emergency communications manager at St John Ambulance, said they received a distress call regarding a nine-year-old who was bitten by a crocodile and suffered multiple puncture wounds. According to sources, there are indications that the child is a boy. Although the details of the injuries are not confirmed, it seems that he will recover. "Probably a lucky escape I would suggest," Garraway said. Parks Australia has confirmed that the incident occurred during a swimming activity. A spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au that the incident took place in a section of Kakadu National Park that is not open to the public. Parks Australia said Kakadu is home to approximately 10,000 crocodiles, which accounts for about 10 percent of the total crocodile population in the Northern Territory. Related Article: Northern Australia: Crocodiles, Floods, Torrential Rains Trap Families on Rooftops Celebratory gunfire occurs typically twice a year on New Years Eve and the Fourth of July. Each holiday is met with a pre-event warning from police agencies in the large metros: Dont shoot your guns in the air. But once again, the New Year brought about some troubling and tragic moments in Alabama and elsewhere in the South where innocent bystanders were struck by celebratory gunfire: Injuries and deaths happen each year, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not track celebratory gunfire occurrences, and gun violence watchdog groups like Washington, D.C.-based Giffords say the incidences are likely underreported. This is a problem in cities and its something difficult to track, said Kelly Drane, research director of Giffords, an advocacy group that promotes gun control in the U.S. and was co-founded by Gabby Giffords, a former Democratic member of the U.S. House who was shot along with 18 other constituents by a gunman in 2011. When you look online, you can find really tragic cases of children and adults being killed by these bullets, Drane said. I think a lot of people dont understand how far a bullet can travel when its shot up into the air. When you toss a ball up into the air, it will fall close to where it came. Thats not the case with bullets. Drane and others say the most effective key is to continue hammering away at public education, something that is done every year by police on social media and through traditional media outlets. The trajectory of a bullet fired from a gun is extremely dangerous: A firearms expert who studied falling bullets back in the 1920s showed that .30 caliber rounds reach terminal velocities of 300 feet per second as they fall. I think weve gotten to a place where we need more responsibility and thoughtfulness on the harms of firearms in our society and what laws are needed to prevent these cases and other instances of firearm harm, Drane said. Dr. Ashley Hogue, trauma surgeon at USA Hospital in Mobile, said she continues to see younger patients who are victims of accidental shootings. Of the victims who arrived at USA Hospital victimized by gun violence, 37 percent are from an accidental gun shooting, Hogue said. People can have significant injuries from these accidental shootings whether its cleaning a gun, celebratory gunfire or handling a gun in general, she said. The majority of our children do not have that training because they should be carrying a gun. Hogue said the majority of cases USA Healths emergency room sees are almost 100 percent preventable. For those who survive a shooting, she said, the scars are long-lasting. We talk about mortality, but we dont talk about morbidity, she said. Patients thankfully dont always die from these incidences, but there are patients who cannot function the way they functioned before and that impact bleeds into their families who support them. It puts a strain on their families, and we are seeing so many injuries from firearms. We are dealing with physical defects, paralysis, quadriplegic, and patients leaving with drains and ostomy (bags). They have to rely on other people to care for them. There are a lot of mental health concerns, and it plays a huge part of a persons psychological state. PTSD, substance abuse are downstream effects of an injury that also most likely could have been prevented. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks. He will be working from home as he recovers, and his doctors said he progressed well throughout his stay and his strength is rebounding. They said in a statement the cancer was treated early and his prognosis is excellent. Austin, 70 and a native of Mobile, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, which was detected earlier in the month during a routine screening. He developed an infection a week later and was hospitalized Jan. 1 and admitted to intensive care. Dr. John Maddox, the trauma medical director, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, the director of the Center for Prostate Disease Research at Walter Reed, said that during Austins hospitalization he underwent medical tests and was treated for lingering leg pain. They said he has physical therapy to do but there are no plans for further cancer treatment other than regular checks. President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were not told about Austins hospitalization until Jan. 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis secret until Jan. 9. Biden has said Austins failure to tell him about the hospitalization was a lapse in judgment, but the Democratic president insists he still has confidence in his Pentagon chief. During Austins time at Walter Reed, the U.S. launched a series of military strikes late last week on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Working from his hospital bed, Austin juggled calls with senior military leaders, including Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and White House meetings to review, order and ultimately watch the strikes unfold over secure video. The lack of transparency about Austins hospitalization, however, has triggered administration and Defense Department reviews on the procedures for notifying the White House and others if a Cabinet member must transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy, as Austin did during his initial surgery and a portion of his latest hospital stay. And the White House chief of staff ordered Cabinet members to notify his office if they ever cant perform their duties. Austins secrecy also drew criticism from Congress members on both sides of the political aisle, and Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Others openly called for Austin to resign, but the White House has said the Pentagon chiefs job is safe. It is still unclear when Austin will return to his office in the Pentagon or how his cancer treatment will affect his job, travel and other public engagements going forward. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been taking on some of his day-to-day duties as he recovers. Treacherous travel is possible across parts of the state Monday and Tuesday as snow, freezing rain and sleet are all possible for areas in central and northern Alabama. The key message, according to Jim Stefkovich, meteorologist, with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, is you should be prepared for travel impacts whether youre in a warning or advisory area. There will likely be widespread, significant travel impacts near and north of I-59. Road conditions could deteriorate immediately with the onset of wintry precipitation in many locations, Stefkovich said, adding even south Alabama could see a few slick spots. Any snow and/or ice will be slow to melt north of I-59 until Thursday afternoon as temperatures in many locations will remain below freezing until then. On Sunday, the Alabama Department of Transporation had applied pretreatment to major roadways and is on standby to address future needs. Motorists are advised to avoid travel if snowy or icy conditions develop and to monitor weather reports and check road conditions at algotraffic.com or by downloading the ALGO traffic app. You can see the latest forecast for Alabama here. (1/14/24) Major Winter Impacts Beginning Sunday Eveninghttps://t.co/VhVjZv2kqE pic.twitter.com/45f1CgewBI Alabama EMA (@AlabamaEMA) January 14, 2024 Other tips include: Reduce speed as conditions dictate, do not follow other vehicles closely, and refrain from sudden braking. Also, remember Alabama law requires motorists to slow down and move over when approaching highway maintenance crews or first responders at work. Prepare your vehicle with a full gas tank and an emergency supply kit containing a phone charger, ice scraper, flashlight, jumper cables, blankets, non-perishable food, bottled water, and any other critical supplies. ALDOT maintains state, U.S., and interstate highways. Check with local government agencies for conditions on city or county roads. READ MORE: Alabama declares state of emergency for 25 counties ahead of winter storm Authorities are looking for family members of three men who died recently in Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the men as Lugene Tyus Jr., 68, Eddie Lee Smallwood, 63, and Willie Charles Barker, 71. Their bodies are ready to be released for burial, but coroners officials have not been able to locate relatives to notify them of the deaths. Tyus was found unresponsive Jan. 9 in his tent where he lived under a pavilion at Linn Park in downtown Birmingham. The discovery was made at 11:57 a.m. that Tuesday, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. No foul play is suspect in his death. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said Tyus had ties to Prattville in Autauga County. Several years ago, his mother Annie Buford in Chicago, was listed as his emergency contact. Smallwood, a Black male, died Dec. 1 at UAB Hospital. He had been taken to the hospital from the 700 block of East Troy Street in Brundidge suffering from significant natural disease. Smallwoods friends told authorities they had no knowledge of his family members. He had lived in Troy for several years and had possible ties to Michigan earlier in his life. No photo of Smallwood was available. Baker, a Black male, was a resident at Oak Knoll Health and Rehabilitation on Sixth Avenue West in Birmingham. He was under the care of Affinity Hospice when he died of natural causes Jan. 7 at the facility. All attempts to identify possible family have failed. There was no photo available of Baker. Family members are asked to call the coroners office at 205-930-3603. From March to October, the damp, moss-covered cliff walls of Dismals Canyon light up with the pale blue glow of... bioluminescent bugs? For decades, visitors and biologists alike were left mystified by the extremely tiny, glowing worm-like organisms lining the canyon walls. Less than a centimeter long, these glowing spots presented a tiny but beautiful enigma. Locals and visitors started calling them the Dismalites, named after the location, but there was little understanding of what they actually were. Eventually researchers determined that these Dismalites were not glowworms exactly, but rather larvae of the only bioluminescent fly species in North America. These tiny carnivorous fly larvae use their light to draw in other insects, which get trapped in mucus-like spindles that the larvae produce to capture their prey. Theyre quite uniquely using their bioluminescence as a means of drawing of prey to them, said Gary Mullen, a retired entomologist from Auburn University who studied the Dismalites for decades. Theyre not out hunting for the prey, they just sit in wait. Close-up shot of a Dismalite, a bioluminescent fly larvae at Dismals Canyon in Franklin County, Ala.Gary Mullen A bioluminescent, carnivorous fly that uses chemical reactions to draw other insects to a premature death, all while providing humans with an incredible night sky scene on the inside of a cavern? That makes the Dismalites a worthy addition to our list of Alabamas weirdest animals. Visitors have compared seeing large groups of Dismalites on the cliff faces to looking up at the stars -- a dark canvas pierced by dots of blue-white light. The Dismals Canyon website (the land is privately owned) says that sometimes its hard to tell where the top of the cliff face ends and the night sky begins. It really is very suggestive of a clear winter night when the sky is so dark and you have those pinpoints of starlight, Mullen said. Those tiny glowing spots are the larvae of a fly species in the Appalachian states called Orfelia fultoni. Mullen and his students at Auburn eventually identified the species by carrying Dismalites back to their lab, figuring out what they eat, and raising them to maturity. The tiny creatures are hard to study in the field, and really hard to photograph. Mullen said the Dismalites will retreat if they see a flashlight or just about any form of artificial light. Mullen said even professional camera crews struggle to get video footage of the Dismalites that does them justice. He said production companies working with the Disney Channel, National Geographic, the Travel Channel and others have tried, with limited success. Dismalites, bioluminescent fly larvae, nestled in a mossy surface at Dismals Canyon.Gary Mullen, Auburn University We spent weeks with the film crews up there, Mullen said. Its so challenging to try to get certainly something in color here. You do well just to be able to film them because they are so sensitive to any disturbance or light. And so, you know, they experimented with all kinds of different wavelengths and lumens and so forth trying to and nobody yet has been successful. Nobodys been able to produce the visual quality live to record their activity or even effectively show the illumination. The Dismalites themselves are not that rare, Mullen said. The Orfelia fultoni flies have been identified in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. What makes Dismals Canyon so special is how many of the creatures gather in one place, and how accessible they are to people. The uniqueness [at Dismals Canyon] is the concentration, Mullen said. Theres no place else for this particular species that even begins to approach the uniqueness of that locale right here in Alabama. The steep canyon walls at Dismals stay cool, moist and shaded year-round, providing the Dismalites the perfect nursery. Instead of a single tiny point of light, which may be almost impossible to see, visitors can see the flies by the thousands at the right time of year. Mullen said the Dismalites generally reproduce twice a year -- once in the spring and then again in the fall. He said its possible to see some Dismalites from March through October, but the highest concentrations occur around the end of April and then again in September, though that can vary from year to year. Night tours of the privately-owned Canyons can be scheduled from through the Dismals Canyon web site beginning in March until the Dismalites go dormant for the winter. A 4-year-old boy believed to have been lost in south Alabama woods for more than 50 hours was frightened but appeared to be in good condition when volunteer searchers found him Sunday afternoon. He was just looking scared, and he went to cry, but when he seen we werent going to hurt him, he was just looking around, said Markeith Williams, who is being credited for finding Phenix Wilkerson. Phenix, who authorities said is non-verbal, was reported missing about 12:30 p.m. Friday in the area of Sid Bush Road in Barbour Countys Clayton community. His mother, Shyanne Ray, said she had left the familys camper to go walk over to her mothers residence and returned a short time later to find her son gone. ALEAs Fusion Center issued an Emergency Missing Child Alert on Friday, and multiple searchers both official and volunteer turned out to help find Phenix. Williams, a 25-year-old mechanic from Ozark, said his wife, Valencia, on Saturday said she was determined to go help with the search on Sunday. Markeith Williams(Contributed) She kept bugging me about it all day yesterday, Williams said. I told her I was going to church. He said when he woke Sunday morning, God had put it on his heart to go help find Phenix. I had my auntie, shes an evangelist, pray for me before we left, he said, because I said it wasnt going to work if she didnt. The couple arrived at the command post where searchers were divided into groups. We were walking toward the pond, thinking he may have gotten close and gotten in the water, Williams said. It was hills and ditches and we searched ditches first. As we got about two miles into the woods, everybody was veering off left and right, he said. As I was getting closer to him, my heart started rushing so thats how I knew I was getting close, Williams said. I knew it was God with me. Williams said he and others in group were walking near an area where searchers believed they had seen little footprints in field Saturday when Williams spotted him. He was laying probably 150 yards from the field, Williams said. It was pretty far off, he said. I was going to holler, then I thought Id get a little closer first. Williams said the leaves and sticks were crackling underneath his stop as he neared what he believed to be Phenix. He looked up, Williams said. When I got closer and saw the shirt, I was like, There he is. Everybody just took off running to where he was, Williams said. Williams said Phenix was wearing the same clothes he was reported to be wearing Friday. He did not appear to be dirty. His feet and stuff were pretty clean, Williams said. He said one searcher put socks on Phenixs feet, and another a coat. Phenix was given water as one of the searchers held his hand. An officer eventually carried him to the top of the hill where Phenix was put in an ATV and taken to a waiting ambulance. Phenix was found about 3:15 p.m. ALEA Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said Phenix was being medically evaluated. Williams said hes thankful he could be part of the happy ending. I was doing that, he said, because God sent me to do that. Authorities have released the name of a man injured in an exchange of gunfire with police that also wounded a Pleasant Grove officer. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Monday identified the man as Joshua A. Slate. He is 38 and lives in Adamsville. Pleasant Grove police responded about 7:30 p.m. Sunday to the 400 block of Fifth Way on a report of someone disturbing the peace, according to ALEA. Police Chief Danny Reid said the man now identified as Slate was armed and appeared to have an altered mental status. Shots were fired, injuring Slate and the unidentified officer. Both were taken to UAB Hospital where Slate remains. The extent of his injuries has not yet been released. The officer was treated and discharged from the hospital. ALEAs State Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe. Senior Trooper Brandon Bailey said once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff District Attorneys Office. A 4-year-old in southeast Alabama that disappeared from his familys camper on Friday has been found safe, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Phenix Wilkerson went missing in Clayton on Friday afternoon. At approximately 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, Phenix was located safe and is currently being check out by medical personnel, an ALEA statement read. Social media reports indicate Phenix was taken from the search area by ambulance on Sunday afternoon. There was no immediate word on his condition. Efforts by AL.com to reach officials in Barbour County were not immediately successful. His mother, Shyanne Ray, previously told news outlets she was distraught since she came back to the camper and the door was ajar. Since then, Barbour County Sheriffs Office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys State Bureau of Investigation and aviation units searched for Wilkerson, alongside a team of local volunteers. Barbour County Sheriff Tyrone Smith told WTVM that authorities had helicopters, divers and on the-ground searchers looking for Wilkerson. This is a breaking story that will be updated. Donald Trump is telling his supporters not to let anything stop them from voting for him in Mondays Iowa caucuses. You cant sit at home. If youre sick as a dog ... Even if you vote and then pass away, Trump said at his Sunday rally. The rally in Indianola is his only Iowa rally this weekend. These caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory over all of the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, crooks, freaks, creeps and other quite nice people, he said at the commit-to-caucus event in Indianola. The Washington swamp has done everything in its power to take away your voice, Trump added. But tomorrow is your time to turn on them and to say and speak your mind and to vote. And were going to take this country back. Trumps rally was briefly interrupted by protesters the first time its happened in years. Youve taken millions! a woman shouted as Trump was mid-rally, prompting the crowd to respond with a Trump! chant to drown her out. Go back to Mommy, Trump responded as she was led out of the room. So young and immature. Moments later came another protester, this one holding a black and yellow banner that read Trump Climate Criminal. He shouted the same thing. The same group interrupted a DeSantis town hall and a separate event for the Florida governor in Ames last week. When he was running in 2016, Trumps events were routinely interrupted by protesters. That used to happen all the time, Trump remarked. It always adds excitement. This is an opinion column. Let us march on ballot boxes until race-baiters disappear from the political arena. Let us march on ballot boxes until the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs will be transformed into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens. It was a Thursday, that March 25th, 1965. Rev. Martin Luther King and numerous other leaders had just marched more than 50 miles along Alabamas Highway 80 into Montgomery four days after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge out of Selma. Safely crossing on their thirdthis time, bloodless attempt, protected by 1,000-plus military police and Army troops. They marched with more than 500 Americans representing the diaspora of our nation, buoyed by thousands who joined them for the denouement. They marched beneath death-threatening clouds, burdened by the souls of four who diedwere killedfor the cause: Jimmie Lee Jackson, Rev. James Reeb, Viola Liuzzo, and Jonathan Daniels. They marched simply for Blacks to be able to vote in the South without paying a poll tax or passing a silly, unanswerable quiz. Without being blocked by fear. I dont claim to be a King scholar. Yet on that day nearly 59 years ago, he stood before 25,000 on the steps of our state capitol and delivered, in my view, one of his most potent discourses. One that stands as pertinent today as it was on that Thursday. Its an easy each year at this time, as we rightfully paise to celebrate and give thanks for Kings life and legacy, to regale the dream. To recite and recount his defining speech, delivered almost two years before that day in Montgomery. (All of it, not just the content-of-their-character part some conveniently quote to soothe their discomfort, assuage their guilt, or wrongly argue that King wouldnt be just as mad and frustrated as hell today as was then.) Yet this year, as we step with dread into the most critical election season of our lifetimeI dont care how old you arethe words King declared that day at the Capitol, where he was to deliver a petition to Gov. George Wallace, are poignant and prescient. Let us march on ballot boxes until the Wallaces of our nation tremble away in silence. Historians call that speech, Our God is Marching On. (Read it here, or listen to it here.) In just under 30 minutes, King delivered a litany of erudite prose. Most interestingly, he dissected the roots and reasonings behind the birth of Jim Crow; it was fueled by the burgeoning success of the Populist Movement that was forging a coalition between poor whites and Blacks around their shared barriers to wealth. (In short, Jim Crow was conceived to persuade poor whites that at least they werent Black; call it the birth of white supremacy.) It may be said of the Reconstruction era, King said on that Thursday, that the southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow. ... And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than the black man. Five months after that day, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed the vestiges of race-based disenfranchisement and required shady districts (read: in the South) to obtain preclearance from the courts before instituting new elections practices. (Which is under assault today.) Ten months from now, were going to elect the next president of the United States. Well have a clear, and unequivocal choiceno, Im not going to tell you whom you should vote for. Thats not my purpose here. Well have a clear, and unequivocal choice; To vote or not vote. And thats what scares me. It particularly scares me that we, African Americans, wont vote. According to Statista, Black voter turnout in 2020 was 58.7% among eligible Black voters, slightly higher than 2016 (55.9%), yet lower than 2008 (60.8%, the Obama bump) and 2012 (62%). Before then, it hovered in the fifty-percentage-point range going back to the sixties. This year, weve got to do better. Im of the generation raised to believe that voting is more than a rightearned with the blood, sweat, and souls/solesof our fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, and allies. Its an obligation. Thats why I cant remember an election I missed. And not just a presidential election. If the polls were open, I was there. Let us march on ballot boxes until we send to our city councils, state legislatures, and the United States Congress, men (sigh, MLKs sexism was a reflection of the times) who will not fear to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God. Dr. Cornel West, professor emeritus at Princetown University, was in Birmingham Monday for a flurry of appearances commemorating King. In a brief morning conversation at Kelly Ingram Park, he called people not voting a knee-jerk reactiondeep frustration with a deep sense that the corruption in the system is such that voting doesnt matter. Thats not true; voting does matter. Former Harvard professor Dr. Cornel West outside the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on Martin Luther King Day on January 15, 2024Roy S. Johnson But it is true that the system is corrupt. So you have to be jazz-like enough, flexible and improvisational enough to accept the truth of just how corrupt the system is, but also say youve got to work both within and without. ... [T]he system is broken, theres no doubt about it. But you shouldnt use [that] as an excuse not to participate. I fear we wont march to the ballot boxesthat a simmering undercurrent of belief that neither Republicans nor Democrats are addressing our concerns, needs, and desires, well, Ill just stay home. Please dont. Not this year. Not ever. Dont disenfranchise ourselves. Not when efforts to diffuse and diminish our vote in recent years have been as blatant as climate change (obvious to all but those who choose to dwell in a cave of obtusity). Those efforts have reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which confirmed Alabamas obvious attempt to dilute Black voting power in the state. Not when our history is being denigrated and obliterated by politicians who either dont know it (see: Nikki Haley) or fear that their children will know the full breadth of this nations journey. Not when our best and brightest Black women are under attack, some subtly, others not so much. Not when DEI is under siege from persons who fear that if the room is diverse, equitable, and inclusive theyll no longer be the smartest person at the table. Or maybe no longer even qualified to be in the room. Maybe the urgency of voting, the power of our ballot was not sufficiently passed on, not sufficiently by my generation and the nextlike untold family histories. Maybe the sacrificesof King and far too many othersnow evoke shrugs, sadly. Shrugs that dissolve into complacency. To staying home. Not voting is voting. Dont disenfranchise ourselves. Let us march on ballot boxes until brotherhood becomes more than a meaningless word in an opening prayer, but the order of the day on every legislative agenda. RELATED: Roy S. Johnsons previous columns on Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr: Black folks, honor Dr. King this way: Stop killing each other. Especially our children At 90, King would probably be ornery and angry, at all of us Tired of dreaming? Wake up with Kings urgency of now MLKs Letter from Birmingham Jail should be taught in all schools; class is in session If you do nothing else today to remember King, read or listen to Our God is Marching On. To all of it. Youll be educated, lifted, and emboldened. And perhaps even a bit saddened by Kings timeline of hope, spiced with the words of some who inspired him. I know you are asking today, How long will it take? Somebodys asking, How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne? He then infused a line from The Battle-Field, a poem by William Cullen Bryant. I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth crushed to earth will rise again. And theres this from The French Revolution , a three-part historical collection by Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer and historian during the Victorian era. How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever. Toward the end, King intoned: The battle is in our hands. As is our vote. Clearly and unequivocally. Im a member of the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. My column appears on AL.com, as well as the Lede. Tell me what you think at rjohnson@al.com, and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj A fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, currently undergoing training to become a Top Gun, has recently been named Miss America 2024 Madison Marsh, 22, from Fort Smith, Arkansas, was honored with the prestigious top award at a ceremony held in Orlando, Florida on Sunday night. Miss Colorado Wins Miss America 2024 Second Lt Marsh achieved the incredible achievement of being crowned Miss Colorado in May 2023 and went on to compete in the finals for the top award.Marsh holds the distinction of being the first active duty officer from any branch of the military to represent at the national level of the Miss America organization. This year's second-place finisher is Miss Texas, Ellie Breaux, who would be asked to take over if Marsh is unable to serve for the entire year. Miss Indiana Cydney Bridges finished in third place, followed by Miss Kentucky Mallory Hudson in fourth place, and Miss Rhode Island Caroline Parente in fifth place. There were a total of fifty-one contestants who took part in the event, representing all 50 US states, along with the District of Columbia. Arkansas State Representative Steve Womack wasted no time in extending his congratulations to the newly crowned Miss America. Although she acknowledges her lack of dancing and singing skills, Marsh mentioned that she has been dedicating time to practicing mock interviews and refining her pageant walk. She also mentioned that contestants now have the opportunity to showcase a monologue as their talent. Marsh delivered a speech recounting her inaugural solo flight experience at the age of 16. According to her, it was beneficial for enhancing her abilities in leading. Marsh has an impressive list of accomplishments, including being a National Truman Scholar, two-time National Astronaut scholar, and achieving eight-time Dean's List at the Air Force. Additionally, Marsh has been recognized three times on the Superintendent's List and was a National Rhodes finalist. Not only that, but Marsh is also a certified private pilot and holds a black belt in taekwondo. The pageant on Sunday night followed three nights of preliminary competitions. Read Also: Taylor Swift Elective Class To Be Offered by UP Diliman; Here's What Filipino Scholars Should Expect Miss America 2024 Eleven women participated in the last four rounds of the competition. These rounds included a fitness showcase where they walked the runway in rhinestone-embellished athleisure, a 'hot topics' discussion round instead of the usual Q&A, a talent performance, and an evening gown presentation. Finally, the five finalists were revealed. During the discussion round, a wide range of topics were discussed, including terrorism, technology, nutrition, and climate change. Marsh discussed the issue of "drugs in America" while reflecting on her mother's courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. During the talent round, she delivered a captivating spoken-word performance that revolved around her remarkable achievement of obtaining her pilot's license at the age of 16. The five finalists were then questioned about her aspirations as Miss America. Marsh expressed that her military credentials reflect her dedication to continuous growth and leading with enthusiasm. Marsh, a Harvard University graduate, completed her studies at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and became an Air Force Officer in the past year, as per AS USA. The individual from Arkansas decided to explore the world of pageants as an extracurricular pursuit during her time at USAFA. She thoroughly enjoys participating in pageants due to the emphasis on community service and honing her public speaking skills. She also appreciates the positive changes that have occurred within the pageant system, particularly in relation to women's fitness. According to Daily Mail, she took part in her inaugural pageant during her time at USAFA. She mentioned that as a freshman at the Academy, it can be difficult to establish one's identity in a completely unfamiliar and demanding setting. Three years later, Marsh was crowned Miss Colorado, an experience she described as "very surreal." Related Article: Miss Universe 2023: Who Is Sheynnis Palacios? Everything About Nicaragua's History-Maker Under Joe Biden, the Labor Departments monthly jobs report numbers keep trending downwards; the impactful reports reflect the health of our economy, and hold great sway with the Fed, business community, and bond and stock markets. Given their pervasive influence on economic sentiment and expectations, youd think the data collectors and compilers would bother to be somewhat punctilious. Instead, they overstated job creation by a whopping 439,000 in 2023. Thats abysmal accounting, but the faulty computations get worse: the Bureau of Labor Statistics ignominiously revised ten of its last eleven reports. They just cant get it right, or even approximate, the first time. No wonder two of the most in-demand occupations for government recruiters are statisticians and data scientists. Clearly, the Labor Department and its BLS agency need them desperately. Unfortunately, those capable of producing legitimate figures (not requiring so many revisions) may not be attracted to government work, perhaps preferring more lucrative positions in burgeoning A.I. data analytics. The Cheat-in-Chief cant sell his Bidenomics hogwash, especially since so many Americans are forced to work second jobs just to subsist. Instead, he deflects attention by touting the imprecise jobs reports. The complicit medias heedless headlines suggest employment strength, especially in the bloated public sector. Not only are the employment numbers as inflated as Bidens budgets, but a preponderance of new jobs in 2023 were created in non-productive government sectors. In December, the government was the top job creator; in 2023, government jobs comprised about a quarter of job creation. This is a decidedly disproportionate share considering that federal, state and local governments make up 14.5 percent of total employment. Many of the new government jobs are at the state and local level, and plenty of those are in the education sector. Many of those positions are unproductive administrators and counselors required to facilitate the infusion of illegal alien children into our public schools. In fact, many are siphoning off resources from Americans. The Limited English Proficient students not only require academic remediation, but social workers and mental health professionals. One wishes the poor kids wellback home, because the vast majority dont qualify for asylum in America. Thats right Stanford University, Americaas in God Bless America. As in America, the most important country in the Americas, especially for illegal aliens who are disproportionately dependent on government workers. Even the dysfunctional White House, after reviewing the polls, is finally considering raising asylum interview standards to legally enter America. Then, we can take a lot of those education-based bureaucrat jobs (that so inflate the BLSs jobs reports) and shove em. Recently, Brooklyn high school students on-campus learning was rudely disrupted by illegal migrants overtaking their gym as refuge from a storm. Transporting the illegals from a rain-inundated tent city required many public sector workers, who could otherwise be contributing to our nations productivity by transporting goods along the supply chain, and whatnot. Federal government jobs are also growing7,000 in December alone. Thankfully, there are some conscientious Republicans who are trying to impose some pecuniary discipline on the spendthrift Dems. Perhaps they were also guided by Ronald Reagans sarcastic refrain about the most terrifying words in the English language: Im from the government, and Im here to help. The terrifying IRS doesnt help much. Actually, that dreadful department can be downright detrimental to ones disposition, especially to the conservative groups they scrutinized. In the newly-proposed 1.59 trillion spending bill, there will be a reduction to IRS funding. Its a start, but not enough, so lets revise more of those jobs out of existence. Indeed, take your IRS agent jobs and shove em. Despite the overall increase, the jobs are often not in the right places. Not only are skilled statisticians lacking, but we could use more Border Patrol positions, especially those on horseback. Not many of those have been created because Biden is following Barack Hussein Obummers desire to radically transform America (for the worse). The stubborn idiot wont end catch and release, or reinstate Trumps successful remain in Mexico policy. Whereas many government jobs littering the job reports are for unessential workers, those with a mission to protect our border are essential. The DEI-affirmed White House press secretary (her French-sounding name irritates) is keen to spout that the House GOP refused to fund more Border Patrol agents. Well, as usual, shes being sneaky and snarky. In fact, Republicans resist funding more DHS agents who are merely going to facilitate faux asylum seekers. They have been clear that funding will be forthcoming for agents who actually enforce our border with something like a catch and deport assignment. Perhaps deploy more modern cavalrybut only with reins to control the horse, not whip the illegals, as Biden (a pathetic human being, let alone president) cruelly charged. The fate of more Border Patrol jobs is a policy issue, not a funding issue. Republicans dont want fungible funds diverted to hire workers who will facilitate more illegal aliens coming into America. However, Border Patrol rolls will increase commensurately when policy changes include: a Title 42-like mandate to expel aliens without burdensome screening; limiting immigration parole; raising asylum standards; and, rationalizing removals and detention procedures. In the meantime, take your processing clerks and counterproductive support jobs that aid the illegal immigrant invasion and shove em. Notwithstanding the governments job counting conundrum, government added, on average, 56,000 jobs per month in 2023. Thats over twice as many as in 2022, but not in the right places. Given their proclivity for downward revisionsafter Biden is done tooting his horn about the exaggerated strength of the economylets revise downward some of those nonessential government jobs. Lets downsize those dubious positions that divert our precious resources to illegal ingrates who dont respect our heritage. Shove emthe unproductive government jobs and the unproductive illegals! This is America, not the Americas. Image generated by AI. NPR, The New York Times, and other leftist propaganda organs parading as reliable news publications wrapped up 2023 by jeering House Republicans for passing only twenty-seven bills that became laws. Hyperventilating like out-of-shape Chris Christie clones perpetually catching their breath, the Fourth Estates most prestigious windbags could not hide their priggish condescension: Republican legislators simply cannot legislate, they huffed in unison. I know the Yes, Daddy, govern me harder! crowd gets goosebumps every time the ignoramuses and perverts in D.C. create a new rule that comes with the threat of a good spanking, but it still amazes me how desperately todays journalists desire for the government to tell them what they can and cannot do. The United States of America has been around for two and a half centuries. During that time, tens of thousands of federal laws, rules, regulations, and executive orders have been created to squash and squeeze Americans natural liberties into smaller and smaller sanctioned containers suitable for TSA inspection. It would be interesting to know just how many more decades of legislating and how many thousands of additional recorded laws it would take before the masochists at The New York Times finally feel as if they have been sufficiently governed! Mr. Edward Holman commented recently that the creepy JournoList community of leftist reporters who collaborated to push narratives and news coverage favorable to Barack Obama during his rise to power crippled the profession permanently: A free press cannot secretly conspire to rig elections by coordinating to destroy candidates, movements (TEA Party, MAGA, etc) they dislike with false accusations by anonymous sources. I heartily agree. The propaganda journalism legitimized by the JournoList cabal was as loud of a death knell for objective reporting (and the enduring independence of the press) as they come. Equally demonstrative of journalisms demise has been the corporate domestication of reporters and their lamentable transformation from an unruly gang of rebellious muckrakers and misfits who naturally despised the status quo into a docile pack of housebroken and primped-up poodles all desperate to service the ruling class. You dont get anything as noxious as a JournoList to eat through the body politic like a parasite through its host without first initiating a widespread campaign to spay and neuter those journalists in the profession packing cojones as well as brains. At one time in America, newsrooms were headed by serious editors who knew that the best reporters are borderline sociopaths with such deep-seated distrust for authority figures that theyd doubt the deathbed confessions of their own mothers. Those nosy, off-putting newshounds trampled through life as sloven and rumpled oddballs who effortlessly blended in with any towns homeless population because both groups had a lot in common. Now reporters are so invested in the permanent Deep States official narratives that they spend all their time dissecting the credibility of the occasional government critic. Even worse, they have become so concerned with their appearance, prestige, and social media popularity that they grovel outside the halls of power and finance desperately seeking any feudal lords patronage and the promise of a golden ticket providing the perks and privileges of admission into the ranks of the hoity-toity. How do you destroy a free press? Fill it with people who hate free speech, look down upon the poor and powerless, and believe that only their opinions matter. Then pay them to repeat and defend everything that the ruling class brands as an official truth. Its amazing how fast public dissent dries up when you bribe the journalists and censor anyone who notices. A couple decades ago, any reporter worth his salt would have laughed in the face of some nansy-pansy critic accusing him of hate speech. The most well-respected reporters would have either hung the libelous dross on their cubicle walls as meritorious decoration or tossed it in the bin, doused it with file drawer whiskey, and lit the calumny on fire. Todays JournoList poseurs, in contrast, act as both wimpy self-flagellators denouncing their own privilege before the priests of the DEI Inquisition toss them on the sacrificial pyre and Salem witch trial accusers all too willing to point the finger at anyone who dares to question the latest politically correct fads and woke fashions. Todays reporters have so betrayed the basic principles of their own profession that they believe it is their deranged civic duty to tell everyone else what they may or may not think and say. Where did the American press corps leave its backbone? Probably on Jeffrey Epsteins pedo-island or some other place where integrity and self-respect are shortsightedly exchanged for fake titles, hollow accolades, uptown apartments, and petty vice. Once you descend to that level of invertebracy where you slither along the ground like a supercilious slug, you find yourself writing articles for The New York Times demanding that Congress work harder to come up with new laws and punishments suitable for a population of citizen slaves. Reporters are now so deferential to bureaucrats in positions of authority that they prostrate themselves before those most deserving of scrutiny. As obsequious servants to a ruling class that sees them as expendable, todays journalists empower the powerful and silence the powerless. And when a reporter no longer serves those powerful interests, the Establishments exterminators need only decide whether to shrivel the offending slug with salt or squish it into gooey obsolescence. Think thats hyperbole? Why has Julian Assange spent over a decade in legal purgatory and consular captivity while trying to avoid American incarceration and assassination? Why is Edward Snowden now a citizen of Russia, rather than a celebrated whistleblower addressing college auditoriums here in America? Why is Gonzalo Lira, Sr. mourning the torture and murder of his son in a Ukrainian prison, when Joe Biden could have freed the American citizen at any time? Because Assange, Snowden, and Lira all reported truths that revealed the U.S. governments criminality, corruption, and antipathy toward the Constitutions Bill of Rights. Because our ruling class believes the First Amendment, unfettered free speech, and a courageous free press are all threats to national security. Because the American police state has no interest in seeking warrants or establishing probable cause before illegally spying on the American people. Those who have sacrificed everything to report these stories have been eliminated or cowed into quiet complicity with a Deep State diametrically opposed to human liberty. Those reporters who remain have chosen the lowly existence of common slugs. Todays reporters cannot possibly fathom why any person would want to be free from government coercion. If we are all one day ushered into work camps for our protection and reeducation, it will be journalists from the nations most prestigious rags who write glowing articles about the States complimentary lodgings and new woke slogan promising that work alone will set us free. In a world where the Deep State has declared war on free speech and the World Economic Forums ruling class claims disinformation is the greatest threat to human civilization, fearless truth-tellers are in great demand. As truth-telling is no longer a skill of working journalists, citizen journalists have had to pick up the baton and run the race. Thats the thing about free speech, though. Nobody needs a government license to debate the facts or reject official lies. Persuasive argument does not hinge on the expired prestige of reputationally-tattered publications. An ideas value does not require a censorship board in America or Europe to first pass judgment on its validity. Free expression does not depend on the intervention of a language police force to first check whether each noun and adjective pass muster. Speaking truth requires but one thing: the courage to stop licking powers boots. Image via Pixnio. Is the old bunny-slipper commute from the extended COVID school closures something blue-city educrats get nostalgic about? Might be, given this principal's inexplicably raging response to parents who objected to their children being thrown out of their own school and shunted off to Zoom classes, so that illegals could be housed at the school instead. According to the New York Post: A Brooklyn high school principal lashed out at parents who ripped her decision to boot students out of the classroom the day after 2,000 migrants moved in for a night. How dare someone say that I dont care about kids, roared James Madison High School principal Jodie Cohen on a Zoom call Tuesday at parents seething that she sold the kids out by having them go remote the day after the migrants were evacuated from Floyd Bennett Field because of a torrential rain storm. I dont understand how people who never come on a Zoom like this could take an opportunity like this evening to throw mud, Cohen said, her voice breaking. This [emergency] is for one night, one night! The principal explained she decided to have students attend school remotely on Wednesday because it wasnt clear how quickly the building would be ready for classroom use after the migrants were bused back to their shelter. Well, no. She doesn't care about the kids in her care, not as much as she cares about foreign nationals illegally present in the U.S., or even more likely, herself, and the New York City political machine that enables these illegals and needs to call in a public school principal from time to time for a favor. A search of her salary on OpenGovPay.com shows that she makes a pretty penny in that blue city. According to that site: In 2016, Jodie Cohen made $162,521 by working as a Principal at the James Madison Hs - K. Jodie Cohen salary was 62% higher than the average and 73% higher than median Principal salary in 2016. Jodie Cohen salary was 141% higher than average James Madison Hs - K salary and 98% higher than median James Madison Hs - K salary in 2016. Sound like a blue-city politician couldn't call her up to call in a favor? This salary, with all its vacay and bennies, by the way, is nearly a decade old. Odds are good it has risen since. Cohen justifies her move by saying it was just one day of Zoom classes for the kids. But actually, it's more than that. It's a test run for more instant Zoom pivots for the kids in the name of accommodating illegals, meaning, they're getting their routine for it all lined up. And while sure, it's just one little night, it's also the normalization of kicking kids out on short notice any time a city official mismanages a situation with illegals and needs a bailout from the schools. Illegals: 1; Kids 0. The schools are neither constructed, nor zoned for illegal immigrant housing, and Cohen's claimed concern about what kind of condition the schools might be in after one night of turning the grounds over to unvetted illegals suggests that property damage and theft of the children's and the school's property were anticipated outcomes. Does that serve the children of the school, or the interests of the political machine that continues to have its interest in importing the world's lower middle classes into New York City for a full free ride at the expense of the city's children. Cohen's angry response to parents pretty well tells us it's all of those things, because she should have been apologizing to parents for her bad judgment and improper use of school resources, putting children last. It tells us a lot about the political machine that seems to be her priority over the education of children: They hate them. And based on the angry response from parents, the parents know it. Image: Twitter screen shot Last week contained more than one terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. On Monday, January 8th, Ashleigh Merchant, lawyer for Michael Roman (one of the 18 Trump co-defendants in The State of Georgia v. Donald J. Trump, et al.), filed a bombshell motion alleging that Willis improperly hired an alleged romantic partner to prosecute Donald Trump and financially benefited from their relationship. The alleged romantic partner is special prosecutor Nathan Wade. On January 9th, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported: The bombshell public filing alleged that special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a private attorney, paid for lavish vacations he took with Willis using the Fulton County funds his law firm received. County records show that Wade, who has played a prominent role in the election interference case, has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022. The DA authorizes his compensation. The filing alleges that Willis and Wade have been involved in a romantic relationship that began before Wade was appointed special prosecutor. It says they traveled together to Napa Valley and Florida, and they cruised the Caribbean together using tickets Wade purchased from Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Willis and Wade, the motion contends, have been engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case, which has resulted in the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers. According to Merchant, multiple sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney have confirmed they had an ongoing, personal relationship. Merchants filing also notes that Willis formally hired Wade on to her get-Trump team on November 1st, 2021, just one day prior to Wade filing for divorce from his wife of 26 years. Wades wife, Jocelyn Wade, has also entered the legal fray against her (soon to be?) ex-husband and Fani Willis. According to RedState, on the same day that Ashleigh Merchant filed her motion against Willis and Nathan Wade, Jocelyn Wade subpoenaed Willis to appear for a deposition in the Wades divorce proceedings. This whole sorry saga is a disaster for the Fulton County DA and her efforts to prosecute the former president. Fani Willis said nothing publicly on these matters until yesterday (Sunday, January 14th). Speaking at length before the congregation at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, but without admitting to being in a relationship with Wade, and without mentioning him by name, Willis referred to Wade as a legal superstar who is uniquely qualified to be on her get-Trump team. She also referred to Wade as a great friend and a great lawyer. In her speech, Willis read from a letter that she claimed to have penned to God during her trying week. (Note to Ms. Willis and Big Bethel AME Church: In these situations, the proper role of the church and the individual is truth and repentance, not allowing for, and the giving of, political speeches!) Of course, in an attempt to defend herself, her office, Wade, and her get-Trump campaign, Ms. Willis also played the race card numerous times. Whatever the whole truth hereand in the name of Jesus, may it all come into the light quicklyone of the most telling aspects of this sordid, evil affair is the inaction of the Georgia media on these matters. The AJC reported on it only after Ashleigh Merchant filed her motion on behalf of her client, Michael Roman. Likewise, all other Atlanta and Georgia media reports on the likely corruption within Williss office came after Merchants motion. So we are to believe that, in spite of what appears to be a lengthy affair between Willis and Wade, which involved numerous trips, and in spite of the timing of the hiring of Wade by Willis which corresponded very closely to the divorce filing by Wade, nothing was known about Willis and Wades personal relationship?! I mean, were talking sex and politics here! Were talking national politics involving a former U.S. president who is again seeking the office, and no one was talking about Willis and Wades relationship?! I would like to know if Nathan Wades wife reached out to anyone in the Atlanta or Georgia media concerning her husband of 26 years and his relationship with Fani Willis. Was there an effort within the Georgia media to keep the truth about Willis and Wade quiet since Willis and Wade are leading agents in the get-Trump campaign? Someone needs to investigate this matter as well. Would you be surprised to learn that we are again looking at another case of gross media malpractice in the United States? Trevor Grant Thomas At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason. www.trevorgrantthomas.com Trevor is the author of the The Miracle and Magnificence of America trevorgrantthomas@gmail.com Image from X. Mutiny is on the menu should Trump win again. Thats according to an allegedly secret plan, thats being widely trumpeted on NBC News, for the military to refuse to follow orders from Trump. Part of this is pre-election posturing, but part of this is entirely consistent with the post-Obama military, up to and including the execrable Mark White Rage Milley. Section 2, Article II of the United States Constitution is extremely clear that the President calls the shots when it comes to the military: The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. There are no workarounds for this. There is no ambiguity. However, that isnt stopping a cabal of lawmakers and others from trying to figure out how to stage a military coup should Trump be reelected: [B]racing for Trumps potential return, a loose-knit network of public interest groups and lawmakers is quietly devising plans to try to foil any efforts to expand presidential power, which could include pressuring the military to cater to his political needs. Those taking part in the effort told NBC News they are studying Trumps past actions and 2024 policy positions so that they will be ready if he wins in November. That involves preparing to take legal action and send letters to Trump appointees spelling out consequences theyd face if they undermine constitutional norms. Were already starting to put together a team to think through the most damaging types of things that he [Trump] might do so that were ready to bring lawsuits if we have to, said Mary McCord, executive director of the Institution for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law. Note that wiggle-room phrase constitutional norms. You see, the one constitutional imperative is that Trump is the Commander-in-Chief. By electing him, the American people will have concluded that he is the best person to determine whether America is in sufficient peril that a military force becomes necessary. Its not up to a cabal of special interest groups and lawmakers, none of whom have any constitutional authority to make calls about the military. Image: Trump and Milley. YouTube screen grab. And dont doubt that there are many in the military who will go along with this planned mutiny. As I wrote years ago on my own blog, the military leadership, shaped by years of Obamas efforts to remove traditional American values from the Pentagon, hates Trump. Gen. Mark White Rage Milleys time as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflects this mindset. Last week, Red State published an interview with Col. Earl. G. Matthews, who was the senior legal advisor to Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, who was the D.C. National Guards commanding general on January 6. In the interview, Col. Matthews excoriated Milley as the one who prevented the National Guard from swiftly restoring order on January 6as in, Milley was part of the plan to ramp up potential violence to (a) stop Senate opposition to the Electoral Collection count and (b) provide fodder for the insurrection charge: He's the most powerful chairman of the joint chiefs in history, Matthews said. It was Milley all along, and I didn't realize it. Milley was manipulating this entire stuff from point start. The former Guardsman, now serving in the Army Reserve, said that as the joint chiefs chairman, Milley had no legal role in the chain of command; he was simply the president's senior military advisor. However, Milley leveraged his staff in the Pentagon and exploited his relationships with other generals he mentored and favored for promotion so that he ran the Army as his own feudal possession. [snip] This is about civilian control of the military, he said. There was none. There is none. I argue that Mark Milley had more control over the D.C. Guard on Jan. 6 than Donald Trump did if Donald Trump wanted to call the Guard to go to the Capitol, Milley wouldnt let him do it, he said. [snip] The colonel said it is essential to understand that, unlike the National Guards in the states and territories in the nation's capital, the National Guard is not controlled by a governor; instead, it is under the president's direct control. On January 6, Milley usurped the presidents control and called the shots. He wanted violence on January 6. The Twitterati (X-eratti?) were swift to react to the NBC report that plans are in place to create a Pentagon that refuses to answer to the constitutional Commander-in-Chief: Openly admitting that they are planning a military coup if Americans re-elect Donald Trump. All to protect democracy of course. https://t.co/65JFH8DeJy Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 14, 2024 Whenever Democrats accuse Trump of doing something, its a guarantee that Democrats are planning to do that very thing against Trump. Which means Democrats are preparing to use the military to steal the 2024 election and prevent their opponents from lawfully taking power. https://t.co/fVOIN9Ebr8 Sean Davis (@seanmdav) January 14, 2024 Regime action plan 2024: seems "Caesar Trump" rhetoric is devised to legitimize military coup if elected. https://t.co/XaZptAw5gA Lee Smith (@LeeSmithDC) January 14, 2024 This is LITERALLY TREASON. We have civilian control of the military in the USA. This ensures that the military is ultimately controlled by the voters. What is being proposed here is a 1970s-style South American military junta. I'm not sure what is scarier: this idea, or the Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) January 14, 2024 insurrections are cool now The Dank Knight (@capeandcowell) January 14, 2024 Constitutional norms are falling all over the place, but its the left thats doing it. Shorn of his eccentric rhetoric, Trump governed in the grand tradition of 20th-century American presidents: strong national security, focus on the economy, an eye to energy independence, etc. It is Biden who has broken every norm in American history: destroying the border, destroying energy independence, and arresting political opponents. Very early in serving in uniform in the US Military, one learns a very important ironclad rule of leadership; namely, that you can delegate responsibility but not accountability. When Secretary Lloyd Austin was exposed for having committed the horrendous and dangerous act of going to the hospital in secret, he made a statement indicating that he knows about this leadership principle, although its questionable whether he understands it. Once outed, Austin stated, But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure. For Democrats, thats the end of the story. However, it should be the beginning of understanding responsibility and accountability, along with what just really happened when Austin vanished from the scene. Looking at the whole picture, while we should wish him a safe and full recovery, we should also demand his immediate retirement, followed closely by President Bidens announcement that he, too, is stepping down. This is because his merely stating that he feels responsible does not absolve Austin from his actions. Additionally, President Biden, as Commander-In-Chief, is 100% accountable for having appointed a Secretary of Defense who secretly abdicated his immediate response abilities in the area of strategic war-fighting. The SecDef is the second most important decision maker in unleashing our nuclear deterrence triad forces if a launch is ordered after an incoming alert is declared. The President must be capable of unleashing strategic bombers ICBM missiles instantly, 24/7, from both land siloes and at sea in our boomers. Image: Lloyd Austin arrives in the Philippines in July 2021, wearing a face shield and mask. Daily Mail video screen grab. Fortunately, our nuclear-armed adversaries did not take advantage of the Biden administrations dereliction of duty. However, the story of such an egregious cover-up should not end with an Inspector General reviewing procedures. Individuals, once having proven they cannot be trusted, should be relieved of command. To begin the process of accountability, those humans responsible for this dereliction of duty should be immediately answerable to House and Senate investigators, whether in closed or open sessions, with immediately being the operative word. The issues involved are far too serious for the normal traditional DC under investigation slow role. For example, it looks as if Walter Reeds medical staff, the Hospital Commander, and perhaps even the uniformed Army Surgeon General have some serious explaining to do. For one, medically, their post-op infection control procedures very obviously broke down when Austin went in for cancer treatment and ended up almost dying in the ICU for post-operative problems. Surgery is never without risks but, as I was often briefed as the first Assistant Secretary of the VA for Public and Congressional Affairs, the euphuism for a doctor-caused bad outcome is a surgical misadventure. Whether that happened with Austin must be investigated. Equally, though, we shouldnt overlook that many of the people involved at Walter Reed are officers. This means that they should have understood and are obligated under the hospitals and militarys leadership directives. The most important rule of medicine is first do no harm. That must apply double to the US Medical Corps because they should also fulfill their obligation in their Commissioning oath to support and defend the Constitution by first doing no harm to the American people. Because of their hospital medical bungling, combined with an observing code of omerta (or silence), they have put us all at risk. Yes, it is that serious. And speaking of that omerta, how about, General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was apparently told about Austins health but kept the information to himself? Especially since his predecessor, Chairman General Mark Milley, improperly put himself in the response chain of command with a phone call to CHICOM leadership. General Milley made a similar point in a memo he provided to Congress in September 2021. He noted that he is a part of the chain of communication, in his role as the Presidents primary military advisor, but he is not in the chain of command for authorizing a nuclear launch. Finally, perhaps adding insult to injury, Gen. Brown also may not have told his senior enlisted advisor what was happening. Having so little regard for keeping them informed is both demonstrably arrogant and flat-out nasty. It is no wonder military recruiting is going to hell. All in all, this has been a complete and unprecedented debacle; Congress should be immediately involved, demanding answers and full accountability. Celebrate diversity. In New York, they're getting diversity of morals all right, and lots of migrant cultural enrichment, too, while we're at it. According to the New York Post, which did some authentic street reporting on the impact of 2,000 illegal migrants in Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field: Since mid-November, new lawlessness has plagued the area, with shoplifting, panhandling, gutter scams, and, according to some, signs of street prostitution. And the once-serene, federally-run site a historic former airfield off Flatbush Avenue near the Marine Parkway Bridge has itself become an eyesore, where vicious brawls and pot-puffing are common, those living there said. This sh-t is out of control, said a 20-year veteran NYPD cop when asked about the migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, a fraction of the 164,000 illegal border crossers bused to New York since spring 2022 and 68,000 currently in the citys care. Thats all these people do is rob and steal. They should feel lucky that theyre here, but theyre out there committing crimes. We dont know anything about them. We dont know what theyve done in these other countries. They found hard police data to support the sentiment they found from the angry locals: NYPD records from Nov. 27 through Jan. 7 show upticks in car thefts (37.5%), robberies (29.4%), and petit larceny (8.2%) in the 63rd Precinct, which covers the neighborhoods near Floyd Bennett Field, compared to the same period a year earlier. It's important to note that high as those figures are, they are very likely underreported, as nothing is being done to stop migrant crime. The kind of migrant crime coming in is pretty spectacular, of the kind that you see in the hillside shantytowns of Caracas or Medellin. The Post reported prostitution among migrants selling flowers, scams to extort money from New Yorkers by having one migrant run into traffic to get lightly hit by a passing car with his buddies in the back filming the incident on their cell phone cameras after which the migrant demands a $500 payout in order to avoid being taken to court. Other migrants, the supposedly pitiful single moms on the go operate like gypsy families, filing into malls and having children distract staff while mom steals goods, or the kids do, stuffing their stolen goods on the kids to avoid any serious charges as if that were still being done these days. They also like to go begging, at all hours, banging on doors for free stuff from the public, despite the support the city is giving them. One day of begging will bring an illegal migrant about $160 a day which is even higher than New York's inflated minimum wage, and why migrants shun offers of work because begging in the underground economy pays more. City officials have instituted migrant curfew to fight it but don't hold your breath. Car stealing is big. Communicable diseases are rampant. Among themselves, the migrants live the wife-beater lifestyle, with reports of migrants assaulting one another over food and petty matters, bringing more crime, yelling, loud music, and plagues to the otherwise placid parts of outer Brooklyn. It's as if New York has imported the worst of the third-world shantytowns through its sanctuary city and right-to-shelter law and is making its own city like third world cities. But immigrants enrich, as the lefty saying goes. The only people they are enriching is themselves. The lesson here is that if migrants are coming here for free stuff, it's not always just government/taxpayer free stuff they are after. Illegal migrants are demonstrating that they'll take all kinds of stuff for free -- and the public is just as lucrative. Image: Screen shot from FOX5 video, via YouTube Iceland's president, Gudni Th. Johannesson, announced late Sunday evening, January 14, that his country is battling "tremendous forces of nature" after the volcano near the southwestern town of Grindavik resumed its activity. Molten lava coming from the volcano slowly entered the town's vicinity and consumed several houses in its wake. In a televised address, Johannesson said that a "daunting period of upheaval" began with the reawakening of the long-dormant Svartsengi volcanic system situated in the area. "We don't yet know how this eruption will unfold, but we must still take those actions that are within our power," he said. Hours before re-erupting, authorities ordered Grindavik's residents to leave the town once more after a series of volcanic earthquakes were detected. Local geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson was quoted by the Associated Press when he said that the eruption "decreased considerably" overnight, but a conclusion was impossible to project. Read Also: One and Done? Iceland's Grindavik Volcano Weakens After Initial Eruption Redirecting the Lava Grindavik's 3,800 residents were first evacuated in November after earthquakes and thermal fissures were detected. On December 18, the volcano erupted after almost 800 years, sending lava flowing away from the town, which allowed residents to briefly return to their homes by December 22 after volcanic activity weakened for a few weeks. Since then, emergency service crews have been working hard to build defensive walls to redirect much of the lava flow from the new eruption nearer to the town. While no one has been killed in the eruptions, a workman was reported to be missing after falling into a crack opened by the volcano. Nevertheless, Johannesson urged Icelanders to "continue to hope for as good an outcome as possible" despite the volcano's activity. "We will carry on with our responsibilities and we will continue to stand together," he added. Iceland sits above a tectonic and volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic. The last time a major volcanic eruption happened in the country was in 2010 when Eyjafjallajokull spewed massive clouds of ash into the atmosphere, which disrupted trans-Atlantic air travel for months. Related Article: Iceland: Volcano Near Grindavik Dies Down; Residents Allowed Back Home Double standards, anyone? The pro-Hamas Palestinian protestors are at it again. The Associated Press wrote an anodyne report with chirpy quotes from protestors: WASHINGTON (AP) Thousands of demonstrators converged opposite the White House on Saturday to call for an end to Israeli military action in Gaza, while children joined a pro-Palestinian march through central London as part of a global day of action against the longest and deadliest war between Israel and Palestinians in 75 years. People in the U.S. capital held aloft signs questioning President Joe Bidens viability as a presidential candidate because of his staunch support for Israel in the nearly 100-day war against Hamas. Some of the signs read: No votes for Genocide Joe, Biden has blood on his hands and Let Gaza live. Vendors were also selling South African flags as protesters chanted slogans in support of the country whose accusations of genocide against Israel prompted the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, to take up the case. In reality, it was a pretty bloodthirsty crowd, based on the kinds of things said in London. Here, historian Simon Schama is appalled: His grotesque and poisonous lies not at all mitigated by his ignorance and stupidity. "De-Zionise" = Judenrein https://t.co/WvUgDIB8Gb Simon Schama (@simon_schama) January 13, 2024 It was also pretty out of control. The White House: BREAKING Protestors have breached the reinforced gate and riot police have confronted them - other protestors began scaling the fence WATCH: pic.twitter.com/HuQ6sBUC1N Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) January 14, 2024 Last I read, nobody got arrested, despite this breach being a basic trespassing offense, enhanced by the fact that it was a public official, the top elected leader in the entire country, endangering him. After all, what exactly did they think they were doing and what exactly did they want? What did they think they were accomplishing by such a stupid move, they certainly weren't going to change anyone's minds to support their miserable cause, whether the president or the public. Did they mean harm? Because this is what you do when you mean harm. They ought to have been arrested, the cuffs slapped on them, and the paddy wagons hauling them out. But that didn't happen and that sends two bad messages as a result. One, the Hamas fans now know they can get away with this and worse because the White House is too cowed of them to arrest them. Two, it tells us every Trump supporter who breached the Capitol on January 6, gets a different standards, with long lectures about "our democracy" under attack and long prison sentences as a result. These people don't care about 'our democracy.' The invasion of the White House byt the Hamas supporters was equivalent to the breaching of the Capitol. Double standards, anyone? This is not going to end well. Image: Twitter screen shot Pro-Hamas protestors are all over the place, disrupting highways, climbing the White House fence, spraying graffiti, ripping down posters of Hamas-held hostages, and generally doing all they can to discredit their cause as if October 7's orgy of rape, torture and murder were not enough. Some of them seem to have been paid handsomely for their efforts and in return, they sing for their supper. One of them tried that in a small town in Texas, and well, what happened happened: Palestine solidarity activist assaulted for disrupting Texas Gov Greg Abbotts visit to Lucas, Texas. #CeasefireNOW pic.twitter.com/XaUe6jAba6 About Face: Veterans Against the War (@VetsAboutFace) January 13, 2024 The occasion was a town hall meeting featuring the town's officials and the state's elected governor, Greg Abbott, which is the kind of civil society interaction that democracy activists, Norman Rockwell, and Alexis de Tocqueville in the past have raved about and promoted. The pro-Hamas protestor screamed manically to shout down a whole room full of participants in this democratic exercise, as if to censor them, bellowing like an animal at the top of his lungs. Obviously, nothing democratic was going to go on with that kind of crap going on. But Hamas is only the most tenuous of democratic organizations, using democracy to win elections and governing as terrorists afterward. Then the townspeople, wearing their cowboy hats, moved as a group to oust the screamer, grabbing him by the collar and throttling his flailing limbs before kindly tossing him out. The screamer bellowed they shouldn't "punch me" but the video shows that no one was punching him, they were just removing him from the premises to end his cacaphonous takeover of the town hall meeting. Then Gov. Abbott, in that hearty Texas manner he has, shut the clamor down by saying "All right, how we doin'?" And that, too, is an American tradition, same as running disruptors of the peace out of town on a rail. The video is from About Face: Veterans Against War, a leftist pacifist group, and they posted their video like it was something bad. That doesn't seem to be the response as the video went viral and Twitter denizens enjoyed the schadenfreude of seeing some maniac who was undoubtedly convinced he could get away with this type of behavior as such protestors do in blue cities, try that in a small town. JUST IN: Pro-Palestine protester gets pummeled by Texans after disrupting Texas governor Greg Abbotts speech. Gotta love Texas. The incident happened at a campaign event in Collin County. The incident happened on the same day as pro-Palestine protesters tried breaching the pic.twitter.com/QBsHADHgAd Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 14, 2024 In doing what they did to restore the peaceful exercise of representative democracy, the small town of Lucas, Texas, showed us all how it's done. Image: Twitter screen shot Finding truth in a world of lies is challenging. My default setting is that, if a news report is (1) anti-American, (2) anti-Israel, (3) anti-Trump, (4) generally anti-conservative, or (5) claims a race-based attack against people under the Democrat umbrella, its a lie. I go one step beyond Reagans trust but verify. I distrust and assume that the story will inevitably be destroyed with hard facts. And sure enough, thats exactly what has happened with the narrative about the allegedly Islamophobic attack in Burlington, Vermont, when three Muslim men were shot by a local. (Not that the MSM has promoted the truth.) In fact, the shooter, while mentally ill, was anything but Jewish, pro-Israel, conservative, or Islamophobic. Daniel Greenfield has written the truth about the Saturday in November when James J. Eaton, a local Burlington resident, fired shots at three Muslim men decoratively clad in keffiyehs as they left a party. For Democrats in politics and the media, the fact that Eaton was known to be unstable was irrelevant, as was the fact that he was also known to be progressive in his unstable politics. What mattered to the left was the narrative. Biden instantly classified it as an anti-Muslim crime, declaring, there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America. Kamala Harris echoed that sentiment, decrying people living in fear that theyll be attacked based on their beliefs or who they are. The implication, of course, was that anti-Arab or anti-Muslim hatred was behind the shootings. Bernie Sanders was explicit that the men were shot because they were Palestinian and used the shooting to attack Israel. Image: James J. Eaton by the Burlington Police Department. And so it went down the line, with one leftist after another, whether in Vermont or on the national stage, blasting the Islamophobia behind the attack. Those who are openly pro-Hamas werent shy about placing the blame on the Jews. Writes Greenfield, A speaker at the hate rally with the antisemitic University of Vermont affiliate of Students for Justice in Palestine blamed the shootings on Jews, calling them the shameless monsters who enabled this and denouncing a crime of unspeakable racist hatred, a crime borne out of white supremacy, out of fascist, genocidal malice, a crime borne out of Zionism. Every bit of this narrative was false. First, Eaton fired the gun without uttering a word. His motive at the time of the shooting is, therefore, unknown. But its more than that. Eaton isnt a Trump-supporting, pro-Israel, conservative, which is what Democrats wanted people to believe. Instead, Eaton is one of themthe leftists. Again, from Greenfield: Eaton had been described as that hippie guy and progressive, an organic farmer who had posted a meme with a definition of Amerika that called it the worst sense of the United States, ie imperialism, corruption and the global exportation of American culture. He appeared to be a Biden supporter Media outlets, anti-Israel activists and politicians attributed the shootings to the Hamas war. Everyone from Biden and Kamala on down emphasized the Palestinian identities of those shot and implied that Eaton had attacked them because he was opposed to the Palestinian cause. In reality, Eaton supported Hamas. On December 6, Seven Days, a local news outlet known for breaking stories about local politics, revealed that Eaton had tweeted, the notion that Hamas is evil for defending their state from occupation is absurd. They are owed a state. Pay up. Responding to an article about a proposed ceasefire, he wrote, What if someone occupied your country? Wouldnt you fight them? As bad as the dishonesty of the initial narrative is the fact that, long after the shooting happened and the truth was known, mainstream media outlets were still supporting the narrative without any effort to correct the record. I cannot do justice here to Daniel Greenfields analysis, but I do urge you to read the whole thing. The essence of modern leftism is post-modernism, and the essence of post-modernism is that there is no such thing as objective truth. The narrative is everything. Our institutions are utterly disinterested in the truth. They care only about advancing a worldview that drives power and money in their direction. Anyone who believes otherwise is dangerously naive. The European Union fined Google a hefty sum in 2017 for allegedly violating antitrust rules, but the big tech company has engaged in a years-long appeals process. Now, that process is coming to a close, and might not end in Googles favor. As first reported by Bloomberg, a top adviser to the EUs highest court said that judges should uphold the fine. The advisers recommendation does not confirm that Google will have to pay the EUs antitrust fine. However, in the majority of cases, judges will side with the recommendations of court advisers. Google was leveraging its dominant position on the market for general search services to favor its own comparison shopping service by favoring the display of its results, said Juliane Kokott, who is the advocate general of the Court of Justice in the European Union. Kokott said that judges should uphold the $2.7 billion fine for those reasons. Advertisement Advertisement The original dispute hinged on whether Google used its search tool as an advantage in online shopping. The EU claimed that is price comparison tool for online shopping, built into Google Search, gave it an unfair advantage. Compared to smaller EU companies, Googles dominant position in search would be tricky to overcome. As such, the EU fined Google 2.42 billion back in 2017. That equals $2.7 billion in U.S. dollars. Irrespective of the appeal, we continue to invest in our remedy, which has been working successfully for several years, and will continue to work constructively with the European Commission, Google said in a statement. The company also said it would review the advisers opinion, and wait for the courts official ruling. Google has been a frequent target of the EU. The company is usually cited in inquiries about its digital ad practices or potential antitrust concerns. In total, Google has been fined over $10 billion by governments across the globe since 2017. Advertisement Will the EU keep giving out antitrust fines to Google? Google is under more scrutiny from the European Union following the passing of the Digital Markets Act. Under this legislation, Google has been deemed a gatekeeper by the EU. This means that some of its services, named core platform services by the EU, must be available on multiple platforms. If Google does not meet these requirements, it could face more and greater fines. However, Googles CEO Sundar Pichai met with the EUs antitrust leader Margrethe Vestager on Thursday to talk about competition in big tech. Apples CEO Tim Cook was also present, as well as other U.S. tech leaders. The hope is that tech companies and the EU can find some common ground and move forward in a way that balances innovation and competition. It can be really easy to put different email subscriptions in the back of your mind and let the emails just pile up in your inbox. This is an issue that we all have, but it looks like Googles aiming to fix it once and for all. According to a new report, Gmail could soon implement a manage subscriptions button. When its time to get rid of all those annoying subscriptions, the most intuitive course of action is to sift through your inbox and hunt down every email tied to a subscription. As you can guess, its pretty time-consuming. Advertisement Advertisement Google has been working on more refined ways of unsubscribing from annoying email subscriptions. For a while, Google has displayed a large Unsubscribe button over emails for the web version of Gmail. This button is an indicator that you have an active subscription with that company. When you click on the Unsubscribe button, youll be taken right to that companys unsubscribe page. Right now, its only available on the web app, but Google is working on bringing it to Android. Well just have to wait to see when Google officially rolls this feature out. Gmail could bring a Manage subscription page Putting a big and bold unsubscribe button over emails is great, but the company could be working on something I could make keeping an eye on your scriptures much easier. Thanks to a post on X by Assembledebug, it looks like Google is going to bring a Manage subscription button to Gmail. Advertisement We dont know too much about this feature right now, but its pretty self-explanatory. Basically, it sounds like a dedicated page that will display all of the subscriptions that you have. It will be a one-stop shop to view your subscriptions and possibly unsubscribe from them. This would eliminate you having to manually search for subscriptions by yourself. The feature itself is hidden behind a few flags, so you wont be able to use it just yet. In any case, its definitely a tool to look forward to. Theres no word on when Google is going to release this feature. Theres another feature in the works The same post also shows a potential report button for emails. It appears that you will be able to report any illegal content in an email. So, if you see a phishing email that will potentially bring you to a malicious site, you will be able to report it. Hopefully, Google will be able to take action against the sender of that email to help reduce potential damages. This feature is also hidden behind several flags. Google is currently facing a trial in Boston over allegations of patent infringement related to the processors powering its artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The case, brought by Singular Computing, accuses Google of copying computer scientist Joseph Bates technology. The Mountainview-based giant reportedly used it to enhance AI features in popular services like Google Search, Gmail, and Google Translate. Singular Computing, initially sought up to $7 billion in damages, claiming that Google unlawfully used its patented AI technology to develop Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are crucial for Googles AI capabilities. Notably, Timbers suggested Google must pay $1.67 billion during the trial for the alleged AI-related patent infringement. Advertisement Advertisement Google denied the patent infringement, dismissing Singulars AI patents as dubious Singulars lawsuit, filed in 2019, asserts that Bates shared his computer-processing innovations with Google between 2010 and 2014. The complaint alleges that Googles TPUs infringe on two of Singulars patents and utilize an improved architecture discovered by Bates. Google, however, denies the allegations, dismissing Singulars patents as dubious. The Mountainview-based giant asserted that it developed the Tensor processing unit (TPU) independently over many years. Google added that its TPU functions differently from Singulars patented technology. In its court filing, Google stated that its engineers had mixed feelings about the technology and ultimately rejected it. The company claims that the tech in question was not suitable for the type of applications they were developing. It remains to be seen how will this end, but Google could end up paying a huge fine. A separate case involves the validity of Singulars AI patents Apart from the ongoing trial, the US appeals court in Washington is hearing a separate case involving the validity of Singulars patents. Google has appealed to invalidate Singulars patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The outcome of these legal proceedings may have significant implications for the tech giant and the broader AI landscape. Google, along with Meta, has held the highest percentage of AI research papers cited since 2020, according to the State of AI Report 2023 by venture capital firm Air Street Capital. Updated January 17, 2024: The title and a small portion of the article have been altered to represent the ongoing situation more accurately. In a bid to support the Right to Repair movement, Google concluded 2023 with the launch of a Diagnostic App and repair manuals for its Pixel devices. The tech giant has now taken a further step by endorsing a proposed Right to Repair bill in Oregon and publishing a white paper elucidating its stance, utilizing the Pixel as a prime example. The Google & Repairability white paper not only outlines core principles but also provides insights into the companys approach to repair, emphasizing user safety as a top priority. Googles proposed guidelines for legislation regarding Right to Repair stress the importance of user safety, accepting the potential dangers of improper repairs, especially when individuals use faulty parts or lack familiarity with safety-critical components like lithium-ion batteries. The company suggests a nuanced approach by advocating for parts assemblies rather than individual components to reduce the risk of injury. For instance, the Google Pixel 8 Pro offers a rear-facing camera assembly and a rear case assembly through iFixit, combining several parts for a more straightforward installation process, albeit at a slightly higher cost. Advertisement Advertisement Google stands against anti-repair practices such as software locking components preventing a replacement The tech giant opposes what it terms unfair anti-repair practices, specifically parts pairing, which uses software barriers to obstruct consumers and independent repair shops from replacing components. Google is committed to discouraging such practices and has already introduced a fingerprint calibration tool as part of its repair-friendly initiatives. Moreover, Google is against compelling users to provide passwords, security codes, or materials to override security features on devices. The company points to its Repair Mode as a solution, maintaining user privacy and device security during repair processes. While endorsing the proposed Right to Repair bill in Oregon, Google views it as a compelling model for other states to adopt, accepting a standardized regulatory framework at the national level. The company believes that the ability to repair devices not only empowers users by saving money but also contributes to reducing electronic waste, aligning with broader environmental sustainability goals. As Google takes a proactive stance in supporting the Right to Repair, its proposed principles offer a comprehensive guide for lawmakers, emphasizing the need for regulations that prioritize user safety, discourage unfair practices, and maintain a balance between repair accessibility and device security. Taiwan lost one of its diplomatic allies, Nauru, just days after it conducted its most-awaited presidential election. But, did the Pacific island nation cut ties with Taipei freely or was it pressured by China? The island nation of Nauru announced its decision to sever diplomatic ties with self-governed Taiwan on Monday, Jan. 15. This is a major blow to Taipei since the small island country has been trying to retain its small number of diplomatic allies. Now, it is down by one because of its 2024 presidential election. The question is, why did Nauru decide to leave Taiwan? Here are the latest details. Taiwan Loses Ally Nauru After Presidential Election! According to NBC News' latest report, the Pacific island nation of Nauru decided to cut its ties with Taiwan in an effort to strengthen its relationship with China. This information was confirmed by Taiwan's foreign ministry. On Jan. 15, the foreign ministry condemned China for Nauru's diplomatic switch because the former ally's decision came after a "key moment" in Taiwan, which was the presidential election. "China's move is to suppress Taiwan's democratic achievements," said Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang via CNN World. The decision of Nauru to suddenly leave Taiwan is very surprising since Tien explained that the diplomatic switch happened after the Nauru government congratulated William Lai Ching-te for winning the presidential election. Chung-kwang explained the things that will happen since Nauru is no longer a diplomatic ally of Taiwan. These include suspending all interactions with Nauru, closing its embassy in the island nation, and allowing Nauru to remove its embassy in Taiwan. Tien claimed that Taiwan's foreign ministry was informed that the Chinese government courted Nauru's politicians; promising them economic assistance in return for severing ties with Taiwan. The Taiwanese deputy foreign minister didn't provide the exact figure on the rumored inducement. However, Tien confirmed that what China offered to Nauru was "beyond" what they could provide to assist their former diplomatic ally. Read Also: Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's Ruling Party Secures Victory In Presidential Election What China Says About Nauru's Decision China's foreign ministry spokesperson claimed that Beijing didn't pledge financial assistance to Nauru. However, the official said that China welcomes the island nation's decision to be part of its one-China principle. "It is Nauru's right decision made on its own volition as an independent sovereign nation to announce its recognition of the one-China principle, its severance of ties with Taiwan, and resumption of diplomatic relations with China after Taiwan's election," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning. She added that what Nauru did is a clear sign that the one-Chine principle is a "general trend" that is inspired by many people. Related Article: [UPDATE] Taiwan Election 2024: China Condemns US for Congratulating New Taiwanese President, Claims It's Violation Oppenheimer has topped the Critics Choice Awards taking home eight gongs. The Christopher Nolan epic scored the London-born filmmaker a win for best director, alongside best picture and supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr, while star Cillian Murphy was snubbed in the best actor category which went to The Holdovers star Paul Giamatti. The 29th ceremony also saw success for Greta Gerwigs box office hit Barbie, which picked up six awards including best comedy, best original screenplay and best original song for British star Mark Ronsons Im Just Ken sung by Ryan Gosling. While the TV categories saw Succession, Beef and The Bear dominate in the major awards. Taking to the stage to collect his gong for best director, Nolan said: To mangle a quote from Sir Isaac Newton, If I appear tall its because I stand on the shoulders of giants the particular giants I am standing on is Kai (Bird) and Marty (Sherwin) who wrote the incredible book American Prometheus and spent 25 years doing it. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie accept the award for best comedy for Barbie (Chris Pizzello, AP) I thank you Kai for trusting me with your work and Marty, unfortunately he left us before I was able to show him the final script, but Kai your constant reassurances once you saw the film that he would have approved meant the world to me. Oppenheimer star Emily Blunt also thanked Nolan for his ability to connect with actors as she collected the award for best ensemble on behalf of the cast. I love that were calling this an ensemble and were very grateful, but most of us were part-timers that gathered around this completely riveting fire of Cillian Murphy. Truly, she said. Downey Jr read his own worst reviews from critics as he accepted the award for best supporting actor. I was thinking this morning, I just love critics you know, theyve given me such beautiful feedback, really just so many great moments, and some of it is so poetic. I just want to share some of their thoughts with you over the year. The first one is kind of like Haiku: Sloppy, messy and lazy. The next one is more metaphoric: Like Pee-Wee Herman emerging from a coma. This was from a Brit: A puzzling waste of talent. And lastly, and this one lingered: Amusing as a bed-locked fart. Robert Downey Jr accepts the award for best supporting actor for Oppenheimer during the 29th Critics Choice Awards (Chris Pizzello, AP) He went on to thank his Oppen-homies who he worked alongside on the film, joking: Every day of filming was like having my egos ass handed to me at the door, and I think it couldnt have happened to a nicer guy. However, Cord Jefferson trumped Nolans Oppenheimer in the best adapted screenplay category for his directorial debut American Fiction based on 2001 novel titled Erasure by Percival Everett. A number of awards, including best comedy for Barbie, were not televised, however Critics Choice presenter Chelsea Handler encouraged Gerwig and Robbie to take to the stage to collect their award which was not part of the scheduled show. Robbie said: Thank you Chelsea, I love you so much. You know when everyone says this is so unexpected this was actually unexpected. This was not a part of the show, we are very grateful none the less. Mark Ronson poses in the press room with the award for best song for Im Just Ken from Barbie (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) British music star Ronson said the award for best original song was as much actor Goslings who made the world fall in love with this song. Speaking to Gerwig, he said: The fact that you carved out 11 minutes for this prog-rock power ballad dream ballet shred fest so the boys could cry and hold hands a little too, were really forever in your debt for that. The ceremony also saw best supporting actress go to DaVine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers, while Emma Stone won best actress for Poor Things. She said: Playing Bella was one of the greatest joys in my life and I got to unlearn a lot of things in playing her. Unlearn parts of shame and societal stuff that gets put on us. Im very grateful to the critics for this but Im just learning not to care what you think, Stone joked. Emma Stone poses in the press room with the award for best actress for Poor Things (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Giamatti, who was named best actor for his role in The Holdovers, said he was thinking about his father. I want to think about my father tonight who never saw me act professionally, if thats what I do is professional acting, Im not so sure, he said. He was a literary critic and so you couldnt get away with anything but good work with him, so this will make him really happy and that makes me really happy so thank you. In the TV categories, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun from Netflix series Beef won best actress and actor in a limited series, while best supporting actress went to Maria Bello and the show also won the award for best limited series. Oprah Winfrey, left, presents the award for best actor to Paul Giamatti during the 29th Critics Choice Awards (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) Best actor and actress in a drama series went to Successions Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook respectively, as well as the show winning best drama series. The Bear also had a good showing at the awards ceremony, being named best comedy series alongside best actor and actress in a comedy series for Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, as well as best supporting actor for Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Elsewhere, Meryl Streep was named best supporting actress in a comedy series for her role in Only Murders In The Building and Elizabeth Debicki won best supporting actress in a drama series for her role as Diana, Princess of Wales in The Crown. Praising co-star Khalid Abdalla, who played Dodi Fayed, she added: If I did anything good in this show, you are half of it, you are a dear friend. Commuters who cycle to work are less likely to be prescribed antidepressants, new research shows. Analysis of almost 380,000 people living in Scotland suggests commuting by bike reduces the risk of mental ill health. Commuting by bike led to greater reductions in mental health prescriptions in women than in men, according to research from the University of Edinburgh although men were more likely to cycle. Researchers combined data for 378,253 people aged 16-74 from the 2011 Scottish census with NHS prescription records for the following five years. The people surveyed lived and worked in Edinburgh or Glasgow, stayed within around one mile of a cycle path and did not have any prescriptions for mental ill health at the start of the study. Researchers found a 15% reduction in prescriptions for depression or anxiety amongst cycle commuters in the five years after 2011 compared with non-cyclists. Most previous studies have involved small numbers of participants and self-reported measures of mental health. Only around 2% of commuters in Glasgow cycled to work, compared to just under 5% in Edinburgh, data showed. Dr Laurie Berrie, of the University of Edinburghs School of GeoSciences, said: Our study used the fact that otherwise similar people are more likely to cycle to work if they live close to a cycle path. Using this property, it was possible to mimic a randomised controlled trial and compare the mental health of those who cycled to work to those using other modes of transport but who were otherwise comparable. The study, published in The International Journal of Epidemiology, was funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) through Administrative Data Research (ADR) Scotland. Professor Chris Dibben, of the University of Edinburghs School of GeoSciences who led the study, said: Our finding that this economical and sustainable method of travelling to work also enhances mental health suggests that a policy of investing in cycle paths and encouraging active commuting is likely to have wide-ranging benefits. Not only could this improve peoples mental health, it could also help reduce carbon emissions, road congestion and air pollution. Drivers face being stranded as Arctic air bringing snow and ice threatens to cause travel disruption in parts of the UK. National Highways has issued a severe weather alert for snow affecting the north west, with road users advised to plan ahead, and some rural communities warned they could be temporarily cut off. Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said that temperatures will be about 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year. A snow and ice warning is in place from 3am on Monday until 9am on Tuesday across Northern Ireland with another for ice in place until 11am on Monday across parts of north east Wales and north west England from Liverpool to the West Midlands. (PA Graphics) In Scotland, a similar warning is in place in northern areas until midnight on Monday. The warning area will then spread across the whole of Scotland and into northern England on Tuesday. A snow warning will be in place from midnight on Wednesday until midnight on Thursday across Northern Ireland, northern and western Scotland, parts of northern England and Wales. The Met Office has also issued a warning for snow and ice in parts of East Anglia, including Norwich, which runs from 7am on Monday until midnight. Mr Eslick said: Especially towards the North where we do have these warnings, were likely to see some travel disruption. So we would recommend people stick to the main roads and avoid country lanes where possible. A Met Office meteorologist said the weather could bring some travel disruption (Gareth Fuller/PA) These are the places that arent going to see any gritting or any road clearances for the next couple of days. So we recommend people take their time, make sure they have time to do their cars in the mornings, and go steady. He said: So essentially were looking at a strong northerly wind which is bringing in Arctic airmass which is cold, which is bringing in these wintry showers. He said that icy conditions were expected, with maximum temperatures of 0C in parts of Scotland, and only 2C to 4C in southern parts of the UK. Train drivers are to stage a series of fresh strikes and an overtime ban in their long-running dispute over pay, causing more travel chaos for passengers. Members of Aslef will take part in a rolling programme of one-day strikes from January 30 to February 5 and ban overtime for nine days from January 29. The union said it wanted to put pressure on intransigent train operating companies as well as the tone-deaf Tory government to give train drivers their first pay rise in almost five years. Drivers will strike at Southeastern, GTR Southern/Gatwick Express, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, SWR Island Line, and South Western Railway main line and depot drivers on Tuesday 30 January; at Northern Trains and TransPennine Trains on Wednesday 31 January; at C2C, Greater Anglia, and LNER on Friday 2 February; at Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, and West Midlands Trains on Saturday 3 February, and at Chiltern, CrossCountry, and GWR on Monday 5 February. Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: We have given the Government every opportunity to come to the table but it has now been a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. Its clear they do not want to resolve this dispute. Many of our members have not had a single penny increase to their pay for half a decade, during which time inflation has soared and, with it, the cost of living. Train drivers from the Aslef union on the picket line at Euston station during industrial action in 2023 (James Manning/PA) Train drivers didnt even ask for an increase during the Covid-19 pandemic when we worked throughout lockdown as key workers, risking our lives, to move goods around the country and to enable NHS and other workers to get to work. The Tory government has now tried its old trick of changing the rules. When they couldnt win they brought in minimum service levels legislation. But this new law, as we told officials during the consultation period, wont ease industrial strife. It will just make it worse. There is, frankly, no excuse for this nonsense. The Government and train operating companies (TOCs) should come to the table with a realistic offer so we can end this dispute and work together to ensure the future of our railways. The, strikes, which will cripple train services, mainly across England, could be the first test of new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during strikes, set at 40% in the transport sector. A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: Nobody wins when strikes impact lives and livelihoods, and theyre particularly difficult to justify at a time when taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra 54 million a week to keep services running post-Covid. Despite the railways huge financial challenge, drivers have been made an offer which would take base salaries to nearly 65,000 for a four-day week without overtime that is well above the national average and significantly more than many of our passengers that have no option to work from home are paid. Instead of staging more damaging industrial action, we call on the Aslef leadership to work with us to resolve this dispute and deliver a fair deal which both rewards our people, and makes the changes needed to make services more reliable. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: This is extremely disappointing. Not least to commuters, who have already been so badly hit by Aslefs decision to continually strike. Aslef drivers continue to be paid far above what the average person in the UK receives. Rail companies have made a fair and reasonable offer, and we would encourage them to step back from this action. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: Its very disappointing to see Aslef continuing to target those who travel to work, school or important medical appointments by train. Aslef is now the only rail union that is continuing to strike while refusing to put a fair and reasonable offer to its members. The offer that remains on the table and would bring the average train drivers salary up to 65,000. The Aslef leadership should do the right thing and let their members decide their own future, instead of deciding it for them. The Education Secretary is worried that some young people may be missing out on learning opportunities following the rise of working from home. Gillian Keegan said young people starting out in their careers want to be going into the office for work but they report that there is virtually nobody there following the pandemic. Speaking at an event run by Bright Blue think tank on Monday, Ms Keegan said employees learn a lot from their colleagues and from seeing meetings, seeing how things are done. When asked whether she was worried about young people not engaging and not learning from their seniors because theyre working from home, Ms Keegan told the event at the Multiverse office: I do worry about that. Although I think it is shifting a little bit back to an equilibrium. I worry about that because I know a lot of young people who are just starting out in the workplace and thats what they say. You can go into an office like this and theres virtually nobody there. Ms Keegan added: I think you do learn a lot from other people. And I think one of the things that a lot of people say as well in terms of productivity, creativity, that sort of group dynamic you do kind of get to the answer, you get to solving problems quite often better with a group. Particularly if youve got a good diverse group coming from different angles, different experience, it really does make it better I think for those people starting in their career. And lots of people, if you speak to those young people, theyll say, you know, thats what I want. I want to be going to the office. I want the sort of going out after work stuff as well. So its a big part of the journey and again its a big part of starting work. I think we have to get the balance right though. Starting now: A new vision for post-16 education with @GillianKeegan and @RyanShorthouse. Follow this thread for updates pic.twitter.com/carqAeYUcG Bright Blue (@WeAreBrightBlue) January 15, 2024 At the event in London, the Education Secretary also said the Government was being very cautious over plans for digital GCSE exams amid possible risks. A number of the UKs major exam boards have taken steps towards digital qualifications which are subject to regulatory approval by Ofqual. When asked by the PA news agency whether the Government supported the plans for digital GCSEs and whether it was worried about any risks they could pose such as tech issues or cheating Ms Keegan said: I think being very cautious is actually the sort of short answer. She added that the Government will want to make sure that digital exams do not lower the quality of assessment. Earlier this month, Pearson, which runs exam board Edexcel, announced plans to offer pupils a choice to be assessed digitally in their GCSE English exams from summer 2025. Last month, exam board OCR announced it would offer a digitally assessed GCSE in computer science for pupils starting their course in 2025. Another exam board, AQA, is aiming to roll out on-screen exams over a period of years and hopes students will sit at least one major subject digitally by 2030. An Ofqual spokesman said: Ofqual is committed to supporting well-evidenced innovation in how examinations are taken. However, it is critical that examinations are both accessible and fair to all students taking them. We will evaluate in detail any proposals for on-screen exams when they are submitted for review. Our priority will be making sure any approach is fair to all students, whether they take their exam on-screen or continue to do so on paper. A notorious British fraudster who was jailed in the UK after conning an ex-girlfriend out of 300,000 has been released from a Spanish prison and is living with his family in Spain, a court has heard. Mark Acklom was extradited to Spain in 2021 after being freed from a near six-year sentence imposed in England in 2019. But a UK court has been told that the 50-year-old is now living with his family in Spain after serving a further two years imprisonment in the country. No details were revealed of his exact whereabouts, although he does have a wife and two children living in Spain and, in the future, may gain Spanish citizenship. Mark Acklom was jailed in the UK in 2019 before being extradited to Spain (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) Martin Sharpe, representing Acklom, told a Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) hearing at Bristol Magistrates Court that his client was not actively taking part in proceedings. Although Mr Acklom is not observing he is available on the phone to provide instructions. He is just not watching, Mr Sharpe said. Referring to his release from prison, the barrister said: Earlier in the year, I am not sure of the precise date, last year, early summer. He has family there (in Spain). Prosecutors at Bristol Magistrates Court have been using Poca legislation to try to recover the money stolen from Mark Ackloms ex-girlfriend (Steve Parsons/PA) The serial conman had fled Spain in 2016, midway through a three-year fraud sentence, after being given temporary release while he applied for parole. He was already wanted by Avon and Somerset Police for scamming his then-girlfriend, Carolyn Woods, out of her life savings in a romance fraud that began in 2012. The fugitive was later tracked down to Switzerland and extradited back to Britain in 2019, where he was jailed for five years and eight months. Since then, prosecutors have been using the Poca legislation to try to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods. Over the last five years, there have been a series of hearings to establish Ackloms criminal benefit and available assets. A two-day hearing was being held in Bristol for Ackloms lawyers to argue there had been an abuse of process in the Poca hearings due to a lack of disclosure. The principle submission is that there has been an abuse of process in these proceedings because there has not been full and fair disclosure and that has not abled us to bottom out issues we need to oppose this application for confiscation, Mr Sharpe told the court. John Hardy KC, representing the Crown, said in response: While we dont object in any way to him making this application, we say it falls at the first hurdle because it has already been pre-determined. Mark Acklom was given a four-year sentence in 1991 for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after posing as a City stockbroker (Mike Stephens/PA) It was determined in Your Honours ruling of February 2 2021. We say on a proper analysis what the defence is endeavouring to do is relitigate this issue. We say the principle of finality would apply and unless something significantly or indeed dramatically causes the court to revisit its rulings on issues made earlier. Judge Martin Picton, who had originally jailed Acklom nearly five years ago, said the prosecution only had a duty to disclose material that would either undermine the prosecution position or assist the defence position. He went on: The days when the defence were given the keys to the warehouse and go through every single piece of paper the prosecution ever generated looking for stuff went out a very long time ago. It isnt how it works. Mr Sharpe told the court: We say in a complicated case like this where there are a lot of ancillary matters identified, it is the keys to the warehouse approach that should be adopted. The judge replied: I just dont see that is a tenable argument. You have to proceed, and I have to proceed on the basis you have highlighted an issue where there is potentially relevant disclosure and you are told there is nothing to disclose, then there is nothing to disclose, as we expect people to engage in the criminal justice process in an honest, conscientious and fair-minded way. Unless it is demonstrated that someone hasnt, that is the basis I proceed. The court heard UK financial investigators had concluded Acklom had available funds of almost 262,000. Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities have made confiscation orders against Acklom valued at 374,000 euro (321,000) over the crimes he committed in Spain. This includes a contribution to his legal fees and payment of the other side, as well as interest on the debt and interest on those two amounts as well, Mr Sharpe said. The court heard this could potentially reduce the amount of money Acklom has available to meet his financial liabilities in the UK. During his relationship with Ms Woods, Acklom posed as a Swiss banker and MI6 agent to destroy her life. He claimed he was friends with celebrities including Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, had spoken to Hillary Clinton and knew fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and was involved with secret MI6 missions. In 1991, Acklom, then aged 16, was given a four-year custodial sentence for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after posing as a City stockbroker. He also spent 11,000 after stealing his fathers credit card, swindled a former teacher out of 13,000, and ran up a 34,000 bill with a private charter jet company. The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday. The Alliance Party leader has warned that patience with Northern Ireland is running out in London as she urged the DUP to return to devolved government. The Stormont Assembly has been effectively collapsed for almost two years while the DUP refuses to take part while unionist concerns on post-Brexit trading arrangements remain. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says his party remains in talks with government on the matter. The largest Stormont parties met with Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris on Monday days ahead of a strike planned by public sector workers over pay. Full Statement by Secretary of State @chhcalling following bilateral meetings with #NorthernIreland parties today. https://t.co/m3XPZeh96g pic.twitter.com/HxShdiW5uX Northern Ireland Office (@NIOgov) January 15, 2024 Thursday also marks the deadline for Mr Heaton-Harris to call fresh Assembly elections if the institutions are still not functioning. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has appealed once again for the DUP to return to powersharing, but added that her pleas may fall on deaf ears. She said that the 3.3 billion on offer from the UK Government was not something to be sniffed at and said there was no suggestion from Treasury that the money would still be available if there was no return to powersharing. She also warned that patience with Northern Ireland in London is running out. Last week the chairman of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee Sir Robert Buckland urged the DUP to show leadership, suggesting there isnt a perfect solution for them. Sir Robert also indicated that old-style direct rule of the past from London was off the table if devolved government could not be resurrected. Workers who have kept our society going are preparing to lose a days pay on strike on Thursday. They deserve a fair wage. Everyone knows it and everyone agrees. The money is there it is madness that its being made so difficult for them. pic.twitter.com/aNB1IjBZvS Colum Eastwood (@columeastwood) January 15, 2024 Ms Long said: Robert Buckland is not an outlier when it comes to the views he expressed last week in terms of the future of Northern Ireland. Robert Buckland is a former member of government and a senior member of the Conservative Party, and I think people need to listen very carefully to what he said. Patience with Northern Ireland and with the DUP in particular at Westminster has all but expired, and I think the time has now come for us to take control of our own situation, start to make the difficult choices that will be required of all of us in government and start to do it now for the sake of the people that we represent. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood urged the UK government to release funding to make a pay award to public sector workers ahead of Thursdays strike. He said he believes it is scandalous were still at this point while the Stormont Assembly remains collapsed amid DUP protest action over post-Brexit trading arrangements, adding people were in a twilight zone waiting for the DUP to make a decision. The first thing that I said to the Secretary of State was, we now know you have the money so lets get (it) spent, he said. "The need for a collaborative and responsible approach cannot be overstated. Both the DUP and the Westminster Government must prioritise the well-being of the people of Northern Ireland over political posturing." #MakeNIWork Read morehttps://t.co/9H2NLgnaDk Ulster Unionist Party (@uuponline) January 15, 2024 Lets avoid the strike on Thursday. The people who are forced to go out and strike and give up a days pay, have nothing to do with this political gamesmanship thats going on. Theyre just ordinary workers who we ask to do the most difficult jobs in society who are getting underpaid by any standard, and they should be entitled to that money and the Secretary of State should get on and pay them. He has said that he doesnt have a legal power but as we all know, the legal power will be hard to find, and the British government could bring in a law tomorrow to get these people paid. I think they should get on with it. Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said there had been absolutely no movement as he left his meeting with Mr Heaton-Harris. Nothing has changed, so 2023 ended with no deal, 2024 has started with no deal, he said. He said they asked to decouple the public sector pay money away from the negotiations before the public sector workers strike on Thursday. But he said Mr Heaton-Harris pretty much says he cant do that or wont do that. But the bottom line is, hes not going to do that, he said. So we will go into strikes and then we will see where we get to next week. Depressing in many ways, I guess, but the mood music is changing, and the geopolitical things going on in the world are overtaking whats happening here in Northern Ireland and were not going to move forward. Rishi Sunak has said he is talking to Tory MPs as he faces growing pressure from right-wingers to toughen up the Rwanda Bill, as deputy chairman Lee Anderson confirmed he will join a possible rebellion. Mr Anderson on Monday evening signalled he would defy the Government as Tory divisions are set to be dragged back into the open in crunch votes this week. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is popular among the Tory grassroots, is also understood to have called for asylum seekers to be prevented from lodging individual legal appeals against their removals to Kigali. Kemi Badenoch is thought to be popular among the Tory grassroots (Liam McBurney/PA) As first reported by The Times, she warned Liam Booth-Smith, the Prime Ministers chief of staff, of the consequences of failing to block individual legal challenges last month. More than 60 Tory MPs have backed right-wing amendments to the Rwanda Bill, which will return to the Commons on Tuesday. But any attempt by the Prime Minister to placate them would be opposed by Tory moderates. The amendments gaining support among backbenchers were tabled by Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, and veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash. They are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers rights to appeal against flights to Kigali. Mr Anderson tweeted: I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them. The Rwanda Bill. I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them. Lee Anderson MP (@LeeAndersonMP_) January 15, 2024 If they are selected, the amendments are unlikely to pass as they will not get Labour support but the real test will come at the third reading when rebels may vote against the entire Bill. The whips office said rumours that Mr Anderson, who does not hold a Government role but would be expected to back its positions, had been assured he could back the changes without being sacked were untrue. Conservative former minister Brendan Clarke-Smith also said he would be supporting the amendments as I want this legislation to be as strong as possible. Asked whether he would keep his job, he told reporters: Well see, its not for me to decide. On the eve of the Commons showdown, Tory political strategist Isaac Levido warned the 1922 committee of backbenchers: Let me be clear. Divided parties fail. Mr Sunak on Monday said he was talking to all my colleagues as he and his allies seek to avoid another open display of infighting between Conservative factions. (PA Graphics) He said there are circumstances under which he would also be prepared to ignore injunctions from Strasbourg so-called Rule 39 orders blocking flights from taking off to the east African nation. I know everyone is frustrated Im frustrated about the situation and they want to see an end to the legal merry-go-round, he told reporters during a visit to Essex. Im confident that the Bill we have got is the toughest that anyone has ever seen and it will resolve this issue once and for all. Speaking to GB News, he said: I dont think Strasbourg will intervene because of the checks and balances in our system, but of course there will be individual circumstances that people will want us to consider on the facts. If youre asking me are there circumstances in which Im prepared to ignore those rule 39s, then, yes, of course there are. The Tory leader said he was determined to get this new legislation on to the statute book so we can get our Rwanda scheme up and running. He said good progress had been made on his pledge to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel, adding: In order to finish the job, we do need a deterrent like Rwanda and that is why Im trying to do everything I can to get this Bill which by the way is the toughest piece of migration legislation that Parliament has ever seen on to the statute books. The scale of the small boats problem which the policy seeks to tackle was reinforced on Sunday when five more people died trying to cross the Channel from France. Three leaders of groups on the Tory right, Mark Francois, Sir John Hayes and Danny Kruger, have said they will oppose it if Mr Sunak does not bow to their demands. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary and a rival to Mr Sunak, has said she will vote against the Bill if there are no improvements, having previously abstained. If the rebels were successful, blocking the Prime Ministers flagship Bill would trigger fresh chaos, which might make opponents toe the line to let it pass. Any caving to right-wingers demands will cause problems for centrist Tories, they warned. Ahead of a meeting of the One Nation group of Conservative MPs in Parliament, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland told the PA news agency: I think in a nutshell, the Government would be best advised not to accept any of the amendments from my colleagues on the right, because the Bill then will cause a problem for us here. So were hoping that common sense will prevail. One Nation chairman Damian Green said: Weve made our position clear that we, for all our reservations, we voted for the Bill at second reading. And we want the Government to carry it through unamended. Mr Sunak has previously argued that moving a further inch on the Bill would risk the Rwandan government quitting the deal. The UK is facing a pre-war world and the peace dividend that allowed successive governments to ease spending on defence is over, Grant Shapps has said. Before taking the role, the Defence Secretary had backed a level of spending in excess of the Governments goal and in a speech on Monday he set out the risks posed by countries including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as well as terrorist groups in an increasingly dangerous world. The UK has a goal of increasing defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the size of the economy, but Mr Shapps has previously argued that it should rise to 3%. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps spoke about a pre-war world (Stefan Rousseau/PA) In a major speech at Lancaster House in London, Mr Shapps said: Failing to maintain support for Ukraine would be seen in Moscow and Beijing as a sign of weakness; North Korea is promising to expand its nuclear arsenal, and Irans uranium enrichment programme is at a level for which there is no civilian application; China and Russia are to blame for a significant number of the cyber attacks targeting the UK. Mr Shapps said the UK has increased its funding, with a record 50 billion a year being spent on defence. "Steadfast Defender will see our forces in Europe working cohesively with allied nations" @GrantShapps The British Army will deploy to test and strengthen the readiness of the UK's land forces in defending @NATO.#DeterLeadDefend #WeAreNATO #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/SG8kKpRFwL British Army (@BritishArmy) January 15, 2024 But his speech to an audience including military top brass and diplomats will be viewed as a push for extra funding both at home and by Nato allies, many of whom are not meeting the alliances 2% of GDP spending target. We made the critical decision to set out our aspiration to reach 2.5% of GDP on defence, and as we stabilise and grow this economy well continue to strive to reach that as soon as possible, he said. But now is the time for all allied and democratic nations across the world to do the same thing and ensure their defence spending is growing too. Because the era of the peace dividend is over. In five years time we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Ask yourself, looking at todays conflicts across the world, is it more likely that that number grows or reduces? I suspect we all know the answer. Its likely to grow. Mr Shapps said the Government has already announced the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. We find ourselves at the dawn of this new era the Berlin Wall a distant memory and weve come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world. An age of idealism has been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism. Today our adversaries are busy rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, new foes are taking shape, battle lines are being redrawn. The tanks are literally on Europes Ukrainian lawn and the foundations of the world order being shaken to their core. Today we announced the UKs commitment to @NATOs Ex Steadfast Defender. The series of exercises will see the @RoyalNavy, @BritishArmy and @RoyalAirForce join 30 NATO allies & Sweden, across multiple countries, testing NATOs readiness in its 75th year. #DeterLeadDefend pic.twitter.com/Csu7NmRFYO Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) January 15, 2024 Mr Shapps used his speech to commit 20,000 service personnel to one of Natos largest military exercises since the Cold War, as the alliance steps up its preparations to resist Vladimir Putins Russia. The war games come after ministers announced a further 2.5 billion support package to Ukraine and the RAF carried out air strikes, with the US, on the Houthis in Yemen. Mr Shapps said the UK has now trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian troops. Speaking in the Commons, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told MPs: Ukraines rightful place is in Nato and Nato will be stronger with Ukraine in it, but these commitments will help bridge the gap until that day comes. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer backed the package of support, saying: To those listening in Kyiv, Moscow or elsewhere in the world let me be clear: whoever is in Government in Britain, the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. During a Commons statement on defending the UK and allies, Mr Sunak said: Russia must pay for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine and I have been clear about that. And actually, on the G7 leaders call at the end of last year, I was the one who raised this issue, and as a result we have collectively in the G7 tasked finance ministers to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russian assets are made available for that purpose. The new Danish monarch Frederik X returned to Christiansborg Palace on Monday, January 15 to visit the parliament chamber for the first time a day after he was proclaimed king. Aside from parts of it used for royal duties, the palace also houses the chamber of the Folketing, Denmark's unicameral parliament, as well as the country's supreme court. This makes Christiansborg the center of Danish royal, political, and judicial power. The king arrived at the palace alongside his wife, Queen Mary, and his son, Crown Prince Christian. They were greeted by parliament officials, the retired Queen Margrethe, and the king's brother Prince Joachim. The royal party then sat at the chamber's public gallery to attend the parliament's special session. According to the Associated Press, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen read out the king's speech to MPs as per tradition. "We begin our responsible work as Denmark's king in the belief that the Danish parliament will meet us in joint work for the good of the kingdom," Frederik's message read, using the royal "we" to refer to himself. In response, parliament speaker Sren Gade told Frederik and Mary that he has "great confidence" the new king and queen would be an excellent head of state and consort, respectively. Read Also: Who is Crown Prince Frederik? A Look at Denmark's Next King Republicanist MPs Say Attendance was for Parliamentary Session Despite the overwhelming public support for a constitutional monarchy, a minority of Danes favor a republican government, which was reflected in the parliament by nine MPs belonging to the left-wing coalition party called the Unity List. Prominent Unity List MP Rosa Lund told reporters that her party attended the brief parliamentary session as part of their responsibilities as MPs. "We always participate in meetings in the Folketing, that is why we were there today," she said. Lund added that Unity List lawmakers abstained from attending a reception for the new king following the brief session in the assembly because they were Republicans. Frederik was proclaimed king on Sunday (January 14) after Margrethe abdicated the Danish throne, ending her 52-year reign. Crowds swarmed the square in front of Christiansborg to witness Frederiksen declare the accession of the 55-year-old monarch. The king was visibly emotional as he was greeted and cheered on by Danes, Australians, and other visitors to Copenhagen. He also shared a kiss with Mary to the delight of the crowd. "My hope is to become an unifying king for the future," Frederik said in his first speech as king. "It's a task I've been waiting for all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride, and great joy." Related Article: Margrethe II Abdicates Danish Throne after 52-Year Reign Rishi Sunak has suffered a major blow ahead of a Commons showdown over his flagship Rwanda Bill as two Conservative deputy chairmen said they would join a rebellion. Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith on Monday evening vowed to back right-wing amendments to toughen up the legislation aimed at reviving the stalled plan to deport some asylum seekers to the east African nation. It signals trouble ahead for the Prime Minister as his party is deeply divided over a Bill that faces crunch votes this week. The Rwanda Bill. I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them. Lee Anderson MP (@LeeAndersonMP_) January 15, 2024 Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith said they would defy the Government by joining more than 60 Tory MPs who are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers rights to appeal against flights to Kigali. But any attempt by Mr Sunak to placate them would be opposed by more moderate Tories, who are keen to protect the legislation against breaches of international law. The amendments gaining support among backbenchers were tabled by Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, and veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash. Mr Anderson tweeted: I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them. When I was elected in 2019 I promised my constituents we would take back control. I want this legislation to be as strong as possible and therefore I will be supporting the Jenrick/Cash amendments. These are arguments I have consistently made and will continue to make. #Rwanda Brendan Clarke-Smith MP (@Bren4Bassetlaw) January 15, 2024 Mr Clarke-Smith, who was only appointed deputy chairman seven weeks ago, wrote: When I was elected in 2019 I promised my constituents we would take back control. I want this legislation to be as strong as possible and therefore I will be supporting the Jenrick/Cash amendments. While the deputy chairmanship is not a Government role, holders would be expected to back its positions. The whips office said rumours that Mr Anderson had been assured he could back the changes without being sacked were untrue. Asked whether he would keep his job, Mr Clarke-Smith told reporters: Well see, its not for me to decide. Mr Jenrick said he would vote against the Bill if ministers do not beef it up and it doesnt work. He told GB News: If the Prime Minister wants his Government to be re-elected at the next general election, weve got to get this right, this is the last opportunity to do so. Weve done three failed bills in three years. Three strikes and were out. Ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick warned the Tories face election defeat unless the Government strengthens the Rwanda Bill (Yui Mok/PA) If they are selected, the amendments are unlikely to pass as they will not get Labour support, but the real test will come at the third reading when rebels may vote against the entire Bill. The whips office said rumours that Mr Anderson, who does not hold a Government role but would be expected to back its positions, had been assured he could back the changes without being sacked were untrue. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is popular among the Tory grassroots, is also understood to have called for asylum seekers to be prevented from lodging individual legal appeals against their removals to Kigali. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch (PA) On the eve of the Commons showdown, Tory political strategist Isaac Levido warned feuding MPs at the 1922 committee of backbenchers: Let me be clear. Divided parties fail. Earlier, Mr Sunak said he was talking to all my colleagues as he and his allies sought to avoid another open display of infighting between Conservative factions. In an apparent attempt to woo wavering hardliners, he said there were circumstances under which he would be prepared to ignore injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg so-called Rule 39 orders blocking flights from taking off to Rwanda. Speaking to GB News, the Prime Minister said: I dont think Strasbourg will intervene because of the checks and balances in our system, but of course there will be individual circumstances that people will want us to consider on the facts. If youre asking me are there circumstances in which Im prepared to ignore those rule 39s, then, yes, of course there are. But rebels dismissed the claim, with right-winger Sir John Hayes saying Mr Sunaks verbal promises were not enough. The pledge needs to be backed up by legal provisions, he told Andrew Marr on LBC. If the rebels were successful, blocking the Prime Ministers flagship Bill would trigger fresh chaos, which might make opponents toe the line to let it pass. (PA Graphics) Meanwhile, centrist Tories warned that any caving to right-wingers demands would cause problems for them. Ahead of a meeting of the One Nation group of Conservative MPs in Parliament, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland told the PA news agency: I think in a nutshell, the Government would be best advised not to accept any of the amendments from my colleagues on the right, because the Bill then will cause a problem for us here. So were hoping that common sense will prevail. One Nation chairman Damian Green said: Weve made our position clear that we, for all our reservations, we voted for the Bill at second reading. And we want the Government to carry it through unamended. Small boat crossings are down 20%. But we need to go further. Under my leadership, we will stop the boats. pic.twitter.com/U45bkGPb6Z Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) June 5, 2023 Mr Sunak has previously argued that moving a further inch on the Bill would risk the Rwandan government quitting the deal. The Governments Bill and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to make the scheme legally watertight following a Supreme Court ruling against the plan. As part of the plan to deter small boat crossings of the English Channel, ministers want to be able to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda, where they will be able to seek asylum. The scale of the small boats problem was highlighted on Sunday when five more people died trying to cross the Channel from France. An invasive species of mink can be eradicated from Britain by luring them into cages using a scent from their own anal glands, according to a trial in East Anglia. Over the last four years, conservationists have maintained a defensive wall of traps, cutting off the region from the rest of the country. It is now free from mink which has led to an immediate recovery in the species it preys on, with conservationists planning how to expand their method to cover the whole of Britain. The American mink is a non-native species that lives across Britain and Ireland and was brought over from North America in the early 20th century to be farmed for its fur. Some animals eventually escaped while others were later released by animal rights activists who did not realise the mink would spread across the country and devour many native species that have not evolved ways to defend themselves. Mink will prey on almost anything they can catch including salmon, seabirds, moorhens, kingfishers and water voles, the latter having declined by 96% as a result. They are also fiercely territorial and dislike the presence of other mink, which has been the key to the success of the Waterlife Recovery Trusts trial. Professor Tony Martin, the charitys chairman, said: There are two key things that are different between our way of working and what had gone on before. Firstly, every trap we have has got a little box in it which tells us when the trap door closes, so we know immediately that theres something in the trap and we can go there quickly to attend to it. The second thing is we use a scent lure, anal gland lure, eau de mink, and that makes the traps very attractive to anything that might be passing. The water vole has made an immediate recovery in East Anglia since the mink were removed (Ian West/PA) Once caught, the mink are shot with an air rifle, which Prof Martin said is the most humane way of removing the animals. He estimates that by using this system the whole of Britain could be cleared within five years at a cost of several million pounds, a task that until now has been thought of as impossible. The British population of American mink is thought to be around 122,000 and eradicating them would give space for endangered native species to bounce back. Prof Martin said his trial shows this is possible as he now sees an abundance of water voles in East Anglia whereas they barely exist in other regions. If successful nationwide, it would be the worlds largest eradication project. Previous successes involve clearing mice and other rodents from islands much smaller than Britain, such as the Overseas Territory of South Georgia. Invasive species is one of the leading causes of natures decline, second only to habitat destruction, with scientists estimating the cost to the global economy to be around 336 billion a year. Current close-up trail camera footage of an American Mink on the Lower River Shannon. An unwanted non-native species but is well-established and probably impossible to eradicate now. Keeping Otter populations healthy may be the best approach for keeping Mink numbers in check. pic.twitter.com/HaomeuRDaY Ecofact (@EcofactEcology) April 4, 2022 There are thought to be at least 37,000 non-native invasive species worldwide and the problem is escalating as humans travel around the world faster and more frequently. Prof Martin said killing invasive creatures such as mink is necessary to rebalance an ecosystem that humans have altered and that doing nothing would only result in more deaths. He said: The thing that people sometimes struggle with is this thing of, how can you kill them? What gives you the right? They dont see mink chewing the heads off young kingfishers or going into a nest of water voles and eating all the young no one ever sees that and so we think oh yeah, lets let nature take its course. Well, fine. You can do that. But just be aware that you are condemning to death hundreds of thousands of creatures. So dont think that by not killing mink, youre not killing anything. Thats absolutely not the case. Comedian Paul Whitehouse has led the opening of the salmon fishing season on the River Tay. The star of the BBCs hit series Gone Fishing performed the honours at Meikleour, a village in Perth and Kinross, on Monday. The event was hosted by the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board (TDFSB), the Tay Rivers Trust, Meikleour Fishings and Perth and Kinross Council. Whitehouse made the first cast of the season to mark the opening. The ceremony kicked off at 9.30am at Meikleour Boathouse, near Kinclaven Bridge. A procession of anglers was led to the river by the Perth and District Pipe Band, headed by Pipe Major Alistair Duthie and Drum Major Kenny Forbes. The Perth and District Pipe Band lead the anglers in a procession along the bank of the River Tay on the opening day of the salmon fishing season (Jane Barlow/PA) Xander McDade, provost of Perth and Kinross Council, blessed a fishing boat alongside Whitehouse after he popped a magnum of Pol Roger Champagne. All proceeds from the opening day were donated to the Salmon In The Classroom programme in local schools. Claire Mercer Nairne, TDSFB member and owner of the Meikleour Fishings, said: At the start of a new salmon season we always feel some optimism. However, it would be wrong for us to put our heads in the sands. The reality is that the Tays 2023 rod catch of salmon was the lowest in recent decades. The Tay DSFB and the Tay Rivers Trust are working ever more closely on environmental projects aimed at safeguarding the long-term health of the Tay and its tributaries. Of course, some issues are outside our control and we operate within a framework of official policies. She added: One of the tools we have available to mitigate the issues that constrain juvenile salmon numbers is stocking. We are fortunate to have a state-of-the-art hatchery run by a team of experts. This hatchery has been and remains vital for the restoration of the River Garry tributary. In this context we are awaiting the imminent publication of the Scottish Governments review of its policy on salmon stocking. We hope very much that this will widen their current narrow definition of mitigation and allow more effective use of our hatchery to take place. The Perth and District Pipe Band leads a procession including comedian Paul Whitehouse to the River Tay (Jane Barlow/PA) Calum Innes, chairman of the Tay Rivers Trust, said: One important initiative that we are increasingly focusing on is riparian zone tree-planting in the Tay systems upper tributaries. Bankside trees provide valuable shading which helps to keep water temperatures within acceptable levels for salmon. As the climate warms, this is a vital issue and the sooner we get young trees in the ground the better. We are already progressing several possible tree-planting schemes and it is very much our intention to accelerate this. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon MSP said: The Scottish Government takes the issue of our declining salmon populations very seriously and we are committed to working with our partners, both domestic and international, to safeguard this iconic species. Last year we published the Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan which sets out over 60 actions to tackle the wide range of pressures on wild salmon. Over the next five years these will be progressed not by government alone, but in collaboration, including with District Salmon Fishery Boards and Trusts. Many stakeholders and interested parties have a role here to help. The ongoing work to safeguard wild salmon is an example of our commitment to tackle the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change. Recently we launched enhanced Forestry Grant Scheme measures, which will boost planting trees along rivers to provide shade for wild salmon, a species that needs cool water. UK will back words with actions in Red Sea, says Sunak as attacks continue Rishi Sunak has warned that the Government remains prepared to back our words with actions, as missile attacks continued in the Red Sea despite last weeks air strikes against Houthi rebels. The Prime Ministers statement in the Commons came shortly after a missile struck a US-owned ship off the coast of Yemen. Facing questions from MPs, Mr Sunak declined to comment on the possibility of further strikes against the Houthis but insisted the military action would not escalate the situation in the region. The threats to shipping must cease. Illegally detained vessels and crews must be released. And we remain prepared to back our words with actions, Mr Sunak told the Commons. He told MPs: I can tell the House today that our initial assessment is that all 13 planned targets were destroyed. We have seen no evidence thus far of civilian causalities, which we took great care to avoid. The US militarys Central Command on Monday afternoon confirmed the latest attack, putting the blame on Yemens Houthi rebels. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey, Central Command said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which oversees Middle East waters, also reported that missile fire had struck a ship in the Gulf of Aden, about 110 miles south east of the southern Yemen border. It is the latest clash during trouble sparked by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The UK joined the US in targeting Houthi locations in Yemen last week as part of efforts to ensure international cargo vessels can travel through the vital shipping route after assaults by the Iran-backed militants. I do not take decisions on the use of force lightly, Mr Sunak said. That is why I stress that this action was taken in self-defence. It was limited, not escalatory. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party backed the targeted action, but warned that any military operation must be underpinned by a clear strategy. (PA Graphics) Weeks of attacks by Houthi rebels have posed a threat to the flow of global trade, disrupting merchant vessels passing through the sea to the Suez Canal, a route that serves 15% of world shipping. The Houthis, who support Hamas in the Palestinian groups war against Israel, claim they have targeted ships with links to Tel Aviv. RAF air strikes, carried out alongside American allies last week, had looked to curtail the militants ability to disrupt international shipping, with cargo firms forced to reroute around the southern tip of Africa to avoid the Red Sea a longer and more costly journey. But with clashes continuing over the weekend and into Monday, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps refused to rule out British armed forces joining further strikes. It came as Number 10 said it was too early to determine the full impact of the strikes. Washington on Saturday launched a new strike against a Houthi location in Yemen that was determined a threat, according to US officials. The US military confirmed on Sunday that one of its fighter jets had shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired at an American destroyer in the Red Sea. Mr Shapps, asked whether the UK could join another wave of strikes, told Sky News: If we have to take further action, that is something that we will consider. During a later speech in central London, the Cabinet minister said the strike against the Houthis was intended as a single action rather than part of a campaign of military attacks. He said: We will now monitor very carefully to see what they do next, how they respond and we will see from there. Mr Sunak said the allies aim was to de-escalate tensions in the region after commercial shipping and a Royal Navy warship were attacked by the Houthis. (PA Graphics) In a move criticised by some opposition MPs, the Prime Minister announced the military action last week when Parliament was not sitting. Sir Keir has acknowledged that it is not always possible to hold a vote beforehand, but told Mr Sunak on Monday: Scrutiny is not the enemy of strategy. Because while we back the action taken last week these strikes still do bring risk, we must avoid escalation across the Middle East. Mr Sunak said that he remained committed to parliamentary convention and precedent, but told MPs that the need to maximise the security and effectiveness of the operation meant that it was not possible to bring this matter to the House in advance. But we took care to brief members before the strikes took place, including you of course, Mr Speaker, and the leader of the Opposition, and I have come to the House at the earliest possible opportunity. The Prime Minister also said the UK was considering all diplomatic tools, including using sanctions against Iran if necessary, amid reports that the country has stepped up its weapons grade uranium enrichment. The UK will consider whether it has to take further action to repel Houthi attacks on international cargo ships in the Red Sea, the Defence Secretary has said. Grant Shapps said Britain needs to wait and see what happens after the joint air strikes with the US on Friday, military action that followed weeks of assaults on shipping along the vital global route by the Iran-backed military group. Sunday saw further action in the region, with the US military confirming that one of its fighter jets shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired towards an American destroyer in the Red Sea. (PA Graphics) Mr Shapps, taking part in a media round ahead of a speech on Monday, said the actions by the Houthi rebels in Yemen are akin to thuggery as he refused to rule out taking part in further co-ordinated air strikes. The Houthis actions have posed a threat to the flow of global trade, disrupting merchant vessels from passing through the sea to the Suez Canal, a route which serves 15% of world shipping. The militant group, which backs Hamas, claims it has targeted ships with links to Israel. But Mr Shapps said the attacks have been completely unacceptable, with ships from more than 50 nations affected. The Defence Secretary said the purpose of the RAF air strikes with the US last week was not to go into Yemen or anything like that, but to send a very clear, I hope unambiguous message for the Houthis to stop their assaults. (PA Graphics) The Cabinet minister continued: We will now watch and monitor the situation very carefully. As weve said not just to the Houthis but to their Iranian masters, in a sense, because they are really proxies for Tehran this cannot go on. International shipping freedom of navigation is just a given and always has been for many, many years. We cannot have that situation where they are trying to harass it, and we will keep a very close eye. If we have to take further action, that is something that we will consider. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK will wait and see what happens next in the Red Sea (Leon Neal/PA) Pressed on what will happen if the Houthi assaults continue, the senior Conservative said the UK will keep it under review. He added: They should be aware that if it doesnt stop then of course we will then have to take the decisions that need to be taken. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to make a statement in the House of Commons on Monday about the strikes, Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast. In a move criticised by opposition MPs, Mr Sunak announced the military action when Parliament was not sitting. Mr Shapps also defended issuing a warning to the Houthis a day before the joint strikes with the US, having told them to Watch this space on Thursday. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordered the air strikes on the Houthis when the Commons was not sitting (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The Sunday Times quoted a senior diplomat as saying there was some real annoyance in Washington after the remark was made. The Cabinet minister said his comment was part of an agreed approach with American allies. Asked about the report, he told Sky News: That is not true. I speak to my American friends all the time and they and we were very clear that we would be signalling the fact that if they didnt stop, then there would be action. And so I used that phrase very deliberately in order to say If this carries on, then we will have to step in. They carried on, and Im afraid we did have to step in, but that was part of an agreed approach to this. The woeful compensation scheme for victims of the Windrush scandal must move faster amid unacceptable delays in payouts, according to a campaign backed by Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Annie Lennox. The Justice4Windrush campaign is demanding full and swift compensation for victims, as the five-year anniversary of the scheme being launched in April 2019 approaches. The scandal, which emerged in 2018, saw many British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, denied access to healthcare and benefits and threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in the UK. Baroness Doreen Lawrence is among the high-profile names backing the campaign (Gareth Fuller/PA) The Government promised to right the wrongs of what had happened but the compensation scheme has been repeatedly criticised for the speed at which claims are being processed and payments made. Just over 75 million had been paid out by the end of November, according to the latest data, published by the Home Office earlier this month. Of the claims in the system by the end of November, some 13% had been waiting at least 12 months to be processed. A total of 1,018 preliminary claims had been paid by the end of November, the Home Office data showed. This represents less than a fifth (17.2%) of the 5,923 claims which had final decisions made on them by that stage. Backing the campaign, Outlander actor Colin McFarlane said the scandal is not over, yet 90% of the country think it is. Describing the compensation scheme as woeful, he said it had added insult to injury and merely prolonged the trauma and is yet another illustration of decades-long discrimination by the Home Office against migrants of colour. He added: We need justice for the Windrush generation, now. Lennox said the issue should be front and centre, to ensure that the Windrush generation are seen, heard and healed and called for an immediate stop to the tragic injustice of this Home Office scandal. Other high-profile supporters include actress Hannah Waddingham and television presenter Jay Blades. The campaign, which has published an open letter demanding action, called for the reinstatement of the team dedicated to dealing with the fallout from the scandal, which was wound up last year. The Home Office said in September that the transformation programme for change in the wake of the scandal would no longer be managed through a dedicated team but rather embedded into the fabric of our everyday operations and activities. That came as the Windrush Working Group met for the final time, having been set up in June 2020 to bring community leaders together with senior representatives from Government departments. Singer Annie Lennox is supporting the calls (Anthony Devlin/PA)( The campaign said the reinstatement of the working group is crucial. The letter, sent to both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, urged the political leaders to pledge full compensation to Windrush victims as part of their forthcoming general election manifestoes. The campaign also repeated calls made previously to remove the compensation scheme from the Home Office, instead creating an independent and neutral body to operate it and make appeal decisions. Martin Forde KC, the campaigns legal adviser and the person appointed as the Home Offices independent adviser when it introduced the claims scheme, said it had left many victims in a state of limbo, with individuals being wrongly denied tens of thousands of pounds worth of compensation, and of families whose lives have been torn apart while they await an outcome. He added: This is unacceptable and we are calling on the Home Office to move quickly to deliver compensation for eligible Windrushees. Last June marked the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush in the UK, commemorating the ships arrival in 1948, bringing people from the Caribbean who answered Britains call to help fill post-war labour shortages. The Home Office has said it feels moving the scheme away from the department would disrupt the processing of claims and could lead to delayed payments. A Home Office spokesperson said: The Government remains absolutely committed to righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and making sure those affected receive the compensation they rightly deserve. We have paid more than 75 million in compensation and we continue to make improvements so people receive the maximum award as quickly as possible, whilst providing extensive support to help people access and apply to the compensation scheme. The scheme will remain open as long as it is needed, so no-one is prevented from making a claim. We are continuing to reach out to, and engage with, communities across the UK to encourage more people to come forward, ensuring they have correct information on whether they may be eligible and necessary guidance to support their application. An ongoing arctic blast enveloping much of the US will set the stage for impactful snow and ice to fall in parts of the South for the first time this winter as a new storm tracks through the region. The South storm will be the fourth in the last two weeks to threaten major impacts to areas east of the Rockies as a frenetic start to 2024 shows no signs of stopping. Damaging ice and wind combined with deadly results in Oregon Saturday. On Sunday, serious lake-effect snow was ongoing in Buffalo, New York; blinding snow squalls were possible across the Northeast; and strong winds were still kicking up snow and affecting travel in the Midwest. But in the warmer South, its been all tornadoes and severe thunderstorms with past storms. Thats all set to change as the arctic chill settles over the region and much of the country. More than 75% of the US population will experience temperatures below freezing over the next seven days. Just through Tuesday, more than 250 daily cold temperature records could be broken from Oregon to Mississippi. The cold will make for the coldest Iowa caucuses on record Monday, with below zero high temperatures and wind chills in the minus 30s forecast. People in Dallas, Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, woke up to temperatures in the teens Sunday. By Tuesday, those same temperatures arrive for Atlanta, Montgomery, Alabama and Shreveport, Louisiana. In southern cities such as Memphis, Dallas and Nashville, temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for at least 72 consecutive hours. The prolonged cold could lead to damage to exposed pipes and water main breaks are expected, warned the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency starting Sunday, according to a news release from the governors office. All Mississippians in the impacted areas are encouraged to take precautions over the next few days. Prepare your homes now for below-freezing temperatures, bring pets inside, and check in with your loved ones who are most susceptible during this frigid weather, the release said. CNN Weather The extreme cold will also test Texass notoriously vulnerable-to-extreme-temperatures power grid for the first time this winter. The plummeting temperatures will increase power demand on the grid enough that the states independent grid operator, ERCOT, issued a weather watch, warning of the impending surge in demand and a potential dip in reserves. ERCOT said there was expected to be enough power to avoid outages. However, the agency asked Texans to conserve electricity use Monday as it expects tight grid conditions. A wind chill as low as minus 71 degrees was reported in Montana Saturday. It wont feel that cold in the South, but winds of 10 to 25 mph could cause life-threatening wind chills that could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. With the cold air in place, a new system will move out of the Rockies and into the southern Plains bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain from Texas to Virginia. Winter storm alerts stretch from Texas to Virginia and encompass more than 45 million people, including all of Tennessee and Arkansas. The prolonged nature of this event could result in moderate to major potential winter storm impacts over parts of Arkansas, northwest Mississippi and western Tennessee, the Weather Prediction Center said. The warnings arent limited to the South: On Sunday, the National Weather Service announced a snow squall warning for the city of Philadelphia. The service warned of intense bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds leading to blowing snow and rapidly falling visibility and said travel will become difficult to potentially dangerous within minutes. The New York City Emergency Management Department issued a Weather Alert for Sunday, warning of an arctic cold front expected to sweep through the region in the early afternoon. The snow squall threat had ended for New York City by late Sunday afternoon, according to emergency management, though a few flurries remained possible Sunday night with light snow expected into Tuesday, the agency said on X. States of emergency were declared in both Arkansas and Louisiana ahead of the system to prepare for its arrival. Ice is one of the biggest concerns. A strip of sleet and freezing rain is expected from San Angelo, Texas, to Huntsville, Alabama. Hazardous ice could build up on roadways, trees and power lines. And because of the cold, the slick wintry precipitation wont melt on untreated surfaces for the Monday morning commute in places like Dallas and Shreveport, Louisiana, making travel more dangerous. Dallas is expected to see a combination of freezing rain, sleet and snow from 3 p.m. Sunday through 9 a.m. Monday. The timing will skew a few hours later in points to the east. CNN Weather The storm will lay down a coating of snow between 2 and 6 inches from Oklahoma to Virginia, just north of where the heaviest ice will fall. Memphis, which has had no measurable snow so far this year, is forecast to see between 3 and 7 inches. The threat here begins late Sunday and continues through Monday overnight. Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are also expected from Oklahoma City through Tulsa. Nearly the entire state of Arkansas is expected to see at least 3 inches, with some locations picking up as much as 6 inches total. Snowfall accumulations of 3 to 5 inches are expected for Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee. The storm will clear the South by late Tuesday and could then track into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, increasing snow chances there by Wednesday. CNN Meteorologist Sara Tonks contributed to this story. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com WASHINGTON The Biden administration told Texas on Sunday to stop impeding U.S. Border Patrol access to part of the U.S.-Mexico border that the state National Guard took over last week. In a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, obtained by NBC News, Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer said a combination of Texas National Guard soldiers, equipment and physical barriers is unconstitutionally restricting Border Patrol access to about 2 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. The recent actions by the State of Texas have impeded operations of the Border Patrol, Meyer wrote. Those actions conflict with the authority and duties of Border Patrol under federal law and are preempted under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. Meyer added: Texass actions also improperly seek to regulate the federal government. I am writing to demand that Texas immediately cease and desist any actions taken by the State that block Border Patrols full access to the U.S.-Mexico border in and around the Shelby Park area. Meyer noted an incident Friday when a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas. Image: *** BESTPIX *** State Of Texas Takes Control Of Park On Border In Eagle Pass, In Effort To Curb Migrant Crossings (Brandon Bell / Getty Images) Texass failure to provide access to the border persists even in instances of imminent danger to life and safety, Meyer wrote. Texas has demonstrated that even in the most exigent circumstances, it will not allow Border Patrol access to the border to conduct law enforcement and emergency response activities. CNN first reported the letter. Federal officials on Saturday confirmed a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande. DHS said Border Patrol agents were prevented from entering the area from the U.S. side after Texas National Guard Troops, under the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, prevented them from responding. The Texas Military Department disputed the DHS statement, saying its personnel were made aware of a distress report but could not locate migrants who needed help in the river. In response to the drownings, a White House spokesperson said in a statement that it is clear that Abbotts political stunts are cruel, inhumane and dangerous. On Friday night, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, and Texas officials blocked U.S. Border Patrol from attempting to provide emergency assistance, the spokesperson said. While we continue to gather facts about the circumstances of these tragic deaths, one thing is clear: Governor Abbotts political stunts are cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. U.S. Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws. Abbott and some congressional Republicans have called attention to record numbers of migrants crossing into the U.S. and have blamed the Biden administration for what they describe as an open-border policy. As part of his immigration enforcement plan, dubbed Operation Lone Star, Abbotts administration has bused thousands of migrants to Democratic-led cities and arrested migrants on trespassing charges. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., this month led a group of House Republicans to the border in Texas as part of efforts to criticize the Biden administrations approach to immigration laws amid record migrant crossings. A bride was arrested on her wedding day in Mexico, authorities announced Friday, accused in an extortion scheme that included her would-be husband and six other suspects. The woman, identified only as Nancy N. by Mexico state prosecutors, was arrested last month in a joint operation as she was preparing to marry her spouse, another extortion suspect identified as Clemente N. However, authorities were unable to apprehend the groom who goes by the alias "Mouse." The couple was part of a group accused of extorting chicken merchants in Toluca near Mexico City and suspected of kidnapping four workers from a poultry shop in Toluca, authorities said. The Mexico state prosecutor's office posted an image showing Nancy N in handcuffs, still wearing her wedding dress. / Credit: Mexico State Attorney General's Office One of the eight suspects arrested, identified as Santiago N., was accused of "driving an Explorer-type truck" to transport the kidnapped victims. The prosecutor's office posted photos of the suspects in involved in the extortion scheme as well as a video montage showing Nancy N in handcuffs, still wearing her wedding dress, as well as photos of alleged evidence. The suspects allegedly have ties to the La Familia Michoacana drug cartel, the prosecutor's office said. Earlier this month, the same cartel was blamed for a drone attack in the southern state of Guerrero that left at least six people dead. Misael N, who goes by the alias "Chicken," allegedly "controlled extortion activities" in the region, while Nabor N was identified by authorities as a "main hoarder and controller of the chicken and egg trade." Authorities say that rival gangs have been fighting for extortion control in the region. They say the dispute ramped up last July when human remains and warning notes were recovered in Toluca. The prosecutor's office subsequently arrested 11 members of a criminal gang known as "ElPecha." In 2023, the Mexico state prosecutor's office reported a decrease of 3.44% in extortion, compared to the previous year. Specifically, the efforts to crack down on extortion of poultry and egg businesses has resulted in losses of about $47 million for criminal groups, authorities said. Neurosurgeon pioneers Alzheimer's, addiction treatments using ultrasound | 60 Minutes Reaching the heights of professional cliff diving Pee-cycling: Turning human urine into fertilizer Business Insider and its parent company, Axel Springer, said Sunday that they stood by the outlets reporting that Neri Oxman, a prominent former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the wife of billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, had plagiarized in her doctoral dissertation. In a note Sunday morning, Barbara Peng, chief executive of Business Insider, said the outlet had spent several days reviewing its reporting after public complaints made by Ackman. The review, Peng said, found that there was no unfair bias and that the process we went through to report, edit, and review the stories was sound. Peng said a pair of stories the outlet published earlier this month reporting that Oxman had plagiarized other scholars work and lifted more than a dozen sections from Wikipedia are accurate. She described Oxman as a fair subject and has a public profile as a prominent intellectual and has been a subject of and participant in media coverage, rebutting Ackmans complaints that she should have been immune to coverage tied to Ackmans recent activism. Business Insider supports and empowers our journalists to share newsworthy, factual stories with our readers, and we do so with editorial independence, Peng wrote. We stand by our newsroom and our reporting, which will continue onward. In the wake of the reporting, Oxman acknowledged she had failed to properly cite some of her work. I regret and apologize for these errors, she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Ackman has since disputed the veracity of Business Insiders reporting and said Oxman has hired an attorney. A representative for Ackman declined to comment to CNN on Sunday, but on X, Ackman threatened the publication: Business Insider is toast. You will hear from us in a few weeks. It will look something like this: At My Signal, Unleash Hell. Business Insider announced last week that Axel Springer had compelled a review of its reporting alleging that Oxman had plagiarized her work, eliciting questions and criticism of the parent companys decision. The stories had been published after Ackman helped spearhead a campaign to oust Claudine Gay as Harvard Universitys president. Ackman applied relentless pressure on Harvard to remove Gay, initially criticizing the academic for the schools response to anti-Semitism and then later for plagiarism, the latter of which ultimately led to her removal. A spokesperson for Axel Springer told CNN on Sunday that the German publishing powerhouse was satisfied with the review Business Insider had completed. We stand by Business Insider and its newsroom, the spokesperson said. The days-long review had alarmed staffers at Business Insider, who were troubled about the precedent such a review might set, particularly on a punchy newsroom known for aggressively reporting on the wealthy and powerful. One staffer told CNN earlier this week that journalists at the outlet were perturbed about the chilling effect that Axel Springers move could have on the organization. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Ukraine successfully destroyed two Russian control and command airplanes. This major war achievement was confirmed by Kyiv's military chief on Monday, Jan. 15. Ever since the Kremlin launched its full-blown invasion of Ukraine, the Russian military has been making efforts to retain its air dominance. With its advanced warplanes, Russia was able to do this until now. While Russia is using its modern aircraft fleet, Ukraine is trying to fight Russian forces only using its Soviet-era defense aircraft. But, Kyiv was able to prove that it could deal huge damage against Russia's air dominance. Ukraine Destroys 2 Russian Control, Command Aircraft According to The Associated Press' latest report, Ukraine's air force shot down two advanced Russian aircraft. One of them was an early warning control plane. The second aircraft was a key command center warplane, which relays information to Russian soldiers who are operating on the ground. Since the two warplanes are critical for Russia, what Ukraine did is a big war achievement. Military experts said that control and command airplanes were fundamental tools of Russia to orchestrate its battlefield movements in Ukraine. Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi didn't confirm how they took down the two Russian airplanes; an Il-22 and a Beriev A-50. But, it was recently announced that Ukraine received sophisticated air defense systems from its Western allies. There's a high chance that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used these advanced air defense systems to take down the Russian warplanes. As of writing, the Russian government hasn't made any official announcement regarding the warplanes. However, some Russian military bloggers claimed that both of the planes were destroyed because of friendly fire. But, they weren't able to provide strong evidence that will prove their claims. Read Also: War Talks in Lithuania: Volodymyr Zelensky Makes Unannounced Visit to Ukraine's Key Ally Amid Russia's Invasion Ukraine-France Defense Cooperation Scale-Up Before Ukraine announced taking down advanced Russian warplanes, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba and French Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Sejourne discussed plans to enhance the relationship between the two countries. They both agreed to scale up their defense cooperation. The Ukrainian foreign minister said that they are considering tightening sanctions against Russia, as well as considering Ukraine's EU and NATO integration. "Russia hopes Ukraine and its supporters will get tired before them. We will not grow weaker," said the French foreign minister. Kuleba's counterpart added that he would work to fix EU, as well as bilateral legal issues so that French firms build more military production facilities in Ukraine. Related Article: NATO Arctic Exercise: Britain Sends 20K Troops Across Europe for Largest Deployment Since Cold War Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis via Getty Images Sixty years on, Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech remains a rhetorical paragon, pushing the civil rights movement into the law books while transforming the rabble-rousing preacher into a global icon for freedom and equality. The speech did such a good job of capturing lofty American ideals that Kings name is regularly taken in vain. Vivek Ramaswamy harks back to King while making the case for dismantling critical race theory and DEI initiatives. (What bothers the heck out of me is right when were close to that promised land [we] then obsess about systemic racism and white guilt, he told NBC earlier this month.) Ron DeSantis claims King would have been for book bans. (He said he didnt want people judged on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character, the Florida governor said while stumping for his Stop Woke Act in 2021, stressing a responsibility to protect our people and our kids from some very pernicious ideologies.) Nikki Haley, slow to concede the civil wars origins in slavery, says she was inspired by the civil rights icon. Its apparent that Dr Kings dream has been weaponized into his nightmare, says Hajar Yazdiha, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California who studies race and equity. These days, Kings words are being twisted with a straight face by arch-conservatives seeking to unravel the very progressive measures King fought so hard to secure before his assassination in 1968. In her book The Struggle for the Peoples King, Yazdiha traces this trend to the institutionalization of Martin Luther King Jr Day under Ronald Reagan. He was opposed to civil rights, hated Dr King and blamed him for his own death, she says. When Reagan realized he couldnt stop Congress from passing the King holiday in 1983, he turned the political defeat into a legacy-making opportunity. He decides that if he can link his legacy to King, he first of all can ward off claims that hes racist, and second and this is really critical he makes sure that we remember a particular version of Dr King that is colorblind, a vision of American exceptionalism, of states rights, of the individual capacity to pull yourself up from your bootstraps, Yazdiha says. So this has been a long game for conservatives. Theyve understood that if they have to accept multicultural democracy, theyre going to for their own purposes. As John Kirk, a civil rights history professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, puts it: King as a person has become a contested site of memory. The extent to which conservatives have manipulated Kings legacy is sometimes astounding. The South Dakota state representative Brandei Schaefbauer misquoted a speech to justify her decision to vote against healthcare rights for trans teens. The US House majority leader, Steve Scalise, who voted twice against establishing the MLK holiday back in the day, now calls King a national hero. Christopher Rufo, the conservative activist behind the purging of the left-leaning Harvard president Claudine Gay, makes regular references to Kings colorblindness while raging against race-conscious policies. Related: I witnessed the best of America: remembering the March on Washington 60 years on For Donald Trumps surrogates, invoking King has become the go-to move. Kellyanne Conway said the first impeachment of Trump was not within Dr Kings vision, while Trumps attorney Ken Starr cited the I Have a Dream speech in his defense of Trump on the Senate floor. Mike Pence is a crafty operator in this area too, referencing King in arguments for a border wall, against Black Lives Matter and in the wake of the supreme courts gutting of affirmative action. Mike Huckabee is convinced King would hate the Black Lives Matter movement, while his daughter, Sarah Sanders, implied that the reverend doctor would have cheered the supreme courts unwinding of affirmative action. In case its unclear, King actually marched, got beaten up and went to jail while pushing for affirmative action policies. But its no coincidence that Arkansas reigning political dynasty is suddenly suggesting otherwise. Very recently, Arkansas moved from a one-party Democratic state to a one-party Republican state, Kirk says. And now the Republicans of today want to blame the Confederate Democrats; now they say, All the civil rights stuff, the oppression wasnt us. Claiming MLK was like-minded only furthers their cause. Dear politicians/political influencers: When you evoke my father this #MLKDay, remember that he was resolute about eradicating racism, poverty, and militarism. And about corrective justice work. Dont just quote him. Encourage and enact policies that reflect his teachings. pic.twitter.com/QpxXsF2g7W Be A King (@BerniceKing) January 14, 2024 Its not just politicians who are guilty of improper allusions to King. In 2013, the conservative commentator Glenn Beck brought up Kings name while defending the TV cook Paula Deen for using the N-word. Late last year, the controversy-stirring podcaster Joe Rogan ranted about how King wouldnt have wanted California schoolchildren to learn about antiracism. Kings own monument in Washington DC misquoted him when it first opened in 2011. The beleaguered actor Jonathan Majors appears to have a thing for Coretta Scott King. During his recent trial for misdemeanor assault and harassment, an audio recording was played in which he was heard scolding his ex-girlfriend for failing to be more like Kings wife. He made the comparison again last week, this time to heap praise on his current girlfriend, the actor Meagan Good. The bad faith allusions have all but reduced King to a depoliticized mascot, revered by all, as if the FBI wasnt closely tracking him up until his death. A 1967 poll reflected that he was one of the most hated men in America, Bernice King tweeted in 2020. Many who quote him now and evoke him to deter justice today would likely hate, and may already hate, the authentic King. The disingenuous MLK shoutouts have the added effect of undermining the meticulous efforts that Atlantas King Center, Morehouse College and other institutions have made to showcase the breadth of Kings views and activism. (He wrote five books, delivered thousands of speeches) Its a complicated legacy. We kind of like to portray this as rightwing versus leftwing, Kirk says, but who and what King was was very much contested within the civil rights movement as well. At one point in the 60s, activists within the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which organized many of the non-violent protests in the south, referred to King pejoratively as Da Lord. They saw him as this conservative Black preacher who wasnt as radical as they were, Kirk says. By the end, King sat comfortably at the far left of the political spectrum. He pushed to close the poverty gap, and the year before his death, he gave a speech at New York Citys Riverside church titled A Time to Break Silence in which he railed against the Vietnam war. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values, he said, demanding the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism be conquered. The speech was widely derided. The NAACP scorned King for pivoting from the civil rights effort to anti-war protests. Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee in 1964, reckoned the speech could border a bit on treason; 168 newspapers nationwide slammed the hour-long oratory. Tellingly, King read that speech from a prepared text that he hoped to send on to publications because he didnt want to be misquoted. Still: its unlikely the comedian Amy Schumer was aware of any of that history when, in the wake of the 7 October attacks, she posted a decades-old clip of King condemning antisemitism while implying that he would have supported Israels bombing of Gaza. That prompted Bernice King to post another clip of her father arguing for military restraint and calling on America to flex its moral power instead. We have much to correct, the younger King wrote in the caption. Reclaim MLK is one campaign trying to reassert Kings radical legacy and showcase other instrumental figures in the civil rights movement, including the women and LGBTQ+ contributors who were overshadowed. It is just the first of many steps required in the face of conservatives mighty MLK misinformation machine. We absolutely need to be countering the revisionist history, which has been so consequential for rolling back multicultural democracy, Yazdiha says. This doesnt mean just correcting the record. It also means holding [transgressors] to account. By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) -Anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo was sworn in as Guatemala's president in the early hours of Monday after a chaotic inauguration that was delayed for hours by a last-ditch attempt by Congress opponents to weaken his authority. The latest in a series of legislative setbacks triggered by opponents underscored the challenges Arevalo faces as leader of Central America's most populous nation, to which he has pledged to bring sweeping reforms and tackle the rising cost of living and violence, key drivers of migration to the United States. Arevalo won August elections by a landslide and about 9 hours after his inauguration was scheduled to start, he took the oath as president, replacing conservative politician Alejandro Giammattei whose government has been engulfed in corruption scandals. Giammattei skipped the ceremony. Earlier, Arevalo had urged his supporters to throng the capital's emblematic Plaza de la Constitucion to "celebrate the new spring in Guatemala". Arevalo's unexpected election victory was seen as a watershed moment for Guatemala, where the 65-year-old has cast himself as a democracy advocate and the leader of a progressive movement bent on reshaping a political landscape long dominated by conservative parties. A career diplomat, sociologist and son of a former president, Arevalo has faced steady opposition from established political parties such as those of Giammettei, whose allies have repeatedly tried to undermine his election victory. Guatemala's attorney general, an ally of Giammattei, has made several attempts to hinder Arevalo's transition to the presidency, including trying to strip Arevalo and his vice president of legal immunity, attempting to suspend his Semilla party and annul the election. The attorney general's office has defended its actions as within the framework of Guatemala's laws. Arevalo's inauguration was thrown into disarray after the Supreme Court allowed opposition lawmakers to maintain their leadership of Congress, and forced members of the president's Semilla party to stand as independents, further diluting its presence. Semilla holds only 23 of the 160 seats in Congress. The move sparked wrangling in Congress, and supporters of Arevalo threatened to storm the building as police in riot gear amassed in the streets. The United States and several Latin American countries also called for Arevalo's election win to be respected. Arevalo's authority, however, got a boost after prominent Semilla lawmaker, Samuel Perez Alvarez, was unexpectedly elected as the Congress president. The international community, including the United States, had piled vast pressure on Giammattei's administration to proceed with the transition of power. (Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; additional reporting by Laura Sanicola in Washington and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing by Cassandra Garrison and Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Mark Porter, Richard Chang and Diane Craft and Miral Fahmy) By Hatem Maher and Muhammad Al Gebaly (Reuters) -Yemen's Houthi movement will expand its targets in the Red Sea region to include U.S. ships, an official from the Iran-allied group said on Monday, as it vowed to keep up attacks after U.S. and British strikes on its sites in Yemen. Attacks by the Houthis on ships in area since November have impacted companies and alarmed major powers in an escalation of Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The group says it is acting in solidarity with Palestinians. British and American ships had become "legitimate targets" due to the strikes launched by the two countries on Yemen last week, Nasruldeen Amer, a spokesperson for the Houthis, told Al Jazeera. "The ship doesn't necessarily have to be heading to Israel for us to target it, it is enough for it to be American," Amer said. "The United States is on the verge of losing its maritime security." The Houthis previously said they would only target Israeli ships or those en route to Israel. In the latest apparent attack, Houthi militants struck a U.S.-owned vessel carrying steel products with an anti-ship ballistic missile on Monday. The dry bulk carrier Gibraltar Eagle was struck while south of the Yemeni port of Aden, causing a fire in a hold but no injuries on board, operator Eagle Bulk Shipping said. The ship was continuing on its way, it said. Container vessels have been pausing or diverting from the Red Sea that leads to the Suez Canal, the fastest freight route from Asia to Europe. Many ship have been forced to take the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope instead. Ship-tracking data on Monday showed at least 15 tankers altering course in response to the escalating conflict. LNG TANKERS QatarEnergy, the world's second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has joined those avoiding the Red Sea, a senior source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Qatar's Al Ghariya, Al Huwaila and Al Nuaman LNG tankers loaded at Ras Laffan and were heading to the Suez Canal but stopped in Oman on Jan. 14, LSEG ship-tracking data showed. The Al Rekayyat, which was sailing back to Qatar, stopped in the Red Sea on Jan. 13. "It is a pause to get security advice, if passing (through the) Red Sea remains unsafe we will go via the Cape," the source told Reuters regarding QatarEnergy. The Qatari government and QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. About 12% of world shipping traffic transits the Suez Canal via the Red Sea. The longer route round Africa's Cape of Good Hope, which various shipping firms have opted for, can add about nine days to the normally 18-day trip from Qatar to northwest Europe. The Houthis have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen for years, but have turned their sights on the sea to show support for Palestinian group Hamas. On Sunday, the United States said its fighter aircraft had shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the militants toward a U.S. destroyer. No injuries or damage were reported, it said on X. U.S. ally Britain said it had no desire to be involved in Red Sea conflict but was committed to protecting free navigation. "Let's wait and see what happens," Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News on Monday regarding potential further strikes on Houthi sites. China also called for an end to attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea that have placed Beijing's commercial interests at risk. SUPPLIES AFFECTED With vessels pausing or diverting, some supply lines are being affected. Carmaker Suzuki on Monday said it was halting production at its Esztergom plant in Hungary until Jan. 21 as the Red Sea attacks had delayed the arrival of Japanese-made engines. In energy markets, however, the impact was limited. European benchmark gas prices were lower in afternoon trade on Monday, LSEG data showed, while oil prices lost roughly 1% as the conflict's limited impact on crude output prompted profit taking after oil benchmarks gained 2% last week. [O/R] (Reporting by Maha El Dahan in Davos; Emily Chow in Singapore, Andrew Mills in Doha; Sachin Ravikumar, Elizabeth Piper, Robert Harvey, Natalie Grover, Ahmad Ghaddar and Jonathan Saul in London; Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne, Jason Neely and Toby Chopra; Editing by Catherine Evans and Barbara Lewis) By Kirsty Needham and Yimou Lee SYDNEY/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan lost one of its few remaining diplomatic allies Nauru to China on Monday, just days after it elected a new president, and accused China of attempting to pressure it while it affirmed the will of Taiwanese to go out into the world. China claims Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan strongly disputes, and the two have for years traded accusations of using "dollar diplomacy" as they compete for diplomatic recognition. Taiwan security officials told Reuters before Saturday's election that China was likely to continue to whittle away at the handful of countries - now down to a dozen - that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei. Lai Ching-te, repeatedly criticised by China before the poll as a dangerous separatist, won the election for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and will take office on May 20. The government of the tiny Pacific Island nation of Nauru said that "in the best interests" of the country and its people it was seeking full resumption of diplomatic relations with China and would cut ties with Taiwan. Nauru has recognised China before, between 2002 and 2005. China and the United States have in recent years stepped up their competition for influence in the Pacific. In 2019, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands both ditched Taiwan for China in the space of a week. The U.S. affirmed that its commitment to Taiwan is "rock solid" after Saturday's election, in comments delivered by former U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on Monday during a trip to the island. Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang told a hastily arranged media briefing after Nauru's announcement that the news had come suddenly. Beijing specifically chose the sensitive timing after the election to target Nauru, Tien said, calling the move "ambush-like" and equivalent to a "a blatant attack on democracy", just as many countries were offering congratulations to Taiwan on the smooth voting process. "Taiwan did not bow to the pressure. We elected what we want to elect. That's unbearable for them," he added. China had offered Nauru, with a population of 12,500, money far in excess of what Taiwan provides its allies, Tien said. "Once again, it proves that China's trying everything they can money diplomacy to repress us," he said. A senior Taiwan official briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said Beijing is offering Nauru $100 million a year. A Nauru government spokesperson declined to comment China's foreign ministry said it appreciated and welcomed Nauru's decision. It did not directly answer a question on how much money it offered. "Nauru, as a sovereign state, has made the right choice to resume diplomatic relations with China independently," ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing. Taiwan's presidential office said Beijing's move amounted to suppression of the island's diplomatic space but could not undermine the will of the Taiwanese people to go to the world, nor could it change the fact that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other. Taiwan's 12 remaining diplomatic allies include the Vatican, Guatemala and Paraguay, plus Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is in Guatemala attending the inauguration of its new president. Nauru is a small and remote Pacific Island nation that uses Australian currency and generates revenue from fishing licences and hosting a regional processing centre for refugees for the Australian government. An Australian bank providing the country's only banking service announced in December its plan to close its Nauruan operation. Australia provides policing support and is a major aid donor, contributing A$46 million (US$31 million) in development assistance in 2023. The refugee processing centre was forecast to generate A$160 million in 2024, although Australia plans to wind it down over time. (A$1 = 0.6671 US$) (Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue, Michael Perry and Edmund Klamann) DAVOS, Switzerland The U.S. was warned about the dangers Houthi rebels posed to the Middle East before Israels war with Hamas but they didnt do anything, the vice president of Yemens United Nations-recognized government told NBC News. Maj. Gen. Aidarus al-Zubaidi said he met with American and British officials on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September and told them that the Iran-backed militant group was regrouping and rearming during a pause in fighting in its long-running war with a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. They wrote everything down, al-Zubaidi said Sunday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan are expected to speak about returning stability to the Middle East. They didnt do anything, said al-Zubaidi. NBC News has approached the State Department for comment. Maj. Gen. Aidarus al-Zubaidi during an interview in New York in 2023. (Ted Shaffrey / AP file) Around three weeks after al-Zubaidi said he gave his warning, on Oct. 7, Hamas launched multipronged attacks on Israel killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostage. Israeli officials say around 100 still remain in captivity after scores were released in late November as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners. After Israel launched its military assault on Gaza that has so far killed more than 24,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, the Houthis declared support for Hamas and began launching missiles at Israel and bombarding ships in the Red Sea. On Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a statement that Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. Yemen forms the eastern side of the Bab al-Mandeb strait or the Gate of Grief a 16-mile stretch of water that marks the entrance to the Red Sea, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. CNBC reported earlier this month that the attacks had disrupted around $200 billion in international trade, as companies have chosen to avoid the waterway and take the longer route around the horn of Africa instead. Yemen, the poorest country in the region, has been wracked by civil war since August 2014, when the Houthis seized Yemens capital, Sanaa, and forced President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his government into exile. Image: Yemenis inspect the damage following overnight air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Mohammed Huwais / AFP - Getty Images) Unwilling to accept the prospect of Yemen being controlled by a militant organization backed by its regional rival, Iran, the following year Saudi Arabia responded by starting a war against the group to try to restore the internationally recognized government to power. But despite support from the U.S., Britain and several other nations, who armed the Saudis with fighter jets and bombs, and provided them with military expertise, the conflict lasted far longer than expected and proved costly for Riyadh. With little hope of victory, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman scaled back his military operation and entered peace talks with the Houthis last year. The war also resulted in what the United Nations, in December 2021, called the largest humanitarian crisis in the world with 80% of Yemens 32 million population in need of aid. Image: Yemeni 10-year-old girl Ahmadia Abdo, who weighs ten kilograms due to acute malnutrition, sits on her bed at a camp for the internally displaced in the northern Hajjah Governorate, on Jan. 23, 2021. (Essa Ahmed / AFP - Getty Images file) Al-Zubaidi initially remained loyal to President Hadis government and was one of the leaders that helped to expel the group from the port city of Aden, where the internationally recognized coalition government is currently seated. But although he sits on Yemens Presidential Leadership Council, he also heads the Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist movement that wants independence for South Yemen, which was its own state from 1967 to 1990. Al-Zubaidi, who has survived several assassination attempts, is also the de-facto leader of the Southern Movement, the STCs paramilitary wing, which maintains control of a large swath of the countrys south. The Houthis are not serious about peace, he said, adding that they used the United Nations peace talks with Saudi Arabia last year, to delay things, to prepare. After President Joe Biden called the Houthis' behavior in the Red Sea outrageous and said that he was willing to call the Houthis a terrorist group, al-Zubaidi said they should be re-added to the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The Biden administration removed the Houthis from the U.S. list in February 2021 in a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement at the time. We have listened to warnings from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, and bipartisan members of Congress, among others, that the designations could have a devastating impact on Yemenis access to basic commodities like food and fuel, he said, adding that it was hoped that U.S. policies would not impede assistance to those already suffering what has been called the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. A Houthi honor guard carries the coffins of fighters killed in the U.S. and U.K. air strikes in Yemen during their funeral Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (Osamah Abdulrahman / AP) Were the U.S. to do redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist group, it could hamper the import of vital aid and scupper the U.N.-mediated political process designed to bring peace to Yemen, according to Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert and President of Girton College at Britains University of Cambridge. It was inconceivable, that the U.N. could continue to broker talks with a group designated as terrorist, she said. The Houthis, she said, cannot simply be dismissed as an inconvenient rebel group, as they are a far-reaching and powerful entity in Yemen, and they control areas in which two-thirds of the population lives. As ever, there are no good options, she added. A man stole a skid loader and "went on rampage" in Lincoln, Nebraska, police said, slamming the machine into stores, an ATM and other vehicles including a police SUV with an officer behind the wheel. At least one person was injured and the driver of the machine was arrested in connection with the melee, which remained under investigation Monday, officials said. Jeff McRichards, 62, whose wild video footage captured the Sunday incident, told USA TODAY he was exiting a Home Depot near his home that afternoon when, in disbelief, he caught the tail end of the chaotic and shocking spree. "I was buying some parts to fix my washing machine," McRichards said after recording what he witnessed. "It was crazy, some guy stole a Bobcat... went on a rampage. (He) destroyed the front doors of a liquor store, destroyed cars in a Taco Bell parking lot, and an ATM before going after the cop car." Video footage captured a Bobcat incident in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Jan. 14, 2024. "I have no idea whose it was or how he got into it," McRichards recalled. Dramatic video he filmed shows the Bobcat speed past a police SUV with its lights and siren on in the Home Depot parking lot, bumping its side. A black four-door sedan is also seen next to the police cruiser. The Bobcat then spins in a circle in the snow, pauses, then with its claw raised, drives directly into the police SUV pushing it back more than the length of the entire sedan next to it, which quickly veers to the right to avoid being hit. Footage shows the driver of the Bobcat quickly backing into reverse, dropping the claw, re-raising it and speeding a short distance away before turning around and rearing back in what appears to be an attempt to charge toward the police SUV again. Before a potential second hit, the police officer jumps out of the SUV, draws his firearm and points it at the Bobcat's driver. Heartbreaking tragedy: 'Catastrophic' Arizona hot air balloon crash leaves 4 dead, 1 injured; 8 skydivers survive 'Taken into custody at gunpoint' According to a press release from the Lincoln Police Department, officers responded to a U-Stop convenience store about 2:30 p.m. for a man in a skid loader "vandalizing vehicles with the machine." Shortly after, more calls directed officers to the parking lot of the Home Depot about a third mile away where they found the man inside the Bobcat. Just the average Home Depot experience. pic.twitter.com/qQGrnblbzG Jeff McRichards (@JeffMcRichards) January 14, 2024 "When the first officer arrived on the scene, the man turned the skid loader toward the cruiser and rammed into it while the officer was inside, damaging the cruiser," police wrote in a news release. "The officer got out of his vehicle and drew his service weapon. He did not fire the weapon, and no one was injured as the suspect complied with commands to get out of the skid loader and was taken into custody at gunpoint." At the scene, Samuel Peyrot of Lincoln was arrested on charges including second-degree assault on an officer, second-degree assault and criminal mischief in connection to the incident, police said. A man stole a skid loader and "went on rampage" in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Jan. 14, 2024, police said. In addition to the police SUV, police said Peyrot also damaged multiple other vehicles during the melee, and one man inside a damaged truck suffered minor injuries. The suspect also damaged the exterior of two nearby businesses with the skid loader, police said. Online records show Peyrot was booked in the Lancaster County Jail and that the reported crimes took place on his 37th birthday. Case remains under investigation. After the arrest, police said they confirmed the Bobcat is owned by Peyrot's employer and that, before the incident, he transported it to a gas station with a company-owned truck and trailer. A motive in the spree was not immediately known. Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, are still investigating the Bobcat spree. Jailed without bond Monday, Peyrot could not immediately be reached for comment and it was not yet known if he had obtained an attorney. The case remains under investigation. 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: Man arrested after ramming Bobcat into police SUV at Home Depot, more Frazer Harrison Award season is in full swing, and the 29th Critics Choice Awards are the latest on the list of glamorous ceremonies. Tonight, some of the brightest stars come together to celebrate outstanding achievements in television and cinemaand show out in fabulous looks, worthy of their own awards. The evening is bound to be memorable with Hollywoods biggest names dressed to the nines and 2023s best on-screen work in the spotlight. During the ceremony, Harrison Ford will receive the Career Achievement Award, while America Ferrera will be presented with the SeeHer Award. As for the other accolades, they remain unknown, however, Barbie leads in film nominations with a record-breaking 18 nods, followed by Oppenheimer and Poor Things, which each boast 13. The Morning Show takes the title of front-runner on the TV front with six nominations, followed by Succession with five. The grand event, which is hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler for the second year in a row, takes place at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, and will air live on The CW at 7 p.m. ET. For those who dont have cable, the program will be available on TV streaming platforms including DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, FuboTV, and Hulu + Live TV. Watch this space for updates. Dua Lipa Frazer Harrison Quinta Brunson In Georges Hobeika and Nicole Rose jewelry. Frazer Harrison Lenny Kravitz Amy Sussman Celia Rose Gooding Matt Winkelmeyer Joseph Lee Kevin Mazur Jillian Dion Frazer Harrison Rachel Sennott In Balenciaga. Frazer Harrison Chelsea Handler In Alex Perry. Frazer Harrison Vanessa Morgan Frazer Harrison You Might Also Like Once a traditional staple on wedding registries, many couples now skip registering for china and silverbut should they? ROEY YOHAI PHOTOGRAPHY I have a few regrets from my wedding day. An incorrectly hemmed dress is one. Neglecting to tell someone to grab a few candid photos is another. But the biggestand only lastingregret is not registering for silver or china. At the time, we lived in a 600-square-foot apartment. We barely had room for everyday dinnerware. Where on earth would we put a set of china? I asked friends and colleagues whether theyd registered for silver or china and, again and again, the same answer echoed: "No, I didnt even think about it." Now Im in a house with an official china cabinet (a Facebook Marketplace heirloom from someone elses family, of course). And, while it proudly displays a set of crystal waiting for the next dinner party, and I was fortunate to inherit a set of Gorham Chantilly silver a few years after my wedding, the china cabinet is still lacking its actual namesakethe china. After coming across a gorgeous set of Wedgewood china in an antique shop recently, I posted a photo to Instagram lamenting my decision not to register for china. The DMs rolled in. It seemed like an official millennial epidemic. We were all encouraged to skip the fancy stuffand we all regret it. The experts could have told us this all along. "Register for what you love and what you will look forward to using both every day and for special occasions," says Page Napier Morris, an event planner and protocol expert. We asked Morris and other experts for their thoughts on the matter, once and for all. Related: 45 Tried-and-True Wedding Color Schemes to Inspire Your Own What Is Wedding China? China is made of a different material than most dinnerware. Its a kiln-fired material made of clay, kaolin, feldspar, and quartz, while dinnerware is typically made from porcelain or ceramic stoneware. Dinnerware has a heavier, sturdier feel, while china, and its even more delicate sister, bone china, feel precious. When your grandparents registered for china, they likely picked out a formal pattern they would pull out every year on special occasions. Now, most couples register only for everyday dinnerware. What Is Silverware? While your everyday flatware may look silver, it is more likely made of stainless steel. Silverware, on the other hand, is made of 100 percent silver, and this is what your grandmother is referring to when she tells you that your silver pattern one day will be Buttercupthe pattern she picked out in 1956. Open up a set of silver, and not only will you find the five pieces of a standard place setting, but youll likely encounter everything from an asparagus server to a fish fork. This is designed for the most formal occasions (though that doesnt mean you have to save it for those occasions!). Related: 12 Retro Wedding Trends That Are Making a Comeback, According to Event Planners dszc / Getty Advantages of Registering for China and Silver If you're undecided about adding china and silver to your registry, consider some of these reasons why you should. Silver Can Become a Family Heirloom Theres a reason people wait their entire lifetime to inherit the family silverits an investment that typically holds its value. "If you do not have a silver pattern that may be passed down through your families, it is worth registering for silver," says Augusta Cole, a wedding and event planner. "It is a timeless addition to your entertaining arsenal, long-lasting as it can simply be shined up, and retains value and meaning as a family heirloom. I use my silver pattern every day." China Is Lovely for Dinners of Any Size Youll have beautiful china forever, and its just as relevant at a table for two as it is at a Thanksgiving table full of family. "This is your time to begin collecting items for your future entertaining goals," says Cole. "Perhaps you are not hosting dinners for 12 in your current apartment, but down the road, the hosting responsibilities may be passed down, and you will want to be ready." Youll Want to Entertain More at Home While you can entertain at home with nothing but paper plates and napkins, theres a certain magic that comes with pulling out the good stuff. "Since the pandemic, more formal hosting at home think tablescapes and charcuterie boardshas increased tremendously," says Cameron Forbes, founder of Forbes Functions. "Creating a registry that includes silver and china helps you build your first home together as a couple and form the backbone of your hosting arsenal." The Pieces Hold Memories There are certain wedding gifts that youll pull out and smile. Theyre the ones that you remember exactly who gave them to you. China and silver often fall into these categories. "The greatest advantage is the lasting memory attached to these gifts," says Forbes. "Whenever you host, you will have an amazing array of pieces to choose from, all with deep sentimental value from family and friends." Related: 11 Traditional Wedding Vows to Exchange During Your Ceremony Bryan Gardner Disadvantages of Registering for China and Silver Of course, with each sentimental reason why you should register for these heirlooms, there are a couple of reasons why it might make more sense to leave them off your registry. Silver Can Be Expensive While china and silver can cause sticker shock, silver is where the price tag skyrockets. "People still register for china but shy away from silver, since it is so expensive," says Morris. Youll Need Space If you live in a small space, the storage required for china and silver is a top considerationand its probably the reason many couples skip adding these classics to their registry. You'll Have to Polish Silver Dont want to pull out a silver polishing cloth? Then you may not want to register for silver. Silver requires polishing every few months if you use it regularly. You can push it a little longer if its kept carefully tucked away in a tarnish-resistant case, but eventually, the day will come when you'll need to polish it. You Have to Hand Wash China To keep your china in tip-top shape, particularly if it has metallic details, you should hand wash it. Some people will swear by throwing it in the dishwasher, saying its better to use it than notand thats truebut if you want to stick to the old-school rules and make sure you're keeping it in great shape for years to come, youre going to have to grab a sponge and mild dish soap every time you use it. dszc / Getty Tips to Keep in Mind If You Decide to Register for China and Silver If you've decided to add china and silver to your wedding registry, take note of these tips to help guide you through the process. Dont Feel Pressured to Get It All at Once "If you are a person who loves china, but you only get a few pieces for your wedding, dont forget you can continue to build your collection by putting it on your gift list for birthdays and holidays," says Morris. Adding a piece to your collection on your anniversary every year can become a tradition, and, year after year, youll watch your collectionand your tablegrow. Look for Something Unique "More clients are registering for a more fun, everyday china that they've either found at a local specialty shop, like handmade pottery from Jackson Hole, and then they go for a more classic formal china pattern," says wedding planner Arney Walker. "Its not outdated if you are going to use it." Add Glassware to the Mix Walker says that her clients are more likely to skip the silver these days and register for beautiful glassware instead. While polishing silver may not be high on your list of pre-dinner party must-dos, glassware is easier to care for and adds another layer of sparkle to the table. Choose a Few Versatile Pieces Having a hard time justifying the expense of china? Choose pieces that can be used outside of fancy dinners. "Dont be afraid to mix and match and look around!" Morris says. "There are plenty of pieces that can do double duty in a more casual setting and work for a more formal meal." Consider the Classics Cole suggests registering for timeless brands like Mottahedeh, Haviland, Bernardaud, Herend, and Ginori. These are the names that have stood the test of time. But she also recommends exploring stunning porcelains and ceramics like Paravicini, Carolina Irving & Daughters, Astier de Villatte, and Vietri. "Names like Lenox, Wedgwood, and Royal Copenhagen have been used in places like the White House and Buckingham Palace for centuries," says Forbes. Aim for Eight Place Settings "While the number may vary based on how often you host and the size of your family, most silver and china come in four- or five-piece sets," says Forbes. If you aim for eight place settings, you should have enough to accommodate most occasions (and you can mix and match other settings when youre lucky enough to have more people seated at your table). Read the original article on Martha Stewart. Telecommunications fraud cases in China decrease by nearly 30% since August Global Times) 09:24, January 15, 2024 Telecom fraud suspects are handed over to Chinese police. Photo: WeChat account of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security The central political and legal work central conference convened from Saturday to Sunday revealed that since last August, the number of telecommunications fraud cases nationwide has decreased by 28.6 percent compared with the previous year. According to the central conference on judicial, procuratorial and public security work held in Beijing, the national political and legal organs have focused on disrupting illegal telecom scam activities from northern Myanmar in 2023, arresting 78 core members of fraud groups and 41,000 criminal suspects, and freezing a total of 3.5 billion yuan ($488.3 million) in funds involved in the cases. Authorities have carried out regular activities to combat gang crime, and have dismantled 133 criminal organizations and 1,858 organized criminal groups. Additionally, political and legal authorities across the country have strengthened comprehensive social security governance, maintained a high-pressure targeting of drug-related crimes and crimes against women and children, and strengthened the prevention and control of juvenile delinquency. According to the conference, in 2023, public sense of security reached 98.2 percent, maintaining a high level of over 98 percent for four consecutive years. The conference said that China would deepen special operations targeting telecommunications fraud, control the sources, eradicate criminal dens and firmly suppress crime which harms the public interest. They will also promote the normalization of the fight against gang crime, continue efforts in combating and regulating cross-border gambling, and expediting relevant legislative work. Also, the strengthening of prison management will be studied, with prison reform, and resettlement assistance and education to be treated as a wholistic way to prevent and reduce recidivism. In addition, the implementation of the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency will be advanced, comprehensive rectification of the campus environment and governance of harmful online information will be strengthened, special schools will be established and utilized effectively, along with an education and correction system suitable for the physical and mental characteristics of minors will be established. In 2024, the political and legal authorities will also fully utilize modern technology to provide high-quality administrative management and legal services to the people. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is now being bashed on social media by netizens and notable individuals, such as billionaire tech executive Elon Musk. Kirby is criticized because his 2021 interview, which is about reducing male white pilots, went viral on Twitter and other social media platforms, again. In his viral interview, the chief executive officer of UA said that he will make efforts to ensure that 50% of their graduating pilots will be people of color or women. However, netizens, billionaires, journalists, and other people were disappointed with Scott Kirby's plans for United Airlines pilots. Here's what they argue. United Airlines CEO Criticized for Trying To Reduce White Male Pilots To 50% According to Fox News' latest report, UA's CEO was invited to an interview in June 2021. During the discussion, Kirby confirmed that the airline committed itself to ensuring that 50% of graduating pilot classes will be women and non-white people. In 2023, United Airlines was able to increase its number of people of color and women pilots by 19%, which is still far from Kirby's original goal. The CEO said that he was proud of the diversity they achieved at UA, such as diversity among important senior executives. However, many people criticized Scott Kirby's efforts. One of them is Elon Musk, who said what the United Airlines CEO is planning to do "is messed up." Aside from the tech billionaire, NYT best-selling author Brigitte Gabriel also bashed Scott Kirby. "This is insane," said Gabriel, who is also a national security expert and the founder of ACT for America. "United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby proudly states they're using DEI-based racial and gender quotas to reduce the amount of white people in the air travel industry," she added. Aside from her, Michael Seifert, the CEO and founder of Public Square, also shared his disappointment. "United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says they want '50%' of their hires to be 'women or people of color,'" he explained. Seifert criticized Scott Kirby, saying that the UA CEO doesn't care if these women and people of color can effectively fly airplanes that carry the lives of many people. He added that DEI is going to get people killed. Read Also: FAA to Closely Monitor Boeing 737 Max 9 Airplanes Once Operational-When Will These Planes Return? What Americans Say About DEI Just like Elon Musk and other notable individuals, many Americans are also against the DEI initiative. Some of them claimed that the negative effects of DEI are already visible, especially in the airline industry. They said that these include the issue with Boeing's 737 Max 9 issue. Netizens also claimed that DEI is already negatively affecting the government, educational system, military, churches, etc. "Imagine this in a medical setting, People could DIE due to DEI," said an American X user. Others complained that they can't imagine having unqualified individuals work on commercial airplanes, saying there are a lot of things that could go wrong. Related Article: United Airlines Flight Attendant Standards Lead to Lawsuit; Plaintiffs Claim Certain Flights Only Accept Thin White Blondes Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday threw his support behind former President Trump, effectively snubbing his states own governor, Ron DeSantis, for 2024. In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Rubio railed against the Biden administrations record, arguing Trumps extraordinary actions are needed to fix the disaster of the country. When Trump was in [the White House] I achieved major policies I had worked on for years (like expanded Child Tax Credit & tough sanctions on regime in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a President who didnt cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us, Rubio wrote in a post on X. I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created. Its time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America! he continued. Rubio ran against Trump in 2016, a contest that at times became contentious. The senator dropped out after losing the Florida primary. Rubios endorsement means that both Florida senators are choosing Trump over their home states governor following the Trump endorsement by Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who endorsed Trump last November after promising to stay out of the race. In Florida, Trump maintains a significant lead over his GOP rivals including DeSantis. A polling index from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ shows Trump with a 42.1 percentage point lead over DeSantis: 61 percent to 18.8 percent. The Republican primary in the Sunshine State will take place on March 19. Rubios endorsement comes one day ahead of the Iowa caucuses, and just hours after North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who also ran against Trump in 2024, endorsed the former president at a rally in the Hawkeye State. The Hill and Decision Desk HQs polling aggregation shows Trump with a 34.9 point lead over his closest challenger, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in Iowa. DeSantis has fallen close behind Haley in the Hawkeye State, garnering about 15.5 percent support, compared with Haleys 17.9 percent. Trump has a backing of about 52.8 percent. DeSantis and Haley on Sunday both expressed confidence ahead of the Iowa caucuses while making the rounds on Sunday morning political shows, despite the series of polling showing them far behind the former president. Updated at 5:37 pm. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A dramatic southward push of Arctic air into the eastern two-thirds of the country this week will result in bitterly cold conditions with temperatures trending 20-40 degrees Fahrenheit below typical mid-January values. For some areas, the brisk weather early this week will bring the coldest conditions observed since December of 2022. At the start of the week, daytime temperatures hovered several degrees above zero F at Oklahoma City, dipped to the single digits in northwestern Arkansas and plummeted to the middle teens in Dallas. Meanwhile, locations farther north into the central and northern Plains will continue to bear the brunt of the frigid conditions, with daytime temperatures not even surpassing zero degrees early this week. "Residents of the region will want to keep cold-weather gear handy to reduce the risk of frostbite and hypothermia. The bitter cold could threaten livestock as well as individuals who do not have proper shelter or heating," cautioned AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer. Communities along the Gulf coast and into the Tennessee Valley will also endure brisk temperatures this week. Cities such as Houston, Jackson, Mississippi, and Birmingham, Alabama, will dip into the 30s early this week during the daytime, with frigid overnight lows into the 10s or 20s. Residents across the South are urged to ensure their homes are adequately prepped for the bitter cold, wrapping any exposed pipes, disconnecting and covering exterior hose spigots and even leaving interior faucets on slightly to drip to avoid frozen or burst pipes. Floridians will not miss out on the influx of chilly conditions, as temperatures there are expected to drop between 10 and 20 degrees into midweek. Temperatures will start with widespread 60s in the north to 80s in the south then fall to the upper 40s in the panhandle to lower 70s across the southern tip. Cities such as Tallahassee, Florida, are projected to trend from Monday's high of 70 degrees to the upper 40s by Wednesday. Overnight temperatures can drop into the 20s and 30s across the northern third of the state during the first half of the week. By late week, conditions are expected to turn warmer across Florida and closer to typical mid-January values. However, a new push of Arctic air coming this weekend may result in the lowest temperatures of the season so far for much of the Southeast states this weekend. The amplified southward dip in the jet stream in place across the center of the nation will not only deliver waves of Arctic air this week that can challenge records across the Central states but also usher a stormy stretch across the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys. This will be the first storm with snow and ice to extend its reach to the Southern states this season, which can pose an added challenge for travelers who are out of practice driving in the winter. As of the early morning hours on Tuesday, the storm deposited up to 1.5 inches of snow on Dallas. Farther to the east, a general 3-6 inches of snow was already on the ground from Little Rock, Arkansas, to the north and east into Tennessee, including the Nashville area, where a number of places received around 8 inches of snow. From 1 to 6 inches of snow has already fallen from southeastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas to central portions of Kentucky and northern Alabama. However, as the snow tapered off over the southern Plains and the lower part of the Mississippi Valley Monday evening, snow ramped up and piled up over the southern Appalachians. A corridor of 6-12 inches of snow can occur from eastern Tennessee into southern parts of West Virginia. The AccuWeather Local StormMax is 15 inches. "Travel will be difficult in any areas that get freezing rain, sleet or snow, especially across overpasses and bridges as they will be the ones to ice up initially," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys. Forecasters say that following some snowflakes that started the day in parts of the mid-Atlantic on Monday, the main part of the storm and up to several inches of snow will fall through Tuesday in the Northeast. GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts with Premium+ Areas of freezing rain extended from near Austin and San Antonio to Houston during the midday hours on Monday. Even a thin coating of ice can create dangerous conditions for travelers and motorists are encouraged to stay off the roads if possible. Icy conditions along I-10 near Houston contributed to a number of accidents on Monday morning. Ice accumulations on tree limbs and power lines can result in power outages across the affected region. As of early Tuesday morning, almost 10,000 were in the cold and dark in Texas, according to poweroutage.us. Coupled with the dangerously cold air in place, power outages and the lack of a heating source could quickly create a hazardous situation for residents. Utility companies in the Southern states were urging customers to conserve to reduce the risk of blackouts. The record-challenging temperatures that are expected to grip the region for the upcoming days can result in a spike in heating needs and subsequently put stress on the electrical grid. "Any time cold waves are accompanied by snow or ice, the impact to people, businesses and the power grid can be substantially amplified," warned AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. Flight cancellations across the country continue to cause headaches for thousands of travelers, and Southwest is topping the list of most-affected airlines for the second consecutive day. But the source and scope of these disruptions are different from the meltdown the airline endured a year ago. As of Monday afternoon, the airline had canceled more than 700 flights, about 18% of its schedule, setting off alarm bells that the nightmarish travel weekend could be the start of another operational fiasco for the company. But, according to the airline, this isnt a technology issue like the 10-day service meltdown that left more than 2 million travelers stranded during the 2022 holiday season and cost the company more than a billion dollars. The problem is the weather. A huge swath of the country has been pummeled with harsh winter conditions this weekend, and more than 140 million people are currently under wind chill alerts stretching from the Rockies to central Texas. Over 140 daily cold records could be broken Monday and Tuesday from Oregon to Mississippi, and temperatures in Memphis, Dallas and Nashville are expected to stay below freezing for at least 72 consecutive hours. A jogger trots on a snow-covered road during a winter storm, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Grand Prairie, Texas. - Julio Cortez/AP Southwest said the delays had been pre-planned and communicated to customers in advance. The scheduling changes were carried out to anticipate forecasted operating conditions across a wide swath of our route map everything from wintry precipitation including blizzard conditions, to airfield and airspace constraints, and dangerous wind chill environments that require rotating ground crews to limit exposure, a spokesperson told CNN in a statement. Cancellations and delays should ease up considerably on Tuesday as the storm moves East and the cold temperatures begin to moderate, the spokesperson added. The airline pointed to a list of operational steps that it says it took in 2023 to ensure that the level of disruption that happened in 2022 does not repeat itself, including updates to crew scheduling systems and more de-icing equipment at airports. Unlike the Southwest Airlines holiday travel meltdown of 2022, the company says the recent string of cancellations are mostly due to where Southwest flies in and out of, rather than technical issues, and that unlike the last incident, it should recover quickly. Southwest is a major carrier at some airports that are now engulfed in an Arctic blast paralyzing much of the country. In particular, it maintains a significant presence in Chicago and Denver, which are both under wind chill advisories from the National Weather Service, and Dallas, which the NWS says could face dangerous winter conditions this week. And Southwest isnt the only airline that has found the icy conditions challenging. American Airlines requested a ground stop at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport earlier Monday morning. The ground stop from earlier was a temporary effort to alleviate the lines at the de-icing pads and free up space at the gates for inbound aircraft during our busiest arrival bank at DFW, the airline told CNN. The relentless winter weather caused major delays over the long holiday weekend. Saturday and Sunday saw more than 16,500 flight delays and nearly 3,000 cancellations across the United States, according to FlightAware. On Monday, the number of cancellations climbed past 3,000 while more than 8,600 flights have been postponed, making it the day with the most cancellations since the Southwest meltdown in late 2022, FlightAware data show. The airlines experiencing the most effects are Southwest with more than 760 cancellations followed by United, which has more than 430 flights canceled. So far, more than 700 flights have been canceled on Tuesday, FlightAware data said. These weather-related delays are exacerbating an already difficult week for airlines and their passengers. Last week, more than 200 United and Alaska Airlines flights were canceled each day due to the federally mandated grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration instated the order after a piece of the fuselage blew off an Alaska Airlines flight on January 5 with 177 people on board. The incident left a gaping hole in the side of the plane and ripped headrests off seats as the plane flew at 16,000 feet, shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon. United and Alaska Airlines, the two largest US carriers using the Max 9 aircraft, are among the airlines canceling the most flights, according to the Anuvu Pulse industry dashboard. United has canceled nearly 13% of its flights, making it the second most affected airline behind Southwest, which doesnt fly any Max 9 planes. Alaska Airlines experienced the third-highest rate of cancellations on Sunday, having called off about 15% of its total flights. Both airlines said last week they have canceled all flights on their Max 9 planes until mid-January. This story has been updated with new information. CNNs Ross Levitt, Nouran Salahieh, Allison Chinchar and Mary Gilbert contributed to this reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com U.S. fighter aircraft intercepted and shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the direction of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said late Sunday. And a missile fired from Yemen in a separate incident struck an American-owned commercial ship named Eagle Gibraltar in the nearby Gulf of Aden, a U.K. maritime agency and private security firm said Monday. Both incidents followed U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen last week that heightened fears the Israel-Hamas war could lead to a wider war in the Middle East involving the U.S. and its Western allies. The Houthi missile that was fired toward the USS Laboon came from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen, U.S. Central Command said in a brief statement. No injuries or damage were reported. The U.S. commercial ship, which is Marshall Islands-flagged and owned by Connecticut-based firm Eagle Bulk, was "hit from above by a missile" but remained seaworthy, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency, which cited the ship's captain. The ship's name and ownership were identified by Ambrey Limited, a U.K.-based security firm and risk consultancy. The incident with the U.S.-owned ship is still being investigated and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Yemens Houthi rebels. Israel-Hamas conflict: Four flashpoints that could spark wider war in Middle East The Houthis are a rebel group financed, trained and supplied militarily by Iran, Israel's arch-enemy. They are also allies of Hamas and have been targeting Red Sea maritime traffic since November in an act of solidarity with Palestinians in reaction to Israel's military campaign in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7. attacks. A war with no walls: Inside the devastating impact of Israel-Hamas war around the globe This handout picture courtesy of the U.S. Navy taken on Oct. 19, 2023, shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeating a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea. The Houthi attacks have caused delays to global supply chains because major shipping companies have diverted their ships away from the Red Sea. Instead, they have been taking a longer route around southern Africa. The U.S. and U.K. militaries attacked 28 Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday including radar installations, drones, arms depots, logistics hubs and anti-ship missiles. On Saturday, the USS Carney, a guided missile destroyer, followed these strikes up by firing Tomahawk land attack missiles at a Houthi radar site in Yemen. The strikes come as U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized following complications from a surgery for prostate cancer. He was released Monday and expected to make a full recovery. Biden has to answer this question: Why did Lloyd Austin keep his diagnosis from the commander-in-chief? Austin was rushed by ambulance from his home in the Virginia suburbs of Washington to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Jan. 1 in severe pain. Austin had developed an infection and intestinal blockage after surgery on Dec. 22 for prostate cancer. He had kept his diagnosis and hospitalization secret for days from the White House, Congress and the public. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yemen airstrikes: U.S. downs Houthi missile fired at Red Sea destroyer Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship called the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, the U.S. military and the vessel's operator said Monday, as the rebel group continued its assault on global shipping in the Red Sea. There were no injuries or significant damage reported on the civilian vessel, but the missile caused an inconsequential fire in the ship's hold, the vessel's operator said. "Earlier in the day, at approximately 2 p.m. (Yemen local time), U.S. Forces detected an anti-ship ballistic missile fired toward the Southern Red Sea commercial shipping lanes," the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement posted to social media, which also confirmed the attack on the cargo ship. The earlier missile "failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen. There were no injuries or damage reported." The latest attacks on commercial shipping came a day after CENTCOM said it had shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis toward the American warship USS Laboon as it operated in the Red Sea. It was the first acknowledged attack by the Houthis on a U.S. warship since the U.S. and U.K. militaries started striking the Houthis after weeks of attacks by the Iran-backed group on cargo ships in the crucial shipping corridor. / Credit: Getty/iStockphoto The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea with missiles and explosives-laden drones for weeks, claiming it as a legitimate response to Israel's ongoing war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The missile that was fired toward the USS Laboon "was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah (a port on Yemen's west coast) by U.S. fighter aircraft. There were no injuries or damage reported," CENTCOM said in a statement late Sunday. President Biden announced U.S. and allied strikes on the Houthis in a statement Thursday night and, on Friday alone, 28 Houthi locations were targeted with bombs and missiles launched from air and sea. The strikes continued over the weekend, with U.S. forces hitting a Houthi radar site on Saturday, the AP reported. The U.S. and allied strikes had not dissuaded the Houthis from targeting cargo vessels in the vital shipping corridor and Mohammed Abdulsalam, a chief political negotiator for the rebel movement, told the Reuters news agency the "attacks to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of the occupied Palestine will continue." The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency first reported the strike on the M/V Gibraltar Eagle on Monday, saying a "vessel was hit from above by a missile" in Yemeni waters. The agency urged any vessels transiting the area to exercise "extreme caution," CBS News partner network BBC News reported. "As a result of the impact, the vessel suffered limited damage to a cargo hold but is stable and is heading out of the area," Eagle Bulk, the ship's U.S. operator said in a statement quoted by Reuters. "All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured. The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products." The U.K. participated in the strikes against the Houthis, which British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a "last resort" after "exhaustive diplomatic activity" and warnings from Washington and London for the militants to stop attacking ships. "We of course will not hesitate to protect our security where required," Sunak said. Neurosurgeon pioneers Alzheimer's, addiction treatments using ultrasound | 60 Minutes Reaching the heights of professional cliff diving Pee-cycling: Turning human urine into fertilizer YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Over $3,3 billion worth of goods were exported from Armenia to its fellow Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) member states in the 11 months of 2023, which is more than the exports of the whole previous year. In 2022, Armenian exports to its EEU partners totaled 2 billion 510 million 271,6 thousand dollars, whereas in the 11 months of 2023 the exports comprised 3 billion 344 million 373 thousand dollars. Armen Ktoyan, an economist whos been the Head of Chair of Statistics at the Armenian State Economics University since 2017, told Armenpress that despite these figures theres been no growth in the traditional exported goods to EEU and especially Russia. Meanwhile, the growth comprises goods that have a re-export component, goods that are not produced in Armenia. According to the latest data issued by the Statistical Committee, Armenias trade turnover with its fellow EEU member states in January-November 2023 amounted to 36,9% of Armenias entire trade turnover with a volume of 6 billion 605 million 963 thousand dollars. Most of it, 6 billion 321 million 898 thousand dollars, was with Russia. When we are talking about [trade] with the EEU, we actually mean with Russia, because more than 90% of trade is with Russia. On one hand Russia is a market where we are more actively involved, on the other hand we must take into account that the share of reexports is rather significant. Besides, by increasing dependence on any single country, doesnt matter if its Russia or any other country, we are basically limiting the opportunities to diversify foreign trade. In this case we arent getting too much of a beneficial situation for ourselves, Ktoyan said. According to the statistics, Armenian exports to EEU countries in the 11 months of 2023 grew 52% and comprised 3 billion 344 million 373 thousand dollars. This is nearly the half of Armenias total exports in the reporting period. In January-November 2023, Armenias total exports amounted to 6 billion 946 million 382,5 thousand dollars. In January-November 2022 exports from Armenia reached 4 billion 800 million 308,5 thousand dollars. Within the EEU, most of the exports (3 billion 167 million 499,7 thousand dollars) went to Russia, growing 49,9% compared to the same period of 2022. Albeit incomparably smaller in volumes, Armenian exports to other EEU countries also grew. In January-November 2023, Armenias exports to Belarus comprised 85 million 999,3 thousand dollars (28,1% growth), exports to Kazakhstan grew over 4 times and amounted to 65,6 million dollars, and exports to Kyrgyzstan grew again over 4 times and comprised 25 million 207 thousand dollars. Exports of precious metals and gems grew by 1,3 billion, exports of machinery and equipment grew by 500 million dollars, while exports of cars grew by 300 million dollars. Basically these three make up the 2 billion dollars growth. We can say that the Armenian exports growth is entirely comprised of the growth of sectors which do not reflect the growth of Armenias economic competitiveness, but are mostly a manifestation of adapting to shock realities associated with reexports or the Russian-Ukrainian war, the economist explained. Armenias traditional exports to Russia, such as food and beverages, did not record growth, and furthermore dropped (such as food exports). Exports that have increased are goods that have a component of reexports in them, and are not made in Armenia, such as cars, equipment, generators and others. Yes, in other equal conditions, its very good that so much is being exported, but this must not create illusions that our economy has become so powerful that we can conquer new horizons, Ktoyan said. YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has been doing everything in order to have open borders and maintain its sovereignty, a lawmaker has said. The Republic of Armenia cannot in any case give up its sovereignty, Member of Parliament Vagharshak Harutyunyan from the Civil Contract Party said when asked to comment on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs latest statements demanding an extraterritorial corridor through Armenia to Nakhijevan. Armenia has been doing everything in order to have open borders, and maintain its sovereignty. We are going in that direction, this is a priority for us, the MP said. He added that the Armenian government must continue to advance the peace agenda. We could face multiple difficulties on this path, they will try to provoke us, they will try to hinder the peace process, but politically this is a priority, the lawmaker said. Harutyunyan added that the Armenian government will do everything to make the peace agenda become reality. He said that Armenia will not deviate from the peace agenda, but implementing it alone would be impossible. But we must prioritize Armenias national interests above everything else. And I personally believe that our state interests require us to advance the peace agenda despite all difficulties and the surprising statements, he added. Our desire is to make the 29 thousand 800 square kilometers area of Armenia safe. This path could be difficult and perhaps even painful. But we must take these steps reasonably to its destination, because only in that destination can Armenia have the future we dream about, Hakobyan concluded. YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia's Public Services Regulatory Commission will convene a meeting on January 17 to discuss the issue of rejecting the sale of MTS Armenia to Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), the Russia-based network operator. The agenda of the January 17 meeting of the Public Services Regulatory Commission includes the item on rejecting the sale of MTS Armenia to Mobile TeleSystems (MTS). The regulator has explained its move by saying that the Armenian High-Tech Industry Ministry has objected to the sale citing national interests. Earlier in November 2023, the Cyprus-registered Fedilco Group Limited received approval from the Public Services Regulatory Commission to acquire 100% shares of MTS Armenia. Correction: The earlier version of this article erroneously reported that the January 17 meeting of the regulatory body will discuss rejecting the Fedilco Group Limited request. YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia referred to the pogroms against Armenians in Baku 34 years ago and noted that the pogroms became the culmination of policy of forcible displacement and ethnic cleansing of Armenian population from Azerbaijani SSR. The Ministry said in a post on X and noted that hundreds were murdered, mutilated and disappeared, half a million became refugees. We pay tribute to memory of innocent victims and stress imperative to prevent such policies and need of all the rights to be addressed, reads the post. YouTube's ad blocker crackdown is intensifying further as the video streaming giant confirmed that it will slow down the load times of those who use advertisement blockers. The Google-owned video platform started its ad blocker crackdown last fall in 2023. YouTube issued a warning prompt to users in October 2023. The streaming giant said that ad blockers are not allowed on the platform. YouTube added that users only have two options; subscribe to YouTube Premium for $13.99/month or use YT for free and allow ads. However, since many YouTube users refuse to pay and instead use ad blockers to watch videos without ads, the streaming platform had to take action, which was to slow down their load times. YouTube Ad Blocker Crackdown: YT To Slow Down Load Times of Violators According to Mashable's latest report, YouTube will make the load times of users with ad blockers slower. This means that YT will make the entire site slower whenever ad blockers are detected. Google said that they will specifically slow down "suboptimal viewing." This is already experienced by many YT users, saying that their load times become very slow when using ad blockers. Some of them said that YouTube's performance becomes better when they disable the ad blockers they use. Tech experts who experienced slower load times said that the issue is caused by an artificial timeout in the video platform's code. They said that this artificial timeout mimics a laggy internet connection, making the site's performance, especially load time, slower. Although this is not new YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms that are against the usage of advertisement blockers, tech experts said that the effect on YT is becoming wider and wider. Read Also: TikTok's New 15-Minute Video Limit Leads to Criticisms as Users Claim It's Copying YouTube What YouTube Users Can Do Since YouTube is intensifying its efforts against ad blockers, users now only have one option if they don't want to pay the $13.99 per month and see ads while watching. If you are one of them, the best thing you can do is try other video streaming platform alternatives. Luckily, MakeUseOf provided some of the best YT alternatives you can try: Dailymotion Utreon The Internet Archive Crackle Vimeo Twitch The Open Video Project If you want to learn more specific details about these YouTube alternatives, you can click here. Related Article: YouTube's Latest Update Makes Credible First-Aid Videos Easier to Access for Emergency Situations by Melani Manel Perera A unity bill has been proposed to promote ethnic, religious, and social harmony 14 years after the end of the civil war, but the Office for Missing Persons, the Office for Restorative Justice, and the Truth, Unity, and Reconciliation Commission are not represented on the council that proposed it. For the director of the diocesan Human Rights Office in Kandy, National reconciliation cannot be enforced from the top down. Colombo (AsiaNews) Sri Lankas Catholic Church has joined several human rights organisations to engage the Sri Lankan government as well as the countrys various ethnic and religious groups in a broader debate over a proposed piece of legislation on national unity and reconciliation, called the unity bill, proposed by the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) to promote ethnic, religious, and social harmony 14 years after the end of the civil war. National reconciliation cannot be enforced from the top down, said Fr Nantana Manatunga, director of the Human Rights Office (HRO) at the Diocese of Kandy. The process must be voluntary and involve opposition political parties, particularly those representing minority ethnic and religious communities, as well as civil society. The ONUR is tasked with making crucial recommendations to the relevant authorities on how to achieve national unity, reconciliation, and lasting peace in the island nation. Unfortunately, the potential importance of this new institution appears to be underestimated by the government, its policymakers, and the laws drafters, said Father Nandana Manatunga, director of the Human Rights Office (HRO) at the Diocese of Kandy. The law itself might hinder the reconciliation process. Both Sinhalese and Tamils in the north and east of the country do not consider themselves a single nation, which fuels mutual distrust, which might undermine the unity bill. A total of 25 civil society groups including several Catholic associations and organisations have submitted a petition on 8 January calling for wider involvement. We urge the government to engage with opposition political parties, particularly those representing minority ethnic and religious communities, as well as civil society, to establish a multi-partisan consensus encompassing pluralistic values on the path to making this a true reconciliation process for national unity, the petition reads. The Catholic and human rights groups have also expressed concern over the process of selecting ONUR board members. Appointments to the ONUR board should be multi-partisan, representing the diversity of our nation. The chairperson's indefinite term is inadvisable; we need inclusive appointments for a unified vision," they say. The proposal to the government calls for the inclusion in the ONUR Council of representatives of the Office for Missing Persons, the Office for Restorative Justice, the NGO Secretariat, and the Truthfulness, Unity, and Reconciliation Commission. For the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), the parliamentary debate over the bill coincides with growing concerns over ethnic nationalism expressed by some in the country. Victims are sceptical, fearing the bill may impose the government's narrative, potentially silencing alternative voices. Genuine national unity requires more meaningful efforts," the CPA noted. Today's news: Maldives calls for withdrawal of Indian troops from archipelago; New Pyongyang missile experiment, launches hypersonic solid-fuel medium range missile; First public appearance by Vietnamese Communist Party chief after days of health speculation; Work to restore the Baghdad-Kirkuk railway, closed for 20 years. ISRAEL - PALESTINE Beijing is proposing a large-scale and authoritative peace conference to put an end to the war in Gaza 100 days after the Hamas attack, while the militiamen of the Strip show a video with three Israeli hostages, one of whom is of Chinese origin. In the 37-second film we see Noa Argamani, 26 years old, Yossi Sharabi, 53 years old, and Itai Svirsky, 38 years old and a final note warning that "tomorrow [today, ed.] you will know their fate". Turkish authorities have arrested Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel of Antalyaspor for displaying a conflict sign after a goal. MALDIVES - INDIA The Maldives has asked India to withdraw troops by March 15, further straining ties between the two neighbors. A small contingent of around 80 soldiers is stationed on the Indian Ocean archipelago to provide support to military equipment supplied by Delhi and assist in humanitarian activities. President Mohamed Muizzu has proposed its removal. NORTH KOREA Pyongyang launched a missile yesterday that ended up in the sea. This was revealed by sources in Seoul and Tokyo, in a climate of growing tension due to the experiments in recent weeks with long-range launchers and spy satellites. Northern media reported a solid-fuel hypersonic missile of intermediate range, which traveled 1000 km off the east coast at an altitude of 50 km. VIETNAM Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong attended a session of the National Assembly today after days of concerns - and speculation - about the state of health of the country's most powerful man. It is the first public appearance since December 26th. At the beginning of the month he had not attended meetings with the Indonesian president and the prime minister of Laos. IRAQ Closed for over 20 years and subject to terrorist attacks, in particular by ISIS, the railway between Baghdad and Kirkuk will be reopened after reconstruction work started recently, thanks to the commitment of the Ministry of Transport and the Kirkuk governorate . The overall project includes a further section up to Mosul, and then extending across the border into Turkey. PHILIPPINES Manila wants to promote the development of some islands in the South China Sea that it considers part of its territory, to make them more habitable for its troops, as army chief Romeo Brawner explains. A plan that risks fueling the conflict with China, which claims part of the territory in the context of mutual exchanges of aggressive behavior. RUSSIA Forced internet blockades during Ukraine's two-year war cost Moscow .6 billion. This is a figure corresponding to 10 years of budget of large regions such as Voronezh or Volgograd, making Russia the leading country for losses linked to this form of censorship and overtaking Ethiopia and Iran. KAZAKHSTAN Health authorities in Astana have involved worship workers from mosques and churches to conduct "clarifying conversations" with anti-vax parents who refuse for religious reasons to vaccinate their children against measles. The president of the doctors of the capital of Kazakhstan, Sarkhat Bejsenova, explained this to the press, according to which 80% of cases are unvaccinated. by Vladimir Rozanskij Economic uncertainties are testing living and working conditions in several parts of Central Asia, which was the explicit cause of the protests two years ago. Moscow fears that the West wants to wrest Astana from Russian influence but Kazakhstan remains an active member of Eurasian military and economic alliances. Astana (AsiaNews) - The multiplication of conflicts in many areas of the world presents an increasingly worrying scenario for the year that has just begun. There is fear of the opening of new fronts and the worsening of tensions that seemed dormant, as observed by analyst Vladimir Prokhvatilov, collaborator of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences on the ura.ru. website. The areas most at risk, according to the expert, are the Middle East and Central Asia, and he reports widespread fears among Russian political leaders, according to whom "the West is preparing a coup d'etat in Kazakhstan, to tear it away to Russian influence. The January 2022 riots could be repeated, also according to Prokhvatilov "inspired by the USA and Great Britain". Economic uncertainties are indeed testing living and working conditions in several areas of Central Asia, and this was the explicit cause of the protests two years ago, when the inhabitants of the Kazakh cities of Zanaozen and Aktau, in western part of the republic, demonstrated against the sudden increase in liquid gas prices, involving other cities, especially the most populous metropolis Almaty. Another expert on Kazakhstan, Professor Nurlan Munbaev, member of the New York Academy of Sciences and the Astana Foundation for Parliamentarism, believes that it is difficult to hypothesize a new internal conflict in the country today, it depends on many internal and external factors , from the development of democratic institutions and civil society, but also from relations with Russia and other countries". However, there are some points to highlight, remembering that Kazakhstan is Russia's main partner in Central Asia and an active member of Eurasian military and economic alliances such as the CSTO and the EAES, ties that are not easy to break or even weaken. The politics of Akorda, the palace of President Kasym-Zomart Tokaev, tries to maintain a "multi-vector" line with neighboring countries, with the main Asian powers and also with the West. The reforms for the democratization and modernization of the country are struggling to produce concrete results in all Central Asian countries, but they represent needs that are deeply felt by the local populations. According to Munbaev, a destabilizing intervention by the Westerners is very unlikely, because it would risk making all the efforts made in recent years in vain. Another observer, the political scientist Egor Kuroptev, director of the Free Russia foundation in the Southern Caucasus, believes that "the Kremlin has an interest in increasing tensions, spreading anxiety and fears throughout Russia, indicating new enemies to deal with, when the majority of the population is exhausted by the climate of war and mobilization". He does not believe that Westerners have any interest in meddling in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan or other countries in the region, while "he will do everything to promote the democratic course" in them. The warnings spread by Moscow, Kuroptev believes, are "standard tools of propaganda and manipulation, which the Putin regime uses to maintain its status and power." Condemning the "war plans of the West", the plots to overthrow the existing regimes or seize territories and economic resources, are usually the premises with which Russia justifies its "defensive invasions", recalls the political scientist, what could take place in Kazakhstan as a consequence of the freezing of the Ukrainian conflict. by Nirmala Carvalho Replaced by an apostolic administrator a year ago, Bishop William has now resigned from the diocese in Karnataka. Many in the local clergy were against him, accusing him of taking lovers and fathering children. For the Bishops Conference, his resignation reflected the distressing situation in the diocese, and was not a disciplinary measure. Vatican City (AsiaNews) A year after placing Bishop Kannikadass Antony William of Mysore (Karnataka) on administrative leave, Pope Francis accepted his resignation, the Vatican Press Office announced on Saturday. Archbishop Emeritus Bernard Moras of Bangalore, who was provisionally entrusted with the Diocese of Mysore as apostolic administrator, remains in charge. Mysore comes under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan See of Bangalore. Originally from the same diocese that he had led since 2017, the 58-year-old William has been harshly criticised by the local clergy, accused of having several lovers and fathering children, as well as of involvement in the death of four priests who opposed him. A Vatican commission made up of three bishops investigated his case. A press release by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on Saturday noted that Pope Francis accepted Bishop William's resignation in view of the the distressing situation in the diocese. The statement goes on to say, however, that the resignation is not a disciplinary measure imposed upon Bishop William but a move to provide the diocese with a new bishop. Bishop William has always denied the accusations against him. In the past year, he stayed in Ooty (Tamil Nadu) and has filed lawsuits against the priests who have accused him. Some of his supporters recently held a sit-in in Mysore. Melwyn Fernandes, secretary of the Association of Concerned Christians, one of the groups that oppose him, expressed satisfaction with his resignation. [J]ustice is finally being served for those who suffered because of Bishop K. A. William and his associates, said Fernandes speaking to Matters India, an Indian Catholic news website. This is just the start of holding him accountable for the crimes hes committed, and we believe he must face a fair trial, he added. The world's five richest men more than doubled their fortunes since 2020, charity Oxfam said on Monday, urging nations to resist the influence of the ultra-rich on tax policy. A report by the organisation, released this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, specified that their wealth rose from 405 billion dollars in 2020 to 869 billion dollars last year. However, since 2020, nearly five billion people worldwide have become poorer, Oxfam said. Billionaires are 3.3 billion dollars richer today than they were in 2020, despite the many crises that have devastated the global economy since the start of this decade, including the covid-19 pandemic. Oxfam's annual report on global inequality is traditionally published just before the forum opens on Monday at the Swiss Alpine resort. The charity raised concerns about rising global inequality, with the richest individuals and companies accumulating more wealth - thanks to rising share prices - and also more power. "Corporate power is used to drive inequality. It squeezes workers and enriches rich shareholders, dodging taxes and privatising the state," Oxfam said. A Saudi exchanger counts Saudi rial banknotes at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - REUTERS/AHMED YOSRI It also accused corporations of driving "inequality by waging a sustained and highly effective war on taxes", with far-reaching consequences. Oxfam said states have handed over power to monopolies, allowing corporations to influence the wages people are paid, the prices of food and the medicines people can access. "Around the world, members of the private sector are pushing relentlessly for lower taxes, less transparency and other measures to allow companies to contribute as little as possible to public coffers," Oxfam added. Oxfam said that intense lobbying on tax policy making has allowed corporations to pay lower corporate taxes, depriving governments of money that could be used to support the poorest in society. To address the imbalance, Oxfam called for a wealth tax on the world's millionaires and billionaires - PHOTO/FILE Corporate taxes fell significantly in OECD countries, from 48% in 1980 to 23.1% in 2022, Oxfam noted. To address the imbalance, Oxfam called for a wealth tax on the world's millionaires and billionaires that it says could bring in 1.8 trillion dollars each year. The charity also called for limiting the pay of CEOs of large corporations and breaking up private monopolies. Google Maps now supports Bluetooth beacons, allowing drivers to continue navigation in tunnels. Here's why this update is such a big deal.Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, and other mobile navigation solutions rely on a GPS connection to determine your location and follow you on the map. The GPS connection must be stable to offer seamless navigation, so if you drive in regions where you lose the GPS signal, these applications might no longer locate you on the map.The best example where maintaining a GPS connection is a challenge is a tunnel. Once you enter a tunnel, Google Maps loses the GPS signal, eventually interrupting the navigation experience, too. The application has no idea where you are, so it can't follow your location and offer turn-by-turn guidance.Thanks to the beacon integration, Google Maps can receive location information and offer uninterrupted navigation. Your mobile device connects to beacons installed in tunnels using Bluetooth, allowing the application to retrieve your location and follow the vehicle as you drive before you exit the tunnel and reconnect to the satellites.A recent discovery reveals that Google integrated Bluetooth beacon support in the Android version of Google Maps in late 2023. You can find the feature in the "Navigation settings" screen in Google Maps. It's called "Bluetooth tunnel beacons," and it's disabled by default. Once you enable the option, you must allow Google Maps to scan for Bluetooth devices.Bluetooth beacon integration should not be mistaken for offline maps. Google Maps also offers offline map navigation, but the feature only works when the device doesn't have a data connection. It means you can continue navigation without a cellular signal, though it still requires a direct GPS connection to determine your location.Google is no stranger to beacon support, as Waze, the other navigation app in its portfolio, already offers such capabilities. However, Google Maps apparently joined the party much later, though it remains one of the biggest updates in years.Google aims to provide a seamless experience behind the wheel with Google Maps on the screen, especially as the application makes its way to more vehicles when fitted with Android Automotive. Google Maps on AAOS offers more advanced capabilities, including deeper vehicle integration to read the battery information and automatically suggest charging stops.However, the beacon integration is exclusive to Android, with the feature currently unavailable on iOS. Google has remained tight-lipped on this update, but I expect the company to share more details in an upcoming blog post where it could also announce other Google Maps improvements. One of the most impressive partnerships in the emerging AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) industry worldwide is bringing together two major technology and engineering forces, Japan and India. Unlike similar companies worldwide, who look at India mainly as a huge market for air taxi operations, Japanese eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) manufacturer SkyDrive is also tapping into the country's engineering resources. Cyient, a tech company based in Hyderabad, India, is now officially SkyDrive's engineering partner. It's the Japanese eVTOL maker's first collaboration of its kind in India.The partnership will extend from product development to manufacturing and digital services. Cyient will play a key role in creating the first eVTOL technical publication manual a milestone for SkyDrive and for the entire AAM industry.SkyDrive is serious about its expansion to the Indian market. Prior to announcing this engineering partnership, it signed another strategic agreement with a different kind of partner, the Government of Gujarat, widely considered "the most innovative state "in India. The Japanese aircraft manufacturer is planning to bring electric air taxi operations to Gujarat by 2027. In the meantime, it's laying the groundwork with the help of government officials and local partners.The key to this expansive, strategic link between Japan and India for AAM operations is Suzuki Motor's established presence in the area. Since SkyDrive is the AAM company set up by the automotive giant, its expansion to India is only a part of Suzuki's overall, large-scale connection to this particular market.Suzuki and SkyDrive stepped into the new year with an important milestone. The SD-05 (a 1/5 scale prototype of the SkyDrive air taxi) was displayed at the Gujarat Global Summit that took place from January 9 to 15. It marked the beginning of a new phase in Suzuki and SkyDrive's cooperation with India.The SD-05 is the latest development of the famous SD-03 that was making waves a couple of years ago as the world's smallest eVTOL. The SD-03 was only four meters long, four meters wide, and two meters high (13.1 x 13.1 x 6.5 feet). When parked, it only took the space of two cars. This ultra-compact eVTOL put SkyDrive on the map. Still, it was far from the Japanese company's most ambitious goal.The SD-XX promises to be a state-of-the-art flying car that will bring emission-free, affordable, and fast air mobility to the public. But that won't happen earlier than 2030. Until then, the SD-05 is the most powerful air taxi model developed by SykDrive.The SD-05 keeps the qualities of a compact eVTOL, similar to the original SD-03, as it claims to be an efficient alternative to the larger and heavier air taxis on the market. It pairs a light takeoff weight of just 500 kg (1000 lbs) with a top speed of 100 kph (60 mph) and a 30-minute autonomy on a single charge. I met up with two of my petrolhead friends today. It doesn't surprise me that both like Hot Wheels cars to some extent. So we decided to visit a few tours in search of novelties. I'm happy to have found the yellow variation of the BMW 507. That's one more item for my collection. Bugatti Veyron Photo: Ministry of Diecast '16 Bugatti Chiron Photo: Ministry of Diecast '91 Nissan Sentra SE-R Photo: Ministry of Diecast Nissan Silvia (S13) Photo: Ministry of Diecast KW Subaru Impreza WRX Photo: Ministry of Diecast '16 Subaru WRX STI Photo: Ministry of Diecast In recent years, I've started giving up on Hot Wheels Mainline cars. It makes more sense to me to buy Premium items instead. And I find most Car Culture and Boulevard collectibles fascinating. I've already picked up three Team Transport pairings: a Mazda, a Porsche, and a Mercedes-Benz. But I have yet to buy any 2-packs. I've had my eye on some for a while now.In one of my recent stories, I discovered which manufacturer is the King of the Car Culture 2-Pack series . Three years in the making, Nissan leads the way with 11 cars. Ford is second with seven vehicles, and Plymouth has five representatives in the collection.Meanwhile, Subaru and BMW have both scored three points each. I already included Mix K of the 2-Pack series when I performed this analysis. I had already seen its contents. So, I'll return with a similar study in 12 months. Let's see what Mattel uses to lure us into the Hot Wheels universe again.Bugattis are rare, even at the 1/64th scale. You'll find fewer than ten castings in this category; some haven't had a new iteration in years. Mattel has made efforts in this direction: a new Veyron and the Bolide debuted in 2023.And the Type 59 is coming up in the Elite 64 series this year. That explains why this Veyron, which is an older casting, is the first Bugatti in the Car Culture 2-Pack collection. Siri, play "I woke up in a new Bugatti" by Ace Hood. Swap "in" for "with": buying the Hot Wheels set is, for most of us, the best chance we have to say those words out loud.Mark Jones designed this Veyron for its 2003 First Editions release, and Mattel introduced nine variations until 2009. The 2021 retool looks considerably better; it was about time to see a new iteration. Interestingly enough, it's the first Premium one. It's stunning with the Ebony Metallic finish and the Real Riders 10-spoke wheels.The Ryu Asada-designed '16 Bugatti Chiron has had eight variations on the market since its 2019 debut. The first special one arrived in 2021 as part of the iD series. I'm surprised you can still find this one for less than $30.The first Premium Chiron showed up that same year with a two-tone French Racing Blue and black combo. The black Real Riders Exotic wheels were a perfect match for it.At that point, I wondered how Mattel could ever live up to that standard again. But the new two-tone silver and black Chiron comes close, especially if you do not like in-your-face colors. Still, I would love to see a replica of the light blue and white design soon.Moving from a multi-million dollar Bugatti to an old Nissan feels rather strange. But you'll find that Hot Wheels enthusiasts often love both just as much. Mark Jones designed this casting for its Japanese Tuners Collector Set release, and nobody saw it coming.The simple blue and black combo worked great for this JDM young timer. The new metallic silver paint job is just as good in contrast with the white Mini Real Riders 6-Spoke Modern rims.It's just the second iteration of a car most Nissan enthusiasts hope to see more of in the future. It is still a Premium-exclusive collectible at this point, but it's bound to debut in the Mainline series sooner rather than later.Dmitriy Shakhmatov's Nissan Silvia (S13) debuted in 2020 as a replica of a car that aAutomotive employee owned. I should ask Chris Marion if he still has it in its collection, although I last saw him years ago. Mattel even promoted this design to Premium status in 2023, integrating it into the Team Transport series. So far, that has been the only iteration of the S13 to use Real Riders wheels.But the wait is over, and the people in El Segundo couldn't have opted for a better paint job. The two-tone finish reminded me of the S13 that Team Akina Speedstars member Iketani-san drove in Initial D. The 5-spoke wheel design fits the S13 better than the seven-spoke mesh rims, but the car must sit lower.There are only so many Hot Wheels Subaru cars to begin with. And I've recently analyzed the best five ones you could buy today. Mark Jones designed both collectibles in the new Subaru Car Culture 2-Pack set.The WRX has been around since 2017, and it's strange to see a lack of interest on Mattel's side. Three iterations in seven years is less than expected for a car like this.Two of them were blue, which suits the theme. And the third one was a Gumball 3000 -ready machine. Silver fits the Bugeye well, but the gold 10-spoke wheels are its strong point. This collectible will never become a peg-warmer. So don't hesitate to pick one up if you're a fan of the genre.The first item in the Subaru set might remind you of the 2022 Boulevard edition of the '16 Subaru WRX STI. It was the third consecutive release in three years and the first to avoid the 10-spoke rim design.This casting is a Premium-exclusive, too. And we should have seen it coming. Mattel often uses older iterations to "fill in the blanks" in the Car Culture 2-Pack series. The first item is highly desirable, so the second one didn't need the same appeal. The latest STI looks strikingly similar to the 2021 Boulevard variation.We shouldn't be surprised, as we've seen this strategy before. Ultimately, we're still looking at a 5/6 rating for the new mix. And I can barely wait to see what the diecast manufacturer has in store for us this year. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been released from the Walter Reed military hospital after more than two weeks. In a statement released by the Pentagon on Monday (January 15), Austin thanked the doctors and nursing staff who attended to him "for their professionalism and superb support." "Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I'm eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon," he added. Read Also: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Hospitalized; Pentagon Faces Backlash for Keeping Incident Secret for 5 Days Austin Under Fire for Not Immediately Telling White House Austin has been hospitalized since January 1 after suffering complications resulting from previous treatment for prostate cancer. It was previously reported that he and his staff did not immediately inform the White House, top national security officials, and even some high-ranking Pentagon officials of his medical condition and hospitalization. Meanwhile, Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut - two Walter Reed doctors attending Austin - told reporters that the secretary has "progressed well " and that his strength is "rebounding." "He was discharged home with planned physical therapy and regular follow up," the doctors said in a statement. "The Secretary is expected to make a full recovery." Related Article: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer SUV If we remember correctly, a Lamborghini Urus isn't precisely the type of vehicle you would want to mess with. Its imposing figure, wedge-shaped design, and the twin-turbo V8 sitting under the hood are all very good reasons not to engage in a brawl. Of course, some are keen to try and overcome its super-powers by using more powerful vehicles.However, that won't be a very good idea when the Lamborghini Urus is dressed in police livery. After all, you might outrun the super-SUV if you have enough horsepower and skill behind the steering wheel but you'll never outrun the radio waves of police stations! Anyway, it seems there's a recent infusion of police-dressed Lambo Urus models.Late last year, we read about Lamborghini's latest collaboration with Italy's "Polizia di Stato" they have been partners for no less than two decades, and the Sant'Agata Bolognese automaker has prepared an Urus Performante for the Italian Highway Police that will enter service in 2024 after it was presented in a special event held in Rome. Now, there's yet another Urus Performante going into service with the long arm of the law halfway around the world.So, we move to the UAE (United Arab Emirates), where the Lamborghini Dubai dealership also continues its successful collaboration with the Dubai Police and recently delivered its own Urus Performante. That's a welcome change from the recent news about Lamborghini, which was all about the virtual world as of late the Telemetry X concept presented at CES 2024, Lambo's '60th Digital Parade,' or the launch of the Lanzador all-electric concept for Roblox!Anyway, during yet another special ceremony this time held during the Dubai Airshow 2023 at the end of the year - Automobili Lamborghini Middle East and Africa's boss Paolo Sartori gave the keys to the special Lambo Urus Performante super-SUV to Major General Ahmed Mohammed bin Thani, acting commander-in-chief of Dubai Police. Paolo Sartori said: "We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Dubai Police, supporting them in their crucial public safety mission. Following our delivery of an Urus to the force in 2022, this new Urus Performante edition will be used to carry out a range of public duties and, above all, will help enhance the city's security and safety, with this initiative further demonstrating our brand's longstanding presence here in the UAE."Featuring the same twin-turbo V8 as the regular Urus, the Performante now has 666 ps (657 hp) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft), allowing the super-SUV to reach a top speed of 306 kph (190 mph) and sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in just 3.3 seconds. Of course, this particular example doesn't look or act exactly like any other high-performance crossover it wears the Dubai Police livery, the rear spoiler has a blue 360 LED light bar, plus an electric siren. Meanwhile, the cockpit has many "Dubai Police essentials ," like an armored gun box, a fold-down message display, a special compartment in the trunk for storing service equipment, and a defibrillator for first aid response. The latest name to be added to Lilium's list of high-power partners is Fraport, an international airport operator known for connecting different transportation modes. Top-tier eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) makers are reaching the finish line as far as releasing the commercial version of their flagship aircraft. But a lot more needs to be done in order to kick off regular city flights, and this includes a heavy focus on infrastructure and the interconnection with conventional airline operations. This is also the main focus right now for Lilium, a German eVTOL maker claiming to bring the first-ever eVTOL jet to the global market. Lilium has joined forces with another major aviation player in Germany and beyond, Fraport. They have the difficult task of getting all the legal and regulatory issues sorted out before implementing and operating a dedicated eVTOL infrastructure system. This system will be linked to existing airports, as is the case for most air taxi operators worldwide.The German air mobility company has already secured partnerships with several airports throughout Germany, and this new partnership with Fraport is the next step it will help bring vertiports to these locations.This isn't new for Lilium. The air taxi developer has been preparing for this step over the past several years through collaboration with officials and industry partners and multiple studies.At the end of last year, Lilium also signed a memorandum with the country's largest airline, Lufthansa. That project was limited to researching all the aspects of AAM operations, with the potential of growing into "a strategic partnership." Lilium could soon become one of the pioneers of regional electric air mobility in Germany.Its potential for global success cannot be understated. After all, there's currently no other eVTOL matching the design and capabilities of this innovative electric jet. It all started with the idea of adapting the existing jet engine technology to an all-electric propulsion system. The result was a unique power-lift eVTOL that promises increased performance compared to other air taxis. Plus, it's also designed to be operated as a luxury private jet with no emissions.Designing and building a state-of-the-art flying machine was the exciting part. Now, the less-thrilling part of setting up the regulatory framework takes center stage. It's a good sign that commercial operations are closer than ever.The Lilium eVTOL jet will be manufactured in Germany. Lilium is operating a manufacturing facility in Wessling, which includes a separate battery-assembly building. Just like its industry partners, Lilium's suppliers are also some of the top players in aerospace technology, such as Honeywell, GKN Aerospace, and Aernovva. Plus, the company has secured large-scale battery production for its upcoming commercial jets, anticipating a high demand across Europe (based on the existing pre-orders from reputable customers.) If you are wondering what your next car should be, you shouldn't automatically dismiss battery-electric vehicles. Some are really good and can even help you spend less money on mobility. The ones we picked are also great for traveling long distances. Thus, you won't miss out on much. Here's what EV you should buy to avoid headaches and limitations. EV Photo: Shell The promising world of a gas-free lifestyle Don't forget about the curve kWh kW Photo: Out of Spec Studios / Porsche Porsche Taycan with the Performance Battery Plus Photo: Out of Spec Studios / Hyundai Hyundai Ioniq 5 / Hyundai Ioniq 6 / Kia EV6 Photo: Out of Spec Studios / Rivian Rivian R1T / R1S SUV Photo: Out of Spec Studios / autoevolution BMW iX M60 Photo: Out of Spec Studios / Mercedes-Benz / autoevolution Mercedes-Benz EQS / EQS SUV PHEV Thetax credit is currently available for a limited number of zero-emission vehicles because of new critical mineral sourcing and battery assembly requirements. However, those rules only apply if you're buying outright or financing.On top of that, customers must meet the yearly income limits, while the zero-emission rides must have an MSRP of $55,000 for cars and $80,000 for SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans. Fortunately, there's a way out.If the selling party transfers the credit to you, leasing an eligible EV can get you the federal perk. Rivian, for example, does that . It also includes the buyout option in the contract. That's how you can get your hands on an R1T with a $3,750 discount from Uncle Sam.Now, let's see why we're bringing these suggestions to you.Two great things about EVs are their ability to put all the power down almost instantly and the absence of a noisy engine and a trembling exhaust system. The latter guarantees the driver a more pleasant behind-the-steering-wheel experience and a quieter cabin for everybody else. Kids and the elderly might like it a lot.We could find even more likable things about (properly designed) EVs. For example, the increased cargo room available thanks to a frunk is one of them. A lower center of gravity provided by the high-voltage battery installed on the floor can make these vehicles feel slightly nimbler.But two characteristics that matter most are range and the ability to fast charge. Admittedly, efficient motors could also be squeezed in there. Some EV owners discovered why generous energy storage and good drive units matter greatly these past couple of weeks. Temperatures dropped below freezing levels, and people had to deal with a new paradigm The processes happening inside the cells are affected by colder temperatures. As a result, the EPA- or manufacturer-rated range can drop as far as -50%! Imagine if you didn't plug in overnight and woke up to a 15% state of charge. It would be unpleasant, to say the least.Thus, you want to have a decently sized high-voltage battery, a smart battery management system, and a voltage architecture that allows the vehicle to gulp on electrons. Moreover, it's very important to have parts like an octovalve or a heat pump fitted to your EV from the factory. They can considerably improve range.But the one thing that's paramount for road-tripping with an EV is the charging curve. That term describes the ability to hold onto a high charging speed for as long as possible.The Lucid Air Grand Touring , with its 112-energy storage unit, is a good example in this regard. It can add over 200 miles of range in 20 minutes when hooked to a 350-DC fast charger. However, its issue is that it can't maintain a high charging speed for longer than that.Fast charging is tricky because you're basically trying to fill a stadium. Every electron tries to find its place as quickly as possible. But as more seats are occupied, the harder it gets for these negatively charged particles to find their place.Now, let's discover the EVs that will take you places with minimum hassle. Just make sure there are enough working DC fast chargers on your route. It's easy for us to do it without relying on what lab tests or what manufacturers have to say because the Out of Spec team ran their own real-world range tests and "clocked" the charging performance of many all-electric rides.You only need to remember that the drivers preconditioned the batteries before plugging in at 0% state of charge.The cheapest Taycan you can order today starts at $90,900. It has a maximum output of 469 hp when the Overboost ability is activated.Suppose you want to take advantage of all its capabilities. In that case, you'll need the upgraded battery ($5,780), the Range Manager ($300), the 19.2-kW on-board charger (for fast AC Level 2 charging), and the on-board 150-kW charger (for proper fast-charging sessions at less powerful dispensers). That means you're looking at a starting price of $100,770 before even touching the other options like rear-wheel-steering.The good news is that for nearly $6,000, you're getting 34 miles of extra EPA-rated range. The rear-wheel-drive Taycan goes 242 miles on a single charge and in ideal conditions.That figure can look pretty abysmal at first. However, the Taycan is saved by the charging curve. It starts shy (84 kW) but quickly jumps to 250 kW when the 7% state of charge threshold is reached. The vehicle maintains it until almost half of the battery is full. You can jump from charger to charger and drive far and wide before stopping for a nap.I suggest being on the lookout for used Taycans with low mileage or even some warranty left on them. The e-tron GT previewed a grim scenario for owners. It depreciated like crazy!You could also wait for the upcoming Macan EV . It has an amazing charging curve!The South Koreans did it right from the get-go. They invested in an 800V platform and gave the world funky-looking retro-inspired zero-emission cars that can go the distance without forcing the driver to spend too much time plugged in.According to the EPA, the rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 5 (in SE/SEL/Limited trims) can travel 303 miles before needing access to a charger. The starting price of $45,700 is also pretty encouraging. Its Ioniq 6 sibling and EV6 half-sibling aren't too far off, either.But probably the best thing about these well-known E-GMP EVs is that they can suck electrons from the grid with haste. The Ioniq 5 SE, for example, can add nearly 70 miles of range in 5 minutes. As such, it's not surprising that it has a good charging curve.It starts at 100 kW, jumps to 217 kW almost immediately, and keeps upping the ante until it peaks at around 233 kW at 43% state of charge. Plug in, get a drink and something to munch on, and before you even finish your sandwich, you're good to go for another hour or more of zero-emission driving. The 72.6-kWh high-voltage battery is rather good at being an energy storage.When writing, Hyundai is also running a promo: some of its dealers are chopping $15,000 off the sticker price!Alongside Lucid, Rivian is one of the most important automotive startups. Its R1-series EVs are great. They've been well-designed and -engineered from the start. There were a couple of hiccups along the road, but nobody's perfect. The California-based brand at least fared better than Fisker.You won't regret buying an R1T or an R1S, especially if we're talking about the dual-motor large-pack configuration. The max pack shouldn't be considered because it doesn't provide a meaningful upgrade for what it is. Similarly, the quad-motor EVs are known for having more energy-hungry drive units.As such, a Rivian pickup truck orwith the 135-kWh high-voltage energy storage unit will help you remain adventurous. It may not have the coveted 800V architecture, but it can still start charging at a speed of 160 kW, advance to 200 kW at 6% state of charge, and reach a speed of 217 kW at a 43% charge level.That is what you want to see, especially if you plan on towing something. Some might argue that an 800V architecture would have also been necessary, considering the starting costs of $79,000 and $84,000, respectively.Disliked by many for its distinctive front end, the iX is actually a marvelous EV that makes BMW proud. You just have to give it a try before completely taking it off your list of possible zero-emission rides to buy.A starting cost of $111,500 gets an urban SUV with the Stormtrooper look and the 111.5-kWh high-voltage energy storage unit. The EPA says it can go 296 miles on a single charge.But what interests us is how fast it can charge. Although it doesn't have the 800V architecture, the iX M60 can take electrons from the grid rather fast. It starts charging at around 17 kW but quickly rises to the occasion by increasing the speed at 2% state of charge when it pulls electrons at 181 kW from the dispenser. It tops at 34% state of charge when the speed is 197 kW.The good thing about it is that you know BMW won't overpromise and underdeliver. The Bavarians don't like disappointing their customers.Personally, I would go with the iX xDrive50. It has the same battery. You're only missing out on 20 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque and a temporary output increase when Launch Control is turned on. But you're saving $24,400!Last but not least on our list of EVs that charge really fast are Mercedes-Benz's top-of-the-line battery-electric EQ models. The sedan and the SUV have differently sized energy storage units (108.4 kWh vs. 118 kWh), but the underlying technology is the same. They can go pretty far on a single charge and replenish the battery quickly.That's something anyone would expect from the company that invented the car, but it's not wild to expect great things from a sedan or SUV with the "S" letter in its name and a starting price of over $100,000.The EQS starts charging at a speed of 40 kW per hour but immediately goes up to 188 kW as the 2% state of charge is reached. The 203 kW limit is reached at 29% battery level, but you can keep it plugged in until 39% because the charging speed doesn't drop dramatically.As we recently reported , buying the rear-wheel-drive EQS SUV could be wise because that vehicle goes farther than expected.Finally, are there other EVs out there with impressive charging speeds? Yes. Are there valid concerns about the state of chargers equipped with the CCS connector? Yes. Can fast charging be more expensive than filling up with gas in most states? Yes.But the five we selected are your best shot at spending less time plugged in while road-tripping guilt-free. If you're still unconvinced, don't forget that major automakers make good plug-in hybrids. Something like the BMW X5 xDrive50e or the Mitsubishi Outlandercan ease your way into an all-electric lifestyle.Drive safe! When the space race started back in the mid-1950s, people were imagining we would soon not only colonize other worlds but also begin fighting for resources beyond the confines of our own planet. Yet one of the main competitors in this race dropped out, and that left us to the reality of our time. Photo: Hazegrayart Photo: Hazegrayart Always considered as the runner-up in the technological and arms race against the U.S., the Soviet Union took everyone by surprise when it launched Sputnik I in 1957. It was nothing more than a glorified beach ball made of aluminum with four whip-like antennas attached to it, but it was enough to ignite one of the most intense periods of innovation in human history.After Sputnik, the USSR seemed to have committed heavily to going up to space. It once again blew everybody's mind when it launched the first human into space, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961.It was only then when America really seems to have taken note, and announced it was targeting not a low-Earth orbit, but the Moon. And that appeares to have sent the Russians into a spin they're yet to recover from.Sure, Russia still is one of the pillars of our species' space exploration efforts, but apart from a contribution to the International Space Station, and the development of a very successful class of rockets and spacecraft called Soyuz, the world didn't get much else.That doesn't mean there weren't some great ideas being studied over the years there. One of them is called the MiG-105, and it was no more no less than a spaceplane that could have made Russia a major player in space exploration today and, who knows, might have even taken the lead from America.The MiG-105 came at a time when everyone who was anyone in space exploration was looking at reusability, in the 1960. On the American front, the research performed in this field would lead in the 1970s to the creation of the Space Shuttle. On the Russian one, it amounted to absolutely nothing.The spacecraft was the design of one of the biggest players in the world's aerospace industry, Mikoyan . It was part of a Russian space program called Spiral, and work on it was conducted for more than a decade, from 1960 to 1976.As you all know, the American space shuttle launched vertically, shooting more or less straight-up attached to boosters. The Russian idea however was more user-friendly: the spacecraft launched attached to a carrier booster that took off vertically from the back of a carrier platform.The carrier platform was nothing more than a hypersonic jet that would specifically be built for the task. This jet was supposed to be based on the Tupolev 144 and the Sukhoi T-4.It would take off in a conventional fashion from a runway and carry the MiG-105 on its back, together with a liquid fuel booster. Once a set altitude was reached, the spacecraft would separate, ignite its booster, and head for the stars.It would have gone about its business in space, and then it would have come down, just like the Space Shuttle, to land on a runway. It wasn't imagined with wheels, but with skids instead. The MiG would have only carried its pilot, and would have been reusable.The spacecraft itself was to be a delta-wing, with the wings folded upward at 60 degrees (we see something similar on today's spaceships operated by Virgin Galactic). Design-wise, it has a pretty weird shape, with a lifted nose (the whole thing was designed to wrap around its booster), a protruding cockpit, and a lowered, some would say even cavernous middle.That makes it look like a shoe, and that's why it was nicknamed by the people who got to know it firsthand the Lapot, which in Russia is a sort of bast shoe.Unlike many other spacecraft we occasionally discuss here, the MiG-105 came pretty close to becoming a reality. Although its carrier plane never made it into existence, the spacecraft did go pretty far in its development process.It was however killed in the mid-1970s because of the usual killer of such projects, money (or better yet, lack of). It did go on to inspire the Buran, that Russian spaceplane that was weirdly similar to the American space shuttle.Even if the MiG-105 never got to fly in the real world, computers can and did bring it to life, giving us yet another taste of what would have been. Animation specialist Hazegrayart put together a five-minute CGI video of the plane in action, and you can enjoy it all below this text.As usual, it's a perfect trip into a world that never came to be, one where Russia still mattered a lot in research and development. A world that would have probably looked a lot different than the one we're living in. Tesla is replacing its voice command system in China with an intelligent assistant, allowing owners to have conversations with their EVs. The change is also poised to land in the US as soon as next month if a recent report proves true. EV Before we go, heres something to discuss as a one more thing: Tesla has been internally testing basic Full Self-Driving (Beta) control overrides and mode shifting via the new voice assistant feature. Not related to V12.1.1. Cant share more details until February. Teslascope (@teslascope) January 12, 2024 Elon Musk's xAI company launched the Grok AI chatbot in November 2023, and initial reports paint it as a worthy runner-up to OpenAI's ChatGPT. It's still not as advanced or polished, but probably just as good as ChatGPT-3 was in its heyday. So far, Grok has only been available to select users with a Premium+ subscription to Elon Musk's social media network X (formerly Twitter). Still, the intelligent assistant might soon expand from smartphones' screens straight into cars' dashboards.Having voice assistant systems inside cars has been a long-time desire of many carmakers. Years ago, many of them rushed to introduce their own versions of Apple's Siri or Google's Assistant, with little success, though. In the end, carmakers failed to turn their proprietary voice assistants into something useful. Apple, Amazon, and Google have also failed to make their assistants very useful. Either because of the language barriers or the limited usefulness, voice assistants in cars have been a dead-end.However, this doesn't mean it has to remain so. Technology has advanced, and generational AI is now good enough to use natural language in more meaningful ways. Anyone who has used ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot knows that we're on the brink of having conversations with computers and being oblivious to the fact that it's not a human on the other end of the line. With this technical advancement, we're very close to having artificial intelligence do more for us inside our vehicles.Tesla update 2023.44.30.8, which in our world counts as a bug fix of a bug fix of a bug fix release , is much more feature-packed in China. Among the changes it brought is an upgrade to the in-car voice command system. This marks the first time an AI voice assistant is deployed inside a production vehicle, although many carmakers have just announced similar intentions at CES 2024.Unlike current voice commands, which only translate your voice input into commands, the voice assistant can actually respond to your questions. You can have a meaningful conversation with it, including about the weather, stock prices, and others, all in a natural voice. It can also double as an owner's manual, as it can answer questions about the car, on top of anything the previous voice command system was able to do.Tesla doesn't say if Grok or a separate AI system powers the voice assistant. Still, it would probably not make sense to develop two similar projects. In fact, Elon Musk has hinted at Grok running natively on Tesla EVs in a post on X. While the feature is rolling out in China, it might not take long before we'll be able to also use it in the US and other Western markets. According to a report by Teslascope, themaker is planning a similar move as soon as February.According to the report, Tesla is already testing "FSD Beta control overrides and mode shifting" with the new voice assistant feature. Since the account said it could not share more details about it until February, we take this as a timeframe for a public release. Teslascope confirmed that this is very similar to the voice assistant feature deployed in China, so stay tuned for more on this exciting new feature. In a weekend speech, Pashinian pointed to Bakus continuing reluctance to recognize his countrys borders certified by Soviet maps and renewed demands for an extraterritorial corridor to the Nakhichevan exclave that would pass through a strategic Armenian region. I consider recent statements from Baku to be a serious blow to the peace process. The first impression is that Azerbaijan is trying to generate territorial claims against Armenia, which is unacceptable, he told members of his Civil Contract party at a meeting held in the eastern town of Gavar. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his senior aides have said in recent weeks that Baku and Yerevan should sign a bilateral peace treaty before agreeing on how to delimit the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Aliyev made clear on January 10 that Baku continues to reject Yerevans insistence on using the most recent Soviet military maps printed in the 1970s as a basis for the border delimitation. In that regard, Aliyev again accused Armenia of occupying eight Azerbaijani villages. He referred to several small enclaves inside Armenia which were controlled by Azerbaijan in Soviet times and occupied by the Armenian army in the early 1990s. For its part, the Azerbaijani side seized at the time a bigger Armenian enclave. It also occupied other Armenian border areas following the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier this month Baku renewed its demands for the so-called Zangezur corridor. Aliyev insisted that people and cargo transported to and from Nakhichevan through Armenias Syunik province must be exempt from Armenian border checks. Another senior Azerbaijani official said on January 5 that Armenia has an obligation to do so under the terms of the Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Pashinian countered that it contains no provisions calling for an extraterritorial corridor to Nakhichevan. He also charged that Azerbaijan and Russia effectively scrapped the truce accord with Bakus September 19-20 military offensive in Karabakh that restored Azerbaijani control over the region and forced its population to flee to Armenia. There is no way that document can no longer be valid for two parties [that signed it] but continue to be valid for the third party, he said. Meanwhile, Armenian opposition leaders on Monday portrayed the latest verbal exchanges between Baku and Yerevan as another vindication of their claims that the peace treaty touted Pashinians administration would not be a safeguard against another Armenian-Azerbaijani war. They said Pashinians stance is only encouraging Aliyev to seek further Armenian concessions even after the recapture of Karabakh. If those two key provisions -- the border delimitation and the unblocking of regional transport links -- are left out of the treaty, it will not eliminate the existing threats [to Armenias security] in any way, said Tigran Abrahamian of the Pativ Unem bloc. That could lead to an escalation of the situation, including the outbreak of fighting, at any moment. If Nikol Pashinian had normal structures that would assess the military-political situation in a proper and timely way, they would quickly see that Azerbaijan's offer of peace is a deception, said Seyran Ohanian, the parliamentary leader of another opposition bloc, Hayastan. 15 January 2024 13:21 (UTC+04:00) Abbas Ganbay Read more The appeal against the sentence of Vagif Khachatryan, who was found guilty of committing genocide against Azerbaijanis, was reviewed, Azernews reports. The decision was announced at the last session of the Baku Court of Appeal. The panel of judges chaired by Hasan Ahmadov did not find any violation of the law in the verdict regarding V. Khachatryan. According to the decision, the appeal was not satisfied, and the verdict of the first instance court was upheld. It should be noted that Khachatryan Vagif Cherkezovich is accused of the genocide of peaceful Azerbaijanis who lived in Meshali village of Khojaly region in December 1992 together with other persons of Armenian nationality and other serious crimes. 103 (genocide) and 107 (deportation or forced transfer of the population), 116.0.1, 116.0 of the Criminal Code against him. 6., 116.0.11 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict) and other articles. According to the judgment of the Baku Military Court, V. Khachatryan was found guilty of the charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00) Elnur Enveroglu Read more A sharp incline in France-Azerbaijan relations towards tension remains high on the agenda. While Azerbaijan is a country allied with the European Union, such a situation with France also raises a number of questions. Most importantly, it is very interesting how long this tension will last and what will this end up with. First of all, we addressed our questions to Dr. Frank Musmar, a political analyst and expert in the Middle East, Turkiye and the Caucasus, in order to find out more about the causes of the tension. Speaking to AZERNEWS, the expert explained the fact that France has recently been more active in the center of the South Caucasus with several reasons. First up, we should agree that France has the world's third-largest Armenian diaspora community behind Russia and the United States. It has the largest Armenian community in the European Union, with estimates of nearly 750,000 people and more than half a million French-Armenian citizens. Moreover, the private sector is also represented extensively, with approximately twenty French local governments involved in twinning schemes and cooperation projects with Armenia in various areas, including tourism and healthcare. In addition, France is the second-largest foreign investor in Armenia, behind Russia, the expert said. However, the reasons that attract France to the South Caucasus cannot be limited to this. Of course, Frances spoiling the relations with an ally of EU like Azerbaijan, is not a simple matter. Clarifying the issue from different angles, Dr. Musmar noted that the Russian factor also plays an important role here. Increasing the support to Armenia includes the Russian, Great Britain, and Turkish dimensions. France and NATO, in general, are working to distance Armenia from Russia despite being a member of the Moscow-led CSTO military bloc, especially after Russia and President Vladimir Putin neglected to support Armenia in the conflict against Azerbaijan, he said. The political analyst also touched on the long-standing contention between France and Great Britain. France's historical geopolitical rivalry with Great Britain is an underestimated driver of its actions in the South Caucasus. Intense rivalries across multiple continents marked the opposition between the French and British Empires. Despite being NATO allies today, Parisian diplomacy remains imbued with deep-rooted competition with London, Dr. Musmar added. Approaching the issue from another angle, the expert also connected it with the Ottoman history, as well as with the further development of the modern Turkiye-Azerbaijan relations. Dr. Frank Musmar noted that France's jealousy of Ottoman and its surrounding geography arose in the 16th-19th centuries. This is the historical fact that the Ottoman Empire and France dominated the Mediterranean from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Initially, they formed alliances against common adversaries, but as France's colonial ambitions expanded, they began to conflict with Ottoman interests in North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. The relationship with modern Turkiye continued to be sensitive, especially considering the military alliance between Turkiye and Azerbaijan. More importantly, the Zangazur Corridor is a Turkish corridor that could unite the Turkish race and help the economies of Azerbaijan and Turkiye flourish. The tract is running along Armenia's border with Iran. France is monitoring Baku's forces to make the move to capture it, such a move that could inflame a broader conflict in the Southern Caucasus, an area where all French rivalries have interests, such as Turkiye, Russia, and Iran, all have core strategic interests, the expert emphasized. Of course, Azerbaijan does not want any critical issues to emerge in relations with France or the West. Even at a moment when the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is progressing, more support from the is needed across counries. According to Dr. Musmar, the West's support for the processes in the South Caucasus is primarily determined by its interests. The Western superpowers always welcome normalization of the relationship with any country; however, it all depends on what the West will gain and lose from such a move. The secret of the success of any Diaspora is the corporations. The West is operated and controlled by corporations, and the Armenian diaspora is always successful in influencing the political decisions of the West by getting involved in business with the corporations that are considered the real decision-makers in the Western world, he noted. It is interesting whether the change of the current government in France can affect the relations with the region relatively. In response to this question, the expert said that Western policy is unchanged. The Western foreign policies do not change; they follow a line of continuations that every government adheres to. However, the policy application looks different for the inexpert from one government to another, he concluded. --- Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews Deputy Editor-in-Chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published in December 2023 found that the ERCOT grid heavily relies on natural gas for backup power in case of a blackout. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer The Electric Reliability Council of Texas asked residents to begin conserving energy Monday morning as parts of the state, including Houston, plunge into freezing temperatures in the coming days. Citing the winter weather, high demand and unseasonably low wind, ERCOT asked Texans to conserve their electricity use between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Monday as the organization expected operating reserves to be low during those hours. Tomorrows conservation appeal does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time, Texas grid operator said in a statement Sunday. ERCOT will remain vigilant and communicate further if conditions change. Advertisement Article continues below this ad ERCOT forecasts peak demand during the cold snap this week to occur at 8 a.m. Tuesday and hit more than 81,000 megawatts. Peak demand in January 2023 was 65,632 megawatts. The organization said if you are experiencing outages it is local and recommended calling your electricity company. ERCOT also urged state agencies to take measures to conserve energy during those hours. 15 January 2024 12:14 (UTC+04:00) Nigar Hasanova Read more In January-December 2023, Turkiye reduced its cement export to Azerbaijan by 2.9 percent to $50.9 million compared to the same period of 2022. Azernews reports that TurkicWorld was informed about this by the Ministry of Trade of Turkiye. In December, Turkiye's cement exports to Azerbaijan increased by 0.9 percent to 5.7 million dollars compared to the same month of 2022. It should be noted that in January-December 2023, Turkiye's cement export decreased by 15.5 percent compared to the same period of 2022 and reached 4.6 million dollars. In December 2023, Turkiye exported cement for 353 thousand dollars, which is 19.7 percent less than in November 2022. It was noted that during the last 12 months (December 2022-December 2023), Turkiye exported cement for 4.6 billion dollars. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 14:22 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and a number of representatives of state structures, including local companies, will participate in the World Economic Forum to be held in Davos, Switzerland, Azernews reports, citing Economy Ministry. "The Minister of Economy will leave for Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum. The program of visits and meetings is being finalized. The delegation will also include representatives of a number of state and private companies of Azerbaijan," the source said. According to the agenda of the Davos Economic Forum, Mikayil Jabbarov will participate in the "COP28 and the Road Ahead" discussions scheduled for January 16. International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol, US President's special representative on climate issues John Kerry, ENGIE Group CEO Kathryn McGregor and Sally Buzby from "The Washington Post" newspaper will also participate in those discussions. "The participation of the representative of Azerbaijan in these discussions is logical, as COP29 will be held in Baku," the source stressed. It should be noted that the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum was held on January 14. The forum will continue until January 19. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 15:52 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more The volume of exported agriculture increases in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports. Access to paid information is limited Find the plan that suits you best. 15 January 2024 17:56 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Azerbaijan National Art Museum has been always attractive to visitors with its diverse collection and engaging exhibitions. Founded in 1937, National Art Museum offers art connoisseurs some of the best examples of decorative-applied arts of Western Europe. Over 3,000 items in 60 rooms are on permanent display at the museum and around 12,000 items are kept in storage. Here, you can see masterpieces of the Italian, French, German and Polish masters of brush. The museum has successfully organized and hosted numerous high-level international exhibitions, showcasing the works of renowned artists. These exhibitions have not only attracted art enthusiasts but have also contributed to the cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and other countries. The National Art Museum has recently signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Georgian National Art Museum. The memorandum reflects such areas of activity as exhibition exchange; holding conferences, seminars, training related to museum work; exchange of experience in the protection, conservation and restoration of movable cultural property, creation of electronic catalogs; cooperation within the framework of international programs and projects, etc. Earlier, the National Art Museum started cooperation with the Aegean University in Izmir,Turkiye. The partnership aimed at strengthening cultural ties and promoting relations between the two countries. The museum continues to enthrall both adults and children alike. In its latest endeavor, the museum is preparing an exciting new project specifically for young visitors. The National Art Museum is launching a new project called "Art history for children". Within the project, children will immerse themselves in the world of art full of adventures and travel to different eras. In the project, which includes Azerbaijani and world art, children will gain new knowledge about the history of art from ancient times to the present day, listen to lectures, and get acquainted with masterpieces that have influenced history and culture. The event starts with "Ancient Egyptian art", one of the richest civilizations in human history. In the program, which will be held on Saturdays and Sundays in January, children will discover the history of Egyptian art, the magnificent pyramids, the mysterious world of the pharaohs, clothing style of the ancient Egyptians, etc. The young history enthusiasts will learn more about pharaoh's mask, chest decoration-pectoral and other decorative accessories. The Azerbaijan National Art Museum promises an enriching and unforgettable experience. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 11:24 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more The State Security Service (SSS) of the Republic of Azerbaijan continues its operational and investigative measures in the direction of combating transnational organized crime. According to the information given to Azernews by SSS, recently the actions of the transnational organized criminal group, which provides official the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan and other countries with illegal documents belonging to the state of Ukraine so that they can live in different states under the name of Ukrainian citizens, get asylum, and move freely without a visa, have been exposed. "During the investigations, it was determined that Nuriyev Ibad Gahraman Oglu, who lived in Lviv, Ukraine, Bagirov Farid Vagif Oglu, who lived in Istanbul, Turkiye, and others, in the case of a group of accomplices in advance, have illegally prepared Ukrainian passports, identity and driver's licenses, as well as other documents for individuals and sold them for various amounts of up to 30,000 US dollars each since January 2023. As a result of the measures implemented by the SSS, those persons were arrested and brought to the investigation in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and they were charged with the illegal preparation, sale of such fake documents and other criminal acts for the purpose of using the right-giving and exempting certificates and other official documents. Investigations have also identified persons operating with forged documents in various states. Currently, intensive investigative and operational measures are being carried out in connection with the mentioned and other related crimes," the information says. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 11:39 (UTC+04:00) Abbas Ganbay Read more The snowy panorama in Aghali village of Zangilan district is mesmerizing. Young residents of the village experienced genuine joy at the snowfall, Azernews reports, citing local media. The snow that started in Zangilan district intensified in a short time. The snowfall, which continued throughout the night, completely enveloped the village in a white blanket. At present, the snowfall in the village continues. The remarkable natural phenomenon has caused joy among children as well. The little residents of Aghali are now playing snowballs and are happy about winter. Azerbaijan local media regional staff member captured these joyful moments of the children in a photo. RecallJuly 19 will mark as first anniversary since the first families settled in the Aghali village of the liberated Zangilan district People who have been longing for almost 30 years returned to their homeland on this day last year and started living there. Based on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, the first pilot project was implemented in the Aghali village of the Zangilan district in the territories freed from occupation. In the rebuilt village of Aghali, moder city planning standards such as smart lighting of the streets, construction of warm and cold-resistant ecological houses, and installation of solar panels have been applied. Also, to provide the village with sustainable energy, an Archimedes screw turbine hydropower station was built on the Hakari River. The station, where three generators are installed, can fully meet the electricity demand of Aghali village. ASAN, DOST, Small and Medium Business Development Agency, State Agrarian Development Center services, as well as school, kindergarten, medical center, public catering facilities etc. are operating in the village. To date, 871 people from 175 families have been relocated to the Aghali village of the Zangilan district. Currently, the houses built in the village are being repaired and once the repair is complete, the further settlement of the families will be carried out. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 10:55 (UTC+04:00) President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev has participated in the opening of the new military hospital complex of the State Border Service in Baku, Azernews reports. Chief of the State Border Service, Colonel General Elchin Guliyev reported to President of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev. The head of state then was informed of the hospital complex situated at Fatali Khan Khoyski Street, 99 in Baku. The old building of the military hospital was built in the 70s of the 20th century. The new military hospital incorporates state-of-the-art medical examination and treatment facilities, integrating the latest scientific and technical advancements along with lessons learned from war experiences. The construction of the military hospital, spanning eight floors and including auxiliary buildings, was executed using modern technologies and advanced practices. Covering a total area of 24,760 square meters, the 240-bed hospital boasts 903 rooms, 17 departments and 80 wards. The capacity can be expanded to 700 beds during the military period. The establishment of the Emergency Medical Center ensures the 24-hour reception of patients in critical condition. Throughout the year, the military hospital is equipped to handle 100,000 to 110,000 outpatients and 17,000 to 20,00 inpatients. The hospital has waiting rooms, meeting rooms, dining areas and a laboratory. A maternity center for the female military personnel within the State Border Service was also established. President Ilham Aliyev concluded the event by participating in a group photo session with the medical staff. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 13:14 (UTC+04:00) Nigar Hasanova Read more State control over the activities of natural monopoly entities is continued by the Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control State Service under the Ministry of Economy. The State Service informed that applications were received from several forwarding (private transport) companies operating through the infrastructure of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Azernews reports. "In the petitions, it was stated that Azerbaijan Railways CJSC allowed unfair competition and discrimination against those companies, as well as unjustified refusal to cooperate with market subjects." Based on the received information, the State Service investigated the state of compliance with the requirements of the antimonopoly legislation in this direction. As a result of the investigation, Azerbaijan Railways CJSC was brought to the anti-monopoly legislation on the signs of restricting competition in the market, intentionally disrupting and stopping the competitor's business relations by illegal means, forcing him to accept contract terms that are not beneficial to the counterparty or not related to the content of the contracts, and influencing the execution of business decisions by illegal means. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 15:16 (UTC+04:00) Abbas Ganbay Read more The ceremony of swearing-in of young lawyers admitted to service in the Prosecutor's Office is being held in Baku, the Prosecutor General's Office has reported, Azernews reports. The rector of ADA University, Professor Hafiz Pashayev, as well as officials of the General Prosecutor's Office and employees of the Prosecutor's Office, take part in the event as guests of honor. General Prosecutor Kamran Aliyev, speaking at the oath ceremony of young employees admitted to service in the Prosecutor's Office said that over the last 21 years, 1,203 people have been recruited to work in the Prosecutor's Office bodies "Among them are 1,097 men, 106 women. At present, 1,009 of them continue to work in the prosecutor's office. At the same time, 89.1% of the staff of the prosecutor's office are citizens hired by competition," the prosecutor general said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 08:00 (UTC+04:00) Kazakhstan firmly supports the "one China" principle and considers Taiwan an integral part of Chinese territory, Report informs referring to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. "In connection with the elections held in Taiwan, the Republic of Kazakhstan reiterates its strong support for the 'one China' principle and reaffirms that the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China, and Taiwan is an integral part of the territory of China," the foreign ministry noted. We support the efforts of the government of the Peoples Republic of China to achieve the peaceful reunification of the country, the foreign ministry added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz For its grand opening, Miami-based burger chain Pincho will offer free or discounted Latin American-inspired hamburgers at its new Woodlands-area location all day Jan. 19 at 9662 Texas 242, Suite 110 in Conroe. Pincho For its grand opening, Miami-based burger chain Pincho will offer free or discounted Latin American-inspired hamburgers at its new Woodlands-area location all day Jan. 19 at 9662 Texas 242, Suite 110 in Conroe. Pincho's menu includes a diverse array of Latin American-inspired American classics. Pincho For its grand opening, Miami-based burger chain Pincho will offer free or discounted Latin American-inspired hamburgers at its new Woodlands-area location all day Jan. 19 at 9662 Texas 242, Suite 110 in Conroe. Founder Otto Othman, left, and culinary director Adrian Sanchez enjoy menu items from Pincho, a burger joint offering American classics with a Latin American twist. Pincho For its grand opening, Miami-based burger chain Pincho will offer free or discounted Latin American-inspired hamburgers at its new Woodlands-area location all day Jan. 19 at 9662 Texas 242, Suite 110 in Conroe. The Miami-based burger joint got its start from Otto Othram's mother's "pinchos," or kebabs, which are still served on the menu. Pincho For its grand opening, Miami-based burger chain Pincho will offer free or discounted Latin American-inspired hamburgers at its new Woodlands-area location all day Jan. 19. Offering a diverse menu of unique burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and kebabs, the burger joint will open its third Houston-area location at Harpers Preserve near Conroe and The Woodlands. Now with 12 locations across South Florida and Texas, the restaurant had humble beginnings in co-founder Otto Othmans family kitchen. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Othmans mom is Middle Eastern, and she raised him in Brazil; when the two cultures flavors combined into her homecooked pinchos, or kebabs, it became an instant cookout favorite with Othmans friends. It became a thing over the years, Othman said. Long story short, today we have 12 restaurants, all from that Fourth of July barbecue. After gaining traction from foodies and the Latin American and Caribbean community, Pincho quickly expanded throughout Miami. Then came franchising requests from Houston. When the company conducted a study on cities with a similar market, Houston once again came up. In Houston, we have a really big and growing Venezuelan population and South American population outside of the Mexican and El Salvadorian Hispanics that we have out here, Pinchos Conroe general manager Robie Robinson said. I think for some people, were giving them that home memory food, and then were also exposing a lot of people to something different that they havent had before. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Pincho offers a Latin American twist on American classics. Burgers range from the classic Colombian and Venezuelan Pincho burger to the Caribbean-inspired tostone burger and Spanish-influenced broken egg burger,which comes with Manchego cheese, potato sticks, a broken sunny side up egg, black garlic truffle aioli, and Jamon Serrano. Hot dogs are topped with applewood smoked bacon, pineapples, Pincho and cilantro sauce and papitas, while plates and bowls offer a variety of meats and veggies. Most popular in the Houston area, however, is the original kebab, Othman said. Specifically in Houston, weve gotten an incredible response around the flavor profile of the food, Othman said. Were doing twice the amount of kebabs (in Houston.) The response has been so enthusiastic that Othman has considered moving the companys headquarters to Texas in the future. Advertisement Article continues below this ad After a 10:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting, the restaurant will offer free Pincho burgers to its first 100 customers and will have $5 Pincho burgers all day long Jan. 19. All of its opening day profits will go to Family Promise of Montgomery County, a local shelter for families experiencing homelessness. Robinson said he expects a high turnout for the grand opening and looks forward to getting involved with the Conroe community as Pincho grows roots in the area. ALSO SEE: Montgomery County permanently closes Lake Conroe Park due to lack of use by residents There are a million burger joints out there, but we have our distinct flavor, Robinson said. Its really starting to hit a chord with people. Word of mouth is starting to spread, and it will only continue to spread as we enlarge our footprint in the Houston market. Pinchos newest restaurant is at 9662 Texas 242, Suite 110 in Conroe. 15 January 2024 10:21 (UTC+04:00) Abbas Ganbay Read more German Defence Ministry is developing a plan of action in case of an attack by the Russian Armed Forces after the victory over the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported by the German edition of Bild, Azernews reports, citing foreign sources. According to the source, the Bundeswehr believes that in a few weeks, there will be an escalation between NATO and the Russian Federation. The article also says that the Russian Armed Forces will launch a large-scale offensive in Ukraine and defeat the AFU, which has faced a lack of help from Western countries. According to Bild, the German Defence Ministry expects ethnic clashes to start in the Baltics after that, against which the Russian army will move troops to Kaliningrad to attack the Suvalki corridor. It is noted that NATO will move 300,000 soldiers to the eastern flank for "reliable deterrence". --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 13:37 (UTC+04:00) Abbas Ganbay Read more A trade route through Iran linking Armenia and India is planned to be opened by May 2024. This was announced by Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan, Azernews reports. "This is our goal, we have agreed to solve all issues by May this year to have a properly working trade route between the Indian port of Mumbai to Armenia via Iran (Chabahar port - ed)," Kerobyan said. The Minister explained that the other day he met with his Indian counterpart, as well as the head of the company-operator of the Indian section of Chabahar port. The parties outlined an action plan to be implemented by May. The proposed trade route is part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometer-long network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving cargo. The INSTC, originally decided between India, Iran, and Russia in 2000, aims to reduce the cost and transit time between India and Russia by about 30 percent and more than half, respectively. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 23:55 (UTC+04:00) As a result of a joint special operation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan, over 400 people were detained, Azernews reports, citing the Kazakh media. "The Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the National Security Committee, under the coordination of the Prosecutor General's Office, eliminated the largest network of illegal online casinos operating under the guise of lottery clubs," the report says. More than 3 thousand employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Security Committee were involved in conducting one of the largest special operations. "Security guards and administrators organized intimate services for VIP clients. The facts of pandering and drug use are also recorded. Over 400 people were taken to the police during the special operation. Eight main organizers of the criminal scheme have been detained, including citizens of countries near and far abroad," said Kuandyk Alpys, head of the Department for Combating Organized Crime. 570 searches were conducted in the premises and offices of lotto clubs across the country. 23 firearms and traumatic weapons, cash in the amount of 247 million tenge (547.3 thousand dollars), 55 million rubles (624 thousand dollars), 125 thousand dollars, computer equipment and mobile devices were seized. "As a result, the activities of 326 lotto clubs were suppressed. Servers have been installed and blocked through which online casinos were broadcast from abroad in Kazakhstan," the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 23:30 (UTC+04:00) After the US airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, Qatar suspended the shipment of LNG tankers through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Azernews reports, citing Bloomberg. According to the data, at least five LNG vessels en route to the strait have stopped their movement since Friday. This could create risks of supply disruptions from one of the largest LNG exporters to Europe amid a cold winter. However, a shortage is unlikely in the near future, since Europe has well stocked up on gas, and industrial demand remains low, the agency notes. Three LNG tankers bound for Europe stopped off the coast of Oman. Two more empty vessels returning to Qatar suspended traffic on both sides of Bab el Mandeb. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 15 January 2024 21:45 (UTC+04:00) Somalias prime minister warned Ethiopia on Sunday not to intervene in Somali territories, Azernews reports, citing Anadolu Agency. In a statement during a program in the capital Mogadishu, Hamza Abdi Barre emphasized that a sea access agreement signed earlier this month between Ethiopia and Somaliland is void. He stressed that if Ethiopia intervenes in Somali territories, it must bear the consequences. "Ethiopia cannot interfere in Somali lands. If they attempt such an intervention, they will withdraw carrying their dead. Somali territories cannot be obtained through songs or threats," he said. The Somali government had recalled its ambassador from Ethiopia after the country signed the sea access agreement with Somaliland, which unilaterally declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. Through the memorandum of understanding signed on Jan. 1, Somaliland permitted Ethiopia to use its coasts for both commercial and military purposes, including the strategic Red Sea port of Berbera. Somaliland had also announced that Ethiopia would recognize its independence with the finalization of the agreement. In response, hundreds of people in Somalia protested against Ethiopia, including a number of prominent Somalis. Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991. In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations. The separation resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports. Ethiopia has since been landlocked, affecting its ability to conduct efficient maritime trade. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Georgia Andrews sinks her head down into her scarf and jacket as braces for wind in the 35-degree weather while watching runners race along Washington Avenue during the Chevron Houston Marathon, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Houston ISD officials announced Monday afternoon the district would close schools Tuesday, joining the majority of Houston-area districts in canceling classes due to freezing weather and hazardous driving conditions. "The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and the decision to close schools is one that the District does not take lightly," district spokesman Jose Irizarry said in a statement. HISD officials said they planned on holding classes on Tuesday as recently as 2:30 p.m. Monday, but persistently wet, frigid weather and rapidly deteriorating roadways forced the district to reconsider its position. Most other area schools, including larger suburban districts such as Katy, Fort Bend and Cypress-Fairbanks ISDs, had already announced their decision hours earlier. Advertisement Article continues below this ad LIVE WEATHER UPDATES: Get the latest on cold weather in Houston. Mayor John Whitmire held a news conference at 3 p.m. to plead with Houstonians to stay home if possible on Tuesday, and said he had urged HISD Superintendent Mike Miles to cancel classes. "I would do everything possible, as we are in the city, to minimize the risk," Whitmire said. "Obviously, I do not run HISD (but) I've communicated our plans to Superintendent Miles ... I hope he makes the right decision." Irizarry said there were "a number of considerations to weigh" in the closing of schools, including that "many HISD parents and caregivers will still have to go to work tomorrow and some children will not have a hot meal given that they will not be in school." Transportation workers tested the heating system on buses over the weekend and had planned to arrive to work early Tuesday morning to warm them up for students, Irizarry said. District employees already turned up the heat at HISD schools Sunday and custodial staff were set to arrive to school early Tuesday to ensure that campuses are comfortable for students and staff. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "We have been monitoring the local weather conditions and roads. Taking all factors into account, we believe that closing schools tomorrow, January 16, is the best course of action for most families under the circumstances," Irizarry said. The frigid air mass that pushed into the Houston area over the weekend is expected to drop temperatures to some of their lowest levels of the week on Tuesday morning, plummeting temperatures to the lower to middle 20s before rising into the 30s later in the day. Most other Houston-area districts announced that classes would be canceled Tuesday because of the weather. Those districts included: Spring Branch ISD, Humble ISD, Friendswood ISD, Channelview ISD and Alief ISD. We remember Martin Luther King Jr. and his contributions to the Civil Rights movement today. I just heard that many members of the King family and the Kennedy family are requesting that an investigation be opened (re-opened) into the assassinations of JFK, MLK Jr, RFK, and Malcolm X. It would be about time we finally learned the truth about why these men were deemed too powerful or too controversial for their time and who arranged their assassinations. Anyway, when I taught government and politics, I stressed the writings of Martin Luther King. To phrase the civil rights movement for blacks as cashing in on a promissory note that had been denied them for too long was brilliant and perfect. I think his letters from a Birmingham jail are the most compelling. I read them and I wonder why it took so long (100 years) for society to treat black people with the dignity and equality they deserve. Equality was enshrined, by letter and spirit, in the Reconstruction era amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th), adopted in the years shortly after the end of the War of Northern Aggression, but it took a man like Martin Luther King Jr, with his charisma and passion, his intellect, his articulation of man's injustice to his fellow man, and his call for peaceful protest that finally convinced national leaders to end the segregation that instinctively taught and reinforced that persons of different skin color were inherently different and unequal.I'm glad God blessed Martin Luther King with the voice and the messaging, and the passion and fortitude to lead his people to the promised land. I just pray that we move forward from this current era where certain people and groups believe that everything you need to know about a person can be gleaned from his or her skin color. If people truly believe that, then much of MLK's legacy is already forgotten.On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I hope everyone will read the following excerpt from King's letter from a Birmingham jail to understand the depths to which blacks were mistreated and burdened with second-class treatment. King's life was cut short , just as great men before him who dared to challenge the existing order and politics have been assassinated. We can only imagine what other great things he would have gone on to do and what other great writings he would have contributed.Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day !! Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. as he prepares to deliver his speech, "I Have a Dream," during his March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963: Above. I Have a Dream (text) Few public figures, in the last half of the twentieth century, have commanded as much world-wide attention as the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. A staunch advocate for the social equity of an oppressed People, Reverend King, worked tirelessly to secure their freedom, and paid the ultimate sacrifice by losing his own life, when he was felled by a sniper's bullet, while standing of the balcony in front of his second story motel room in Memphis Tennessee on April 4, 1968.Not unlike Abraham Lincoln's untimely demise some 103 years earlier, who was also assassinated in defense of a cause to literally free an oppressed people from the bondage of slavery, I have always wondered just how different it would have been if Martin Luther King, Jr. had also survived martyrdom, and had continued in his endeavor to better the plight of theLike Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. was an exceptional man of profound qualities, and should he have survived, he would have been a profound asset to his People, and all Americans as a whole. Of course, if Abraham Lincoln had not been murdered by John Wilkes Booth, at the Ford Theater in downtown Washington, DC, on April 15, 1865, there may have never been a need for the sacrifice of Reverend King ... but that is another discussion for another day.Martin Luther King, the orator of consumate skill, is best known for hisspeech deliver to a great throng of social activists from all races, all walks of life, who had gathered between the symbolic Lincoln Monument and the Washington Monument, August 28, 1963, to hear the man and spread his powerful message offor all people, and especially for the oppressed among us.Here below is the video of that pivotal speech and the text of Reverend Martin Luther King's powerful words uttered that day.I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights,We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.I have a dream today.I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.I have a dream today.I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." Considering what real news is available for all to witness, and in great specificity, should one pursue what is true outside of the channeled realm of the corrupt corporate /legacy media, and: Is Institutionalized Corruption real, and is it a hindrance to sustaining our Constitutional Republic now, and for future generations of American citizens? Yes No Not sure 412 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? poll#164 It has been far too many years since the Woke theology interlaced its canons within the fabric of the Indoctrination Realm, so it is nigh time to ask: Does this Representative Republic continue, as a functioning society of a self-governed people, by contending with the unusual, self absorbed dictates of the Woke, and their vast array of Victimhood scenarios? Yes, the Religion of Woke must continue; there are so many groups of underprivileged, underserved, a direct result of unrelenting Inequity; they deserve everything. No; the Woke fools must be toppled from their self-anointed pedestal; a functioning society of a good Constitutional people cannot withstand this level of "existential" favoritism as it exists now. I just observe; with this thoughtful observation: What will happen "when the Vikings are breeching our walls;" how do the Woke react? 841 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? More than 30 synagogues in Massachusetts were targeted with bomb threats on Sunday, just days after its largest city, Boston, rejected millions of dollars in federal anti-terrorism grant money due to the belief that funding law enforcement could be racist.The city council rejected the grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in a contentious 6 to 6 vote, with the opposition arguing that giving more funds to law enforcement wouldto minority communities. The grant was intended to fundaccording to a letter from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to the council.Sunday's bomb threats would be the sort of incidents the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region would use the funding to train for. Police responded to the bomb threats - which turned out to be hoaxes - and swept several synagogues, where no explosives were found.The council's decision deprives several surrounding towns that are within the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region of the benefits from the funding as Boston is the lead city that has the authority to accept the funding. Brookline, one of the towns impacted, had two synagogues threatened directly by an email stating that bombs were inside the buildings and would go off in a few hours, a spokesperson for the town's police department told The Daily Wire.public information officer Paul Campbell said.Councilor Michael Flaherty, who voted in favor of the anti-terrorism funding, said the rejection was an embarrassment.Flaherty said according to the Boston Herald.Council President Ed Flynn said the funding is important considering the city's history of terror attacks - noting not only the Boston Marathon bombing, but also that terrorists departed from Boston's Logan International Airport before hijacking planes that crashed into the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2011.Flynn said, according to the Boston Herald.FBI Boston spokesperson Kristen Cetera urged the community toafter Sunday's threats.she said.State Police trooper Brandon Doherty said hundreds of other Jewish institutions received similar threats nationwide over the weekend.Doherty told The Daily Wire.The votes opposing the funding came from Councilors Ricardo Arroyo, Liz Breadon, Kendra Lara, Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, and Brian Worrell.Lara, who lost her reelection bid and appeared in court earlier this year for crashing into a house with her child in the car, skipped work last week for aThe Daily Mail reported.Louijeune, during the meeting, said there needed to be morebefore moving forward with grants, arguing that the city had to ensureBRIC, the Boston police department intelligence gathering wing, has been under fire in recent years by critics who claim it disproportionately tracks people of color with its gang database. After heated debate, $3.4 million from four years' worth of held-up state funding for BRIC passed in October, according to WBUR.A Democrat state senator said the vote enabled politics to come before public health and responded by introducing legislation on Friday to strip the Boston City Council of the power to approve public safety grants.Nick Collins who represents South Boston told the Boston Herald.Under Collin's legislation, the state legislature and the governor would approve funding rather than local councils.Wu plans to refile the grant next year after newly elected members of the city council take office.Wu and the city councilors did not respond to a request for comment. Considering the deep morass of complete incompetence at the Federal level, in the executive branch of our self-governed People, unarguably the worst in modern times; if certain changes could be made by Impeachment of those most qualified: Who would be your best choice because of abject Corruption, incompetence, or both? Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Attorney General Merrick Garland President Joseph R. Biden Are you a MAGA Extremist, and do not know any better? These are our best of days, not our worst. FBI Director Christopher Wray 171 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? poll#209 In the minds of many, since January 20, 2021, the World has become far less safe in every theater of conflict, beginning with the attack of Israel by Iran /Hamas, so the question becomes: What caused this Worldwide calamity of extreme geopolitical dysfunction, and what will correct it? Joe Biden is the cause of this frightening Worldwide situation, and it will end when a Republican is elected president. This delayed Worldwide dysfunction and constant conflict is all Donald Trump's fault, as it is with everything that occurs going forward, and long before the man ever became the 45th president.. Joe Biden is the "root cause" of this frightening Worldwide situation, and it will end when former President Donald John Trump is elected president. In the imitable words of Alfred E. Newman: "What, me worry?" 394 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? poll#211 26 days after the October 7th Terror attacks on Israel, where over 1400 Jewish men, women and children were gruesomely murdered, and hundreds more made hostage: Should the Biden /Harris administration finally state that the administration's primary Middle East negotiating partner, Iran, is behind the funding and strategy of the aggressors, the Hamas Terrorists, or continue to take the more moderate position of "Don't," which is clearly not working? Yes, name Iran as the funding /strategy culprit, and begin to enforce the President Trump era sanctions to END Iran's ability to prosecute this war against Israel and the United States. No, Iran is a valuable partner in the motives of the Biden / Harris administration, and must not be named as the culprit and our enemy. I have larger concerns just to survive in this economy. 287 total vote(s) What's your Opinion? Foreigners bought 3.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land in 2020, and now own or lease nearly two percent of the entire US landmass, according to new federal data.the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a report released this month.Interest in U.S. farmland from other countries was once rare, but has skyrocketed in recent years, apparently largely because of foreign-controlled wind energy farms.USDA said.Citizens of the United Arab Emirates controlled 46,496 acres; Venezuelans 28,218; Saudis 18,586; Egyptians 17,645; firms tied to Iran 2,463, Syrians 2,574; Pakistanis 1,677; Cuban investors controlled 848 acres; and Russians 73 acres. One firm listing its country as thehad possession of 11,381 acres.The annual report comes days after Congress sent the president a defense bill that, at the last minute, removed provisions aimed at clamping down on the practice.In 2022, a Chinese food manufacturer called the Fufeng Group bought 300 acres about 20 minutes from an Air Force base in North Dakota that isThe top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee both opposed the move.South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds introduced an amendment to this year's defense funding act that would block China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying farmland. The Senate passed the amendment 91-7.The Republican-controlled House included only a milder version of the amendment. Yet when the National Defense Authorization Act came out of the reconciliation committee, which normally irons out differences between the two chambers' bills, the final text removed not only the Senate amendment, but also the House one requiring the Department of Defense to write a report on the issue. The bill was sent to the president last week.Allowing foreign countries, including adversaries like China, to buy one of America's most precious resources has garnered bipartisan outrage.Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) told The Daily Wire that the countryCotton said.He added that with many American farmers reaching retirement age, there is a threat of the trend getting even worse.In September, the Senate Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on the topic, where Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) said,Fetterman said, referring to panda bears being returned from U.S. zoos.The foreigners usually owned the land but sometimes leased it. The land was roughly evenly split between farmland and timber. More than one-fifth of Maine's agricultural land was owned by foreigners, and Texas had the most foreign-held acreage, at 5.4 million acres. In both states, most of that was timber.In 2022, foreign interests added more than half a million acres in Colorado and Alabama, and nearly that much in Michigan.A third of the land was owned by Canadian investors, followed by the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom.the report said, butAll of the by-country totals likely understate the true figure because they omit some cases where the land is jointly operated.The Chinese government did not acknowledge directly purchasing any US farmland, but the acreage reflects land whose primary investors are Chinese.the report said.The amount of land controlled by Chinese-owned companies actually declined from the previous year from 195,000 acres to 187,000 acres, but is up more than 15-fold from 2006.In the last ten years, the amount of cropland owned by foreign interests has increased from 5 million to nearly 13 million. The USDA said that was mostly due to foreign-controlled wind and solar energy firms, who buy large amounts of cropland and place windmills on a small portion.About a quarter of the foreign-tied agricultural acreage was controlled by companies within the name, and another three percent had "solar" in the name. There was a massive spike in the amount of foreign-controlled agricultural land being used for non-agricultural purposes, which would include windmills, and now totals nearly one million acres.it said.In its 2021 report, USDA said that more than 1,000 counties had enacted prohibitions on foreign ownership of cropland, but that except in Iowa, some of the laws were House Speaker Mike Johnson's response to Senator James Lankford's sellout to the Schumer and the Senate Democrats on illegal immigration was "ABSOLUTELY NOT". The House GOP has a tough bill to secure the border, HR 2, moving through the House. Lankford's rotten backroom deal would not do anything to stop or deter illegal aliens entering the country, but it would create new incentives for more to try to enter. Nonetheless, it is supported by Thom Tillis (RINO-NC) and Mitch McConnell. Lankford was appointed by "China Mitch" McConnell to negotiate with Schumer on illegal immigration, and McConnell certainly knew when he was given that role that Lankford has a long history as a surrender monkey on immigration and an amnesty whore. But, of course, McConnell, kowtowing to his Chinese masters, has himself long been very soft on illegal immigration. Since the deal was leaked, Lankford has told the media that he "loves legal and illegal immigrants equally". This lawless traitor needs to be bounced out of the Senate in a primary. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/01/14/lead-republican-immigration-negotiator-james-lankfords-guiding-philosophy-loving-illegal-aliens/ Under the cover of Covid, and now in the shadow of the infamous Election Irregularities of that fated 2020 presidential election, with current emerging alleged election fraud in Nevada and Pennsylvania inconveniently slipping into the public discourse, there is proved a colluded ongoing Election Interference in the nomination of the Republican candidate, the likes of which has never occurred in our Constitutional Republic's history, albeit, the question remains: Do you support the plain-sight Election Interference of the Democratic Socialist party, employing its minions in their Propagandistic Media, and their Two Tiered Justice System? 98.28% No, I do not support Election Interference; I am a patriot unto our Constitution.1.72% Yes, I do support Election Interference; the alternative, Donald Trump, to this mentally diminished president is far worse.0% "What, me worry" if elections are rigged? It is no secret there are two Republican Parties in Beaufort Countythe RINOs (Republican In Name Only) and the Conservative Republicans. Both factions are far apart in their beliefs. The division lines are drawn between a group of liberal Republicans who have mostly moved here from other places, along with local Democrats who realize the only way they can have political influence is to join the Republican Party, dubbed the RINOs. The other faction is the basic everyday conservatives, much like Ronald Reagan, and as some would contend, Donald Trump. It is no secret that the liberal faction, the RINOs, control the Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee and has driven the conservatives out of participating in the Republican Party Executive Committee. I have not been allowed to speak at Party events, Executive Committee meetings and have been banished during (illegal) secret votes. Hostility hangs heavy in the air. I no longer try to participate with these important people none of whom could get elected dog catcher. The Chairman, Carolyn Garris, informed me that I no longer have ex-officio rights which are guaranteed by the fact that I am a 27 year elected Republican to a public office. She brought charges against other conservative Republicans, alleging disloyalty, while she approved of the behavior of Frankie Waters, who sits on the Republican Executive Committee while donating money to Democrats. The lack of respect for following the rules of the Beaufort County Republican Party shows up clearly in the appointment of the Secretary to the Republican Executive Committee. The rules state that no person who has been convicted of a felony may be a member of the Committee. There is such a person on the Committee. Her name is April Holloway. Her conviction involves the taking of a large amount of money, about $100,000. She is Secretary to the Executive Committee having been recruited by Carolyn Garris and her buddies. During, at least the last three, elections the Executive Committee has used their resources, lists, and personnel to campaign against conservative Republicans. They worked against Tandy Dunn to get RINO John Rebholz in office. The Party secretly used email lists to help their candidates without making the lists available to all Republicans candidates. During the 2022 elections they sent $14,000, that was raised for local candidates, to the statewide judges campaigns, claiming the judges had no money. Actually, the judges had several hundred thousand dollars for campaigning. The reason was that The Beaufort County Conservative Club recruited several conservative candidates for school board and commissioner races. The RINOs had only one candidate, Fake Frankie Waters. They were not about to use that money to defeat Fake Frankie by helping conservative candidates.. Voters need to be aware of who is who in the Primary. The Conservative Club will have five candidates in the running for the five school board seats in the November elections. That is, if our three Conservative Republican candidates win their primary elections in March. Picking who to vote for in the School Board elections comes down to not voting for incumbents. Conservative candidates running for the School Board in the March 5 primary are: Stacey Davis, District 5 (Old Ford), Raymond Start, District 7 (River Road) and Brian Wood District 9 (Pinetown). Incumbents on the School Board are allowing the Superintendent to make many liberal and woke decisions. Discipline in all schools is bad. I am not talking about only in the halls. Order in classrooms is not good. Problem students are not weeded out. There is a lot of the woke content (CRT, LGBYQ, new math) presented to students. In order to change the way schools are run, we have to change the people who make the decisions. That is the School Board. The Conservative candidates for County Commissioners are: Tandy Dunn, Steve Carawan and Hood Richardson. In this race, the most important thing is to not vote for incumbents Randy Walker and John Rebholz. There are five candidates in the Commissioner primary race. Each voter can vote for only one candidate, regardless of the number of seats to be filled. There will be four winners who will be on the November ballot. Hopefully we will lose a RINO in the primary. The Chairman of the Beaufort County Republican Party is running for Register of Deeds. She now has a temporary appointment to that position. She stopped recording important documents on paper within days of her taking office without the approval of the Board of County Commissioners. Your deeds and powers of attorney are now recorded only on the internet. What could possibly go wrong? She has violated several laws in doing this. The RINOs and Democrats have voted not to hear any more about her malfeasance. The qualified conservative candidate is Tim Melton. There is some good news in the political battle between conservative Republicans and RINOs. During the 2020 and 2022 elections more than half of the total votes cast were for conservative Republican candidates. I hope these voters continue to use common sense in picking candidates and continue to turn out to vote for conservatives, including President Trump. The bad news is that the Beaufort County Republican Party will be using the mailing lists, contact lists, headquarters, donated money, and anything else they can think of to support their RINO candidates. All voters should use their heads before signing anything, donating money or volunteering to work for the Beaufort County Republican Party. The Conservative Club is working with and supporting the conservative Republican candidates. The best way to clean up the Beaufort County Republican Party is to elect conservative candidates, not the hand picked RINOs of the Party. Local elections are just as important as national elections. You can download a Candidate List by clicking here. Nicole Hensley is a staff writer for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at nicole.hensley@houstonchronicle.com. She joined the Chronicle in 2018 from the New York Daily News and after writing for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington. A native of Seattle, Nicole is a graduate of Washington State University. Former Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis has been hired by Morrisons owner CD&R (Joe Giddens/PA) The owner of supermarket chain Morrisons has hired former Tesco boss Sir Dave Lewis as an adviser. US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) bought Morrisons two years ago for around 7 billion. However, the Bradford-based retailer has seen its share of the UK grocery market shrink recently amid the rapid growth of German discounter rivals Aldi and Lidl, who have seen increased sales amid the cost-of-living crisis. Morrisons hired former Carrefour director Rami Baitieh as its new chief executive officer late last year, who reportedly told staff in December an urgent overhaul was needed to drive a turnaround at the debt-burdened business. Morrisons is the UKs fifth largest supermarket group (Ian West/PA) CD&R said on Monday it has hired Sir Dave Lewis to join the business as an operating adviser. It said will provide experience to help support CD&Rs portfolio companies across Europe, which include Morrisons, and help the fund assess new opportunities in the consumer goods and retail sectors. Sir Dave is best known for leading Tesco from 2014 to 2020, which included a major turnaround following the fallout of its accounting scandal. He is currently also the chairman of Haleon, the consumer healthcare group behind brands such as Sensodyne, which was recently spun out of pharmaceutical firm GSK. Dave Novak, CD&R co-president, said: Dave is an exceptional executive and highly respected leader. His reputation for innovation, value creation and growth is outstanding. I believe his knowledge and experience, built up over three decades, will be of great value to CD&R funds as we consider new investments and continue to build stronger, more sustainable businesses across Europe. Sir Dave Lewis said: I believe the depth of CD&Rs operating and investment expertise across the consumer goods, retail, and other sectors in Europe to be incredibly strong. I look forward to working with CD&Rs investment and operating teams, as well as the management teams of the firms portfolio companies to identify investment opportunities, support strong performance and create durable businesses fit for the future. Liberty Poole is an islander on Love Island: All Stars (Ian West/PA) Jake Cornish told ex Liberty Poole that there is a chat to be done when the pair reunited on Love Island: All Stars. The all-stars format is a series first and has seen former islanders brought back to the villa in hopes of finding love again. Liberty and Hannah Elizabeth were the first to join the villa where they were then joined by Jake Cornish and Chris Taylor. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Upon entering the villa in South Africa Jake said what are the chances? as he was reunited with his ex-flame Liberty. The 26-year-old from Weston-super-Mare had been coupled up with the 24-year-old from Birmingham during series seven of the dating show. He told the group there was never any bad blood between him and Liberty and added that theres probably a chat to be done. In a video clip Cornish said: Me and Lib left the show, not seen her about, not spoke to her, but Ive definitely matured massively. Older, bigger, wiser, better looking. In Libertys video clip she said: I was on series seven. Im probably best known for breaking up with my ex Jake a few days before the finals. The other islanders this year are; Mitchel Taylor, Demi Jones, Luis Morrison, Anton Danyluk, Georgia Harrison, Toby Aromolaran, Kaz Kamwi and Georgia Steel. Love Island: All-Stars airs on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX and STV. Jason Allen-Paisant took the top prize for Self-Portrait As Othello (Jonathan Turner) Jason Allen-Paisant has won the TS Eliot Prize for his poetry collection Self-Portrait As Othello, which has been praised for its nerve, style and integrity. The collection won the prestigious prize out of 186 poetry collections submitted by British and Irish publishers. The TS Eliot Prize is awarded annually to the writer of the best new poetry collection published in the UK and Ireland, with Anthony Joseph scooping the prize last year for his collection Sonnets For Albert. The winner was presented with 25,000 during an awards ceremony at the Wallace Collection in London on Monday where the shortlisted poets were also presented with cheques for 1,500. (Carcanet Press) Some 10 books were shortlisted for the award, including a collection from Irish poet Eilean Ni Chuilleanain, which was submitted by publishers in error. Prize judges Paul Muldoon, Sasha Dugdale and Denise Saul said: Self-Portrait As Othello is a book with large ambitions that are met with great imaginative capacity, freshness and technical flair. As the title would suggest, the poetry is delivered with theatricality and in a range of voices and registers, across geographies and eras. It takes real nerve to pull off a work like this with such style and integrity. We are confident that Self-Portrait As Othello is a book to which readers will return for many years. Allen-Paisant, who lives in Leeds, is a Jamaican writer and academic who works as a senior lecturer in Critical Theory and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester. Self-Portrait As Othello is his second poetry collection, following up his 2021 offering Thinking With Trees. His non-fiction book, Scanning the Bush, will be published by Hutchinson Heinemann later this year. A man was threatened with a blade in an alleged staged bid to steal cash from a Belfast bookmaker, a court heard today. Police claimed the supposed victim, Michael McCann, 38, was part of the plot to target the branch of Ladbrokes. McCann, of Victoria Parade in the city, appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with the attempted theft of an unknown amount of money from the bookies. A PSNI officer said another unknown man went into the betting shop at North Queen Street on January 11 with a coat over his head. He placed a bag on the counter and demanded to have it filled with cash, but left empty handed when staff refused to comply. Minutes later McCann entered the premises and stood loitering in a corner, according to police. At that stage the first man reappeared, approached and threatened him with some type of blade. He said that if the staff member did not open a door to the area where cash was kept this defendant would be harmed, the officer told the court. No money was taken during the incident. The officer claimed camera footage from the area showed the pair together outside the shop. It is believed to have been staged, she confirmed. After the incident they were seen leaving and walking off towards the city centre. Due to the CCTV (McCann) is believed to have been working with an unknown male in an attempt to steal cash from this bookmakers. A lawyer representing the accused argued that he had less alleged involvement than the second man who has not yet been detained. McCann was refused bail due to the risk of re-offending and remanded in custody until February 12. A case against a Co Tyrone priest accused of historic sexual abuse against two males is to transfer to the Crown Court for trial. A man who tried to rob three foreign nationals at knifepoint in Belfast city centre has been handed a three-and-a-half year sentence. Henry Wilson Hayes targeted the trio in the early hours of April 6 last year and at one point during the attempted robbery he chased them up a street while brandishing a weapon. The 30-year-old, of no fixed abode, had his 43-month term divided equally between prison and licence. Belfast Crown Court heard that around 2.45am on April 6 last year, Hayes, who was armed with a kitchen knife, approached two women and a man in the Castle Street area of the city. The group of three were in the process of entering a building when they encountered Hayes, who approached them from behind. Hayes said, Excuse me then asked where the trio were from. He then asked for money and threatened to stab them if they didnt hand over cash. They told Hayes they didnt have any money other than 4, to which Hayes replied: Thats no good. I want 200. Hayes and the foreign nationals started to walk to an ATM and when Hayes noticed that one of the women was on her mobile phone, he asked who she was calling. When Hayes realised she was phoning the police, he started chasing her up the street and shouting at her, threatening her with the knife. After returning to her friends, Hayes then started chasing all three up King Street. It was at this point when police arrived at the scene. Hayes was observed by officers standing on the footpath outside student accommodation and was seen discarding the knife down a drain, which was successfully retrieved. While being restrained by police, Hayes resisted. During a search he was found to be in possession of a number of pregabalin tablets. During an interview with police, Hayes remained silent. However, he later admitted charges of attempted robbery, possession of a weapon, possessing class C drugs and resisting arrest. Noting Hayes has 81 previous convictions, Judge Gordon Kerr KC said that after reading a victim impact statement made by one of the women, it was clear the incident has had a significant affect on her. He said: She refers to symptoms of stress and anxiety and she genuinely feared the defendant would kill her. Also noted by the judge were defence submissions which spoke of Hayes traumatic childhood and substance misuse which started in his teens. Citing multiple victims as an aggravating factor, Judge Kerr said this was a very bad case. He added: If this man had gone armed with a knife to perform a robbery and it has been as simple as that the use of a knife to try to frighten someone into giving him money that would have been serious enough. But this case, on this occasion, it went much, much further. He specifically targeted people, and when he wasnt getting any money from them, he then chased someone up the street with the knife issuing threats, putting them in extensive fear. Judge Kerr imposed the 43-month sentence and granted a destruction order for the knife. A man allegedly raped a woman he had met on a dating site after she told him to use a condom, a court has heard. Mohammad Khader Abdel Aqel has been charged with raping the complainant in her flat in June 2022. The 50-year-old, of Harrogate Street in west Belfast, denies the allegation and claims the sexual intercourse was consensual. On the first day of his trial today, a jury of seven women and five men at Belfast Crown Court heard how Aqel, who is originally from Jordan, and the 48-year-old woman first came into contact with each other on Plenty Of Fish. Crown barrister Gary McHugh KC said the two exchanged messages with each other for a period before an agreement was made to meet for the first time in her flat on June 10, 2022. On that date, Aqel arrived at the property. After they hugged, the woman offered Aqel a cup of tea. He refused this offer then asked if she would show him around the flat. Mr McHugh said the woman was quite happy to oblige then she told him she needed to use the bathroom. After exiting the bathroom, she walked into her bedroom, where she found Aqel naked and in her bed. He undressed her then she got into bed, where consensual kissing and intimate touching occurred. Mr McHugh told the jury: At that point, the accused was seeking intercourse and she told him that he must use a condom. She insisted that if they were to have sex, he was to use a condom. Its the Crowns case that despite the woman telling Aqel she had condoms, Aqel told her I am a clean man several times and he did not use contraception. Saying the woman was not prepared to have sex with this man unless he was using a condom, Mr McHugh said the complainant repeatedly told Aqel no but he ignored her protestations and raped her. The prosecutor said the woman withdrew her consent by saying no, no, no but the accused proceeded and the incident only came to an end when she slapped him across the face. She got dressed and told Aqel to leave her flat. He apologised and, after leaving, he sent her a message saying: Are you OK, honey? The complainant did not reply and, around 20 minutes after Aqel had left, she contacted the PSNI. Aqel was arrested the following day. When questioned about the rape allegation, he issued a statement via his solicitor. His statement read: I can confirm that I had consensual sexual intercourse with [the woman] on June 10, 2022. I have no further comments to make in respect of the allegation. Mr McHugh said Aqel was interviewed by police again on July 7, 2022, when, with one limited exception, he replied no comment throughout. The trial continues. A photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is decorated on a float at the 29th Annual MLK Grande Parade Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, at Midtown in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Both of Houston's Martin Luther King Jr. Day parades on Monday have been canceled as the Houston region and much of Texas prepare for a bout of extreme cold in the coming days, the city announced Sunday. The original MLK Day parade in downtown Houston and another parade in Midtown were postponed after the National Weather Service put Houston under a winter weather advisory at 6 p.m. Sunday, which was expected to last until at least 6 p.m. Monday. The MLK Boulevard trail ride in southeast Houston, scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, also was postponed. I made this decision based on the advice of Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, HFD Chief Sam Pena, and George Buenik, director of the Mayors Office of Homeland Security and Public Safety, who all agreed that postponing the parade is in the best interest of public safety for parade participants, observers, and first responders, said Mayor John Whitmire in a statement Sunday night. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Whitmire had previously urged Houstonians to stay weather aware as bitter cold is expected to make its way into the area Monday and Tuesday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad At a news conference Friday, Pena advised residents to minimize travel and to check on their elderly neighbors as temperatures plunge. Houstons fire chief also cautioned about the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, adding that those with furnaces should have them inspected since improperly working furnaces are often the cause of carbon monoxide poisoning. Sara Long, is leaving her role as Chief Executive of the Education Authority to join the Health Service Executive. The Chief Executive of the Education Authority (EA) has resigned and Sinn Fein say the Department of Education must work to quickly fill the post. Sara Long took up the role as Chief Executive of the EA in April 2019. It has been announced she will be leaving in April 2024 to take up a new post with the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland as Regional Executive Officer for one of the newly established health regions. EA Chair Barry Mulholland said: Sara has made an outstanding contribution to the EA the wider education sector firstly as Director of Operations and Estates from 2016 to 2019 and then as Chief Executive for the past five years, taking forward an ambitious programme of transformation and service improvement during that time. I want to sincerely thank Sara for all of her hard work and dedication and wish her continued success for the future. The Board will now ensure that appropriate arrangements are put in place to recruit a new Chief Executive. Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan has said the Department of Education must work to quickly fill the post of Chief Executive of the Education Authority. The partys education spokesperson said: In light of the resignation of the Education Authoritys Chief Executive Sara Long today, the Department of Education must work to fill the vacancy as soon as possible. Giving the existing staffing gaps within the Education Authority, and the fact theres no minister in place as a result of the DUPs blockade of the Executive, it is crucial there is leadership in place to guide them through the challenges ahead and deliver for children and young people. Previously the Director of Operations and Estates, Sara joined the Education Authority in 2016 and has been responsible for a wide range of services including home to school transport, school meals, school maintenance and capital development. Sara previously enjoyed an extensive career within Health & Social Care, initially joining in 1999 as a general management trainee. In more recent years, Sara held a number of management posts across the Western Health & Social Care Trust, most notably as Director of Performance & Service Improvement and working regionally as an Assistant Director at the Health & Social Care Board. An emergency alert has been triggered on Northern Irelands electricity grid, sending it into an amber warning at teatime today. The warning which did not mean that blackouts were imminent was in place from 5pm to 6.30pm. It comes during the first serious cold spell since the closure of Kilroot Power Stations coal-fired units and the bungled delay in replacing them, something which drastically reduced margins in the electricity system. In a message to the island-wide Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM), the market operator told market participants this afternoon: Due to tight generation capacity margins in the SEM, a System Alert (amber) will be issued effective from 17:00 to 18:30 on 15/01/2024 in Northern Ireland. A further communication will be issued when the System Alert has been lifted. The System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) said the alert was caused by increased demand and very little wind production. It said there was no need for consumers to take any action, and pointed to its winter outlook which had predicted that such alerts will become more common. There is no immediate risk of blackouts. The electricity grids lowest level of alert is amber, followed by a red emergency alert and blackout after that. Todays conditions represent the most challenging for the grid operator, combining little wind with cold weather. About 43MW of wind power was being generated this afternoon a fraction of the 1,060MW peak wind generation. Most of the rest of the electricity in the system is coming from gas, with the remainder being imported from Scotland via the Moyle Interconnector. At times of shortage, that means that Northern Ireland has to pay whatever the market rate happens to be even if it is astronomically high due to shortages in Great Britain to keep the lights on. Last August, the Belfast Telegraph reported that the closure of Kilroots two coal-fired units, removing about 465MW from the system, made blackouts more likely. Stormont had known for years that this was coming but failed to adequately prepare. Kilroots Czech owners, EP UK Investments, were allowed to shut the coal unit on a Saturday and have the gas units planned to start up on the Sunday. There was no room for slippage without an ensuing crisis. Instead, the gas units werent ready and still arent operational. Even when the gas units come online, they will not come close to replacing the lost power something the authorities initially failed to grasp because they appear to have misunderstood the type of turbine being installed. At the time, industry sources said privately that if the winter is mild, there is significant wind, and if the other major power plants, Ballylumford and Coolkeeragh, dont break down, then the lights should stay on. However, they said that the calamitous scenario is of a harsh winter in which aging power stations are put under heavy demand, increasing the risk of breakdowns, coupled with little spare electricity from GB or the Republic and a prolonged period of freezing weather in which there is no wind. That would be even worse if there was a problem with the fault-prone Moyle Interconnector, which can carry 441MW from Scotland. Until Kilroots coal-fired units closed, Northern Ireland had about 1,865MW of conventional generating capacity. Less than 1,400MW remains. Louise Vance, who provides support for seriously ill mum, angry at Health Trusts Christmas appeal Louise Vance has been a carer for her mother since she was a teenager A woman who has cared for her mother for 30 years has said she feels incredibly angry that family carers are being asked to prop up an inadequate system. Northern Irelands five health trusts all released appeals on social media over Christmas and the new year, asking families to take home patients who were medically ready to be discharged. The Belfast Trust said its emergency departments at the Royal Victoria and Mater hospitals were under extreme pressure. Those discharged who require a care package will be followed up at home, the trust said. However, Louise Vance (43), from Belfast, who has been caring for her mother, now 78, since she was 13, said families desperately need more support. Ms Vances mother suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1992. In 2015, she was diagnosed with a series of serious illnesses, including chronic heart and lung conditions. Ms Vance, who is her mothers sole family carer, said the trusts call made her feel incredibly angry. Ive had a caring role for my entire teenage and adult life, she told investigative website The Detail. Her mother fell ill last Christmas and had a lengthy stay in hospital. She added: At the moment my mum is doing incredibly well but I know the second that if there are any issues with her chronic conditions that cause any kind of deteriorationI could put myself in a very, very precarious position in terms of the care that would be needed, because I know itll be pushed straight back onto me. Craig Harrison, from the Carers NI charity, said it is unfair to expect friends and families to provide all the care their loved ones might need. What the trusts are saying, essentially, is that its up to family members to take on even more, to cover for gaps in statutory services, he said. Mr Harrison said it can take weeks or months before appropriate care packages are set up. The care system in Northern Ireland has come under increased pressure over the last few decades due to our ageing population and a lack of care staff. The number of people waiting on a home care package grew from nearly 700 in 2016 to more than 3,000 by February 2022. At the same time, the vacancy rate for social care staff employed by the health trusts rose from 1.7% in 2011 to 10.4% in 2021. Independent providers, which provide around three quarters of all home care, are also struggling to recruit and retain staff. Over the last 20 years, the number of unpaid carers in Northern Ireland has risen by around 20%. Census figures show that in 2001 184,434 people provided unpaid care. By 2021, that figure had risen to 222,216. The Detail asked all five trusts the Western, Southern, Northern, South Eastern and Belfast and the Department of Health about serious pressures in the care system. The trusts said patients who are medically fit to be discharged should go home because hospital stays can lead to greater infections and a loss of muscle strength. In comments echoed by all the trusts, a spokesman for the Belfast trust said it discusses care support with patients and their families. We understand not all family or carers can provide care due to their own commitments or health issues, he said. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said it is working on social care reforms and recognised that better terms and conditions for social care staff were key. Snow to continue for rest of the week and temperatures plummet ahead of general strike Chilean flamingos at Belfast Zoo in the snow People exercise in the snow on Divis Mountain Chilean Flamingos at Belfast Zoo during the snow A baby gorilla had the right idea at Belfast Zoo today sharing body heat with its mum on what is set to be a week of wintry snow flurries. Two-year-old Kofi stayed warm by clinging to Kamilis back as temperatures plummeted. Snow is expected to continue until Thursday, when more than 150,000 workers here will take to the picket lines in unprecedented strike action. Ballymena was among the first places to experience snow flurries today. Chilean Flamingos at Belfast Zoo during the snow A yellow weather warning for snow and ice remains in place until 11am today, with snow showers expected to cause disruption. But another warning for more of the same comes into force a few hours later at midnight, lasting all of Thursday and Friday. The Department for Infrastructure said many services it provides will be impacted by the day of industrial action. That includes gritting services, pothole repairs, ferry services, MoTs and driving tests. The Met Office advised that some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times expected. It warned of icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, while there could be some injuries from slips and falls. A Scottish wild cat at Belfast Zoo Following sleet and snowfall today, there is a fairly widespread risk of ice overnight into Wednesday morning. Throughout Thursday, further snow showers and some ice are likely to continue to cause travel disruption. The Met Office added: But with the wind subtly changing to a more westerly direction, slightly different areas are most likely to see the greatest focus of showers compared to the previous day. In many areas, this fresh snow will be falling on top of snow already on the ground. People exercise in the snow on Divis Mountain Parts of northern and western Scotland are likely to see an additional 2-5cm fairly widely, with peaks of 15-20cm for areas just inland from west and northwest facing coasts. Similar levels are expected here, but the maximum is likely to be in the 10-15cm range. The PSNI has encouraged people to please stay at home where possible and to not make unnecessary journeys. If you must travel, please bear the prevailing conditions in mind, police said. Reduce your speed and drive with extra caution. Excess surface water could lead to aquaplaning, and there is the potential for cars to get stuck in just a few inches of floodwater. Visibility is likely to be severely reduced. Consider the potential risks before you leave. Do not place yourself or others in unnecessary danger. Sir Jeffrey and party colleagues met Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris at Hillsborough Castle days before a major public sector strike on Thursday. He also met representatives of a teaching union who chanted fair pay for teachers after the DUP delegation spoke with the media. Thursday will see the largest public sector strike in Northern Irelands history when workers with 15 trade unions will take part in industrial action across health, education and the civil service. The Northern Ireland Secretary is chairing bilateral talks with the leaders of the main Stormont parties in his latest effort to break the powersharing impasse. The Assembly has been effectively collapsed for almost two years, with the DUP refusing to participate until unionist concerns around post-Brexit trading arrangements are addressed. The party has insisted it will not end its blockade until it secures legislative assurances from the Government on Northern Irelands trading position within the UK. Speaking to the media, Sir Jeffrey said resuming business at Stormont tomorrow would not solve problems. We need the funding in place, he said. The Secretary of State and the Treasury have indicated that there is funding available and were saying they should now bring that forward and make those public sector pay awards. Chris Heaton-Harris arrives at Hillsborough Castle (Liam McBurney/PA) Theres nothing to stop that from happening you dont need to have a functioning Stormont in order for the Secretary of State to use the temporary powers that he has given to himself for that purpose. He has the power to set the budget. He has the power to deal with this issue and were saying to the Secretary of State that he should get on and do that. On trading arrangements, Sir Jeffrey added: Im glad to report that in the course of those weeks since before Christmas, and in our discussions with the Government, we have made further progress in addressing the outstanding issues that relate to Northern Irelands place within the United Kingdom and its internal market. I welcome that progress and I think were moving forward now towards the moment when, hopefully, decisions can be made as to how we move forward in relation to all of these matters. Sir Jeffrey insisted he is working every day on the stalemate and wants to see the political institutions restored. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill said that it is becoming increasingly untenable for the DUP to refuse to enter powersharing over Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol. She said there had been no indications of a chink of light on the talks between the UK Government and the DUP, and she was not feeling very positive after a meeting with Mr Heaton-Harris. The Northern Ireland Secretary has said his talks with the DUP over the Windsor Framework have concluded, although the party has insisted engagement is continuing. Ms ONeill said: I think the further we get away from the Windsor Framework, which was completed last year, I think its increasingly untenable that the DUP can hide behind that argument that this is about Brexit and the protocol. I think many people, reasonable minds, would turn their heads to is this about that or is this about the election result of May last year? I think that that will become very clear in the coming days. Clearly, he has decisions to make as to what comes next. If we get to Thursday and there still is no restored executive, then there has to be new legislation, and hes indicated today, thats what he will do. She called on the DUP to end the stalemate in the small window before Thursday. Sinn Fein representatives Michelle ONeill and Conor Murphy outside Hillsborough Castle (Liam McBurney/PA) The Stormont Assembly is to be recalled later this week in a bid to back a motion to endorse fair pay settlements for public sector workers. The recall petition tabled by Sinn Fein received the required 30 MLA signatures, and the Assembly will sit at 12pm on Wednesday. Several previous attempts to reconstitute the Assembly have already failed as the DUP has not supported the election of a speaker at the outset of the sittings. Ms ONeill agreed with Alliance Party leader Naomi Long that political talks need to be separated from the issue of public sector pay. On Monday, Ms Long said: I would still at this stage appeal to the DUP to consider returning to Stormont and restoring an Assembly and Executive. I realise that I may well be talking to deaf ears at this stage, but I do believe that progress has been made on the key issues that theyre concerned about. I do believe that the community is continuing to hurt more and more. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long (Liam McBurney/PA) She said the billions on offer from the UK Government was not something to be sniffed at and there was no suggestion from Treasury that the money would still be available if there was no return to powersharing. In December, the UK Government offered the parties a 3.3 billion package to stabilise finances in Northern Ireland, including 600 million to settle public sector pay claims. However, it is dependent on the Stormont institutions being restored. Stormont parties said Mr Heaton-Harris should release the funds for the public sector pay awards immediately. Ms ONeill said: We find ourselves in a scenario where the politics are stagnant and the money thats there to pay public sector workers is hanging in the balance. So we made sure that he was pretty clear of our view, which is that that money should be paid and he should absolutely divorce the two things. Hed have to speak for himself in terms of what he intends to do and I think that will become clear over the course of the coming days, but we wont give up in terms of pressing the case for the money to be paid. It isnt the fault of workers in Northern Ireland that we have this situation, they should not be used as leverage in the political arena. If we dont get the Assembly restored, he will still have to make decisions around pay so I see no reason why he cant do that at this point. The Northern Ireland Office says the Secretary of State has no authority to negotiate pay in the region as it is a devolved matter for the Stormont parties. Sammy Douglas with his son Davy both from the DUP (PA) Sammy Douglas, currently a councillor elected in the Titanic area of east Belfast, was sworn into the role on Monday evening at a special ceremony at City Hall. He said he is honoured to take up the role in what promises to be a really exciting year for Belfast. I look forward to working with the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor throughout the year ahead and seeing more of our fantastic city and its citizens, he said. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Mr Douglas stepped down as an MLA in 2017, and took a break from elected politics before being co-opted to Belfast City Council in 2022. He will serve as High Sheriff for one year to next January, working alongside the current Lord Mayor Ryan Murphy and Deputy Lord Mayor Aine Groogan. Mr Douglas is the 124th High Sheriff of Belfast, following former councillor John Kyle in the role. Police investigating the disappearance of a woman have recovered a body from water in the Linen Gardens area of east Belfast. The PSNI confirmed the body was recovered today. A police spokesperson said: This is being treated as a sudden death and there are no further details. Alliance MLA for east Belfast, Peter McReynolds said: Awful, awful news. May she rest in peace. "Thoughts with her family and friends at what must be a horrific time for all. Many others offered words of sympathy saying, heartbreaking thoughts are with her family and friends and God rest her, thinking of her family and friends at this sad time. Earlier on Monday, police and the family of the missing Sarah Gibson said they were becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare. The 38-year-old was last seen at 3.45pm on Friday, January 12 on Orby Road. Mass day of action could bring chaos on NIs roads as TUV says staff being held to ransom Members of all five Northern Ireland teaching unions and other public sector workers gather at Belfast City Hall A forecast of snow for Thursday is set to deepen the strike crisis, with a lack of gritting services meaning there could be chaos on the roads. On Sunday, the Met Office issued a new warning about snow and ice heading for Northern Ireland. It warned of freezing conditions and disruption on Wednesday and Thursday the day of a major strike which is set to cripple public services here. More than 150,000 public sector workers from across 15 unions are set to strike. The trade union for road services workers, GMB, confirmed there will be an impact from Wednesday night, with gritting not taking place as members take part in the unprecedented day of action. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said there would be widespread disruption to public services under its responsibility but that contingency arrangements will be put in place to mitigate potential impacts and to deliver limited essential services such as gritting. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, is set to hold further talks aimed at breaking the political impasse. He will be meeting with the political parties in Hillsborough today, after a series of meetings in December concluded without a restored Executive. He said the focus of the talks will be the generous package that was offered to the parties during the December talks. This includes money to address public sector pay that offer remains on the table. This offer was made after the effective conclusion of the Windsor Framework talks on all issues of substance, he said. The 3.3bn financial package includes money to make an outstanding pay award to public sector workers. Trade unions have previously warned that the public sector pay dispute can be resolved if the Secretary of State acts. TUV leader Jim Allister Jim Allister has backed public sector workers, accusing the Secretary of State of holding them to ransom while using the financial package as blackmail. The TUV leader said: The Secretary of State is indulging in the most brazen act of blackmail thats imaginable, because he has acknowledged that the money is required but he is holding public sector workers to ransom until he gets his own political objective of unionists implementing the protocol through Stormont. I think workers are rightly angry that theyre being used as pawns by the Secretary of State in all of this. The primary demand here is for pay parity with the United Kingdom. Thats an equal citizenship demand. Thats the demand which is in every respect, a powerful and respectable demand and to have a Secretary of State denying it on the basis of seeking to use it for political blackmail; I find this quite shocking. The planned strike action is set to cause huge disruption, which will be felt across the public sector. Teachers, nurses, health workers, education support workers, police staff and civil servants are among those who are to take part in the generalised day of action. The Department of Health warned last week that disruption to services will be on a scale not experienced before and urged the public to take all steps to reduce their requirement for health service treatment next Thursday. Unite the Union has already served notice to the Education Authority of further strike dates over the next three weeks with eight days of walkouts due to begin on Wednesday, January 17, involving around 800 members. Public transport will also be affected with bus and rail drivers, engineers, signal workers and conciliation staff also taking part. Meanwhile a bid is also under way to have the Stormont Assembly recalled on Wednesday, one day before the strike and the deadline for the NI Secretary to call an election one he is likely to ignore. DUPs Sir Jeffrey Donaldson highlights significant progress but no timeline on Stormont returnSinn Feins Michelle ONeill says no chinks of light in political talksAssembly recall petition is successful and will take place on Wednesday Sinn Fein representatives vice-president Michelle O'Neill and MLA Conor Murphy arriving at Hillsborough Castle for talks with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris who is meeting political parties over the Stormont stalemate. Picture date: Monday January 15, 2024. PA Photo. Deborah Maguire, from Colin Autism Support & Advice Group, joins protesters outside Hillsborough Castle, where Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is meeting political parties over the Stormont stalemate. Picture date: Monday January 15, 2024. PA Photo. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris arrives at Hillsborough Castle to meet political parties over the Stormont stalemate. Picture date: Monday January 15, 2024. PA Photo. The Assembly has been effectively collapsed for almost two years. Credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Urgent action is required to address public sector pay disparity in Northern Ireland, the head of the civil service has told Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris. Jayne Brady wrote to Mr Heaton-Harris on Monday just days before a major strike by thousands of public sector workers. While the UK Government offered a 3.3 billion package to stabilise finances in Northern Ireland, including 600 million to settle public sector pay claims, it will not be made available until the Stormont Assembly is restored. Mr Heaton-Harris held talks with the major Stormont parties at Hillsborough on Monday, but the DUP says it will not re-enter devolved government until unionist concerns around post-Brexit trading arrangements are addressed by the Government. Ms Brady said she was conscious that political engagement on the formation of an Executive is at a "sensitive and critical juncture", and of the need to "avoid any action that might cut across that process". She said her letter is "without prejudice to any decisions that an incoming Executive might take", but the imminent industrial action and the need to prepare a budget prompted her to write to Mr Heaton-Harris "urgently about the grave risks to public services, citizen safety and wellbeing, and the stability of public finances". NI Secretary: Hard to see any barriers for the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland "You have publicly stated that the UK Government cannot, and will not, stand by and allow public services and finances to decline further," she said. "This Thursday will represent the single biggest day of industrial action in a generation, reflecting the strength of feeling and deteriorating, and frankly untenable, position we are now in." She said urgent action is required to "address unacceptable public sector pay disparity", estimated at 634 million to maintain "broad parity" between Northern Ireland civil servants and their colleagues in Great Britain. Deborah Maguire, from Colin Autism Support & Advice Group, joins protesters outside Hillsborough Castle, where Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is meeting political parties over the Stormont stalemate. Picture date: Monday January 15, 2024. PA Photo. "While there can be no guarantee that these levels of pay awards would either be fully acceptable to trade unions or bring a complete end to industrial action, it would at least bring many Northern Ireland public servants more into line with offers to counterparts elsewhere," she wrote. "This represents one of the last opportunities to avert the strike action planned for this week." Ms Brady also raised the projected budget overspend 2023/24 as something that "must be resolved" and pressed the "urgent need to set budgets for 2024/25 across the public sector". Ms Brady signed off by saying she would be keen to meet Mr Heaton-Harris at his "earliest convenience" to discuss what she had raised. In a statement, a NIO spokesperson said: "It's disappointing to see leaked correspondence at this sensitive time. Our absolute priority and full focus is to see a restored executive delivering for people and workers in Northern Ireland. "We have offered a fair and generous package worth 3 billion - which will help a restored executive address a range of pressing issues in the round - from public sector pay to support with ensuring sustainable public services. "This offer is on the table for parties to take forward at pace." Mr Chris Heaton-Harris earlier said he can see "no barriers" preventing an Executive being formed now and said, if it isn't by Friday, he will make decisions on how to move forward. He did not rule out calling a fresh Assembly election, adding that he will be laying legislation in Parliament next week regarding NI governance if power-sharing is not restored. It follows talks in December in which the UK government offered a 3.3bn financial package - dependent on the return of a power-sharing government. Mr Heaton-Harris said the government have done everything we can in talks with the DUP over the Northern Ireland Protocol, and said it is time for decisions to be made. As of whatever it is, a minute past or a minute to midnight on Thursday night, I might need to call an election, he said. I have a duty to decide whether an election is called. And also, actually, for an executive to be reformed I need a piece of primary legislation. So next week, I will be laying primary legislation before the floor of the House, which is an evolution of some of the things Ive been saying. Protesters at Hillsborough Credit: Andrew Madden I will need to also, eventually, in the course of the next few weeks, pass a budget for next year, and all of those matters will be taken into consideration at that point. Mr Heaton-Harris also said: Id like to think that its a very generous financial package thats on offer for reformation of the Executive which would be attractive to all the political parties. I believe weve done everything we can in the space of the Windsor Framework talks with the DUP, answered all the questions that theyve put to us appropriately, and now it is time for decisions to be made. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said significant progress has been made in his partys talks with the Government, but did not give a timeline on a Stormont return. Speaking after his meeting with Mr Heaton-Harris, Sir Jeffrey said: We discussed with [Chris Heaton-Harris] the progress, the significant progress that we've made in our discussions and negotiations with the government in relation to the problems created by the Northern Ireland protocol, and the need to build upon the progress made in the Windsor framework, so that we can restore and protect Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom on its internal market. Those discussions continue. We had a discussion as well about the budgetary issues and in particular, the need for the UK Government to bring forward the funding that has been agreed for the public sector pay awards to be made in the current financial year. We want that to happen. The Secretary of State has the power to make those awards and we want the Treasury to release the funding that's been set aside for the public sector pay awards for this year. Sir Jeffrey added that, if the government doesn't intervene before Thursday, then it looks like the strike action will go ahead. It comes as a recall petition brought by Sinn Fein has been successful after it received support from the Alliance Party and the SDLP. The Assembly will now be recalled on Wednesday. Speaking to the media after the Sinn Fein delegations meeting, Ms ONeill said she wasnt hopeful of a breakthrough. I cant say we feel very positive about what weve heard today, but the Secretary of State will have to speak to that himself. Later this week our public sector workers go on the picket line, she said. They shouldnt have to do that, its not fair, but theyve been forced into it. We pressed upon the Secretary of State again that he has put the money on the table, now get on with it and pay the workers. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is meeting the Stormont parties at Hillsborough Castle on Monday (James Manning/PA) Ms ONeill added that, if no Stormont deal is reached by Thursdays deadline, then the next port of call is an election, but her focus is on getting an Executive restored. She called on DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to "step up to the mark" and return to power sharing in Northern Ireland. "It's time for Jeffrey Donaldson to step up to the mark. It's time for Jeffrey Donaldson to provide positive leadership," she said. As Ms ONeill was speaking, the DUP delegation, led by Sir Jeffrey arrived at Hillsborough and drove straight through the gate, not stopping to speak to the protesters, who shouted shame. Meanwhile, UUP leader Doug Beattie said there was "absolutely no movement whatsoever" towards a deal. Mr Beattie added that he feels the Secretary of State is moving to "Plan B" and he expects legislation will be laid in Parliament next week setting out how government in Northern Ireland will operate going forward. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Sir Jeffrey Donaldson should listen to the public and end the political stalemate. Were in a twilight Zone at the minute waiting on the DUP to make a decision, he said. Mr Eastwood said he pressed the Secretary of State to act and make the public sector pay demands. Ordinary workers should not be put in the middle of this political crisis, he added. Before entering Hillsborough Castle for talks with Chris Heaton-Harris, Ms O'Neill spoke with protesters outside the gates who had gathered with placards. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Ms O'Neill said her party supports those taking industrial action and will be "fighting your case" in the talks. In December, the UK Government offered the parties a 3.3 billion package to stabilise finances in Northern Ireland, including 600 million to settle public sector pay claims. However, it is dependant on the Stormont institutions being restored. Stormont parties have said Mr Heaton-Harris should release the funds for the public sector pay awards immediately. Sinn Fein representatives vice-president Michelle O'Neill and MLA Conor Murphy arriving at Hillsborough Castle for talks with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris who is meeting political parties over the Stormont stalemate. Picture date: Monday January 15, 2024. PA Photo. The Northern Ireland Office has repeatedly said that the Secretary of State has no authority to negotiate pay in the region as it is a devolved matter for the Stormont parties. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth speaks during a join press conference between the Harris County Clerk's Office and Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector's Office at NRG Arena, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, in Houston. Texas Senate Bill 1750 went into effect on September 1, abolishing the Harris County Election Administrator's Office and returning election management to the County Clerk and voter registration to the Tax Assessor-Collector's Office. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Harris County Republicans and Democrats plan to hold a joint election during the upcoming March primaries after years of the parties conducting separate contests, County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced Sunday. Although the measure must still be approved by the Commissioners Court, voters who want to cast their ballots in either of the parties primary elections on March 5 can do so in common precincts with the same voting equipment in a first for the county, Hudspeth said. LOCAL POLITICS: Harris County launches cash assistance pilot program for residents Advertisement Article continues below this ad Marchs joint contests should mean a smoother Election Day for voters. For Democratic and Republican primary voters, this years joint aspect of the Election Day voting process will be familiar, Hudspeth said in a statement Sunday. It is the same voting process used for years in the conduct of early voting during Primary Elections, and it is the same Election Day voting process used when voting in a November election. The agreement was spurred by Senate Bill 924, a newly enacted state law that requires Harris County to open significantly more polling sites than it historically has on primary day. Hudspeth, the countys chief elections officer, sounded the alarm to the Commissioners Court this month and warned that her office would not have enough workers or machines to run separate primaries without facing major hurdles. Without joint elections, Harris County would have had to go from about 375 polling sites during the most recent primaries to at least 512 under the new law, Hudspeth told the Commissioners Court Jan. 9. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Harris County has been plagued by various problems during primary elections in recent years. Former election official Isabel Longoria resigned in 2022 after issues during that years March primaries, which included long delays in reporting results and the initial failure to include about 10,000 mail ballots in the countys total vote count. Some Democratic voters waited in hourslong lines during the 2020 primary. Harris County Democratic Party Chair Mike Doyle celebrated the deal to hold joint primary elections after Republican officials initially refused to combine the contests. NEW COUNTY PROGRAM: Harris County Public Health program aims to be one-stop shop for helping vulnerable communities Cindy Siegel, the Harris County Republican Party chair, argued after Hudspeths comments to the Commissioners Court that the countys history of running split elections should not be changed. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But in a statement Sunday, Siegel said the party agreed to hold a joint primary election in Harris County for the first time after reviewing SB 947 and consulting the Texas Secretary of States elections division. This decision was not made lightly, but ... we had no other option, she said. We will work with the clerks office to have a successful primary election, and we plan on maintaining as much control over our election as possible through ongoing negotiations with all stakeholders over the next couple of days. Beef exports to China have been suspended since November (Andrew Milligan/PA) The head of an Ireland-Asia think tank has said he hopes the ban on beef exports to China will be on the table when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hosts Chinese premier Li Qiang this week. Chinas second most powerful politician after President Xi Jinping will meet Mr Varadkar for bilateral talks in Dublin on Wednesday. Beef exports from Ireland to China were suspended when a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) was discovered by Irish veterinary officials in November. At the time, the Department of Agriculture said the case was detected as part of its ongoing surveillance of fallen animals at knackeries. It said tests carried out at the departments Central Veterinary Research Laboratory confirmed the case of atypical BSE the first time since 2020. A department spokesman said the cow, which was more than 10 years old, did not enter the food or feed chain and there were no public health risks from the case. While the identification of the case does not affect trade generally, the protocol with China requires exports to be suspended pending submission and assessment of the epidemiological report. Chinese authorities will decide when exports can resume. Martin Murray, the executive director of Asia Matters, said he is hoping the resumption of Irish beef exports is high on the agenda when the two leaders meet at Farmleigh House. Asia Matters executive director Martin Murray welcomed the talks (Peter Pietrzak/PA) Mr Murray, whose organisation promotes business and cultural links between Ireland and Asian economies, welcomed the visit and said: The talks between Mr Varadkar and Premier Li Qiang in Dublin will not only be a milestone event to drive business development, they will also provide a great opportunity to reopen the Chinese market to Irish beef. Irelands beef exports to China were worth almost 40 million euro in 2019. Mr Murray said that Irish exports to China had soared to record levels following the last visit to Ireland by a high-ranking Chinese government official. That was in 2012 when Mr Xi made a three-day trade visit when he was his countrys vice-president. Mr Murray said: China is now Irelands fourth largest trade partner, the fifth largest goods export market and the seventh largest service export destination. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will hold talks (Niall Carson/PA) Since President Xi was here just over a decade ago, bilateral trade has significantly grown in Irelands favour from 3.7 billion euro in 2014 to a record 25.3 billion euro in 2022. Irish exports to China have significantly grown to 14 billion euro with the agri-food sector alone achieving 722 million euro in exports to China in 2022, an increase of 76% over the last decade. At an Asia Matters conference in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, last October, the Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), Declan Hughes, revealed that two-way trade between Ireland and Asia is worth 120 billion euro. This figure was achieved two years ahead of schedule. Mr Murray added: Chinese investment in Ireland is almost 10 billion euro and has created 5,000 quality jobs, with TikTok alone employing almost 3,000 people. Li Qiang will visit Dublin (Ng Han Guan/AP) Mr Li will visit Ireland after speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland. He will be the first high-ranking Chinese government official to attend the annual gathering since Mr Xi in 2017. Ireland was granted the World Organisation for Animal Healths (WOAH) negligible risk status for BSE in 2021, which is the lowest risk rating available. Atypical BSE is not notifiable to the WOAH. The department said identification of this atypical BSE case does not affect Irelands risk rating for BSE. A spokesman said Irelands BSE controls are robust and effective and consistent with legal requirements and best international practice. He said the discovery of the case is proof of effective food and feed safety controls. Ireland exports more than 90% of the beef it produces and is reliant on the reputation of its food safety systems. Andy Burnham said the report into grooming in Rochdale was hard to read while former police detective Maggie Oliver said the failure to protect hundreds of young girls left her feeling, anger. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, who commissioned the report into grooming in Rochdale said it gave a detailed and distressing account of how many young people were failed. He added: That said, it fulfils the purpose of why I set up this review in the first place. It is only by facing up fully and unflinchingly to what happened that we can be sure of bringing the whole system culture change needed when it comes to protecting children from abuse. He continued: We are sorry that you were so badly failed by the system that should have protected you. I would also like to praise those who blew the whistle on their behalf, particularly (former Rochdale health worker) Sara Rowbotham and Maggie Oliver, and for the support they have provided to them ever since. That took huge courage and determination and we thank them for it. Rochdale Council leader Councillor Neil Emmott said: We are deeply sorry that the people who were at Rochdale Council during the period 2004 to 2013 did not recognise nor acknowledge the very serious failures that affected the lives of children in our borough and failed to take the necessary action. I want to reassure the public that those responsible are gone and long gone. GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson. (James Speakman PA) Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: It remains a matter of profound regret that victims of child sexual exploitation in Rochdale in the early 2000s were failed by Greater Manchester Police to them, I apologise. Whilst the report rightfully vindicates Maggie and Sara (Rowbotham) and reinforces the importance of the changes we have already made many with Maggies support, it remains to be said that the current prevention of and response to child sexual exploitation in Rochdale and across Greater Manchester has been overhauled since the early 2000s to ensure that victims and survivors are cared for and receive the expected level of service. Maggie Oliver, who worked as a detective constable for Greater Manchester Police and has founded a foundation for the survivors of the scandal, said: After over 10 years fighting for the truth of this botched case to be exposed, today is a day filled with so many mixed emotions for me. My overriding emotion though is one of anger. I am angry that not one senior officer or official has ever been held individually responsible for these failures, lies and cover ups. Repeatedly failing to prioritise them, to protect children and prosecute known abusers, whilst all the time publicly pretending they were doing a brilliant job I want them to be held accountable for this criminal neglect. To get these apologies, and for this review to expose the truth, has taken years of battling an institution which exists to protect itself at all costs. It is only by shining a bright light into the dark, hidden corners of all of these scandals and cover ups that we can find the real truth and so demand the changes so desperately needed to our so-called criminal justice system, which as the public know all too well is currently unfit for purpose. James Cleverly would not be drawn into revealing details of more than 4,000 asylum seekers said to have gone missing after being earmarked for removal to Rwanda (PA) James Cleverly would not be drawn into revealing details of more than 4,000 asylum seekers said to have gone missing after being earmarked for removal to Rwanda. Labour accused the Home Secretary of appearing to have lost thousands of people and failing to get a grip of the issue. Shadow Home Office minister Stephen Kinnock said the Home Office has lost contact with 85% of the 5,000 people identified for removal to Rwanda. Mr Cleverly said MPs on his side of the House of Commons are absolutely united in our desire to tackle immigration. Mr Kinnock told the Commons on Monday: The shambolic incompetence of this Government across every aspect of its disgraceful mismanagement of our countrys asylum system knows no bounds, but today I will highlight a particularly egregious example. We already knew that removal of asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected have collapsed by 50% since Labour left office in 2010, but over the weekend it emerged that the Home Office has lost contact with an astonishing 85% of the 5,000 people who have been identified for removal to Rwanda. Can I ask the Home Secretary where on earth are these 4,250 asylum seekers who have gone missing? Mr Cleverly said: The mask has slipped with regard to the Labour Party a quote from the Labour Party that even if the Rwanda scheme were to be successful they would not keep it. That shows what the party opposite really thinks about this. They have no plan, they have no commitment, and they even said that if something is working, they would scrap it. Later in the debate, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper pushed Mr Cleverly on the issue. Speaking during Home Office questions on Monday, Ms Cooper said: We need the Home Office to have a grip. The Home Secretary gave no answer earlier on the 4,000 people he has lost from the Rwanda list. Can he tell us if he has also lost the 35,000 he has removed from the asylum backlog? How many of them are still in the country? She added: Returns have dropped 50% since the last Labour government, and hes still not telling us where these missing people are. He appears to have lost thousands of people who may have no right to be in the country and lost any grip at all. Mr Cleverly said: We are driving down the numbers of people in the backlog, we are processing applications more quickly, we are ensuring that decisions are made so that those who should not be in this country can be removed either to their own country or a safer country. He added: The members of Parliament on my side of the House are absolutely united in our desire to get a grip of this issue. Mark Acklom was one of the UKs most-wanted criminals before he was arrested (Crimestoppers/PA) A notorious British fraudster who was jailed in the UK after conning an ex-girlfriend out of 300,000 has been released from a Spanish prison and is living with his family in Spain, a court has heard. Mark Acklom was extradited to Spain in 2021 after being freed from a near six-year sentence imposed in England in 2019. But a UK court has been told that the 50-year-old is now living with his family in Spain after serving a further two years imprisonment in the country. No details were revealed of his exact whereabouts, although he does have a wife and two children living in Spain and, in the future, may gain Spanish citizenship. Mark Acklom was jailed in the UK in 2019 before being extradited to Spain (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) Martin Sharpe, representing Acklom, told a Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) hearing at Bristol Magistrates Court that his client was not actively taking part in proceedings. Although Mr Acklom is not observing he is available on the phone to provide instructions. He is just not watching, Mr Sharpe said. Referring to his release from prison, the barrister said: Earlier in the year, I am not sure of the precise date, last year, early summer. He has family there (in Spain). Prosecutors at Bristol Magistrates Court have been using Poca legislation to try to recover the money stolen from Mark Ackloms ex-girlfriend (Steve Parsons/PA) The serial conman had fled Spain in 2016, midway through a three-year fraud sentence, after being given temporary release while he applied for parole. He was already wanted by Avon and Somerset Police for scamming his then-girlfriend, Carolyn Woods, out of her life savings in a romance fraud that began in 2012. The fugitive was later tracked down to Switzerland and extradited back to Britain in 2019, where he was jailed for five years and eight months. Since then, prosecutors have been using the Poca legislation to try to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods. Over the last five years, there have been a series of hearings to establish Ackloms criminal benefit and available assets. A two-day hearing was being held in Bristol for Ackloms lawyers to argue there had been an abuse of process in the Poca hearings due to a lack of disclosure. The principle submission is that there has been an abuse of process in these proceedings because there has not been full and fair disclosure and that has not abled us to bottom out issues we need to oppose this application for confiscation, Mr Sharpe told the court. John Hardy KC, representing the Crown, said in response: While we dont object in any way to him making this application, we say it falls at the first hurdle because it has already been pre-determined. Mark Acklom was given a four-year sentence in 1991 for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after posing as a City stockbroker (Mike Stephens/PA) It was determined in Your Honours ruling of February 2 2021. We say on a proper analysis what the defence is endeavouring to do is relitigate this issue. We say the principle of finality would apply and unless something significantly or indeed dramatically causes the court to revisit its rulings on issues made earlier. Judge Martin Picton, who had originally jailed Acklom nearly five years ago, said the prosecution only had a duty to disclose material that would either undermine the prosecution position or assist the defence position. He went on: The days when the defence were given the keys to the warehouse and go through every single piece of paper the prosecution ever generated looking for stuff went out a very long time ago. It isnt how it works. Mr Sharpe told the court: We say in a complicated case like this where there are a lot of ancillary matters identified, it is the keys to the warehouse approach that should be adopted. The judge replied: I just dont see that is a tenable argument. You have to proceed, and I have to proceed on the basis you have highlighted an issue where there is potentially relevant disclosure and you are told there is nothing to disclose, then there is nothing to disclose, as we expect people to engage in the criminal justice process in an honest, conscientious and fair-minded way. Unless it is demonstrated that someone hasnt, that is the basis I proceed. The court heard UK financial investigators had concluded Acklom had available funds of almost 262,000. Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities have made confiscation orders against Acklom valued at 374,000 euro (321,000) over the crimes he committed in Spain. This includes a contribution to his legal fees and payment of the other side, as well as interest on the debt and interest on those two amounts as well, Mr Sharpe said. The court heard this could potentially reduce the amount of money Acklom has available to meet his financial liabilities in the UK. During his relationship with Ms Woods, Acklom posed as a Swiss banker and MI6 agent to destroy her life. He claimed he was friends with celebrities including Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, had spoken to Hillary Clinton and knew fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and was involved with secret MI6 missions. In 1991, Acklom, then aged 16, was given a four-year custodial sentence for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after posing as a City stockbroker. He also spent 11,000 after stealing his fathers credit card, swindled a former teacher out of 13,000, and ran up a 34,000 bill with a private charter jet company. The hearing was adjourned until Tuesday. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that Britain will send 20,000 service personnel to one of Natos largest military exercises since the Cold War (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The UK is facing a pre-war world and the peace dividend that allowed successive governments to ease spending on defence is over, Grant Shapps has said. Before taking the role, the Defence Secretary had backed a level of spending in excess of the Governments goal and in a speech on Monday he set out the risks posed by countries including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as well as terrorist groups in an increasingly dangerous world. The UK has a goal of increasing defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the size of the economy, but Mr Shapps has previously argued that it should rise to 3%. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps spoke about a pre-war world (Stefan Rousseau/PA) In a major speech at Lancaster House in London, Mr Shapps said: Failing to maintain support for Ukraine would be seen in Moscow and Beijing as a sign of weakness; North Korea is promising to expand its nuclear arsenal, and Irans uranium enrichment programme is at a level for which there is no civilian application; China and Russia are to blame for a significant number of the cyber attacks targeting the UK. Mr Shapps said the UK has increased its funding, with a record 50 billion a year being spent on defence. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content But his speech to an audience including military top brass and diplomats will be viewed as a push for extra funding both at home and by Nato allies, many of whom are not meeting the alliances 2% of GDP spending target. We made the critical decision to set out our aspiration to reach 2.5% of GDP on defence, and as we stabilise and grow this economy well continue to strive to reach that as soon as possible, he said. But now is the time for all allied and democratic nations across the world to do the same thing and ensure their defence spending is growing too. Because the era of the peace dividend is over. In five years time we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Ask yourself, looking at todays conflicts across the world, is it more likely that that number grows or reduces? I suspect we all know the answer. Its likely to grow. Mr Shapps said the Government has already announced the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War. We find ourselves at the dawn of this new era the Berlin Wall a distant memory and weve come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world. An age of idealism has been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism. Today our adversaries are busy rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, new foes are taking shape, battle lines are being redrawn. The tanks are literally on Europes Ukrainian lawn and the foundations of the world order being shaken to their core. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Mr Shapps used his speech to commit 20,000 service personnel to one of Natos largest military exercises since the Cold War, as the alliance steps up its preparations to resist Vladimir Putins Russia. The war games come after ministers announced a further 2.5 billion support package to Ukraine and the RAF carried out air strikes, with the US, on the Houthis in Yemen. Mr Shapps said the UK has now trained more than 60,000 Ukrainian troops. Speaking in the Commons, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told MPs: Ukraines rightful place is in Nato and Nato will be stronger with Ukraine in it, but these commitments will help bridge the gap until that day comes. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer backed the package of support, saying: To those listening in Kyiv, Moscow or elsewhere in the world let me be clear: whoever is in Government in Britain, the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. During a Commons statement on defending the UK and allies, Mr Sunak said: Russia must pay for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine and I have been clear about that. And actually, on the G7 leaders call at the end of last year, I was the one who raised this issue, and as a result we have collectively in the G7 tasked finance ministers to explore all lawful routes to ensure that Russian assets are made available for that purpose. The weather uprooted trees on the island of Reunion (Lewis Joly/AP) A tropical cyclone caused heavy flooding and at least one death in Mauritius on Monday, as cars were washed away by surges of water in the Indian Ocean islands capital city and elsewhere. A motorcyclist died in an accident caused by the flooding, the government said, as it imposed a curfew. It issued an order that everyone except emergency and health workers, members of the security services and those requiring medical treatment must return home and remain there. Some people were also being evacuated as the floodwaters caused by tropical cyclone Belal threatened houses and other buildings. Palm trees in the road in the town of La Plaine Saint-Paul on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion (Lewis Joly/AP) Schools were closed and hospitals were told to only keep their emergency departments open. The main airport was closed and flights into and out of the island nation of 1.2 million people were cancelled until further notice. The Mauritius newspaper LExpress published videos of cars floating down streets that looked more like raging rivers in the capital, Port Louis, and other parts of the island. Some people climbed on to the roof of their car and clung on, according to the images published by LExpress. Motorists who had escaped from cars were seen being pulled from the floodwaters and to safety by others. Vehicles were left piled up, some of them overturned, after some of the floodwaters receded. Authorities told residents on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion to shelter indoors (Lewis Joly/AP) The water also entered buildings and flooded homes and the lobbies of offices. The Central Bank of Mauritius building was reportedly flooded. Belal had earlier battered the nearby French island of Reunion, where the intense rains and powerful winds left about a quarter of households without electricity, according to the prefecture of Reunion. Many people in Reunion had also lost internet and phone services, and water connections to tens of thousands of homes were cut. Authorities said a homeless person was found dead in Saint-Gilles on the islands west coast. Reunion had declared the highest storm alert level on Sunday as Belal approached. The alert was lifted after the worst of the storm passed and charged toward Mauritius, about 135 miles to the northeast. Mauritius national meteorological department said the eye of the storm was expected to pass about 55 miles south of the island at its closest point early on Tuesday, warning that the worst might still be ahead. The island would feel the effects of the cyclone for hours, the Mauritius Meteorological Services said. A Russian Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control plane is said to have been brought down by Ukrainian forces (AP) The Ukrainian air force has shot down a Russian Beriev A-50 early warning and control plane and an IL-22 command centre aircraft in a significant blow for the Kremlins forces, Kyivs military chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has claimed. The planes are key tools in helping orchestrate Russian battlefield movements. Shooting them down is a landmark feat for Ukraine in the almost two-year war, as fighting along the front line is largely bogged down in trench and artillery warfare. Mr Zaluzhnyi did not say how the aircraft were brought down, but Ukraine has received sophisticated modern air defence systems from its Western allies. He also did not say where the interception occurred, though he attached a video to his social media post with a plane tracker showing two targets disappearing above the Azov Sea, which lies between Ukraine and Russia, north of the Crimea Pensinsula and the Black Sea. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content There was no immediate official comment from Moscow. Russian war bloggers said both planes had come under friendly fire, though they presented no evidence of that. They claimed the Il-22 was damaged but made a successful landing. The A-50 is an early warning and control aircraft with a large radar capable of spotting air targets at distances of up to 400 miles. It has a crew of 15. The Russian air force reportedly has been operating a fleet of nine such aircraft. An A-50 was damaged by a February 2023 drone attack at an airfield in Belarus where it was parked, but Russian and Belarusian officials said it sustained only minor damage. The Il-22 is an airborne command post, intended to oversee military operations and relay radio signal to troops on the front line. The Russian air force reportedly has a dozen such planes. Meanwhile, a disgraced former Russian mayor convicted over bribery has had his prison sentence cut short after signing a contract to fight with Russias military in Ukraine, local media reported. A Ukrainian APC fires towards Russian positions near Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region (AP) Oleg Gumenyuk, who served as mayor of the far eastern city and cultural hub of Vladivostok between 2018 and 2021, was convicted last year of accepting bribes worth 38 million roubles (about 338,000) and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. However, he was released after agreeing to bear arms and fight as part of his countrys military operation in Ukraine that started nearly two years ago, his lawyer Andrei Kitaev told Russian news outlet Kommersant. He said that the politicians whereabouts were unknown, but that Gumenyuk was instructed to report to his military unit on December 22. Russia has gone to extraordinary lengths to replenish its troops in Ukraine, including deploying thousands of prisoners directly from the countrys jails. Inmates who sign up for six months on the frontline are pardoned upon their return. It is not the first time that authorities have used such a tactic, with the Soviet Union employing prisoner battalions during the Second World War. Was Kitson responsible for enflaming conflict or did his own books leave him a convenient scapegoat? General Sir Frank Kitson played a key role in shaping the British Armys tactics at the beginning of the Troubles. When he was sent to command troops in Belfast, he was considered an expert in counter-insurgency warfare having honed his skills in places like Kenya, Aden and Malaysia. He could not have had a more successful career. He won the Military Cross, twice, and rose to commander-in-chief of the army. The Times has described him as a soldier of originality, independent mind and intrepid nerve... perfectly suited to the role of lightning conductor to the forces. But he became a hate-figure for nationalists and republicans who deem him responsible for excesses of the army in Belfast. Others say that he was a scapegoat and that his books mean that he is more well known than other more senior generals. He died on the 2nd of January, aged 97. In this episode of The BelTel podcast, Ciaran Dunbar is joined by Edward Burke, a military historian in University College Dublin, and by Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh, a senior lecturer in History in St Marys University College in Belfast. Danielle MacDonald and Jamie Dornan in series two of The Tourist Jamie Dornan causes an online sensation at the best of times, but social media was aflutter last week when fans saw his fuzzy facial hair for the second series of The Tourist. The Holywood hunk was sporting a bushy beard as he returned to our screens as mystery man Elliot in the hit drama. But what they didn't know - which we can reveal - is that the face fur was in fact fake. The Tourist S2,01-01-2024,1,Elliot (JAMIE DORNAN),*NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL 00:01HRS, TUESDAY 12TH DECEMBER, 2023*,Two Brothers,Steffan Hill Jamie (41) said it was the wizardry of the make-up department at work because he didn't have the luxury of months of not shaving. He admitted: "Its fake, but I would have loved the opportunity to grow it for real. "Id just done a movie where I had to be clean-shaven, so there wasnt time. "But that beard was a nightmare I hated it and was very glad when Elliot had a shave!" The Tourist S2,02-01-2024,2,Elliot (JAMIE DORNAN),*NOT FOR PUBLICATION UNTIL 00:01HRS, TUESDAY 12TH DECEMBER, 2023*,Two Brothers,Steffan Hill Meanwhile, Jamie said it was his idea to bring the production here because of the sacrifice he made with his young family for the first series shot Down Under. He added: "I told the shows writers, [brothers] Harry and Jack Williams, that if we were going to go again, I would like to be in Ireland. "I brought my whole family out to Australia a couple of years ago, my kids went to school there and everything. "It was amazing, but it was also an upheaval. Irelands definitely my happy place!" A Texas Department of Public Safety officer guards an entrance to Shelby Park on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News WASHINGTON The Texas Military Department is denying that state soldiers blocked Border Patrol from saving three migrants who drowned in the Rio Grande on Friday night, saying late Sunday that the migrants were already dead by the time they barred federal agents from entering a stretch of border the state seized last week. Federal authorities said Saturday that three migrants a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass after agents who were trying to respond to a distress call were physically barred from the 2.5-mile stretch. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar first detailed the incident on social media Saturday, saying the state bears responsibility. The Texas Military Department said in a statement late Sunday that it had conducted a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding the drownings. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Claims that TMD prevented Border Patrol from saving the lives of drowning migrants are wholly inaccurate, the agency said. At the time that Border Patrol requested access, the drownings had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the bodies, and Border Patrol expressed these facts to the TMD personnel on site. The agency said the Border Patrol agents who requested access to the park told state soldiers that Mexican authorities already had recovered the bodies of two drowned migrants. The military department said the Border Patrol specifically requested access to the park to secure two additional migrants who were presumed to have traveled with the migrants who drowned but had crossed to the boat ramp. The agency said two migrants were apprehended by state soldiers. One was turned over to state troopers and the other was transferred to EMS in response to initial hypothermic conditions. The military department previously had said soldiers alerted by Border Patrol agents actively searched the river with lights and night vision goggles and did not find any migrants. The agency said soldiers later saw a group of Mexican authorities responding to an incident on the Mexican side of the river and reported it back to the Border Patrol, which confirmed that the Mexican authorities did not need additional assistance. The unprecedented state takeover and this weekends drownings have escalated an ongoing dispute between state and federal officials, who have been fighting a Texas lawsuit aimed at stopping the Border Patrol from cutting state-owned razor wire in the area. The Department of Justice filed an emergency petition Friday asking the high court to force Texas to allow the Border Patrol access to the area in Eagle Pass. The Department of Homeland Security sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton on Sunday demanding that the state allow Border Patrol access to the area again. The letter, which references the drownings, says Texas actions are clearly unconstitutional. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Gov. Greg Abbott, who has bragged about evicting Border Patrol agents from the area, touted the military departments latest statement on social media. When BP requested access to river the drownings had already occurred & found in MX, Abbott wrote late Sunday. The fact is the deaths are b/c of Bidens Open Border magnet. People person Johanna loving new role in tourism at iconic Belfast museum After a 35-year career teaching chemistry at Ballymena Academy, when Johanna Deany retired, she knew the quiet life wasnt for her and immediately set about getting another job. Keen to keep herself busy and leading an active social life, Johanna quickly realised her passion lay in working with people and that she enjoyed nothing more than knowing she had made someones day. My first job after teaching was in retail but it didnt take long for me to realise it wasnt for me, she says. I have spent such a large part of my life talking to people and helping them get the most they can from their studies. I quickly came to realise I have a real passion for helping people and I just love knowing I have played a role in making their day that little bit better. Given my background I knew qualifications and experience would be important, so I enrolled on the tour guiding course at Belfast Mets Castlereagh campus. I also took up volunteering opportunities at St Annes Cathedral and HMS Caroline as well as working as an events assistant at Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council to build out my experience. Johanna taking the guided Discovery Tour at Titanic Belfast In March 2022, Johanna applied to join the Visitor Experience Crew at Titanic Belfast. The award-winning visitor experience tells the story of Titanics conception through to its first and final journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Working on average 25 hours a week at Titanic Belfast, Johanna primarily brings the Titanic story to life through interacting with guests in the Titanic Experience or acts as a guide on the outdoor Discovery walking tour, though on occasion she also plays the role of an RMS Titanic passenger for those enjoying afternoon tea at the attraction. With an active social life outside of work that sees her play the surdo in the BeatnDrum samba band, sing in her church choir and learn Italian at a course in Stranmillis University College, Johanna is full of praise for the flexibility Titanic Belfast offers her. Titanic Belfast have been very good with me. This role has a lot of flexibility, I do a lot of things outside of work and if I am involved in anything in particular, they are very flexible and really great about making sure I have the opportunity to do it, she says. I am surrounded by a great crew. We are all very supportive of each other and no two days are ever the same in this job. You get to meet people from all over the world and really help make their trip that little bit better. Making someones day is a fantastic feeling and ultimately, it is just a very enjoyable job that is great fun to do. Johanna taking the guided Discovery Tour Urging anyone interested in a career in tourism and hospitality to seize the opportunity to do it, Johanna admits she knew little about the industry, or even RMS Titanic, before she embarked on this journey. I would encourage anyone who thinks they may want to switch careers and get involved in the tourism and hospitality industry to do so. I cant recommend the tourism course at Belfast Met highly enough, she explains. Dont be afraid to throw yourself into something that you think you would like to do. I didnt know much about the Titanic when I started here but we were given opportunities to shadow tour guides and given a script for our tours. Over time you pick up interesting things that you can bring to your tour and it doesnt take long to get up to speed on all the necessary details. Working here has been exactly what I was after at this stage in my life. While Johanna and her colleagues are enjoying the flexibility and freedom a career in Northern Irelands burgeoning tourism and hospitality industry allows, Tourism NI are actively seeking more people to join the industry. The tourism body is continuing its campaign called Make It Here, encouraging more people to embrace a career in the tourism and hospitality industry. The Titanic Experience If you are considering switching careers and want to learn more about working in the hospitality and tourism industry, visit www.makeyourcareer.co.uk for further information. To find out more about Titanic Belfast, visit www.discovernorthernireland.com Killyleagh mum Katie pinning hopes on pioneering surgery for toddler daughter as she bids to raise 20k for op in Ukraine Rachel Gribben during one of her many hospital stays A Killyleagh mum is aiming to raise 20,000 for life-saving brain surgery for her daughter... and hopes shell one day interact with the Disney movies she so enjoys. Three-year-old Rachel Gribben has a form of epilepsy that causes her to suffer multiple seizures during the night. Mercifully, Rachel sleeps through them and most of the time is unaware they are happening. But her mum Katie Jennings spends many of her nights watching over her daughter, and has had to administer life-saving medication in the small hours. Now the family, from Killyleagh, are raising money for life-changing brain surgery to treat Rachels epilepsy abroad this spring. My biggest fear is waking up one morning and finding Rachel has died in the night, says Katie. Ive had to resuscitate her when shes been choking and turning blue. Rachel Gribben, aged three During the night her brain is firing constantly. Im so worried that I have her sleeping in my room, beside me, and I sleep very lightly like you would with a newborn listening out for any movement. Im constantly checking on her; I can tell by the change in her breathing if shes about to have a seizure. We even have the mattress on the floor so she cant roll off and hurt herself. Single mum Katie (35), who has two older daughters, Rhiannon (16) and Robin (13), had a difficult pregnancy with Rachel, and gave birth three weeks early, via emergency C-section. I was very poorly with sickness, she remembers. Then towards the end of my pregnancy Rachel wouldnt stop moving she was always on the go then, and shes still always on the go now. She was breach, and every time they tried to turn her, 10 minutes later she flipped back round again. Thats why I ended up having a section. The surgeons even said that when they went in to get her, she moved away from them. She didnt want to come out. Rachel Gribben with her mum Katie Jennings Initially Rachel progressed normally and was meeting her milestones, sitting, pulling herself up, cruising, clapping and starting to form her first sounds. But at 18 months Katie noticed her daughter starting to regress. She stopped clapping and stopped trying to feed herself it was as though she was going backwards, Katie explains. She also started twitching and jolting in her sleep. I had no idea at the time that those were her first seizures. Their GP referred Rachel to a neurologist, but after a particularly poorly weekend, where the little girl suffered more obvious seizures, she ended up being blue-lighted to hospital. Following tests and scans, her family were told that Rachel had epilepsy caused by Focal Cortical Dysplasia a lesion on the right frontal lobe of her brain that had developed before she was born. Of course at first I blamed myself, says Katie. I went back over my pregnancy, wondering what I could have done differently. As a mum, you do wonder what youve done wrong but the doctors reassured me that it was nothing I had done. It was just one of those things. That part of Rachels brain is effectively dead. I knew very little about epilepsy before her diagnosis but Ive learned fast. I had no idea that there are 40 different types of seizures. Rachel has four of them: myoclonic, absence, atonic and tonic. Rachel Gribben during a sleep scan at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in 2023 Rachel is currently non-verbal and has sensory issues, leading her mum to believe that she may also be autistic. But shes a bright and happy little girl; she loves Disney princesses and has four movies on constant repeat Frozen, Frozen 2, Moana and Tangled. As her condition has progressed, the majority of her seizures have clustered at night, but she still suffers with tonic and atonic seizures during the day. She freezes and then drops like a stone, explains Katie. She wears a special safety helmet when shes out of the house to protect her, but shes still had cuts and black eyes. I try to take a note of all her seizures, even the ones in the middle of the night. I keep a constant record for her doctors. In 2023, Rachel was seen by specialists in Liverpools Alder Hay and the Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital, but they concluded that she isnt a candidate for surgery in the UK. Instead, she takes a number of medications in a bid to control her seizures. Desperate for a second opinion, Katie joined epilepsy parents forums and found a world-renowned surgeon, Dr Tomycz, at the Epilepsy Institute in New Jersey. Rachel Gribben during one of her many hospital stays Katie explains that Dr Tomycz may be prepared to operate on Rachels brain, which should lessen her more serious seizures, enabling her to go to school and lead a fuller life. Having the surgery in the States would cost around $100,000, but Dr Tomycz also practises at a specialist centre in Ukraine, where the treatment is about $20,000. At first I wasnt sure but its in Western Ukraine, near the Polish border and far away from the war, explains Katie. The mum is now hoping to take her daughter to Ukraine to be assessed by Dr Tomycz who practises in both the States and Europe in early April. The current plan is for Rachel to have a surgical procedure called a corpus callosotomy, which will disconnect the two hemispheres of her brain, explains Katie. This will hopefully eradicate the tonic and atonic drop seizures, which are the more dangerous ones. Its also a diagnostic surgery; if its successful it will indicate that they can go ahead and remove the lesion. Theres even a possibility that she may become seizure-free. Little Rachel Gribben The family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the potentially life-changing treatment, and have already raised around 10,000. The support has been incredible, says Katie. The men in the village did a sponsored leg wax at a local beauty salon; weve had raffles and fun days. Everyone has rallied round. Katies hope is that the surgery will give her daughter a brighter future. This is life-or-death any night she could suffer a seizure that kills her, she adds. My dream is that with fewer seizures, Rachel is able to learn to communicate either verbally or by signing and start progressing with her development again. I just want the best for my little girl. One day Id love to hear her singing along to the Disney movies she loves so much. To follow Rachels progress, search Rachels Epilepsy Journey on Facebook, or to make a donation search Rachels Epilepsy Journey to Freedom on GoFundMe There is no excuse for the governments delay in getting rid of a nearly 300-year-old law banning the use of Irish and Ulster-Scots in courts. Dr Padraig O Tiarnaigh, from Irish language organisation Conradh na Gaeilge, told Sunday Life it was unacceptable for the NIO to continue to drag its heels on the issue. The Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737 says that English is the only language in which legal proceedings can be conducted and recoded. It was passed during the reign of George II and states court hearings shall be in the English tongue and language, and not in Latin or French, or any other tongue or language whatsoever, with a 20 fine for anyone who breaches it. The Act is due to be scrapped following the passing of the new law on the Irish and Ulster-Scots languages and cultural identity. In response to a recent written parliamentary question by Alliance MP Stephen Farry, NIO minister Steve Baker (inset) said: The planned repeal of the Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland 1737) is one of many steps in the identity and language legislation that will affirm the need to respect the freedom of all persons in Northern Ireland to choose, maintain and develop their national and cultural identity. The government is carefully considering its next steps on implementation, including the remaining commencement orders and will provide an update to Parliament in due course. Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker Dr O Tiarnaigh said of the delay: The New Decade, New Approach agreement was brought forward by the British and Irish governments as a basis for re-establishing the political institutions here over four years ago. The Irish language legislation, which was the key issue at the time, became the cornerstone component of that political package, and was subsequently brought forward by the British government in 2022. Since then, commencement orders have been made by the Secretary of State to allow the establishment of the Office for the Irish Language Commissioner, but to date that order has yet to be implemented and we eagerly await the appointment of the commissioner. Unfortunately, other core sections of the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022 await action from the British government. The sections relating to the repeal of the 1737 Act remains outstanding. That law, which is almost three centuries old, continues to ban Irish speakers from using Irish in legal proceedings in court. Similar legislation was repealed in Wales and Scotland for their indigenous languages decades ago. This is legislation that must be repealed by Westminster and so there is no sufficient excuse from the NIO that it is for Stormont to action this repeal. Twenty-five years on from the Good Friday Agreement, and four years on from the political agreement that was to herald a new era of language rights here. It is unacceptable that the British government continues to drag its heels on the implementation of this legislation. The Ulster-Scots Agency was also approached for comment. Former UDA boss Johnny Mad Dog Adair was scared off and back-peddling furiously after a stand-off with the security forces at Drumcree. That was the assessment from former RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan in newly declassified files released by the National Archives in London. The British Government has now published Cabinet Office papers from more than 20 years ago, with a number relating to concerns in Northern Ireland between 2000 and 2001. Among them was the marching stand-off at Drumcree. It was during that dispute that Adair who is now exiled in Scotland but at the time was head of the UDAs West Belfast brigade carried a sinister presence. But an official document dated July 7, 2000 reveals that Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan, refused to be intimidated. The missive, marked confidential, details a telephone call between Sir Ronnie and Nick Perry, who was Permanent Secretary to the Northern Ireland Secretary of State at the time, Peter Mandelson. Mr Perry said: The Chief Constable said that he wanted to reassure the Secretary of State that the strategy for handling Drumcree was working... while not complacent, his feeling was that we were now on a downward sloping plane as far as levels of violence were concerned. Adair, rattled by the prospect of being recalled to prison, appeared to have been scared off and was back-peddling furiously. The security forces had the situation under control, and moral was buoyant. An earlier memo about Drumcree dated June 28 from Jonathan Powell, Downing Street Chief of Staff, contained a warning about Adair from former First Minister David Trimble. In his note to Prime Minister Tony Blair, he said: He [Trimble] said Johnny Adair was up to no good, working with John White and [Mark Swinger] Fulton, the leader of the LVF. They intend to use Drumcree for their own purposes. He wanted us to help. Elsewhere in the files, a letter written by civil servant Sarah Todd dated August 24, detailed the arrest of Johnny Adair, in which she said: He was widely reported as having participated in the violent activity which took place in the Shankill Road area of Belfast over the weekend and on Monday and my Secretary of State decided to suspend his licence on Tuesday. Adair was subsequently arrested in west Belfast on Tuesday evening and returned to prison. My Secretary of State... is determined to confront the mafia culture, created by decades of paramilitary conflict, to which Adair has clearly been contributing. A Co Antrim tree surgeon is due in court this week charged with the manslaughter of an employee who was electrocuted. Christopher Auld is expected to appear at Lisburn Magistrates Court on Tuesday facing two offences arising from the tragic death of north Belfast father-of-four Rodney Shirley in the Hillsborough area on September 30, 2021. Auld, from Strangford Road in Lisburn, has been charged with the manslaughter of Mr Shirley (36) and with breaching health and safety legislation. The charges arise following the tragic death of the north Belfast father-of-four, who was working in a cherry picker in the Hillsborough area when he was electrocuted. On Tuesday the case against Auld is due to have a preliminary enquiry. If it goes ahead, it will see the case elevated to the Crown Court. Recovering drug user spared jail after admitting theft while at court-imposed work A woman involved in a failed bid to trade in schoolboy Noah Donohoes laptop for money to buy drugs committed theft while doing community service for a previous offence, a court has heard. District Judge Rosie Watters told Maria Nolan she should probably send her to prison but after hearing the 31-year-old was undergoing drug treatment programmes and counselling, she deferred passing sentence for six months. Nolan, from Gransha Park in Belfast, pleaded guilty to stealing cash and a credit card valued at 15 on July 26 last year while she was working at an outlet. On Monday at Lisburn Magistrates Court, the defence conceded that Nolan had a bad criminal record but at the time of the theft was in the process of recovery from long-term drug abuse. The lawyer said it was a breach of trust, but said Nolan admitted her guilt at the first opportunity. The court was told since then things have changed Nolan had not come to any police attention, was now back living with her family and was undergoing treatment and counselling for drug addiction. While the defence submitted the pre-sentence report from the probation board was positive and DJ Watters agreed it was, the judge said that had to be seen in the context of offences being committed while carrying out punishment handed down by a court. Putting the case back to July, DJ Watters made it clear to Nolan that if she reoffended she would be sent to prison but if she kept out of trouble, she would find a sentence that doesnt interfere with your liberty. In August 2022, Belfast Magistrates Court heard how Nolan had stolen hundreds of pounds worth of clothing and perfume from two stores a few weeks after she escaped going to jail for having Noah Donohoes laptop stored at her hostel room as searches for the teenager continued across Belfast. The 15-year-old was found dead in a north Belfast storm drain in June 2020 nearly a week after he went missing on a bike trip and Nolans co-accused, 36-year-old Daryl Paul, was subsequently jailed for stealing a rucksack containing his computer and school books. Noah Donohoe Neither of them were accused of having any contact with Noah but the previous court heard that Paul took the bag and its contents home with him after discovering them in Belfast on the day Noah vanished. The pair entered a Cash Converters in the city centre and attempted to sell the computer but suspicious staff refused the deal and alerted the PSNI who, having forced entry to Pauls flat, recovered the rucksack and school books. He conceded that he planned to sell the computer for money to purchase drugs, some of which would be given to Nolan and on June 26, 2020, police located Noahs missing laptop at Nolans then accommodation on Belfasts University Street. WikiCommons I have a dream, declared Martin Luther King, Jr., as he addressed a crowd of several hundred thousand gathered on the Mall around the Washington Monument. On August 28, 1963, the day Dr. King delivered his I Have a Dream, speech, America was uneasy. It was a time of social unrest. In the midst of a nation torn by racial strife and social unrest, Dr. King painted an indelible picture of America as it could be. His oratory was soaring, his imagery was vivid, and his cause was right. Like many of Dr. Kings speeches and sermons, I Have a Dream, contains numerous references to Bible passages. Did you catch the quotes from these four Bible verses? Amos 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream. Chapters 5 and 6 of Amos contains some of the most moving poetry in the Bible and strongly denounces religious hypocrisy and economic inequality, so it may come as no surprise that Dr. King would reference the book of Amos in his I Have a Dream speech. Throughout the text, Amos voices prophetic rage against the injustices of the day. The entire book is given to denouncing the excesses of eighth-century B.C.E. Israelite life and reminding people of their true conventional obligations. We are reminded in Amos that those who are at ease in Zion and feel secure on Mount Samaria, who lie on beds of ivory and eat lambs from the flock will be the first to go in exile (Amos 6:1-7). Perhaps the most famous line from the book is Amos 5:24. The context of the powerful statement is a prophetic denunciation of the sacrifices and meal offerings of a people who have failed to keep a covenant which is constituted by justice and fairness. Throughout Amos 5 to 6, the prophet lashes out against those who have become rich at the expense of the poor and against public but hollow displays of piety. According to Amos, God says, I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies (Amos 5:21). Religious devotion is meaningless if it is accompanied by unfair taxes to the poor, backdoor bribes, and working against those in need. Amos would likely disapprove of the concentration of wealth and the corresponding increases of poverty and he would rage against displays of self-importance in some areas of life. Isaiah 40:4-5 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain... What is happening in your dreams? Are they being realized or are they gradually fading away? Have you lost hope because they now seem impossible? We can all learn how to revive our dreams and keep them alive from Dr. King. He gave us the answer when he quoted Isaiah 40:4-5, saying, I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight, and the glory of Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. Dr. King understood that his dream of social justice and racial equality was in harmony with Gods dream, and thats God dream will surely be realized. Psalm 30:5 Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Dr. King makes more subtle reference in this Bible passage. This biblical allusion provides a moral basis for Kings argument. We know that we will all face problems and trials in life and some of these are completely beyond our control. These are all trials that test our faith. Anyone can have faith in God during fair weather but the true test of our faith is how we respond during stormy weather, when we cant see our hands in front of our face. Christ should be our example during our times of pain, mental anguish and suffering. Though we will endure trials, God promised in Psalm 30:5 that weeping only comes for a night but joy comes in the morning. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is their male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. This is another Bible passage where Dr. King makes more subtle reference. We are created by One and all made in the image of God. We recognize from this passage that each of us is connected through our creation and our redemption. Fulfilling Dr. Kings dream pleases God. We should love one another as we are all Gods children. His cadences, inflections and biblical allusions gave Dr. Kings I Have a Dream speech memorable structure. His powerful argument gave the speech its moral weight. I Have a Dream reminds us that all human beings are equally created in the image of God. As Christians, its important that we realize this. But it is also important that we realize that we are sinners, and sin is the fundamental problem on the issue of race. Sin is interwoven in our lives and institutional structures that we often cant see it. The only remedy for the problem of racism and racial prejudice is the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ. His atonement for sin is the only cure, and the only real picture of true racial reconciliation is that found in Revelation 7:9-12. In this passage, we read of the redeemed people of God as a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, and all tribes and all people and tongues, standing before the lamb. The Lamb, who is Jesus Christ will make us one. There is still much work to do; we struggle in a fallen world until Jesus comes. By Gods grace, we know the real progress is possible and that we are accountable. The church must show the world that the new community of Jesus is called to demonstrate His glory in calling us together. The Christian doctrine of humanity revealed in the Bible is the only adequate foundation for dealing with racism. Ultimately, we do believe that every single human being is made in the image of God and reflects Gods glory by his or her very existence. Either we believe that God delights in the racial and ethnic diversity of those made in His image, or we simply refuse to believe what the Bible so clearly teaches us. Lesli White is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications and a concentration in print and online journalism. In college, she took a number of religious studies courses and harnessed her talent for storytelling. White has a rich faith background. Her father, a Lutheran pastor and life coach was a big influence in her faith life, helping her to see the value of sharing the message of Christ with others. She has served in the church from an early age. Some of these roles include assisting ministry, mutual ministry, worship and music ministry and church council. This screenshot from a Facebook livestream shows Naurus President David Adeang announcing the severing of diplomatic relations with Taiwan on Jan. 15, 2023. UPDATED at 11:38 a.m. ET on 2024-01-16 Nauru will switch its diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taiwan, the government of the Pacific island country of 10,000 people said Monday, reducing Taiwans diplomatic allies to just a dozen nations. The announcement by Naurus president David Adeang follows Taiwans election on the weekend in which Lai Ching-te from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party emerged as president-elect, beating Beijing-favored Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party. The Republic of Nauru will no longer recognise the Republic of China [Taiwan] as a separate country but rather as an inalienable part of Chinas territory, and will sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan as of this day, a Nauruan government statement said. Nauru will seek full diplomatic relations with China, it said. Chinas government has courted Pacific island nations for the past two decades as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and gain allies in international institutions. Beijing regards Taiwan, a democracy and globally important tech manufacturing center, as a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland. Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Naurus government had demanded huge amounts of economic assistance from Taiwan following Adeangs election in October. China has been actively contacting Naurus political figures for a long time and used economic assistance to induce the countrys diplomatic change, it said in a statement. This is a retaliation against democratic values and a blatant challenge to the international order, the statement said. A statement from Chinas foreign ministry welcomed Naurus decision and said it showed the trend of global opinion in favor of the One China principle. China is ready to open a new chapter of relations with Nauru, it said. The Pacific island nations of Solomon Islands and Kiribati severed ties with Taiwan in 2019 and the central American country of Honduras ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan last year. The Solomon Islands, in particular, has benefited from diplomatic relations with Beijing. China largely bankrolled the 24-nation Pacific Games that were held in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara in November and has significantly increased other aid to the country. Naurus decision, announced by Adeang in a live-streamed speech, means only 12 nations including the Holy See recognize Taiwan instead of China. In Washington on Monday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement about the decision by Nauru. While the Government of Naurus action on January 15 to sever its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan is a sovereign decision, it is nonetheless a disappointing one, it said. Taiwan is a reliable, likeminded, and democratic partner. The PRC often makes promises in exchange for diplomatic relations that ultimately remain unfulfilled. We encourage all countries to expand engagement with Taiwan and to continue to support democracy, good governance, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law. The U.S., like Nauru, transferred diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, though it maintains unofficial ties with the democratic island. Washington however adheres to its one China policy, which is separate from Beijing's one China principle in that it acknowledges Beijing's claim to Taiwan, but takes no official position on the matter. The Pacific island nation of Nauru is seen from a Nauru Airlines flight on Aug. 17, 2023. [Stephen Wright/Benar News] In the Pacific, Taiwans remaining allies are the Marshall Islands and Palau both allied to the United States and Tuvalu, which is seeking more than U.S. $1.0 billion in climate-adaptation funding from the international community for land reclamation that would double the size of its most populated island. The Nauruan governments statement said its recognition of the One China principle is in the best interests of Naurus people. Our government remains focused on moving Nauru forward and this policy change is a significant first step in moving forward with Naurus development, it said. Nauru, northeast of Australia, is the worlds third smallest state after the Vatican and Monaco with an area of 21 square kilometers. More than half of its government revenue comes from hosting Australias offshore migrant detention center. Its sole island is pockmarked by a phosphate mining industry that on paper made Nauru among the worlds richest nations in the second half of last century. The phosphate is now exhausted and Nauru turned to problematic money-making schemes such as selling passports and offshore banking that earned it international notoriety in the 1990s and 2000s. This report has been updated to include a reaction from the United States. China to foster new drivers for foreign trade 09:31, January 15, 2024 By Luo Shanshan ( People's Daily Foreign trade is an important engine driving economic growth and a crucial link between domestic and international economic circulations. China's 2023 Central Economic Work Conference recently emphasized the need to foster new drivers of foreign trade. And how will China do this in 2024? Foreign trade involves both domestic and international markets, and to consolidate the foundation of foreign trade and foreign investment, it is necessary to first clarify the domestic and international situations. Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2023 shows a busy scene at a container terminal of the Haikou port in Haikou, south China's Hainan province. (People's Daily Online/Yang He) "The unstable momentum and insufficient driving force of the global economic recovery have led to sustained weakness in external demand, which is the main factor affecting the trend of foreign trade," said Li Xingqian, director general of the Department of Foreign Trade of China's Ministry of Commerce. He believes China needs to fully recognize the difficulties and challenges facing the development of foreign trade, and also see that positive factors of stabilization and improvement are gathering. Specifically, there is abundant potential in new products and new business forms. The new "three major ones," namely solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles, as well as energy storage products meet the need of global energy development. New business forms and models such as cross-border e-commerce, overseas warehouses, and bonded repairs are flourishing. Chinese foreign trade possesses enduring innovation capabilities and a stable, efficient, and resilient supply chain, which will continue to provide new drivers for the recovery and growth of the national economy and global recovery. To cultivate new drivers for foreign trade, it is important to focus on key tasks. "China has been the world's largest exporter of intermediate goods for 12 consecutive years, with intermediate goods contributing nearly 60 percent to the growth of foreign trade," said Li. Expanding intermediate goods trade conforms to the trend of international trade development and is a mutually beneficial move, he added. Ladder trucks manufactured by Qingdao Jiuhe Heavy Industry Machinery Co., Ltd. in east China's Shandong province go through inspection before being exported. (People's Daily Online/Liang Xiaopeng) It is necessary for China to further strengthen cooperation with its trading partners and meet their realistic demand for developing manufacturing industry, so that it can achieve complementary advantages and provide impetus for global economic recovery. Zhu Siqiao, associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, believes that cross-border e-commerce, as the fastest-growing, most potential, and most influential new form of foreign trade, is becoming an important trend in international trade development. Currently, cross-border e-commerce accounts for over 7 percent of China's total exports. The sector has over 100,000 entities, more than 200,000 independent platforms, and over 1,500 overseas warehouses covering an area of nearly 19 million square meters. Li said that in order to expand cross-border e-commerce exports, policies regarding customs clearance, taxation, foreign exchange, and other aspects will continue to be improved to enhance regulatory facilitation and help companies reduce costs and increase efficiency. Support will also be provided to encourage cross-border e-commerce pilot zones, industry organizations, and companies to participate in Silk Road E-Commerce and Belt and Road cooperation. To cultivate new drivers for foreign trade, it is also important to promote the digitalization and green development of trade, consolidate the foundation of foreign trade and foreign investment, and accelerate China's transformation into a trader of quality. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, it will together with local and other departments, continue to effectively implement various policies already introduced to stabilize foreign trade. At the same time, in light of new circumstances and tasks, it will make new policies and measures, and roll them out in a timely manner, to help foreign trade companies reduce costs and increase efficiency. (Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun) Apple is reportedly preparing a Vision Pro sales pitch with a 25-minute demonstration for interested customers at the stores. The pre-orders will start on January 19 and hit the physical and online stores by February 2. Read Also: Apple Vision Pro is Finally Coming to U.S. This February Apple Vision Pro's Sales Pitch Preparation Before 2023 ended, Apple invited hundreds of its retail employees in Cupertino, California, to teach them the process of selling Vision Pro to customers. According to Bloomberg, the demos will be available at Apple's U.S. retail stores on February 2, with the sign-ups starting at 8 a.m. local time. In addition, Apple is making sure that there are enough demo units per store by dedicating over a dozen units that can be used simultaneously. There will also be a dedicated area in the store for the presentations. Once seated, the staff will scan the user's face with an app that will identify the right size for the light seal, foam cushion, and band size for the customers. Light seals come in 25 shapes and sizes while the cushions have two variations. People with glasses will be scanned for prescription information. Apple Vision Pro's 25-Minute Demo Once the device is ready, the staff will explain the interface, control, and gestures needed to navigate the device. After necessary adjustments, the users will be directed to the photos app to view still images and panorama shots. Moving forward, customers will start seeing spatial photos and videos. The demo will also explain how to use the device as a computer and iPad replacement and how to multitask. Customers will also view 3D and immersive movies to test their performance. The Vision Pro will be preloaded with different third-party apps which will all launch alongside the device. Before its release, retail employees will be allowed to try the device on their own. Customers are encouraged to buy and try the Vision Pro in physical stores for a better experience. However, customers can still purchase the device online and they will only be given access to the face scanning system. Related Article: Apple Store App Will Scan User's Face for Vision Pro Sizing This picture on Jan. 12. 2024 shows a building damaged during widespread looting and arson in Papua New Guineas capital Port Moresby on Jan. 10, 2024. Papua New Guineas prime minister has promised a cabinet reshuffle as businesses reckon with the cost of looting and rioting last week that inflicted heavy damage on the impoverished Pacific island countrys economy. A two-week state of emergency is now in force in the capital Port Moresby following the Jan. 10 unrest in the city and industrial center Lae that was sparked after a purported payroll system glitch cut the salaries of government employees. Port Moresby General Hospital alone recorded nine deaths, according to its chief executive Paki Molumi. Prime Minister James Marape on Sunday said a cabinet reshuffle was imminent in a statement that acknowledged the scale of the issues concerning the economy and the functionality of key state agencies. This frame grab from AFPTV video footage taken on Jan. 11, 2024 shows Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape (center) declaring a 14-day state of emergency in Port Moresby. [Credit: Darrell Toll/AFP] Port Moresbys Governor, Powes Parkop, told BenarNews that it is estimated that two major local retailing groupsBrian Bell and Stop & Shop chain of supermarketshave suffered losses of at least 600 million kina ($160 million) from looting and arson. He said the costs of the unrest will grow as other businesses are still to submit reports. Papua New Guinea is the most populous Pacific island country and endowed with significant mineral and other resources, but has struggled to develop economically because of corruption, poor infrastructure, frequent tribal violence and a deep level of inequality for women. It has one police officer for about every 1,800 people, nearly four times less than the level recommended by the United Nations to ensure law and order, according to a Griffith Asia Institute report released last year. The ratio of police to people has declined substantially in the past half century as Papua New Guineas population tripled. Gordon Peake, a senior adviser to the Congressionally funded United States Institute of Peace think tank that specializes in conflict resolution, said the mayhem was a wake up call for the U.S. and other nations to focus on the root causes of Papua New Guineas instability. The U.S. signed a wide-ranging defense cooperation agreement with Papua New Guinea last year as part of its response to Chinas inroads with Pacific island nations and broader military buildup. Peake, in a commentary on the unrest, said it showed the hollowness of government institutions that are failing to meet public needs, thereby risking deeper violence and instability. Papua New Guinea is effectively two worlds. International partners and donors engage a reed-thin pretense of officialdom, he said. This world is not easy to engage with but makes itself at least somewhat legible to outsiders. But the bulk of PNGs estimated 10 million people live in a separate, vast, uncertain world of unemployment and at best meager income. Wilson Thompson, chairman of Papua New Guineas National Research Institute, said aside from losses from looting and burned down premises, thousands of people are likely to lose jobs while government revenue also will be reduced. It is also of concern to local businesses all over PNG that in the stroke of a moment, anything can happen and any investment can go down, he told BenarNews. Also foreign investors will be conscious of the fact that long established businesses with good community engagement and goodwill such as Brian Bell and Stop and Shop were not spared, Thompson said. Marape, as part of his initial response to the unrest, suspended four senior civil servants including the head of police. In a press conference last week he alleged there was an organized element to the violence and said an investigation would be carried out. Bennington, VT (05201) Today Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Occasional snow showers. Low 28F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle. You are the owner of this article. GREAT BARRINGTON If police or school administrators come to your classroom for a search or questioning, always ask for your union rep and/or a lawyer to be present. That was one of several points made in a letter sent to members of the Berkshire Hills Education Association on Jan. 8 and obtained by The Eagle. The letter, written by union President Tom Roy, says that police should never have entered a classroom at W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School without a warrant last month to search for a controversial book. But because police, unfortunately, were given permission to enter the classroom by Superintendent Peter Dillon, police had every right to do so, Roy wrote. We have been told there was nothing unlawful about the search because of that, Roy wrote, adding that Principal Miles Wheat had to follow Dillons direction. Roy was recounting to The Eagle guidance it received from the Massachusetts Teachers Association the local union's statewide affiliate. He noted that the union is planning a training session led by the MTA to educate staff about their rights. Investigations are ongoing The letter went out exactly one month after a person complained to police that some images in the illustrated novel, Gender Queer, might be considered pornographic because of some sexually explicit images and language. It is a book that required permission from the teacher to check out from her supplemental materials library. The complainant also alleged, according to the police incident report, that they had overheard the teacher suggesting to a student that they not tell their parents, and that a student was observed sitting on the teachers lap. Police Chief Paul Storti asked Dillon for permission to go to the eighth grade classroom and find the book to determine whether, in fact, it contained obscene material. Dillon agreed and decided Officer Joseph OBrien would go after school in plainclothes and an unmarked police car. O'Brien, the teacher and Wheat could not find the book, according to the police bodycam footage and audio. The search and the police questioning of the teacher convulsed the school community, with many seeing it as an attack on those who identify as LGBTQ+. Others were outraged simply because police showed up to look for a book. The Berkshire District Attorney shut down the investigation and shunted it back to the schools, where book challenge procedures are established. Dillon has repeatedly apologized at a number of separate meetings with parents, teachers and the school community for not demanding police get a warrant as well as for not immediately contacting the districts lawyer for advice before giving police permission. The letter also suggests that there is division among district faculty over the appropriateness of the book as well as the search for it. Roy called for Unity and Respect surrounding this disagreement, and for adhering to the National Education Associations The Code of Ethics of the Education Profession. Keep in mind that some staff members have family and friends who work in law enforcement, Roy wrote, and open, generalized unwarranted comments can only tear us apart." The Dec. 8 incident has prompted internal investigations and policy reviews by the school district, the town and Great Barrington police. The MTA earlier this month issued a statement saying it would continue to support the Berkshire Hills union staff, and referred to the police search as frightening overreach." The teacher, who is now on a paid leave of absence at her request, has with her attorney also launched a probe and wants to know who made the complaint. So far, the identity of the complainant is only known to police. The teacher, who has asked to not be identified for safety reasons, has secured Boston-based employment lawyer Howard Cooper. In any situation, ask for representation Roy also wrote that the reason for his letter is to combat misinformation that is lingering out there among faculty about the details of the incident. He summarized the key points based on many conversations and meetings with MTA reps, Dillon, school librarians, police and teachers. He also was responding to questions about what a teacher should do in a situation that no one could have ever imagined. If a teacher is questioned by police, and they do not have a warrant, Roy wrote, you should ask for a union rep to be present. If they do have a warrant, you should ask for a lawyer or a union rep to be present. In any situation, ask for representation, he added. "What Goes on inside a Beaver Pond?" was inspired by the beavers that live at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox. A recent reform in reimbursement rates for child care providers is set to benefit Berkshire families next month. The state Department of Early Education and Care last week approved changes that will increase reimbursement rates for child care and early education providers statewide, and address inequities of access to care between the eastern and western parts of the state. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, led the effort for the early education rate increases. The infant rate increase is particularly important, as we have heard from providers that due to the low teacher-student ratio standards, the current rates means they run infant classrooms at a loss, Farley-Bouvier said in a news release Thursday. Previously, the preschool classes could make up for that loss, but the current trend of preschoolers going to public schools means they are no longer able to afford to offer infant care. The current rate for infant care reimbursement in Western Massachusetts is about $72 a day. The reforms approved Wednesday and set to take effect in February would increase that to $97 a day. Toddler care reimbursement rates would rise in the region from about $66 to roughly $75. Throughout the state, all providers will get at least a 5.5 percent increase. Along with $65 million for reimbursement rate increases in the fiscal 2024 budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey, Wednesdays changes include a proposal that groups together communities by similar economic indicators and costs of care. Western Mass., Southeastern Mass. and Central Mass. will now be grouped into a single rate, EEC Commissioner Amy Kershaw told The Eagle on Friday. That allows us to increase those rates to recognize the cost it takes to deliver care. ... It doesnt completely close the gap for the cost of care, but it brings us much closer to that cost. Kershaw, a Williams College graduate who also has family ties to Berkshire County, said the department was aware of how access to child care in the county, which has among the lowest reimbursement rates in the state, can be limited. Reforms have been in the works for the past 18 months. Due to federal rules, reimbursement rates had historically been paid out on a market rate based on a once-every-three-year survey regarding prices paid for early education and care. States then used that information to set rates. This has resulted market-driven rates of reimbursement, and fairly significant inequities across the state, Kershaw said. The federal government, along with other states, has started to recognize importance of using not just price, or what parents can pay, in a given market, but also understanding the cost of what it takes to deliver high quality education and care. Massachusetts is the sixth state in the country to adopt an alternative methodology that considers not just market prices but also the cost of care and how it varies. The rate increases take effect in February, but since they are tied to the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which began in July of last year, the increases will be paid out retroactively through last summer. These funding increases will be instrumental to providers, who should be able to sustain themselves financially by providing care to all ages of children that require care, not just to groups who reimburse at higher rates, Farley-Bouvier said. These rate changes will be revolutionary for our centers bottom lines to ensure they can keep their doors open and to our families who will have more options on where to seek care for their children. Berkshire industry leaders weighed in on the reforms as well. In the news release, Stephanie Steed, the president of 18 Degrees in Pittsfield, applauded "The states decision to prioritize Berkshire early education program rates for the first time, saying it demonstrates how programs like ours and our hard-working early educator workforce are valued. NVIDIA microchips and semiconductors were able to get through to China amid the US export restrictions on the East Asian country, Reuters reported. Internal documents show that Chinese military agencies, state-run tech institutions, and universities were able to procure banned Nvidia chips over the past year. Selling and buying of high-end computer chips continue thanks to unknown Chinese suppliers smuggling NVIDIA components to Hong Kong and mainland China. Majority of the smuggled NVIDIA chips like the A100, H100, A800, H800 were used for AI training and military technology. The Harbin Institute of Technology and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, both accused of aiding the Chinese government against the US, were named in the documents. None of the named organizations have commented about their possession of banned Nvidia chips. US Semiconductor Ban on China Continues Amid Rising Tensions The US imposed restriction bans on China for NVIDIA and AMD products in September 2022 to curb China's production of high-end weapons and technology that can be used against the Western superpower and its allies. The two countries have been in a headlock for years now as both compete for regional control on major trading routes and economic deals to become the dominant financial state. The US's involvement in the dispute in the Indo-Pacific region has only increased the tension between the countries. In response, China has been ramping up state-sponsored cyberattacks on major US facilities, including power and water utility stations that can affect a whole State. US authorities vowed to close the loopholes in the export restriction as soon as possible. Also Read: Nvidia Ordered by U.S. Government to Stop Selling AI Chips in China; $400 Million Sales Loss Projected China Advances on AI Development for Weapon, High-End Technology The US's fears on China's capabilities are not entirely unfounded as China continues to develop sophisticated The AI industry is also on the rise in the East as Chinese firms are starting to produce their own microchips albeit much inferior to Nvidia's and AMD's. As of writing, the two countries are planning to continue discussions on regulating AI use on warfare weapons and military-related technology. Related Article: US, China Presidents are Expected to Ban AI Use with Autonomous Weapons BOSTON Amid a historic surge in book challenges in schools and public libraries across the state, some lawmakers are hoping to codify protections to prevent books from being removed from public spaces. Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro and Rep. John Moran of Boston filed a bill that would prevent book removal "due to personal or political views" in municipal and school libraries, by giving the power to librarians to determine what can be on the shelves. Book bans have been on the rise around the country in recent years. The most frequently restricted books since 2020 have had to do with racism, sexual content and the LGBTQ+ community, according to the American Library Association. The ALA reports that Massachusetts had the fourth highest number of attempts to remove books from shelves in 2022, behind Texas, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The association reported 45 attempts to restrict book access in Massachusetts in 2022, and that the most challenged title was "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe. "We're fourth in the nation for book bans, attempts to censor materials, which I think many residents were quite surprised I was surprised by that," Cyr said at a hearing before the Joint Committee on Education Wednesday. "Books and materials are our most compelling windows to the myriad of human experience and they capture the breadth of knowledge. We cannot allow small minded bans or politically opportunistic censorship to interfere with the right to read." Last month, a plainclothes police officer entered a middle school in Great Barrington after someone made a complaint about "Gender Queer" in an eighth grade classroom, according to the Berkshire Eagle, sparking a debate in western Massachusetts about book bans and the role of police in investigating "obscenity" in books. Cyr and Moran's bills (H 4229 / S 2528) "relative to free expression" are backed by the ACLU of Massachusetts and other free speech groups as well as the state Board of Library Commissioners and Massachusetts School Library Association. Over a dozen Democrats signed on to the bill, including Education Committee Co-Chair Jason Lewis though it met some resistance at its public hearing on Wednesday. Moran brought several books to the hearing that he said were targets of book bans, including "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson and "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison. "Obviously, we need to have age-appropriate students reading these books and citizens reading these books. But this bill doesn't prevent that. If you want to individually have your child not read these books, that's fine. But parents don't have the right, or organizations, based on their political beliefs, don't have a right in the state of Massachusetts to prohibit entire populations from reading these books," Moran said. He added that having diverse books in school libraries helps schools be "a welcoming place for students to learn and explore." Republican Rep. Kelly Pease of Westfield questioned whether a book like "All Boys Aren't Blue," which discusses sexual consent and abuse as well as LGBTQ+ topics, is appropriate for schools or "a regular library type of atmosphere." Moran responded that the book might be appropriate for students of a certain age, but the bill would leave those decisions to librarians and educators. Their bill would give power to school librarians and teachers to determine access to "age-appropriate" materials in school libraries requiring that "school library materials are selected on a school librarian's professional training and not on political or personal views," according to Cyr's office. To overturn a school librarian's selection determination, the bill would require a review process by the local school committee "based on clear and convincing evidence that the material is devoid of educational, literary, artistic, or social value or is not appropriate for any student in the school." To prevent the removal of materials based on personal or political beliefs in municipal libraries, the bill would require libraries to incorporate the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights into their selection policies. Libraries would also be required to publicly post their updated selection policies, and the bill seeks to protect municipal librarians from retaliation when selections are made in good faith and in accordance with the library's selection policy. Currently, there are few protections for school and municipal librarians from retaliation for their selections, and parents and community members complaints' about a book often lead to its removal from the library. "As an LGBTQ+ guy, I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, books were an avenue to understand. If you're feeling something different, they're an avenue and they're sometimes the path that educates you so that you're not doing things like wallowing in your sorrow, or worse," Moran said. "We need to have open discussions about all topics, including race, including gender. And this book is one avenue to do that." Cyr added that data show LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk of suicidal ideation, and that showing them stories similar to their own or examples of LGBTQ+ adults living healthy lives is a way to support them. Pease replied that "All Boys Aren't Blue" was inappropriate for schools. "I'm going to tell you that 'All Boys Aren't Blue' is like a pornographic book, and that should not we don't put Penthouse letters in schools," Pease said, referencing a pornographic magazine. He and Cyr went back and forth several times, interrupting each other. Cyr, who identifies as gay, argued that there is "hetero-centric" material in school libraries, and every book, not just those involving LGBTQ+ people, should be screened for age-appropriateness. Committee chairman Lewis cut off the two lawmakers after a few minutes of back-and-forth, asking to move on. Over the course of the hearing Wednesday, representatives of several civil rights groups came forward to speak. Personally, I am horrified that today, in 2024, I have to be testifying in front of a state legislative committee in the United States of America in defense of the right of people to read books, said Cindy Rowe, president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action. Book bans are tactics designed to control what ideas people can be exposed to, warping our perception of the world around us. Further, book bans are attempts to control our understanding of history in order to whitewash it. Efforts to combat book banning, like this legislation, are how we stand up to authoritarians, white nationalists, and others who would use division as a political tactic to keep us from coming together in a thriving democracy rooted in equity, empathy, and opportunity for all. Illinois became the first state to outlaw book bans last summer, and New Jersey is also considering legislation to stop libraries and schools from banning books. The Massachusetts Family Institute testified against the two bills Wednesday and in an email on Thursday wrote, "Under the guise of preventing 'book banning,' radical legislators want to stop local school committees from protecting children from age-inappropriate content at school." Baptism can be a divisive issue for many churches, and understanding what different groups believe can help believers understand what they believe about an issue. Paedobaptism refers to baptizing children or infants and has been the dominant form of baptism throughout most of church history. Proponents of infant baptism point to Jesus saying to let the little children come to him and that by doing that, he opened the door for infants and children to receive him through baptism. So, how do Christians determine whether they support paedobaptism? When Did Paedobaptism Begin? Baptism began as a practice in the second temple period of Judaism, between the old and new Testaments. It was viewed as a way of dedicating oneself in service to God and removing ritual uncleanness. Non-Jews were required to be immersed in the mikvah, a full-body tank. Baptism for the Jews was a repeatable practice. Meanwhile, for Christians, it is a once-for-all thing. The first Christian writing on baptism outside the Bible comes from the Didache, a text from the late second century. It discusses baptizing a convert only after they have been instructed in the faith, which implies they are adults when being baptized. The first alleged reference to infant baptism comes from Irenaeus, where he says, He came to save all through means of Himselfall, I say, who through Him are born again to God infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and old men. (Against Heresies 2:22) This points to the fact that Jesus was the one who truly and perfectly became all things to all people rather than advocating in favor of paedobaptism. Irenaeus argues that Jesus had to enter into every part of human life to sanctify it, as opposed to the gnostics, who placed a special importance upon the number thirty and alleged that Jesus was baptized and died within the same year, at age thirty. Paedobaptism was a common practice by the end of the fourth century when the church had more acceptance within the Roman empire. Infant baptism becomes the norm in environments where Christianity is more encouraged and openly practiced. Paedobaptism takes many different forms, so lets dive into how different denominations view paedobaptism. What Is the Catholic View of Paedobaptism? The Catholic view of paedobaptism asserts that children who are baptized are cleansed from original sin and all sins committed to that point. The baptized are given the character and ability to continue growing in their faith. Baptism is the entry point into the Catholic church. Baptism allows the believer to begin to grow in grace. Godparents also play a significant role in aiding the baptized to grow in their Christian life. They are the ones specifically charged with aiding the child s spiritual development. Augustine makes the point that Catholics view baptism as the unity of all believers who desire to be baptized, but not everyone who desires to be baptized is actually saved. Baptism regenerates as long as a priest performs it under the right circumstances, but people can choose later to reject that baptism. People have the power to undo the sacrament because of their sins, which is why the eucharist is necessary every week to receive the grace and power to continue to live a life pleasing to God. What Is the Lutheran View of Paedobaptism? Luther wrote extensively on baptism in his catechism. He said: That the Baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ is sufficiently proved from His own work, namely, that God sanctifies many of them who have been thus baptized, and has given them the Holy Ghost; and that there are yet many even to-day in whom we perceive that they have the Holy Ghost both because of their doctrine and life; as it is also given to us by the grace of God that we can explain the Scriptures and come to the knowledge of Christ, which is impossible without the Holy Ghost. But if God did not accept the baptism of infants, He would not give the Holy Ghost nor any of His gifts to any of them; in short, during this long time unto this day no man upon earth could have been a Christian. (The Large Catechism 12A) These two quotes summarize Martin Luthers personal views on Baptism, which was quite controversial in his day. One of the strongest proponents of credobaptism was Ulrich Zwingli, a reformer who developed the idea that believers should be baptized, not children. Zwinglis teaching lives on in Mennonite, Amish, Baptist, and Presbyterian views of paedobaptism, though these groups have different reasons. Luther believed that God accepts infant baptism and that if He didnt, there would have been few believers in his day. Luthers final quote shows the Lutheran view of Baptism as a putting to death of the old self, which is to be administered to children so that they may receive new life. Lutherans teach that Baptism depends entirely on the Word and command of God, so the recipients faith does not invalidate it. Luther rightly loved to depend on the work of Gods word for the power of faith and the sacraments. For Gods word doesnt return void but accomplishes every purpose it sets forth to do. This contrasts the Catholic perspective, which Luther felt overemphasized the sign at the expense of the faith that went into the sign of baptism. What Is the Reformed or Presbyterian View of Paedobaptism? Presbyterianisms founding document, the Westminster Confession of Faith, established and codified covenant theology. Covenant theology is the idea that the covenants of God have always been the same and that the promises of New Testament believers are the same promises given to Abraham. Of Baptism 1. BAPTISM is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church, but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life; which sacrament is, by Christs own appointment, to be continued in his Church until the end of the world (WCF 28:1) These quotes are rooted in the idea that God has already foreknown and predestined those who will believe and will effectually call them. They view Baptism as the entrance into the family of God. If the child ends up walking away from the faith after baptism, the sacrament of baptism didnt fail; its that the child wasnt one of Gods chosen people. They cite the idea that not everyone who is circumcised is a child of God. What is the Difference Between Child Dedication and Paedobaptism? Child dedication has also become popular in Christian circles that want to emphasize the importance of the free choice of a believer. Child dedications are ceremonies in which the parents and congregations agree to raise the child in Gods instruction and way of life. Many Baptist churches hold a child dedication where the parents and the congregation agree to raise the child in the faith. In this case, the congregation assumes responsibility for discipling the child in a similar way to godparents within the Catholic church. Child dedication is often practiced in congregations where believers have different stances on paedobaptism. Child dedication differs from paedobaptism because it removes the outward sign performed on the child from the equation. This is mainly done to ease the consciences of people who feel uncomfortable about the idea of children being baptized. The pledge made by people in child dedication will likely look similar, but it removes the sign of baptism until the child being baptized can make that decision for himself. What Should Christians Consider Before Doing Paedobaptism? Paedobaptism is a conviction believers need to develop for themselves. A great resource to consult before baptizing your children would be to read Understanding 4 Views on Baptism . The book includes two perspectives arguing for paedobaptism. Peoples convictions on paedobaptism likely come down to what they believe it means when, in Acts 16:33-34, the jailer and his household were baptized. This debate is the foundation for where one stands on paedobaptism and whether or not it should be practiced. Paedobaptism has been the dominant view throughout church history, but in areas where Christianity is not as well-established, credobaptism tends to be the dominant view. As Christianity grew more entrenched in society, support for paedobaptism increased. In contrast, frontier missions has historically attracted credobaptists because it better serves the needs of those who are being ministered to. In areas where baptism has a significant cost, credobaptism is the primary view, even in more collectivist cultures. In summary, ones position on baptism should be based on their convictions of the scriptures and where they stand on these issues. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Sviatlana Lazarenka Ben Reichert works with college students in New Zealand. He graduated from Iowa State in 2019 with degrees in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and agronomy. He is passionate about church history, theology, and having people walk with Jesus. When not working or writing you can find him running or hiking in the beautiful New Zealand Bush. Journalist Gonzalo Lira has died while in Ukrainian custody, according to his father. Gonzalo Lira, Sr. says his son has died at 55 in a Ukrainian prison, where he was being held for the crime of criticizing the Zelensky and Biden governments, wrote Tucker Carlson on X. Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, but the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture. Gonzalo Lira, Sr. says his son has died at 55 in a Ukrainian prison, where he was being held for the crime of criticizing the Zelensky and Biden governments. Gonzalo Lira was an American citizen, but the Biden administration clearly supported his imprisonment and torture. Several https://t.co/F0nOG9qGvv Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 12, 2024 In May, Lira was arrested by Ukrainian authorities because he publicly justified the Russian invasion, according to a press release by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The statement from Kiev said that Lira has the citizenship of one of the countries of Latin America but omitted that he is also California-born U.S. citizen, as ZeroHedge contributor Space Worm reported at the time. Gonzalos final video before attempting to legally cross the border there is some irony in that, speaks to the type of man he was. pic.twitter.com/T6rXLnpsxV The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) January 12, 2024 Following his release, Lira said he was tortured in a Ukrainian prison, explaining that two thugs held my head and used a toothpick to scratch the whites of my left eye, while asking me if I could still read if I had just one. Lira informed followers that he was making a mad-dash via motorcycle towards the Hungarian border: According to journalist Alex Rubernstein, Lira said that he had double pneumonia (both lungs), which was ignored by the Ukrainian prison holding him. I have had double pneumonia (both lungs) as well as pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema (swelling of the body). All this started in mid-October, but was ignored by the prison. They only admitted I had pneumonia at a Dec. 22 hearing, reads the letter. I am about to have a procedure to reduce the edema pressure in my lungs, which is causing me extreme shortness of breath, to the point of passing out after minimal activity, or even just talking for 2 minutes. In response to Liras reported death, his father allegedly wrote: I cannot accept the way my son has died. He was tortured, extorted, incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US Embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibility of this tragedy is the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American President, Joe Biden. BREAKING: It is with great sadness I must announce that Gonzalo Lira @GonzaloLira1968, passed away in a hospital according to his father, who has been fighting to get his son much-needed medical attention for the past weeks. Here is a hand-written note from Gonzalo which I pic.twitter.com/jY8Mh0xQV3 Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) January 12, 2024 Were sure this asshole is happy. Along with advancements in many aspects of technology, we are also in an era where people are adopting cleaner energy options as they can be both cheaper and better for the environment. However, California's new policy is discouraging its citizens from opting for cleaner alternatives. California's Renewable Energy Business Plummets Of all the cities in the US, California is among the most advanced when it comes to renewable energy. Unfortunately, the policy change that was approved in April last year has affected the solar energy business in the state, as it lowered the incentives for homeowners. According to businesses, sales of solar panels for rooftops have seen a massive drop in sales of up to 85% in certain months of 2023. It will continue to drop by 40% in 2024 and more so by 2028, as reported by The New York Times. The policy change has had such a huge impact that some solar energy-related businesses like Construct Sun, which serves as an installation company, have decided to stop their operations in California and instead focus on other states. Construct Sun Executive Vice President Thomas Devine said that the company had a "very dismal pipeline and had to make the decision to shut down in California," adding that the rooftop policies have impeded its goal to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment senior research scholar Michael Wara expressed that as solar installations are "off a ton," the result is a "painful adjustment process," which is true for both businesses and homeowners alike. Read Also: 5 Ways You Can Reduce Your Energy Usage at Home California's Renewable Energy Policy Having solar panels installed on your roof has two positive effects. One is that your electricity bill will be significantly lower since you basically have an unlimited source of power, and the second is that you can sell the excess energy back to the grid for an extra buck. Before the change, homeowners were able to sell energy back from their systems which could earn them almost as much as the retail electricity rate. However, utility companies say that they can buy electricity cheaper on the wholesale market or if they produce it themselves. As a result, among other factors, the solar industry is seeing a 75% decrease in payment rates for those who send energy back to the grid. With the substantial decrease, customers may no longer feel like paying to have solar panels installed is worth it. According to CNBC, over 1.5 million homes, businesses, and other buildings have rooftop solar panels, all of which can collectively produce 12 gigawatts of electricity. With the change, that number may no longer increase as people are discouraged. State Director for Environment California, Leura Deehan stated: "This misguided decision, which undervalues solar's numerous benefits for all Californians, will dim the lights on the growth of solar in the Golden State." From a certain perspective, this can certainly be seen as a downside, especially since California has been making progress in clean energy thanks to that previous incentive. People can still use solar panels to save on bills, but they will see a smaller profit from selling the energy back to the grid. Related: Why Are So Many Businesses Investing in Solar Panels? Details of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 are leaking more ahead of its launch, including the Google-powered circle-to-search feature and up to seven years of Android updates. Samsung's new AI-centered phone is set to debut on January 18 during its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event. Read Also: Samsung Upgrades Home Robot Ballie With AI Tools at CES 2024 Leaked Marketing Images of Galaxy S24 Reveal New Features In a now-deleted X post by Evan Blass, a series of marketing images unveiled the powerful features of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. As early as last year, Samsung had already teased that the new lineup would highlight AI tools. Part of the leak showed a new feature called "Circle to Search" which is a Google-powered feature that will allow users to circle, highlight, scribble, or tap to pinpoint any details that the user is curious about. This will potentially eliminate the need to screenshot any media file for Google Lens. In addition, Android Headlines reported that the Galaxy S24 series will adopt Google's strategy of providing up to seven years of Android updates, instead of four years of major updates. The Pixel 8 lineup already implemented the same strategy since it launched. Samsung Introduces Galaxy AI for S24 Series Samsung already announced that the S24 series will offer AI-powered tools like "Live Translate" for phone calls, enhanced zoom at night using AI, and the improved "Note Assist" for the Notes app. Based on the leak, all the Galaxy AI features will be free of charge until 2025 on supported Galaxy devices. It seems that Samsung will be introducing many AI tools that will soon become charged. However, this is still a speculation. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to come with a 6.8-inch QHD+ display while the S24+ will be on a 6.7-inch QHD+ display. Lastly, the 6.2-inch FHD+ display will be featured on S24. Both S24 and S24+ will come with 50MP primary cameras and will be in aluminum. Meanwhile, the S24 Ultra will have a 200MP main camera and will be in titanium. Related Article: Samsung Forefronts AI at Upcoming Galaxy Event Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande attends a musical concert of Indian Army Symphony Band as part of the Army Day celebrations in Lucknow on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (Photo: PTI) NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Army continues to maintain a "robust posture" at the borders and is prepared to protect the country's territorial integrity at "all costs", Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said on Sunday, amid the over three-year festering border row with China in eastern Ladakh. On the eve of the Army Day, Gen Pande said the force is fully committed with an "unwavering resolve" to counter any security threat, asserting that its fundamental character, core ethos and professionalism will enable it to live up to the expectations of citizens. He said the transition towards becoming a modern, agile, adaptive, technology-enabled and future-ready force shall continue as part of the transformation roadmap. "Each member of the 'Olive Green' fraternity is fully committed, with an unwavering resolve, to counter security threats to the nation," he said. "We continue to maintain a robust posture at the borders and stand prepared to protect our territorial integrity, at all costs," he said in a message aired on All India Radio. Without naming Pakistan, Gen Pande said the Army along with other security forces are dealing with the "proxy war" in Jammu and Kashmir with a professional approach. "In combating proxy war in the hinterland, our professional approach and synergized operations with other security forces continue," he said. "The Indian Army has a vital role to play in ensuring a stable and secure environment, which is crucial for the nation's progress to continue unabated," he said. Gen Pande assured the nation that the Indian Army remains "steadfast as a guardian" of India's path to progress. "Today, the nation is at the cusp of a new era. Collectively, we have envisioned to emerge as a developed nation when we celebrate the centenary milestone. I wish to assure the nation that the Indian Army remains steadfast, as a guardian of the nation's path to progress," he said. The top General said the Indian Army is well-trained, equipped, combat-hardened and prepared to take on any security threat or challenge that may come the nation's way. "To prepare ourselves to be future-ready, we had set into motion a holistic transformation process last year. We have made good progress and many milestones have been achieved," he said. The Army Chief said his force's capability development endeavours stand on the edifice of Atmanirbhartha (self-reliance) to which it is firmly committed. "The transition towards becoming a modern, agile, adaptive and technology-enabled, future-ready force, shall continue as part of our transformation roadmap," he said. The Indian Army will be observing the year 2024 as the 'Year of Technology Absorption' a theme which underscores our focus and effort to leverage technology, as a catalyst for transformative change, he said. "The Indian Army has carved a special place for itself in the nation's mind space. The faith and encouragement shown by our countrymen further strengthen our pledge and commitment. "Our fundamental character, core ethos, professionalism and fabric of discipline, will enable us to live up to the expectations of our citizens. "We will forever remain steadfast and firm in our resolve to uphold the trust reposed in us, by the nation," he said. The Army Chief also talked about the Army's commitments to the ex-servicemen. "Our responsibility towards veterans and Veer Naris remains a sacred commitment. Endeavours to augment welfare initiatives, proactively reach out to them and address their grievances, continue," he said. The Army Day parade will be held in Lucknow on Monday. Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year to commemorate the achievements of the first Indian Commander in Chief of the Army, Field Marshal K M Cariappa. Cariappa took over the command of the Indian Army from General Francis Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief, on January 15, 1949. The Union Minister for Defence, Shri Rajnath Singh addressing the ex-servicemen at Air Force Station, Kanpur on the occasion of 8th Armed Forces Veterans' Day on January 14, 2024. (Photo: PIB) KANPUR / LUCKNOW (PTI): Noting that armed forces veterans hold a special place in the heart of every Indian, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Narendra Modi government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure their well-being, be it implementing the "one rank, one pension" scheme or providing healthcare and re-employment. Indian soldiers rise above family, caste and creed in the service of the nation as they know if the country is secure, everything is safe, he said, adding their integrity and professionalism is respected and recognised not just by the whole country but by the entire world. Addressing an Armed Forces Veterans' Day event at the Air Force Station in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Singh said it is a collective responsibility of the people to treat soldiers and their dependents as their own family members and ensure that they stand with them always. He appealed to the people to further strengthen their will to honour the retired as well as the serving soldiers. Singh interacted with the armed forces veterans attending the event and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to them for their selfless service to the motherland. He emphasised that the veterans hold a special place in the heart of every Indian, according to an official statement. "Our soldiers rise above family, caste and creed and only think about the nation. They effectively carry out their duties as they know for a fact that if the nation is secure, everything is safe. This gives them the moral strength to face every challenge," he said. Singh reiterated the Defence Ministry's commitment towards the welfare of ex-servicemen. From implementing the "one rank, one pension" scheme to providing healthcare and re-employment, the government led by Prime Minister Modi has been leaving no stone unturned to ensure the wellbeing of veterans, he said. Singh said the bravery, integrity, professionalism and humanity of the Indian soldiers is respected and recognised not just by the whole country but by the entire world, according to the statement. "The bravery of our soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars are remembered with respect across the globe. We, Indians, not only respect our own soldiers, but also those of other countries. "In the 1971 war, more than 90,000 soldiers of Pakistan surrendered to India. We could have treated them in any way we wanted. But, such is our culture and tradition that we adopted a completely humanitarian attitude and sent them back to their country with full respect. Such treatment to enemy soldiers is one of the golden chapters of humanity," he said. On the occasion, the Defence Minister laid a wreath at the War Memorial and paid homage to the heroes for their supreme sacrifice and dedicated service. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Maintenance Command Air Marshal Vibhas Pande and Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Kanpur Air Commodore M K Praveen were among the dignitaries present on the occasion. The Armed Forces Veterans' Day is celebrated on January 14 every year to recognise the service rendered by the first Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal K M Cariappa, who retired on this day in 1953. The day was first celebrated in 2016 and it is marked every year since by hosting such interactive events in the honour of the ex-servicemen. The Surya Command of the Indian Army celebrated the 8th Armed Forces Veterans' Day in Lucknow. General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lieutenant General Raja Subramani and veterans laid a wreath at the Smritika War Memorial, paying homage to those who laid down their lives for the nation. Nearly 2,200 veer naaris, veterans, gallantry awardees, armed forces personnel and civil dignitaries attended the event. Addressing the event, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak paid homage to armed forces veterans for their service to the nation. He applauded the courage and valour of the Indian Army. Pathak said that the armed forces have always given a befitting reply to any threat to the country's sovereignty. Thanks to satellites, we have better services in terms of communication, internet, weather forecasting, GPS, and more. Companies have been sending up satellites more and more in the last few decades, and it won't be long until collision hazard becomes a major problem. MIT's MOCAT Tool Many experts have already noticed that Earth's low orbit is already approaching a level of space traffic that cannot be ignored. Due to this concern, MIT's Astrodynamics, Space Robotics, and Controls Laboratory have worked together to create a helpful tool. Called the MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool, or MOCAT, it can be used to determine the long-term future space environment which can provide insights into what the next steps should be in satellite launching. MOCAT is capable of modeling individual objects, as well as factoring in parameters, orbital characteristics, fragmentation scenarios, and collision probabilities, as per Interesting Engineering, making it a more comprehensive tool. The ARCLab team has been developing the models for several years and believes that an open-source implementation of evolutionary modeling tools is necessary to improve decision-making when it comes to sustainable space use, which is why it's available on GitHub. There are two components to MOCAT. One is the MOCAT-MC, which evaluates space environment evolution based on the individual trajectory simulation and Monte Carlo analysis, the report says, which looks into a space object's evolution. The second one is the MOCAT Source Sink Evolutionary Model (MOCAT=SSEM), which is for lower fidelity modeling use. It can be run using less powerful computers and can yield results in just a matter of seconds or minutes. Even NASA's Associate Administrator for the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, Charity Weeden said that the open-source modeling tool "is a public good that will advance space sustainability, improve evidence-based policy analysis, and help all users of space make better decisions." Read Also: NASA International Space Station: Retirement Plan Involves Crashing It Into Pacific Ocean's 'Spacecraft Cemetery' Why Space Debris is an Urgent Matter Most of the satellites that have been sent into space are still there, meaning that they are more traffic as more companies send up satellites. There are more dead satellites in space compared to active ones. Luckily, some that were positioned in lower orbits have already fallen and burned up. The National History Museum states those that remain will continue to orbit Earth for hundreds to thousands of years, and this can be a problem due to the possibility of it colliding with active ones and causing issues on the ground. The good news is that the Federal Communications Commission is already well aware of the situation and has already fined a company for space debris. Dish Network will have to pay a $150 fine for not shifting its satellite farther from Earth, according to The Verge. This is a step in the right direction as it will encourage companies to be more responsible when it comes to launching, using, and managing their space debris. Space pollution could not just damage other satellites in space but spacecraft that are being launched as well. Related: Dish Network Becomes the First to be Fined by the FCC for Space Debris A leading addiction specialist has warned recreational drug users that the party drug ketamine can cause seizures, damage brain function and lead to kidney failure. Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. It is also used for treatment of depression and pain management. Advertisement Dr Garret McGovern told Newstalk Breakfast that the drug has advantages in the medical field where it can be used as an anaesthetic. However, it can cause serious problems for individuals who take it for its euphoria inducing qualities. "Its been used for quite a while now by recreational drug users because it has sought-after effects. In low doses, it causes stimulant-like effects and can also cause psychedelic-like effects. People can get hallucinations and feel an out-of-body experience which they seem to like. Unfortunately, it does have side effects which is where the big worry is. Advertisement Advertisement The latest figures recorded by the National Drug Related Deaths Index in Ireland show eight poisoning deaths where ketamine was implicated between 2011 and 2022. However, five of those deaths took place over the two year period from 2020. The drug hit the headlines recently when it emerged that the Friends actor, Matthew Perry, died from the acute effects of the anaesthetic. Dr McGovern has urged drug users of the dangers of taking ketamine, particularly when they are alone. He says that it can impact on bladder and brain function. It can affect cognition and cause seizures. It can also have awful effects on the bladder and sometimes result in renal or kidney failure. Advertisement The risk you take on its own is fairly low but its been increasingly used with other drugs like cocaine and alcohol. The whole idea of it was in medicine to make people less aware of pain and stuff like that their surroundings. Dr McGovern said that another area of concern in relation to drug taking is that individuals often have no idea what they are ingesting with when they buy the likes of ketamine from dealers. I think people need to understand that they are taking these drugs without knowing what they are getting. Advertisement Ketamine is also found as a component in other drugs like MDMA and cocaine too, and I think people need to be very, very aware of what theyre doing. Dr McGovern said that without a shadow of a doubt use of ketamine is on the rise. Were seeing more of it in treatment circles now when we wouldnt have seen it at all ten years ago. Meanwhile, the HSE National Social Inclusion Office recently told the Irish Journal Of Medical Science that the use of ketamine has become a prominent feature of recreational drug use in Ireland. The HSE says if too much is taken, people can go in a to K hole, described as an intense feeling of being disconnected from ones own body, often affecting the ability to speak or move around easily. The HSE Safer Nightlife Programme, which ran the harm reduction and back of house drug checking at festivals in 2022 and 2023 reported ketamine as a significant nightlife trend, second to the use of ecstasy pills and powders. Of the 266 substances that were surrendered to the HSE at the festivals, 117 were MDMA, 40 were ketamine and 34 were cocaine. The head of an Ireland-Asia think tank has said he hopes the ban on beef exports to China will be on the table when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hosts Chinese premier Li Qiang this week. Chinas second most powerful politician, after Chinese president Xi Jinping, will meet Mr Varadkar for bilateral talks in Dublin on Wednesday. Advertisement Beef exports from Ireland to China were suspended when a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) was discovered by Irish veterinary officials in November. At the time, the Department of Agriculture said the case was detected as part of its ongoing surveillance of fallen animals at knackeries. It said tests carried out at the departments Central Veterinary Research Laboratory confirmed the case of atypical BSE the first time since 2020. Advertisement A department spokesperson said the cow, which was more than 10 years old, did not enter the food or feed chain and there were no public health risks from the case. Advertisement While the identification of the case does not affect trade generally, the protocol with China requires exports to be suspended pending submission and assessment of the epidemiological report. Advertisement Chinese authorities will decide when exports can resume. Martin Murray, the executive director of Asia Matters, said he is hoping the resumption of Irish beef exports is high on the agenda when the two leaders meet at Farmleigh House. Asia Matters executive director Martin Murray welcomed the talks (Peter Pietrzak/PA) Advertisement Mr Murray, whose organisation promotes business and cultural links between Ireland and Asian economies, welcomed the visit and said: The talks between Mr Varadkar and Premier Li Qiang in Dublin will not only be a milestone event to drive business development, they will also provide a great opportunity to reopen the Chinese market to Irish beef. The States beef exports to China were worth almost 40 million in 2019. Mr Murray said Irish exports to China had soared to record levels following the last visit to Ireland by a high-ranking Chinese government official. That was in 2012 when Mr Xi made a three-day trade visit when he was his countrys vice-president. Advertisement Mr Murray said: China is now Irelands fourth-largest trade partner, the fifth-largest goods export market, and the seventh-largest service export destination. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will hold bilateral talks with Chinese premier Li Qiang in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) Since President Xi was here just over a decade ago, bilateral trade has significantly grown in Irelands favour from 3.7 billion in 2014 to a record 25.3 billion in 2022. Advertisement Irish exports to China have significantly grown to 14 billion with the agri-food sector alone achieving 722 million in exports to China in 2022, an increase of 76 per cent over the last decade. At an Asia Matters conference in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, last October, the Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), Declan Hughes, revealed two-way trade between Ireland and Asia is worth 120 billion. This figure was achieved two years ahead of schedule. Mr Murray added: Chinese investment in Ireland is almost 10 billion and has created 5,000 quality jobs, with TikTok alone employing almost 3,000 people. Li Qiang will visit Dublin later this week (Ng Han Guan/AP) Mr Li will visit Ireland after speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland. He will be the first high-ranking Chinese government official to attend the annual gathering since Mr Xi in 2017. Ireland was granted the World Organisation for Animal Healths (WOAH) negligible risk status for BSE in 2021, which is the lowest risk rating available. Atypical BSE is not notifiable to the WOAH. The department said identification of this atypical BSE case does not affect Irelands risk rating for BSE. A spokesperson said Irelands BSE controls are robust and effective and consistent with legal requirements and best international practice. He said the discovery of the case is proof of effective food and feed safety controls. The State exports more than 90 per cent of beef produced here. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill has said that it is becoming increasingly untenable for the DUP to refuse to enter powersharing over Brexit and the protocol. She said there had been no indications of a chink of light on the talks between the UK government and the DUP, and said she was not feeling very positive after a meeting with Chris Heaton-Harris at Hillsborough Castle. Advertisement The Northern Ireland Secretary is chairing bilateral talks with the leaders of the main Stormont parties in his latest effort to break the powersharing impasse. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is meeting the Stormont parties at Hillsborough Castle on Monday Photo: James Manning/PA. The talks are taking place ahead of the largest public sector strike in Northern Irelands history on Thursday when workers in 15 trade unions will take part in mass industrial action across health, education and the civil service. Advertisement Advertisement The Assembly has been effectively collapsed for almost two years. The DUP is refusing to participate until unionist concerns around post-Brexit trading arrangements are addressed. The party has insisted it will not end its blockade until it secures legislative assurances from the British government on Northern Irelands trading position within the UK. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said his talks with the party over the Windsor Framework have concluded, although the DUP has insisted engagement is continuing. Advertisement Ms ONeill said on Monday that this is increasingly untenable, and said there had been no indications of a chink of light on the UK government-DUP talks. I think the further we get away from the Windsor Framework, which was completed last year, I think its increasingly untenable that the DUP can hide behind that argument that this is about Brexit and the (Northern Ireland) Protocol, she said. I think many people, reasonable minds, would turn their heads to is this about that or is this about the election result of May last year? I think that that will become very clear in the coming days. Advertisement (left to right) Sinn Fein representatives MLA Conor Murphy, advisor Stephen McGlade and vice-president Michelle ONeill leave Hillsborough Castle after meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA. The Sinn Fein vice president said that Mr Heaton-Harris had indicated during their Monday meeting that he would introduce new legislation if there is no restored executive this week. Advertisement Clearly, he has decisions to make as to what comes next. If we get to Thursday and there still is no restored executive, then there has to be new legislation, and hes indicated today, thats what he will do, she said at Hillsborough Castle. She called on the DUP to end the stalemate in the small window before Thursdays deadline. Advertisement It comes as the Stormont Assembly is to be recalled later this week in a bid to back a motion to endorse fair pay settlements for public sector workers. The recall petition tabled by Sinn Fein received the required 30 MLA signatures. The Assembly will sit at 12pm on Wednesday. Several previous attempts to reconstitute the Assembly have already failed as the DUP has not supported the election of a speaker at the outset of the sittings. Ms ONeill also agreed with Alliance Party leader Naomi Long that political talks need to be divorced from the issue of public sector pay. In December, the UK government offered the parties a 3.3 billion package to stabilise finances in Northern Ireland, including 600 million to settle public sector pay claims. However, it is dependent on the Stormont institutions being restored. Advertisement Stormont parties have said Mr Heaton-Harris should release the funds for the public sector pay awards immediately. Ms ONeill said: We find ourselves in a scenario where the politics are stagnant and the money thats there to pay public sector workers is hanging in the balance. So, we made sure that he was pretty clear of our view, which is that that money should be paid and he (Heaton-Harris) should absolutely divorce the two things. Hed have to speak for himself in terms of what he intends to do, and I think that will become clear over the course of the coming days, but we wont give up in terms of pressing the case for the money to be paid. The Stormont powersharing institutions have been collapsed for almost two years. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA. Mrs Long told the BBC: The pay issues need to be divorced from the current political impasse. It isnt the fault of workers in Northern Ireland that we have this situation, they should not be used as leverage in the political arena. If we dont get the Assembly restored, he will still have to make decisions around pay so I see no reason why he (Mr Heaton-Harris) cant do that at this point. The Northern Ireland Office has repeatedly said that the Secretary of State has no authority to negotiate pay in the region as it is a devolved matter for the Stormont parties. A man will go on trial at the Special Criminal Court later this week after he pleaded not guilty to helping a crime gang murder Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan, an innocent man who had no involvement in criminality. Mr Kirwan (62) was shot six times as he sat in his car on December 22nd, 2016, at St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. Advertisement At the three-judge court on Monday, Michael Crotty pleaded not guilty to facilitating an organisation in Mr Kirwan's murder. Mr Crotty (41), of Sli Aonghusa, Aras na Ri, Cashel, Co Tipperary, spoke only to answer "not guilty" when the sole charge was read out to him by the registrar. Mr Crotty is accused that between October 20th, 2016, and December 22nd, 2016, inclusive, within the State and with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, did participate in, or contribute by activity, or by being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission by a criminal organisation or any of its members of a serious offence, to wit: the murder of Christopher (aka Noel) Kirwan, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal justice Act. Advertisement Mr Crotty's trial, which is scheduled to last up to five weeks, is to begin at the Special Criminal Court on Wednesday. Advertisement Last Friday at the same court, Mr Crotty's co-accused senior Kinahan cartel member Declan Brady, known as 'Mr Nobody' pleaded guilty to the same charge. Brady, who is in custody for other offences, pleaded guilty to the single charge against him and will also appear before the court on Wednesday, when a date will be set for his sentencing hearing. Brady, of St Wolstan's Abbey, Celbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court in July 2019 to supervising a firearms arsenal including an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition that had been stashed in a Dublin business park. He was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in prison, with the final year suspended for that offence. While in prison in 2021, Brady pleaded guilty to laundering hundreds of thousands in crime cash through multiple bank accounts in 2017. On Monday, presiding judge Ms Justice Caroline Biggs, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone, read an alibi warning to Mr Crotty before adjourning the trial to Wednesday. A young woman has said she can no longer listen to music after being sexually assaulted during a concert at Marlay Park, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard. In her victim impact statement, the young woman said she got rid of anything that reminded her of the concert in June 2023. She said she dreads being in public spaces where music is playing, if the next song is by the concert's headline act. Advertisement Kartikey Gupta (22) with an address at Tandys Lane, Lucan, Co. Dublin, who is originally from India, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault during the concert at Marlay Park. Imposing on Monday, Judge Martin Nolan said sexual assaults are always serious and noted that this incident caused considerable distress to the victim. He said this incident could be said to be on the less serious end of sexual assaults as it was not too insidious. He nonetheless noted it was very distressing for the victim, who continues to be impacted by Gupta's behaviour. Advertisement He imposed a 21-month prison sentence which he suspended in full on strict conditions. Advertisement An investigating garda told Lisa Dempsey BL, prosecuting, that the victim, who is in her early 20s, attended the particular concert with a friend and was standing towards the front of the large crowd at 8.20pm when she thought she felt someone touching her. She turned around, but initially didn't see anyone. Day of incident The court heard the victim tried to tell herself that it was in her head due to the size of the crowd, but she again felt a hand reach under her skirt. She felt the hand touch the area of her vagina and buttocks over her underwear around seven or eight times. The incident lasted around seven minutes, during which she felt very afraid. She turned around and saw a man, later identified as Gupta, behind her. Advertisement She told her friend, who approached Gupta. A security guard had observed Gupta close behind the victim and initially thought he was taking photos. He came over when he saw her friend approach Gupta and removed him after the victim explained what had happened. She went to the garda tent at the event and later made a statement. She told gardai when she turned around Gupta was staring at her, and other people in the crowd were looking at her and at him. Advertisement Gupta was arrested. After caution, he told garda that there was no sexual assault, but he was involved in a fight. He said he touched the victim by mistake once but didn't remember doing it more than once. During the interview, he accepted touching the victim inappropriately once, but denied any further contact. His phone was examined and nothing was found on it. Advertisement The court heard Gupta was apologetic during interview and told gardai he had had one beer at the concert and never intended to drink again. He said he did it by mistake and saw no reaction. He added that he did not know what came into my head. Victim impact statement A victim impact statement was read to the court by the local garda. The woman said she could not get her head around the idea that something so degrading had taken place at a concert during daylight. The woman outlined that she has faced a number of challenges and the concert was intended to be one night of small happiness but this was taken from her. She said she has suffered with anxiety and finds it difficult to leave the house. Advertisement The court heard 2,500 had been offered as a token of remorse, but the victim did not wish to accept it. Advertisement Gupta has no previous convictions and had arrived in Ireland to visit family in the days before the concert. The court heard he intends to return home once the criminal process is concluded. The garda agreed with defence counsel that Gupta was co-operative following his arrest and made some admissions during interview. He also agreed that Gupta spent a number of days in custody before being released on bail. Defence counsel said his client had come to Ireland after finishing college to visit family. He was given a ticket to the concert by a family member. Gupta had intended to stay here for a month, but has spent the last seven months in Ireland. He said a psychiatric report outlined that his client has never consumed alcohol before that day and this had contributed to the offending behaviour, alongside jetlag. He told the court his client was naive and got swept away in the excitement of going to the show. His client had been frightened to tell gardai he had been intoxicated at the concert. Gupta was willing to give an undertaking never to return to Ireland. Judge Nolan further directed that the token of remorse of 2,500 is offered again to the victim and ordered that if she declines it, it should be given to charity. He noted Gupta's intention to leave Ireland and directed that he must leave the jurisdiction within two weeks and not return for 10 years. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. Tanaiste Micheal Martin has stressed that Ireland will not tolerate arson attacks on centres accommodating migrants with those responsible for such acts to be subjected to the full weight of the law in our courts. Speaking in University College Cork, Mr Martin said that Ireland has successfully welcomed asylum seekers for over three decades. Advertisement "We have always managed to deal with it. There is no question but that in current times the pressure has become particularly strong because of the increase in the numbers seeking asylum all over Europe and (the numbers) coming to Ireland. "In addition to the pressures of the Ukrainian War where we have accepted over 100,000 people into Ireland because of Putin's invasion of Ukraine. That is creating pressure. "I understand that there are concerns and so forth - we have work in terms of communication and in terms of working with communities across the length and breadth of the country. Advertisement "However, I would have to say that across the length and breadth of the country there are many centres that are working and that have been well-received within communities and we should not lose sight of that either." Advertisement The Tanaiste said that there has been good integration in society and our education system and healthcare facilities have stood up to the test. He indicated that it is important that the rule of law applies in all cases and that we have an ordered and coherent approach as a society to these issues. "It is an issue that is not just confined to Ireland, and we have to deal with it. "We are going to work with communities and, as a Government, we are going to increase capacity and we will be working on that...as we have over the past three decades." Advertisement Meanwhile, Mr Martin described as a "dangerous phenomenon" the outbreak of arson attacks on migrant centres. "Gardai have successfully dealt with many forms of crime over the years - to find those that are culpable and to not only identify those involved but also that cases can be taken through the courts successfully. "There is no question that the arson situation is absolutely unacceptable. It is a dangerous phenomenon that is developing and runs contrary to our Constitution and our very way of living in terms of people's entitlement to limb, to life and to property. Advertisement "That is a very fundamental thing. It is not something that is in tandem with our values as a people." Advertisement The Tanaiste said that young migrants fleeing Africa or the Middle East or elsewhere tend to come (singly). "Though you also have unaccompanied minors. You also have families. "I think the idea of mixing has validity and I think that is what you are beginning to see. I think you have to be careful of the language around vetting - vetting itself is fairly preliminary in any event. "What is important is that we can reassure communities in respect of making sure that any community (which accepts) asylum seekers, (that) services are there, that there is proper communication with the communities and full transparency." Advertisement He said that centres have been "working fine" for Ireland for decades. "There have not been issues in respect of them. People need to reflect on that. This is not a new experience. Yes, the numbers are increasing - there are a higher number coming in. I remember in the late 1990s there was a very significant increase in numbers at that time which was causing concern but we managed to settle it and deal with it. Advertisement "I think it is fair to say that, because of the unprecedented wars and violence and dislocation across the world, not to mention climate change, we are seeing increasing and frightening levels of migration across Europe and across the world. "I am just back from Central America, for example. The Middle East - Lebanon and Jordan are facing millions coming across because of Syria. "What is important is that we go to sources and try to resource societies and make that governance and quality of life is better. So people don't feel that they have to flee." Mr Martin rejected any suggestion the Government was trying to "wave a magic wand" to resolve the migration challenges while domestic homelessness figures remained stark. Ireland Man arrested as scuffles break out at asylum seeke... Read More "I don't think that is fair language, no matter who is saying it. Nothing is done with a magic wand. "I think this year that over 30,000 houses will be built. If you look at the first start in terms of homelessness there has been tremendous progress made for those who are homeless in terms of getting accommodated immediately through the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and through voluntary bodies like the Fr McVerry Trust or Cluid or Respond. "A ring-fenced allocation has been made available for the homeless to get into housing straight away. That has been effective. "We are concentrating on reducing the amount of time that people are homeless or being in emergency accommodation, that they can get progressed into housing as quickly as possible." Two civilians were killed in northern Israel on Sunday after an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon hit their home in a town near the border, raising new concerns of a second conflict erupting against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The deadly strike came on the 100th day of a conflict between Israel and Hamas that has killed nearly 24,000 Palestinians, devastated vast swathes of Gaza, driven about 85 per cent of its 2.3 million residents from their homes and pushed a quarter of the population into starvation. Advertisement The war was triggered by Hamas October 7th surprise attack into southern Israel in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages, about half of whom are still in captivity. Tensions have soared across the region, with Israel trading fire almost daily with Lebanons Hizbullah militant group, Iran-backed militias attacking US targets in Syria and Iraq, and Yemens Houthi rebels targeting international shipping, drawing a wave of US airstrikes last week. Advertisement A Palestinian woman with her baby in a tent near Kerem Shalom crossing in Rafah (Hatem Ali/AP) Advertisement Sundays missile strike came a day after the Israeli army said it killed three militants who had crossed into Israel from Lebanon and attempted to carry out an attack. Hizbullahs leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said that his group will not stop until a ceasefire is in place for Gaza. We are continuing and our front is inflicting losses on the enemy and putting pressure on displaced people, he said in a speech, referring to the tens of thousands of Israelis who have fled northern border areas. The unprecedented level of death and destruction in Gaza has led South Africa to lodge allegations of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Advertisement Israel adamantly denies the accusations and has vowed to press ahead with its offensive even if the court in The Hague issues an interim order for it to stop. No-one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anyone else, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, referring to Iran and its allied militias. A destroyed residential building in Deir al Balah, Gaza (Adel Hana/AP) Advertisement Israel has also vowed to return the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza as its leaders have faced mounting protests from their families, including a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv that began on Saturday and drew tens of thousands of supporters. Advertisement Israeli forces have only managed to rescue one hostage, while more than 100 were released during a week-long ceasefire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Hamas says no more hostages will be released until Israel ends its offensive. Israel and Hizbullah have been careful not to allow their back-and-forth fighting to erupt into full-blown war on a second front. Advertisement But they have come close on several occasions, most recently in the aftermath of an airstrike that killed a top Hamas official in Beirut on January 2nd. Hamas and Hizbullah have both blamed Israel for the strike. A man holds a sign calling for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel (Leo Correa/AP) The latest attacks on Israel, including the deaths of two civilians on Sunday, raised the likelihood of new Israeli reprisals. The missile hit a home in the town of Yuval in northern Israel, killing a man in his 40s and his mother, who was in her 70s, Israeli rescuers said. Although Yuval is one of more than 40 towns along the northern border evacuated by the government in October, Israeli media reported that the family stayed in the area because they work in agriculture. More than 115,000 Israelis have been evacuated from northern Israel due to the ongoing tensions. In Israel, 12 soldiers and seven civilians have died from rocket launches from Lebanon, and more than 170 were injured. Hizbullah has reported at least 150 fighters and 20 civilians have been killed in the near-daily exchanges of fire. Advertisement The deadly strike came hours after the army said it killed three militants who entered a disputed Israeli-controlled enclave in the Golan Heights. . . >> pic.twitter.com/uDbKUrekpv Benjamin Netanyahu - (@netanyahu) January 13, 2024 A group called Islamic Glory Brigades claimed responsibility for the infiltration. The Associated Press could not independently verify the statement, and Hizbullah, the Lebanese branches of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad all said the group was not affiliated with them. Since October, over 2,000 rockets and 350 drones have been launched from Lebanon, according to Israel. Israel has also been under growing international pressure to end the war in Gaza, but has so far been shielded by US diplomatic and military support. Israel says any ceasefire would hand victory to Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israels destruction. The Gaza Health Ministry said on Sunday that hospitals had received 125 bodies in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 23,968. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says about two-thirds of the dead are women and minors. It says more than 60,000 people have been wounded. Israel says 188 soldiers have been killed and 1,099 wounded since the start of the ground offensive. Israel will pursue its war against Hamas until victory and will not be stopped by anyone, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said in a defiant speech as the fighting in Gaza approaches the 100-day mark. Mr Netanyahu spoke after the International Court of Justice at The Hague held two days of hearings on South Africas allegations that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, a charge Israel has rejected as libellous and hypocritical. Advertisement South Africa had asked the court to order Israel to halt its air and ground offensive in an interim step. Advertisement Referring to Iran and its allied militias, Mr Netanyahu said in televised remarks on Saturday evening: No-one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil, and not anyone else. The case before the international court is expected to go on for years, but a ruling on interim steps could come within weeks. Court rulings are binding, but difficult to enforce. Advertisement Mr Netanyahu made clear that Israel would ignore orders to halt the fighting, potentially deepening its isolation. Advertisement Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim Jamie McGoldrick visiting southern #Gaza, speaking on the difficult conditions in which internally displaced persons live, on what they need, and the efforts to support them. pic.twitter.com/PFz07SXKly OCHA oPt (Palestine) (@ochaopt) January 13, 2024 Advertisement Israel has been under growing international pressure to end the war, which has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza and led to widespread suffering in the besieged enclave, but has so far been shielded by US diplomatic and military support. Israel argues that ending the war means victory for Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007 and is bent on Israels destruction. The war was triggered by an attack on October 7th in which Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians. About 250 more were taken hostage, and while some have been released or confirmed dead, more than half are believed to still be in captivity. Sunday marks 100 days of fighting. Advertisement The Israeli army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza (AP) Fears of a wider conflict have been palpable since the start of the war. New fronts quickly opened, with Iranian-backed groups Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria carrying out a range of attacks. Advertisement From the start, the US increased its military presence in the region to deter an escalation. Following a Houthi campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the US and UK launched multiple airstrikes against the rebels on Friday, and the US hit another site on Saturday. This week, the international court heard arguments on South Africas complaint against Israel. South Africa cited the soaring death toll and hardships among Gaza civilians, along with inflammatory comments from Israeli leaders, presented as proof of what it called genocidal intent. In counter-arguments on Friday, Israel asked for the case to be dismissed as meritless. Israels defence argued that the country has the right to fight back against a ruthless enemy, that South Africa had barely mentioned Hamas, and that it ignored what Israel considers attempts to mitigate civilian harm. The Israeli prime minister has said no-one will stop his country as it attempts to defeat Hamas (AP) Mr Netanyahu and his army chief, Herzl Halevi, said they have no immediate plans to allow the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, the initial focus of Israels offensive. Fighting in the northern half has been scaled back, with forces now focusing on the southern city of Khan Younis, though combat continues in parts of the north. Advertisement Mr Netanyahu said the issue had been raised by US secretary of state Antony Blinken during his visit earlier this week. The Israeli leader said he told Mr Blinken that we will not return residents (to their homes) when there is fighting. At the same time, Mr Netanyahu said Israel would eventually need to close what he said were breaches along Gazas border with Egypt. Over the years of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade, smuggling tunnels under Egypt-Gaza border had constituted a major supply line for Gaza. Why doesn't the ICRC stop wars? We wish it was that simple! While we can't physically stop wars from happening, here's what we do to support those affected by armed conflict. pic.twitter.com/ROz9TelEwD ICRC (@ICRC) January 10, 2024 However, the border area, particularly the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, is packed with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled northern Gaza, and their presence would complicate any plans to widen Israels ground offensive. We will not end the war until we close this breach, Mr Netanyahu said, adding that his government has not yet decided how to do that. In Gaza, the health ministry said on Saturday that 135 Palestinians had been killed in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall toll of the war to 23,843. Advertisement The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, but the ministry has said about two thirds of the dead are women and children. The ministry said the total number of war-wounded surpassed 60,000. Following an Israeli air strike before dawn on Saturday, video provided by Gazas civil defence department showed rescue workers searching through the twisted rubble of a building in Gaza City by torch. I just wrapped a 10-stop trip that took us from Turkey to Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, Bahrain, and Egypt. So I wanted to take a moment to tell you about what I heard and we discussed. pic.twitter.com/LiXu3dhNwO Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 12, 2024 Footage showed them carrying a young girl wrapped in blankets with injuries to her face, and at least two other children who appeared dead. The attack on the home in the Daraj area killed at least 20 people, according to officials. Another strike late on Friday near the southern city of Rafah on the Egyptian border killed at least 13 people, including two children. The bodies of those killed, primarily from a family displaced from central Gaza, were taken to the citys Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital where they were seen by an Associated Press reporter. Advertisement The Palestinian telecommunications company Jawwal said two of its employees were killed on Saturday as they tried to repair the network in Khan Younis. They company said the two were hit by shelling. Jawwal has lost 13 employees since the start of the war. Israel has argued that Hamas is responsible for the high civilian casualties, saying its fighters make use of civilian buildings and launch attacks from densely populated urban areas. Since the start of Israels ground operation in late October, 187 Israeli soldiers have been killed and another 1,099 injured in Gaza, according to the military. More than 85 per cent of Gazas population of 2.3 million has been displaced as a result of Israels air and ground offensive, and vast swathes of the territory have been levelled. Only 15 of the territorys 36 hospitals are still partially functional, according to the UN, amid severe shortages of food, clean water and fuel. The Ukrainian air force has shot down a Russian Beriev A-50 early warning and control plane and an IL-22 command centre aircraft in a significant blow for the Kremlins forces, Kyivs military chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi has claimed. The planes are key tools in helping orchestrate Russian battlefield movements. Advertisement Shooting them down is a landmark feat for Ukraine in the almost two-year war, as fighting along the front line is largely bogged down in trench and artillery warfare. Mr Zaluzhnyi did not say how the aircraft were brought down, but Ukraine has received sophisticated modern air defence systems from its Western allies. He also did not say where the interception occurred, though he attached a video to his social media post with a plane tracker showing two targets disappearing above the Azov Sea, which lies between Ukraine and Russia, north of the Crimea Pensinsula and the Black Sea. Advertisement Advertisement Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 15 January 2024. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/HU8oBmeVpQ #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/mLOP37pDWh Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) January 15, 2024 Advertisement There was no immediate official comment from Moscow. Russian war bloggers said both planes had come under friendly fire, though they presented no evidence of that. They claimed the Il-22 was damaged but made a successful landing. The A-50 is an early warning and control aircraft with a large radar capable of spotting air targets at distances of up to 400 miles. It has a crew of 15. The Russian air force reportedly has been operating a fleet of nine such aircraft. An A-50 was damaged by a February 2023 drone attack at an airfield in Belarus where it was parked, but Russian and Belarusian officials said it sustained only minor damage. Advertisement The Il-22 is an airborne command post, intended to oversee military operations and relay radio signal to troops on the front line. The Russian air force reportedly has a dozen such planes. Meanwhile, a disgraced former Russian mayor convicted over bribery has had his prison sentence cut short after signing a contract to fight with Russias military in Ukraine, local media reported. Advertisement A Ukrainian APC fires towards Russian positions near Avdiivka, in the Donetsk region (AP) Advertisement Oleg Gumenyuk, who served as mayor of the far eastern city and cultural hub of Vladivostok between 2018 and 2021, was convicted last year of accepting bribes worth 38 million roubles and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. However, he was released after agreeing to bear arms and fight as part of his countrys military operation in Ukraine that started nearly two years ago, his lawyer Andrei Kitaev told Russian news outlet Kommersant. He said that the politicians whereabouts were unknown, but that Gumenyuk was instructed to report to his military unit on December 22nd. Russia has gone to extraordinary lengths to replenish its troops in Ukraine, including deploying thousands of prisoners directly from the countrys jails. Inmates who sign up for six months on the frontline are pardoned upon their return. It is not the first time that authorities have used such a tactic, with the Soviet Union employing prisoner battalions during the Second World War. Bernardo Arevalo has been sworn in as Guatemalas president, despite months of efforts to derail his inauguration and rising tensions right up until the transfer of power. Mr Arevalo arrives in the presidency after winning Augusts elections by a comfortable margin. Advertisement But nothing has been straightforward since then, with the countrys attorney general Consuelo Porras and the establishment forces observers say she represents throwing one legal challenge after another at Mr Arevalo and his party. In his first address as leader, Mr Arevalo said: It fills me with deep honour to assume this lofty responsibility, showing that our democracy has the necessary strength to resist and that through unity and trust we can change the political panorama in Guatemala. People watch the inauguration ceremony outside the National Palace in Guatemala City (AP) Advertisement He thanked Guatemalas youth for not losing hope and the countrys Indigenous peoples for their support, acknowledging historic debts that we must resolve. Advertisement He summarised his administrations guiding principle as: There cannot be democracy without social justice and social justice cannot prevail without democracy. Despite hundreds of Mr Arevalos supporters pressuring legislators to follow the constitution, even clashing with riot police outside the congress building on Sunday, the inauguration process dragged on for hours before he took the oath of office just past midnight. A progressive academic-turned-politician and son of a Guatemalan president credited with implementing key social reforms in the mid-20th century, Mr Arevalo takes office with expectations of confronting Guatemalas entrenched corruption. Advertisement Supporters of Mr Arevalo clashed with riot police on Sunday (AP) He has little support in congress and Ms Porras term as the top law enforcement official extends to 2026, though Mr Arevalo has said one of his first orders of business will be to request her resignation. Congress, which was supposed to attend the inauguration as a special session of the legislature, engaged in bitter infighting over who to recognise as part of the congressional delegation. Advertisement The leadership commission tasked with doing that was packed with old-guard opponents of Mr Arevalo, and the delay was seen as a tactic to draw out the inauguration and weaken the new President. Mr Arevalo wrote in his social media accounts that they are trying to damage democracy with illegalities, inconsequential details and abuses of power. Advertisement Representatives from the US government and Organisation of American States have called on the Guatemalan congress to respect the countrys constitution. Ms Porras had tried every legal trick in the book to put Mr Arevalo on trial or in jail before he could take office. And Mr Arevalos party will not have a majority in congress, and may not even have formal recognition there. Astrobotics had an ambitious mission to deliver payloads to the lunar surface and things were going smoothly until it launched. Unfortunately for the spacecraft, it experienced an anomaly that prevented it from reaching its goal.\ The Lunar Lander Will Burn Up Astrobotic shared an update regarding the Peregrine lunar lander this weekend regarding the fate of the spacecraft after it was reported to be leaking propellant shortly after it was launched. Since then, the lunar lander was no longer expected to complete its journey. Even with the complication, the Peregrine managed to travel much farther than expected. It reached lunar distance at about 238,000 miles from Earth on Friday, and then 242,000 as of the recent report from Astrobotic. Ultimately, its trajectory is headed back to Earth, and it will burn up in the planet's atmosphere before it even reaches the ground, as reported by Engadget. That means that all the payloads that are aboard it will be gone as well. Considering the price range of payloads per kilogram, the items burning up in the atmosphere can be considered a more serious matter. It costs $300,000 per kilogram to deliver payloads to the lunar orbit and $1.2 million for it to be delivered to the lunar surface. There's even a service that lets people send their loved one's ashes to the moon, which will cost them $12,500 if they avail of the services of Celestis, and $11,950 if they let Elysium Soace make the arrangements for the lunar lander, as per Gizmodo. Astrobotic has been trying to provide more precise information about the Peregrine's journey and trajectory, but it has been more difficult given the unknown factor of fuel leakage. The company will be hosting a press conference with NASA on Thursday, January 18th. Read Also: Astrobotics's Lunar Lander Allows People to Send Cremated Remains to the Moon The Peregrine Lunar Lander Astrobotic has two lunar landers. The Griffin is a medium-class lander with flexible mounting options to carry larger payloads and rovers, while the Peregrine is a small-class lander that can be more precise in delivering payloads to the lunar orbit and surface. The launched lunar lander has seven systems such as navigation and control, power, avionics, communications, thermal control, structures, and propulsion. It's the last mentioned system that suffered malfunctions causing the lander to fail in its mission. It was supposed to land 15 days after it was launched. It's only been less than half of the estimated journey duration and the leakage has led the Peregrine's fuel to close to empty, therefore impossible to complete the 15-day voyage. The propulsion system has five main engines and 12 Attitude and Control System (ACS) engines, all of which are powered by a pressure-fed hypergolic bipropellant. It does not require ignition given that the fuel and oxidizer can burn up upon contact. The bipropellant was important since it's what powers the engines, with the main ones positioned within the cone of the spacecraft for major maneuvers, along with the five engines under the Peregrine to give it a boost. Related: Astrobotic Lunar Mission in Jeopardy After 'Critical' Fuel Loss While Enroute to the Moon The Conservatives are facing a 1997-style electoral wipeout in the UK that would hand Labour a 120-seat majority, a major opinion poll suggests. A YouGov survey of 14,000 people indicates that UK prime minister Rishi Sunaks Tories could hold on to as few as 169 seats as Sir Keir Starmers Labour enters Downing Street with 385. Advertisement The polling, reported by the Telegraph, indicated that every so-called red wall seat won by Boris Johnson in 2019 could be lost at the general election this year. UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt could lose his seat in the carnage (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt could be one of 11 Cabinet ministers to lose their seats in what would be the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906, according to the newspaper. Advertisement Support for Reform UK would be decisive in 96 Tory losses despite the Nigel Farage-linked party not picking up a single seat, the polling suggests, while the SNP would also suffer. Advertisement The research, using the multi-level regression and post-stratification method, was commissioned by a group of Tory donors working with former Brexit negotiator, Lord David Frost Conservative anxieties about their electoral prospects under Mr Sunak are likely to reach new heights. Simon Clarke, who was a Cabinet minister under Liz Truss, said the result would be a disaster. Advertisement The time for half measures is over, he wrote on social media. We either deliver on small boats or we will be destroyed. Among the other top Tories said to be on course to lose their seats are UK defence secretary Grant Shapps, Commons leader Penny Mordaunt and attorney general Victoria Prentis. Voting begins on Monday in icy Iowa as former US president Donald Trump eyes a victory that would send a resounding message that neither life-threatening cold nor life-changing legal trouble can slow his march towards the Republican Partys 2024 nomination. The Iowa caucuses are the opening contest in the months-long Republican presidential primary process. Advertisement Caucus participants will gather inside more than 750 schools, churches and community centres to debate their options, in some cases for hours, before casting secret ballots. While Mr Trump projects confidence, his one-time chief rival, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, is fighting for his political survival in a make-or-break race for second place. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis way. Advertisement Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley after a campaign event in Iowa. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP They have competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative to the former president, who has alienated many Americans and could end up being a convicted felon by the years end. Advertisement I absolutely love a lot of the things (Trump) did, but his personality is just kind of getting in his way, said Hans Rudin, 49, a community college adviser from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said he supported Mr Trump in the past two elections, but will support Mr DeSantis on Monday. Advertisement Polls suggest Mr Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa as Ms Haley and Mr DeSantis duel for a distant second. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson are also on the ballot, as is former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign last week. With the coldest temperatures in caucus history expected and dangerous traveling conditions in virtually every corner of the rural state, the campaigns are bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and their organisational muscle. The final result will serve as a powerful signal for the rest of the nomination fight to determine who will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election. Advertisement After Iowa, the Republican primary shifts to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina over the coming weeks before moving into the rest of the country this spring. Ron DeSantis is fighting for his political survival. Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP. The ultimate nominee will not be confirmed until the partys national convention in July, but with big wins in the opening contests, Mr Trump will be difficult to stop. Advertisement Advertisement Mr Trumps political strength heading into the Iowa caucuses, which come 426 days after he launched his 2024 campaign, tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from him. He lost to Mr Biden in 2020 after fuelling near-constant chaos while in the White House, culminating with his supporters carrying out a deadly attack on the US Capitol. He faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, including two indictments for his efforts to overturn the election and a third indictment for keeping classified documents in his Florida home. In recent weeks he has increasingly echoed authoritarian leaders and framed his campaign as one of retribution. He has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies. He has repeatedly harnessed rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to say that immigrants entering the US illegally are poisoning the blood of our country. And he recently shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting words like revenge, power and dictatorship. The Iowa caucuses are the opening contest. Photo: Abbie Parr/AP. Republican voters have been undeterred. Trump is a Christian. Hes trustworthy. He believes in America. And he believes in freedom, said 71-year-old Kathy DeAngelo, a retired hospital administrative employee waiting in sub-zero weather to see Mr Trump on Sunday. Hes the only one. On the eve of the caucuses, Mr Trump predicted he would set a modern-day record for an Iowa Republican caucus with a margin-of-victory exceeding the nearly 13 percentage points that Bob Dole earned in 1988. He also sought to downplay expectations that he would earn as much as 50 per cent of the total vote. Whether he hits that number or not, his critics note that roughly half of the states Republican voters will likely vote for someone not named Trump. Somebody won by 12 points and that was like a record. Well, we should do that, Mr Trump said on Sunday during an appearance at a Des Moines hotel. If we dont do that, let em criticise us, right? But lets see if we can get to 50%. Brave the weather and go out and save America, he later added. The temperature in parts of Iowa on Monday could dip as low as minus 26C while snowdrifts were making travel hazardous across the rural state where unpaved roads are common. A disgraced former Russian mayor convicted over bribery has had his prison sentence cut short after signing a contract to fight with Russias military in Ukraine, local media reported. Oleg Gumenyuk, who served as mayor of the far eastern city and cultural hub of Vladivostok between 2018 and 2021, was convicted last year of accepting bribes worth 38 million roubles and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Advertisement However, he was released after agreeing to bear arms and fight as part of his countrys military operation in Ukraine that started nearly two years ago, his lawyer Andrei Kitaev told Russian news outlet Kommersant. He said that the politicians whereabouts were unknown, but that Gumenyuk was instructed to report to his military unit on December 22nd. UK support will not falter. Yesterday the UK announced it will increase military aid for Ukraine next financial year to 2.5 billion, supporting largest ever commitment of cutting-edge drones. Slava Ukraini pic.twitter.com/wdK3inGVSw Advertisement Advertisement Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) January 13, 2024 Local officials for the Federal Penitentiary Service in the Primorsky region where the former mayor was held did not confirm the reports. Advertisement Photos circulating on social media show a man resembling Gumenyuk carrying a gun while being surrounded by other servicemen. Russia has gone to extraordinary lengths to replenish its troops in Ukraine, including deploying thousands of prisoners directly from the countrys jails. Inmates who sign up for six months on the frontline are pardoned upon their return. It is not the first time that authorities have used such a tactic, with the Soviet Union employing prisoner battalions during the Second World War. Also on Sunday, shelling continued with a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Kherson, injuring six people, the regions military administration said. Advertisement Four firefighters were also hurt after a drone hit a fire station in the wider Kherson region. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike injured one at the Russian border village of Tetkino, Kursk region governor Roman Starovoyt said on social media. A missile fired by Yemens Houthi rebels struck a US-owned ship on Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after Yemens Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea, officials said. Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global identified the vessel as the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. Advertisement The ship is owned by Eagle Bulk, a firm based in Stamford, Connecticut, in the US, and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement the company acknowledged the strike and said it caused limited damage to a cargo hold but (the ship) is stable and is heading out of the area. All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured, the firm said. The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products. Eagle Bulk management is in close contact with all relevant authorities concerning this matter. Advertisement Advertisement On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has pic.twitter.com/gixEMaUiVT U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 15, 2024 Advertisement The US militarys Central Command acknowledged the strike, blaming the Yemens Houthi rebels. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey, Central Command said. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the attack in a recorded television address on Monday. The Yemeni armed forces consider all American and British ships and warships participating in the aggression against our country as hostile targets, he said. Advertisement Satellite-tracking data analysed by the Associated Press showed the Eagle Gibraltar had been bound for the Suez Canal, but rapidly turned around at the time of the attack. The incident comes less than a day after Yemens Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile towards an American destroyer in the Red Sea. Details remained scarce on the missile strike, though it marked the latest attack on global shipping amid Israels war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement Advertisement Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the US and the UK strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen (AP) Sundays attack towards the American warship marked the first US-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since the US and allied nations began strikes on Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis, a Shia rebel group allied with Iran that seized Yemens capital in 2014, have targeted the crucial corridor linking Asian and Middle East energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal and onwards to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war. The attacks threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration. It is not clear whether the US would retaliate for the latest attacks, though US president Joe Biden has said he will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Middle East waters, said the attack on the ship on Monday happened some 110 miles south-east of Aden. It offered few details, other than to say the ships captain reported that the port side of vessel hit from above by a missile. It did not identify the ship or elaborate. Advertisement Yemens Houthi rebels did not acknowledge any attack, though they have fired missiles previously in that area. The Houthi fire on Sunday was in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the US militarys Central Command said. The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the US said. There were no injuries or damage reported. A Houthi honour guard carries the coffins of the fighters killed in the US and UK air strikes (AP) The first day of US-led strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centres, including in remote mountain areas, the US said. The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others. US forces followed up with a strike on Saturday on a Houthi radar site. Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed. On Friday, the US Navy warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial air strikes. Advertisement Yemens Houthi rebels have launched attacks (Mass Communications Spc. 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/US Navy via AP) The Houthis alleged, without providing evidence, that the US struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time as the cruise missile incident. The Americans and the UK did not acknowledge conducting any strike suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israels offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperilling shipping in a key route for global trade. Rishi Sunak has suffered a major blow ahead of a Commons showdown over his flagship Rwanda Bill as two Conservative deputy chairmen said they would join a rebellion. Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith on Monday evening vowed to back right-wing amendments to toughen up the legislation aimed at reviving the stalled plan to deport some asylum seekers to the east African nation. Advertisement It signals trouble ahead for the British prime minister as his party is deeply divided over a Bill that faces crunch votes this week. The Rwanda Bill. I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them. Lee Anderson MP (@LeeAndersonMP_) January 15, 2024 Advertisement Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke-Smith said they would defy the British government by joining more than 60 Tory MPs who are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers rights to appeal against flights to Kigali. Advertisement But any attempt by Mr Sunak to placate them would be opposed by more moderate Tories, who are keen to protect the legislation against breaches of international law. Advertisement The amendments gaining support among backbenchers were tabled by Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, and veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash. Mr Anderson tweeted: I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them. Advertisement When I was elected in 2019 I promised my constituents we would take back control. I want this legislation to be as strong as possible and therefore I will be supporting the Jenrick/Cash amendments. These are arguments I have consistently made and will continue to make. #Rwanda Brendan Clarke-Smith MP (@Bren4Bassetlaw) January 15, 2024 Advertisement Mr Clarke-Smith, who was only appointed deputy chairman seven weeks ago, wrote: When I was elected in 2019 I promised my constituents we would take back control. I want this legislation to be as strong as possible, and therefore I will be supporting the Jenrick/Cash amendments. While the deputy chairmanship is not a British government role, holders would be expected to back its positions. The whips office said rumours that Mr Anderson had been assured he could back the changes without being sacked were untrue. Advertisement Asked whether he would keep his job, Mr Clarke-Smith told reporters: Well see, its not for me to decide. If they are selected, the amendments are unlikely to pass as they will not get Labour support, but the real test will come at the third reading when rebels may vote against the entire Bill. The whips office said rumours that Mr Anderson, who does not hold a Government role but would be expected to back its positions, had been assured he could back the changes without being sacked were untrue. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who is popular among the Tory grassroots, is also understood to have called for asylum seekers to be prevented from lodging individual legal appeals against their removals to Kigali. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch. Photo: PA. On the eve of the Commons showdown, Tory political strategist Isaac Levido warned feuding MPs at the 1922 committee of backbenchers: Let me be clear. Divided parties fail. Earlier, Mr Sunak said he was talking to all my colleagues as he and his allies sought to avoid another open display of infighting between Conservative factions. In an apparent attempt to woo wavering hardliners, he said there were circumstances under which he would be prepared to ignore injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg so-called Rule 39 orders blocking flights from taking off to Rwanda. Advertisement Speaking to GB News, the Prime Minister said: I dont think Strasbourg will intervene because of the checks and balances in our system, but of course there will be individual circumstances that people will want us to consider on the facts. If youre asking me are there circumstances in which Im prepared to ignore those rule 39s, then, yes, of course there are. But rebels dismissed the claim, with right-winger Sir John Hayes saying Mr Sunaks verbal promises were not enough. The pledge needs to be backed up by legal provisions, he told Andrew Marr on LBC. If the rebels were successful, blocking the Prime Ministers flagship Bill would trigger fresh chaos, which might make opponents toe the line to let it pass. Photo: PA Graphics. Meanwhile, centrist Tories warned that any caving to right-wingers demands would cause problems for them. Ahead of a meeting of the One Nation group of Conservative MPs in Parliament, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland told the PA news agency: I think in a nutshell, the Government would be best advised not to accept any of the amendments from my colleagues on the right, because the Bill then will cause a problem for us here. So were hoping that common sense will prevail. One Nation chairman Damian Green said: Weve made our position clear that we, for all our reservations, we voted for the Bill at second reading. And we want the Government to carry it through unamended. Small boat crossings are down 20%. But we need to go further. Under my leadership, we will stop the boats. pic.twitter.com/U45bkGPb6Z Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) June 5, 2023 Mr Sunak has previously argued that moving a further inch on the Bill would risk the Rwandan government quitting the deal. The British governments Bill and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to make the scheme legally watertight following a Supreme Court ruling against the plan. As part of the plan to deter small boat crossings of the English Channel, ministers want to be able to send migrants on a one-way trip to Rwanda, where they will be able to seek asylum. The scale of the small boats problem was highlighted on Sunday when five more people died trying to cross the Channel from France. A US fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired towards a US destroyer in the Red Sea on Sunday, the countrys military has confirmed. The attack is the first confirmed targeting by Houthi rebels in Yemen since US and UK-led air strikes on the rebels began on Friday following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. Advertisement The Houthis have targeted the crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war, attacks that threaten to widen the conflict into a regional conflagration. The missile targeted the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the US militarys Central Command said in a statement. The statement said the missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis. Advertisement An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon, Central Command said. There were no injuries or damage reported. Advertisement The Houthis, a Shiite rebel group allied with Iran, did not immediately acknowledge the attack. The first day of strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. US forces followed up with a strike on Saturday on a Houthi radar site. A US fighter jet has shot down a cruise missile fired towards an American destroyer in the Red Sea by Yemens Houthi rebels, officials said. The incident is the latest attack on global shipping amid Israels war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Advertisement On Monday, missile fire struck a ship just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, officials said. Details remained scarce on the missile strike, though it marked the latest attack roiling global shipping amid Israels war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Suspicion immediately fell on the Houthis. The attack on Sunday marks the first US-acknowledged strike by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes on the rebels on Friday, following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. Advertisement The Houthis have targeted the crucial corridor, which links Asian and Middle East energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal and onward to Europe, in retaliation over the Israel-Hamas war. The attacks threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration. Advertisement Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the US and the UK strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa (AP) The Houthis, a Shia rebel group allied with Iran that seized Yemens capital in 2014, did not immediately acknowledge the attack. It was not immediately clear whether the US would retaliate for the latest attack, though President Joe Biden has said he will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary. Advertisement The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the American militarys Central Command said. The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the US said. An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon, Central Command said. There were no injuries or damage reported. Advertisement The first day of US-led strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Advertisement Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centres, including in remote mountain areas, the US has said. Houthi supporters attend a protest against the United States-led air strikes in Yemen (AP) The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others. Advertisement US forces followed up with a strike on Saturday on a Houthi radar site. Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed over the attacks. The US Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial air strikes. For their part, the Houthis alleged without providing evidence that the US struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time of the cruise missile fire. The Americans and the United Kingdom did not acknowledge conducting any strike suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israels offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperilling shipping in a key route for global trade. Advertisement Even the leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, obliquely referenced the widening Houthi attacks on ships in a speech on Sunday, saying that the sea has become battlefield of missiles, drones and warships, and blaming the US strikes for escalating maritime tensions. Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to calm tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes in the Red Sea threaten to ignite one. Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate detente with Iran as well as a ceasefire in Yemen. The Saudi-led, US-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more. Stevie Rizo | CR8 Agency (Atlanta, GA) January 12, 2024 Rising music sensation Stevie Rizo is ready to set the stage ablaze with his latest release, "Go Jehovah." The artist, known for his distinctive sound and captivating lyrics, wrapped up 2023 with an impressive career milestone, accumulating over 9 million streams on Apple Music and Spotify, and 2024 promises to be another music-filled year. "Go Jehovah" is a testament to Stevie Rizo's musical prowess and artistic evolution. The track seamlessly blends genres, showcasing his versatility as an artist, writer and producer. With its infectious beat and thought-provoking lyrics, "Go Jehovah" is a standout addition to Rizos growing discography. Last year, his viral track Esther surpassed 2.2 million streams and landed on Instagrams top 25 trending songs. Looking ahead, Stevie Rizo is set to kick off the new year with a bang. In the spirit of giving back, hell be attending St. Jude Childrens Research Hospitals Celebration of Hope this month and on February 3, he will grace the stage in Atlanta alongside Holy Gabbana & Rich and Famous for what promises to be an unforgettable performance. Fans can expect an electrifying show filled with the energy and charisma that have become synonymous with Stevie Rizo's live performances. But the excitement doesn't end there. Rizo has a special Valentine's Day treat for his fans. Next month, he will be releasing a romantic collaboration titled "Date Night" with the talented Franchesca. The song is poised to become a go-to anthem for lovers, adding another dimension to Rizo's dynamic portfolio. With "Go Jehovah" making waves and exciting projects on the horizon, Stevie Rizo is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. Keep an eye out for more updates and announcements as he continues to captivate audiences with his unique sound and undeniable talent. Check out Stevie Rizos new single, Go Jehovah: https://lnk.to/GoJehovah Connect with Stevie Rizo on social media @iAmStevieRizo. ART Reading the Rooms: Behind the Paintings of the State Library of NSW Ed., Richard Neville & Rachel Franks NewSouth, $89.99 People are often surprised to learn that the State Library of NSW has a rooftop bar. Even more are amazed that the library has one of the largest art collections in Australia, including more than 168,000 drawings, prints and watercolours, and almost 1300 oil paintings. Both the Library Bar and the striking display of paintings on candy-coloured walls in the Mitchell Library were initiatives of the recently retired state librarian John Vallance. He also responded to a query about whether there was a guide to the renewed galleries from Lord Glendonbrook, an Australian businessman and philanthropist, who offered to fund one. Detail from Panoramic view of Sydney Harbour and the city skyline, 1894 by Arthur Streeton, which was bought in 2019 for $425,000. Credit: State Library of NSW. ML 1513 As a result, the oil paintings are the subject of a splendid illustrated book, Reading the Rooms, co-edited by Richard Neville, the Mitchell librarian, and Rachel Franks, the librarys co-ordinator, scholarship. Appealingly modest about the collection, the editors emphasise its historical documentary usefulness over its artistic value. But humility is unnecessary. 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 half-Hopi girl was jumping freight trains with a fiddle in a banged-up case and a wolf dog at her side. Charley Crockett was strictly a hitchhiking man when he first saw her playing old-time music on a street corner in New Orleans. I met her right there in the French Quarter, he recalls, tipping back his cowboy hat, gazing through the windscreen of a 97 F-350 Powerstroke diesel truck parked outside of Austin. She introduced me to that lifestyle and connected me with men she knew that had been hopping trains for a long time. So I tried my hand at that. It was a romantic notion, he concedes, coming from a woman singing fiddle tunes, travelling around with a wolf dog. But I didnt like it, and I wasnt good at it. I found it to be real slow. You get dropped off in these rail yards, and youre waiting around in very isolated areas. Charley Crockett, trailer park troubadour. Credit: Amy Harris/Invision/AP His first ride was a Chicago-bound stack train out of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He stood on a platform between carriages, fists locked around the handrail as the wind tore past at 80km/h. After 18 juddering hours, hed never been so sore in his life. You really dont have any rights out there, the former hobo says, his classic Texan accent adding as much incredulity as credence to his tale. A lot of folks ride trains, including kinfolk of mine. My nephew still rides trains. A lot of folks who are afflicted are riding trains: in a lot of trouble, maybe, or running away from stuff. He tells a good story, this singing cowboy, but the name of his record label, Son of Davy, dares you to doubt that hes the real deal. If you look on my grandfathers obituary he passed away on his birthday in 2019; he was 94 the first line is, Direct descendant of Davy Crockett, he declares with pride. But he knows this is showbusiness. People will believe what they want. Advertisement I think you think that I got lucky/ I see it written on your face, he sings to his critics in a song called Music City USA. When he does that one on his latest album, Live From the Ryman, pedal steel chasing rings around honky-tonk piano in the ancestral home of Nashvilles Grand Ole Opry, vengeance never sounded so sweet. You say youd like to fill my shoes, is the kicker to that verse. How would you like to pay my dues? Its a fair question. By train or thumb, Crockett took a long road to becoming the hottest independent country artist in America. Nashville, as the song says, didnt want to know him. Theres a thing we call the Nashville mafia. Its kind of a way of doing business there that, to me, is very insulated and pretty narrow-minded. Theyre afraid to take chances on something thats too far left or right. I do a lot of business out of there now, he says. At last Septembers Americana Awards, he was nominated for artist, album and song of the year. Those guys that passed on me five, six, seven years later, every single one of them came looking for me eventually. Crockett has made 14 albums by his own devices these past nine years, evincing an eloquent familiarity with every kind of American folk form from blues and country to soul. His new single, Thats What Makes the World Go Around, is a duet with the granddaddy of Texan outlaws, Willie Nelson, with whom hes toured extensively. His second Australian tour is a giant leap in size and scope, beginning at Tamworth in late January. At Melbournes packed Northcote Theatre last March, wall-to-wall western shirts spoke volumes about the broad reach of a kind of music which tends to be, in these parts, rather more niche. Advertisement To me, country music at its worst is really exclusive, Crockett says. At its best, a lot of people can relate to it. I have something I hear a lot from people they say, I dont listen to country music, but I like what youre doing. Then the other thing I hear is, I gave up on country music, Im real glad I found you. Loading Those are coming from very different people; different generations. Its a lot of young people who say, Man, I didnt think I liked country. And then theres an older generation thats like, Man, you remind me of the stuff that I was listening to riding around with my dad in the truck when I was a kid. Ironically, his dad was nowhere when Crockett was a kid. Growing up in Los Fresnos, Texas, I spent a lot of time alone, he says, a lot of time wandering the streets. I was kind of a latchkey kid, while my momma worked two or three jobs to make ends meet. I wanted very badly as I was growing up to get out of Texas. I wanted to escape what I saw as dead end that I felt was inevitable that I was approaching as a young man. Then I got in a lot of trouble. It came under the wing of a brother, 10 years older. At 11, Charley was helping him sell subscriptions to The Dallas Morning News. At 19, the operation turned shady. It was this Wild West Texas version of penny stock pump-and-dump sale stuff, like something youd see from the film, Boiler Room, or The Wolf of Wall Street, he explains. Advertisement Eventually, the Crockett brothers got wrapped up in a pretty big conspiracy case involving a group of guys from Washington, DC My brother ended up going to prison for a number of years. I lost my ability to get a job or anything. I mean, I couldnt get a bank account. I didnt have an ID or a drivers licence for close to 10 years. And thats what pushed me into hoboing. And into music. An uncle in New Orleans was Crocketts stepping stone to a decade-long hand-to-mouth apprenticeship in street performance. In the future movie of his life, this montage will flash from Louisiana to California to New York, Paris and Morocco and back. Therell be rough sleeping and open mics; a stint busking on trains with a street rapper named Jadon Woodard that looked, for a moment, like a big break. We got discovered playing on [subway] cars and I got my first Sony record deal where they tried to plug me into the pop machine. That didnt work out, Crockett says dryly. All the things that made them want us on the street, they wanted to change overnight. Deflated, he headed west again to work on ganga farms, and to record the home-made album hed press onto 5000 CDs to give away back on the streets of Dallas. A Stolen Jewel would carve out some ground, even if the financial logistics of production led to a second round of trouble with the law. Crockett has paid his dues as a musician. Credit: Brooks Burris There were a few years there where I was trying to fund myself and put my records out without having to be involved in any official way with the music business, he says. So I did get in trouble in the state of Virginia for transporting weed from workin harvest in northern California I served my time on that. By then hed paid his dues as a musician too, soaking up an oral history of southern American songs and songwriters from which to slowly sift his own identity. Having run from home desperate to shed his Texan skin, there was one light-bulb moment in another kindly strangers home in Brooklyn that pointed the way there. Advertisement I remember waking up one morning in there, and she had a blues real book [a buskers song anthology] in this little studio space. It had the sheet music to all these blues standards, and Id come across this song called The T-Bone Shuffle by [Texas jump blues legend] T-Bone Walker. Now, I had learnt that song on the street just by ear, from other travellers, from jazz guys, blues people, folk musicians in New Orleans. I couldnt read music, still cant or anything. But I remember it had a chart for the chords that he was holding in that song and I realised I had taught myself how to play those same chords, just by trial and error. Loading That day, man, Ill never forget. It was the end of me being afraid, trying to find something outside of Texas; trying to escape it. That day, I turned around and started facing Texas. You know, its not, Hey, you cant escape your roots. It was learning to say, Hey, Im gonna take my version of Texas to the world. Speaking of movies, the next time Crockett finds time to talk its about six weeks later, and hes just arrived on location. He holds up his phone to show a budget motel rising from a flat, empty street against a big, bruised, cinematic sky. You cant make this stuff up. I would have called yall sooner but I just got out of this damn Caballero I was driving, he says. Im in Big Spring, West Texas. Im filming a movie out here. I cant tell you what its about but youll find out soon enough. After two bouts of surgery, Charley Crockett refuses to remove the bird around his neck. Hes supposed to protect you in your transition from this world to the next. Credit: Brooks Burris Advertisement A career in big tech companies is a dream for many students top-notch businesses receive thousands of applications for internships every year. It comes as no surprise that application screenings are exceptionally hard and rigorous as only a select few have the chance to be part of the company, at least for some time. To help you with your internship journey, here are just some nifty ways to secure a position in the big tech companies as a student: Also Read: Virginia Tech Students to Receive $2 Million Fund Support for Internships Collect Seminar Certificates Companies are looking for people who are sure to accomplish any task given. Having acknowledgment for certain skills and knowledge is a big help to be noticed early in application. While it is not uncommon to get an internship even without prior experience in the field, it is always better to be already familiar with the industry before applying. That way internship supervisors are sure what task they can give and what to teach to new interns. Recent trends show that acquiring certificates related to AI and learning machine development will be a great help to secure a good spot in these companies. Get Recommendations from Professionals Another way to prove an applicant's capabilities on the field is for another professional from the same industry to vouch for them. Connections are important to secure a better position in a career. The same holds in internship applications as companies must find a way to guarantee the skills of their new hires even before starting. If you are currently studying in college or university, there is no better chance to let professionals on the field know your capabilities as early as possible. Prioritized Resume On the technical side of things, a resume tailored to the company's requirements has more chance to be noticed than a generic one. There are many guides and instructions online on how to streamline an applicant's resume even with minimal experience, highlighting their skills and knowledge rather than just experience alone. It may mean making a new resume for each application, but is sure to teach student applicants in what field they need to improve more. Regardless of current status and achievements, always try to apply as much as you can. Requirements are more of the company's wish list for their future employees and not the only factor they decide on who deserves the position. Related Article: Pros And Cons Of Working In The Technology Industry Were very keen in getting koala movement data in these very fragmented agricultural cropping landscapes, that is data deficient. The Ceres Tag was originally designed for cattle. The koala is one of dozens of animals this Aussie-born cattle tech has been applied to. What were trying to do is take something thats made for a cow and stick it on all sorts of weird animals around the place and see how they go, Prof Allen says. Yet the solar-powered tag hasnt worked for all animals, including those that are nocturnal. Designed by CSIRO and launched in 2021, the Ceres Tag tracks an animals location via satellite and is valued for its small size. Ceres Tag founder David Smith says it was designed to help cattle producers back up environmental claims. Founder David Smith says the tech was designed to help cattle producers back up environmental and paddock-to-plate claims. We wanted to prove the animals were moving around on the land and where the improvement was happening, Smith says. And cattle producers are also using it to comply with new European Union legislation that bans imports from deforested land. When the animal comes in for processing, all of the areas theyve been to comes up on screen - if it hasnt been in deforested areas it can be eligible for the EU, Smith says. Were operating in 36 countries and over 7 million data points directly from satellite. From dingos to giraffes and black rhinoceros, the tag is being used on animals that are typically hard to catch. Sometimes theyve worked really well and then other times theyve been useless, which is not unusual in a wildlife setting, Prof Allen says. Half a world away, Julian Fennessy runs the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia where he uses the tag to protect the planets tallest animal. Over the past century the giraffe has been listed as extinct in seven African countries. We figure out where it is a safe area to bring the giraffe back, he says from Namibia Julian Fennessy, the Australian-born co-founder the Giraffe Conservation Foundation in Namibia, says he uses the tag to protect the planets tallest animal. Credit: Julian Fennessy They (tags) are awesome in helping us getting long-term data. The tags allow conservationists to monitor the animal extensively in the area theyve been relocated. If weve moved giraffes into a new area or a new country, we want to make sure theyre happy and healthy, well stick an extra ceres tag on the ear to help us monitor them long term. The Australian-born co-founder of the foundation says by tracking the animal it can help keep them away from poachers. Loading We can identify if someone needs to go out and try and look for them if theyve moved off too far, he says. Fennessy is one of about 80 conservationists who meet online every few months to discuss the benefits of the technology. How far will Sydneys median house price of about $1.58 million stretch on the NSW coast? For about the price of a house in the capital, many sea-change buyers can find a property closer to the sand or a premium home five minutes from the water. Ballina is a popular coastal town for Sydney sea-change buyers. Credit: Danielle Smith Central Coast A glamorous four-bedroom home thats a five-minute drive from the water front, 10 Finley Avenue in East Gosford, recently sold for $1.55 million. Nauru has switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, securing a major diplomatic coup for Beijing just 48 hours after Taiwan elected its rival in a presidential election. Nauru President David Adeang said on Monday evening (AEDT) that the Pacific island would no longer recognise Taiwan as a separate country and that it was an inalienable part of Chinas territory. Nauru President David Adeang made the announcement on Monday afternoon. The government of the Republic of Nauru today announces that, in the best interests of the Republic and people of Nauru, we will be moving to the One-China Principle, the Nauruan government said in a statement. This means [we] will sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan as of this day and no longer develop any official relations or official exchanges with Taiwan. Taipei: Taiwanese chip billionaire Robert Tsao has warned the democratic island must prepare its defences for an attack by China after the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party won a third straight election on the weekend. Beijing has maintained a relatively restrained response to the result but scored a significant diplomatic win on Monday after Nauru, one of the handful of countries to recognise Taiwan, severed its diplomatic ties with the island and said it was an inalienable part of Chinas territory. Tsao said he expected pressure from Beijing to increase further following the DPP victory and that Taiwan must get its military and civilian defences in order to maintain the islands sovereignty. If they get crazy, then we have to be prepared, Tsao said in an interview with this masthead at his home in central Taipei. Nobody expected Hamas could take such a violent action against civilians around the Gaza Strip. Over the next five years, the HAFFF aims to facilitate the delivery of 30,000 social and affordable homes, while the NHAF is set to support the construction of 10,000 affordable homes, including those in regional, rural, and remote areas. The frigate "Baden-Wuertemberg" is seen during a media presentation of Naval forces of German army "Bundeswehr" in the North Sea, Germany, January 12, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer) In a revelation that has sent ripples across Europe, Germany is reportedly preparing for the possibility of a Russian escalation that could lead to a conflict akin to a third world war. This unsettling scenario emerges from leaked documents obtained by the German newspaper BILD, which detail classified military plans developed by the German Ministry of Defense. According to the report, the German armed forces are gearing up for what they describe as a "hybrid" attack by Russia in Eastern Europe. This preparation stems from a growing concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin might extend his military ambitions beyond Ukraine, potentially targeting NATO ally countries. The leaked documents outline a series of potential scenarios, with one named "Alliance Defense 2025," suggesting a timeline of escalation beginning as early as February. This scenario predicts Russia mobilizing an additional 200,000 soldiers, spurred by a perceived weakening of Western financial support for Ukraine. The document describes a possible massive "spring offensive" against Ukrainian forces, a move that could dramatically alter the current conflict's dynamics. One of the more alarming aspects detailed in these scenarios is the potential Russian aggression towards the Baltic States. The documents suggest that by July, Russia could engage in severe cyberattacks and exploit the unrest among Russian nationals in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These actions could serve as a pretext for a larger-scale Russian military operation, potentially leading to direct confrontations with NATO forces. A critical focal point in these scenarios is the Suwalki Gap, a strategically vital corridor between Belarus and Kaliningrad. The documents indicate that by the end of the year, Russia could manipulate propaganda to falsely claim imminent attacks by NATO forces, using this as a justification to advance military objectives in this region. The German military's preparation for such scenarios, including the potential deployment of 30,000 German troops for defense against an estimated 70,000 Russian forces in Belarus, underscores the seriousness with which European nations are taking the threat of Russian expansionism. While Putin and Russian officials have repeatedly denied any intention to escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine, the detailed nature of these plans reflects the heightened state of alert and readiness within European military establishments. This preparation is seen as a necessary response to the unpredictable and aggressive posture of Russia in the region. Sweden, another European nation on high alert, echoes similar sentiments. Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin and the country's military Commander-in-Chief Micael Byden have publicly stated the need for comprehensive preparedness at all societal levels, acknowledging the potential for conflict in their own country. The German Defense Ministry, while not specifically addressing the scenarios outlined in the BILD report, has acknowledged that considering various potential military scenarios, even those deemed extremely unlikely, is a routine aspect of military strategy and training. This statement suggests that while the scenarios depicted might not be imminent, they represent plausible strategic considerations in the current geopolitical climate. The possibility of a third world war, as inferred from these leaked documents, although extreme, indicates the scale of concern within European military circles. The situation in Ukraine has already demonstrated the capacity for localized conflicts to have broader, international implications, especially given Russia's history of unexpected military maneuvers. These developments highlight the fragile balance of power in Europe and the potential for escalation that could have far-reaching consequences. As NATO members and European allies continue to monitor the situation closely, the preparation for potential Russian aggression remains a crucial aspect of their defense strategy. The leaked documents, therefore, serve not only as a warning of potential future conflicts but also as a call to vigilance and readiness in a region increasingly shadowed by the prospect of expanded Russian military ambitions. The energy demand surge has benefited transmission companies, as more projects came their way By Divya Chowdhury, Savio Shetty and VarunVyas Hebbalalu DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Hitachi India expects to contribute $20 billion in revenue to its Japanese parent by 2030, its managing director said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting. "India is being looked at as a global hub, especially in the components and capital goods businesses," said Bharat Kaushal, Hitachi India's managing director, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum (GMF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos on Monday. Hitachi India's rail and power business would be the biggest revenue contributor over the next decade, he Kaushal added. Japan's Hitachi had annual revenue of 7.64 trillion yen ($52.44 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 2023. Hitachi Energy India makes equipment such as transformers and circuit-breakers for energy transmission and railway components. The parts made in India are used across the world, such as in Hitachi's projects in the U.S, Kaushal said. Kaushal said Hitachi India has plans to expand further in North America and said it is working on the first phase of a Baltimore rail deal for the Washington D.C. metro. The ASEAN-India region contributed 717.7 billion yen to Hitachi's revenue in fiscal 2023, accounting for 9.4% of the total. The group does not give India's contribution. India experienced a record rise in power demand last year, leading to the government ramping up electricity generation capacity, including in renewable energy. India's green energy push extends from proposals to cut taxes on electric vehicles and solar panels to injecting billions of dollars of equity into big state oil refiners to fund energy transition projects. The energy demand surge has benefited transmission companies, as more projects came their way. During the second quarter, some of the contracts given to Hitachi Energy include a project to integrate 4 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy from Rajasthan into the national grid. The Delhi airport has informed passengers that they should contact airlines before proceeding to travelling amid the dense fog conditions in the national capital. "Due to dense fog, flight operations at Delhi Airport may be affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," airport posted on social media platform 'X'. "Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," airport officials added. Delhi was greeted with bone-chilling weather and a thick cover of fog on Monday morning, with the minimum temperature at 4 degrees Celsius in the RK Puram area. A thick layer of fog had covered the national capital. North Korea today stated that it flight-tested a new solid-fuel intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead. The report by North Korea's state media arrives a day after the South Korean and the Japanese militaries detected the launch from a site near Pyongyang. Reacting to the test, the Joint Chiefs of South Korea's armed forces said that missile travelled 1,000 kilimetres before landing the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. A PTI report said that North Korea has been testing its hypersonic weapons since 2021. Hypersonic weapons are designed to approach the target at speeds over five times the speed of sound. Senior Congress Leader Salman Khurshid said on Sunday that the 'yatra' will uplift the morale of the party leaders, as the ' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra ' began from Manipur's Thoubal district. "Yatra has just started and it has begun very well. The Yatra will go on and it will influence our morale," Khurshid told news agency ANI. Khurshid also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visitng strife-torn Manipur. He said that it is "shameful" that the PM of the country did not come to wipe the tears of the people. A missile fired from Yemen struck a US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, private security firms told The Associated Press. Ambrey and Dryad Global identified the vessel as the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. The ship is owned by Eagle Bulk, a Stamford, Connecticut-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm did not respond to repeated requests for comment.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though suspicion fell on Yemen's Houthi rebels.The US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Aviation regulator DGCA asks airlines to publish accurate real-time information regarding flight delays amid fog-related disruptions, reports PTI.India's exports marginally up at $38.45 billion in December, according to government dataFlight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi have been affected hit due to a thick blanket of fog and the unavailability of CAT III-compliant runways.The delays have been piling up since Delhi Airport currently has only one CAT III-equipped runway for operations in low visibility, according to a report by India Today. Since mid-September Runway 28/10 has been closed for scheduled re-carpeting, news agency ANI had reported.Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 1st instalment to 100,000 recipients of PMAY-Gramin on Monday. PM-JANMAN was launched for the socio-economic welfare of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) on 15 November, 2023, on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas.The wholesale price inflation for the month of December was at 0.73%, according to the data released by the central government. "Positive rate of inflation in December, 2023 is primarily due to increase in prices of food articles, machinery & equipment, other manufacturing, other transport equipment and computer, electronics & optical products etc," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said. (Photo : Unsplash/ThisisEngineering RAEng) The barista poured smooth, foamy milk over the latte, starting slowly and then lifting and tilting the jug like a choreographed dance to create tulip-shaped patterns. CES Technology Trade Show Latte art typically takes a long time to master, but not for this AI-powered barista. Robots of all kinds attracted attention at the CES technology trade show floor in Las Vegas this week, which concerned Roman Alejo, a 34-year-old barista at the Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, who is frightened of AI threat in hospitality jobs, saying "A lot of AI is coming into this world. It is very scary and very eye-opening to see how humans can think of replacing other humans." AI Threat Concerns on Job Losses The world's largest tech show brought attention to job loss fears after the Las Vegas casino workers' union approved new contracts for 40,000 members a few months ago, concluding a high-profile fight highlighting the AI threat to union jobs. "Technology was a key concern and one of the final issues to be settled," said Ted Pappageorge, the secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union, who led the teams that negotiated new five-year contracts to avoid a historic strike at over a dozen hotel casinos on the Strip. Hospitality workers expressed in an interview with The Associated Press over their eight months of bargaining their readiness to accept a pay cut during a strike to win enhanced job protection against ongoing technological advancements, which includes technologies already in use at some resorts, such as self-check-in stations, automated valet ticket services, and robot bartenders known as "tipsy robots." Reconsidering Negotiation Strategies Pappageorge mentioned that the union has been monitoring the rise of robotics in the hospitality and service industry for years. Still, the significant change now is the combination of artificial intelligence and robotics, which have compelled labor unions to reconsider their negotiation strategies with companies, according to experts. Bill Werner, an associate professor in the hospitality department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, mentioned that unions need to be more intentional in their negotiations for job security, as Casino union jobs might undergo significant changes in the next five years, mainly when the Culinary Union's contract expires. READ ALSO: U.S. Lawmakers Gears Toward AI Regulation, Proposes Bill to Address AI Risks in the Government In the recent contract, the union enhanced its safety net for workers by securing $2,000 in severance pay for each year worked and the option to move to a different department within the company if a job is eliminated due to AI technology. "This idea that technology, robotics and artificial intelligence is just running wild with no control at all can do incredible damage, so what we have to do is get ahead of the curve, and CES is where it's at." Pappageorge said. Innovation Features Over 100 union members attended the trade show to explore new technology that might endanger additional casino jobs. It featured various innovations, such as friendly-faced robots for hotel and restaurant deliveries, a robotic masseuse, bots that can prepare and serve coffee, ice cream, or boba, AI-powered innovative grills that can broil and sear without a human in the kitchen, and chef-like robots hinting at a future of "autonomous restaurants," as one company described it. Meng Wang, co-founder of the food tech startup Artly Coffee, one of the 4,000 exhibitors at CES this year, emphasized that Artly's autonomous barista bots are designed to address the labor shortage in the service industry rather than eliminate jobs. The Culinary Union and its members, including Alejo, the barista, recognize that the hospitality industry constantly changes, saying that innovations are unique. Still, it's scary that everything seems to center around technology in today's world. RELATED ARTICLE: AI Domination: Five AI Trends to Change The Way We Work in 2024 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The company has rolled out 2,00,000 cars from the state in the last five years, created 6000 direct and indirect jobs and continues to contribute to the states economy. MG (Morris Garages), a British automobile brand with a 100-year-old legacy, underscored its commitment to the state of Gujarat as it showcased its EV portfolio at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 . The second-largest EV seller in the passenger vehicle segment in the country, MGs reiteration of its strong commitment to the sector, and the steps it has taken to boost the EV ecosystem in the country find resonance with the summits theme of Electric Mobility. As a significant contributor to the states economy, MG has invested INR 7,000 crore in Gujarat, rolling out over 2,00,000 cars from its manufacturing plant in Halol, Gujarat. As part of its continued focus on the state, the company also aims to enhance localization, introduce more skilling initiatives, and boost its production capacity. In addition, MG is also exploring local manufacturing of EV components, establishing a battery assembly unit in the state, and cell manufacturing and hydrogen fuel-cell technology deployments, through joint ventures and third-party collaborations. Mr. Rajeev Chaba, CEO Emeritus, MG Motor India , said, We are delighted to be part of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024, reaffirming our strong relationship with this great state. Grounded in MG's century-old tradition of innovation, our commitment to building future-proof technology remains steadfast. Gujarat's business-friendly environment and pioneering policies have made it a compelling destination for our investments, particularly in electric vehicles (EVs). Our EV portfolio contributes to 25 percent of our overall sales, and these are all proudly manufactured at our Halol plant in Gujarat. Our successful journey in the state reflects a shared commitment to progress. Looking ahead, we eagerly anticipate the continued deepening of our relationship with Gujarat in the years to come. As an early mover in the EV space, MG has been focusing on developing both product offerings and the larger ecosystem. Alongside its products and customer programmes, the company has created a robust EV environment with its 6-way charging infrastructure and installed more than 15,000 charging touchpoints, including public and home chargers, nationwide. The company is also working with its many partners to set up EV charging infrastructure and for battery recycling, reuse, and life extension. MG Motor India envisions a future where electric vehicles play a pivotal role in shaping the automotive landscape, and is committed to leading this charge with innovation, quality, and a customer-centric approach. Vervotech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. News Summary Vervotech, a top accommodation data management company, is proud to announce the establishment of a new office in Dawadi, Rajgurunagar Village. The move comes after the company recently shifted its headquarters to a brand-new state-of-the-art office at Amar Tech Centre, Viman Nagar, Pune. (Photo : Unsplash/Medhat Dawoud) Apple is shutting down an office in San Diego that housed part of the Data Operations Annotations group. It is also providing affected employees with the opportunity to move to its offices in Austin, Texas. The Data Operations Annotations has global teams dedicated to enhancing the accuracy of Siri and other machine learning-powered Apple services. In 2019, contractors in Ireland gained attention for disclosing private conversations they heard while working as Siri data graders, which Apple later terminated, and established full-time teams for the task, made opt-in processes for users, and stopped uploading raw audio snippets to its servers. AI Transition Apple is expected to reveal a significant overhaul to Siri functionality at WWDC in June, driven by generative AI and large language model systems. Bloomberg reports that some individuals in Data Operations Annotations are currently focused on enhancing the performance of these large language model systems. Joining the Layoff Trend Due to Economic Condition The tech industry experienced substantial layoffs in the past year, with Google, Meta, and Amazon releasing thousands of employees. Apple, previously an exception, will join the trend with this move. The 121 impacted employees must confirm if they can move to Texas by the end of February. However, many are not willing to relocate to Austin. Those who agree to transfer will receive a $7,000 relocation stipend, while laid-off employees will be given four weeks of severance pay, an extra week for each year worked at Apple, and six months of health insurance coverage. While Apple is not laying off thousands like other tech giants, this move indicates that large companies like Apple are not exempt from layoffs, given the current economic conditions. READ ALSO: Apple Kicks Off Two-Day Seminars for Retail Staff, Signaling a High-Stake Initiative for the Launch of Apple Vision Pro in January Relocating Employees An Apple spokesperson confirmed the "relocation" to Bloomberg, stating that the company is consolidating its Data Operations Annotations teams in Austin, where most of the team is already based. The spokesperson also verified that all current employees in the San Diego team are offered the opportunity to continue their role with Apple in Austin. Apple's Data Operations Annotations group is in various countries, including China, India, Ireland, and Spain. They enhance Siri by reviewing user queries to ensure the assistant accurately hears them. Christine DeFilippo, the senior director of operations, reportedly decided to close the San Diego office, which completely surprised Apple San Diego employees. Earlier this month, Apple provided packing boxes to employees in preparation for the relocation within the city. Affected employees can apply for other positions within Apple, but many are unsure about their eligibility due to non-engineering backgrounds. Some employees have started assisting with Apple's efforts to integrate AI into its products and services, reviewing potential queries and choosing the relevant answers from a prespecified list. RELATED ARTICLE: TGIF Closing 36 "Underperforming" Locations, Relocates 80% of its Workforce to Optimize and Streamline Operations 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. By Yi Whan-woo Hanjin KAL, the holding company of the countrys flag carrier Korean Air, is touted as a potential newcomer to the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) Korea Index, according to financial sources, Sunday. The sources said Doosan Robotics, a fast-growing business arm of the countrys oldest conglomerate Doosan Group, could also possibly land on the index. Other potential candidates to join the list are EcoPro Materials, a mass producer of precursor materials for secondary batteries, and Alteogen, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in immunotherapy for cancer. The index is a list of a qualified segment of large and small caps handpicked by Morgan Stanley on the Korean market. The successful qualifiers will be announced on Feb. 13. It will be the first of four regular annual updates, including ones in May, August and November. The possible inclusion can boost performances of the corresponding companies by attracting capital from abroad, a source said. The source noted Morgan Stanley is a prestigious global investment bank and that its index serves as a benchmark that is closely monitored by foreign institutional investors. Evaluation for MSCI inclusion is based on total and free-floating market capitalization. Companies can be delisted if they fall short of meeting criteria. The MSCI Korea Index currently has 104 constituents. They include EcoPro, the parent company of EcoPro Materials. The company was listed in August 2023. Commentary: China-Maldives cooperation at new starting point Xinhua) 09:40, January 15, 2024 HONG KONG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- On Jan. 8-12, Mohamed Muizzu paid his visit to China as president of the Maldives, marking a fresh starting point for China-Maldives relations. This year is also of special significance for bilateral ties as it marks the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic state visit to the Maldives in 2014. During Muizzu's China visit, the two heads of state announced that bilateral relations would be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, a new starting point for China-Maldives cooperation. The two Asian nations are expected to see a leap-frog development of their bilateral relations and enable their people to enjoy more win-win dividends from bilateral cooperation. The China-Maldives friendship goes back a long way. In the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese navigator Zheng He, with fleets of ships, made it to the Maldives twice. Maldivian King Yusof also sent envoys to China on three different occasions. The island country was also an important stop on the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Ancient Chinese porcelain and coins unearthed in the Maldives are historical witnesses to the friendly exchanges between the two countries. Over the past 52 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Maldives, the two countries have always respected and supported each other, setting a model for large and small countries to treat each other on an equal footing for mutual benefit and win-win results. During President Xi's state visit to the Maldives in September 2014, the two sides agreed to establish a future-oriented all-around friendly and cooperative partnership, steering the development of ties on a fast track. Nearly a decade later, Muizzu's visit to China has once again brought bilateral relations to a new height. The two sides will take this opportunity to jointly build a China-Maldives community with a shared future. The two sides now enjoy growing political mutual trust. While Muizzu re-emphasized that the Maldivian government firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports the Chinese side in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, China expressed its respect and support for the Maldives in exploring the development path that suits its national conditions. Deepened trust catalyzes flourishing cooperation. Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge and the Hulhumale housing project undertaken by China have been completed, benefiting the economic and social development of the Maldives and the local people. More cooperation documents were signed during Muizzu's visit to China, covering such areas as joint BRI cooperation, economic and technological development, the blue economy, the digital economy, green development, infrastructure and livelihood assistance. Since China resumed outbound tourism, the number of Chinese tourists to the Maldives has been on a rapid rise, accelerating the recovery of the Maldives' tourism industry. Statistics from the Maldives' Ministry of Tourism show that in 2023, the country received a total of about 187,000 Chinese tourists, and that in 2024, the number of Chinese tourists is expected to return to the top of the list. Resurgent tourism is the epitome of the closer people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. In 2023, the China-Maldives mutual visa exemption agreement came into force, further facilitating personnel exchanges between the two countries. During Muizzu's visit, China said it would add more direct flights between the two countries and accommodate more outstanding Maldivian students to study in China, and the Maldivian side welcomed such positive measures to promote people-to-people exchanges and expects more Chinese tourists to visit the Maldives. Looking ahead, relations between the two countries, which have stood the test of time, are bound to open a new and more brilliant chapter. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) By Yi Whan-woo The government faces its last remaining chance to convince the National Assembly to approve multiple, disputed bills on economic issues prior to the general elections scheduled for April 10. The 21st National Assembly on Monday began its provisional session, which critics say will be the final chance to discuss pending bills before its four-year term ends, shortly after the general elections. The bills were proposed by the conservative ruling People Power Party (PPP) but have been opposed by the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which argues that they do not necessarily serve their purposes as insisted by the government. The endorsement from the DPK is inevitable as the party holds a majority of Assembly seats. Otherwise, the bills will automatically be scrapped and the relevant procedures will have to start from scratch again at the next Assembly. Unfortunately, the bills have a slim chance to win approval, as they collide with principles and values that the DPK pursues, a political source said. For instance, the government wants to revise an act concerning the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), to move its headquarters from Seoul to Busan in the name of balanced regional development. The DPK has been de facto opposing the idea, citing opposition from the bank's union. The party also says the governments plan will disrupt Seoul from emerging as a global financial hub. Under President Yoon Suk Yeols vision for private sector-driven economic growth, the government also wants a bill to be endorsed to delay a revised act concerning industrial disaster prevention from taking effect. Approved by the majority-holding DPK, the law is intended to hold CEOs responsible in case of serious industrial accidents and punish them accordingly. It initially targeted CEOs from larger businesses with more than 50 employees and was revised to newly include the firms that employ less than 50 workers. If no corresponding measures are taken, it will take effect on Jan. 27. In an attempt to boost the real estate market, the government seeks to scrap a law introduced by the former liberal Moon Jae-in government on those who win rights in a housing lottery to purchase newly built apartments in pricey areas of Seoul or Gyeonggi Province. The law mandates the winners to reside in their apartments for a certain period in a bid to curb speculation. However, the Yoon administration has been against the measure. The ruling party said it will persuade the opposition to convene a meeting of the chairmen and floor leaders of the two parties concerning the pending bills. UTC, Chattanooga State, Georgia Northwest Technical College and multiple other schools and government offices are closing Tuesday due to the severe weather. Downtown Chattanooga began to get snow around 9 a.m. and it turned to sleet in the early afternoon. Some areas north of town reported as much as five inches of snow, including Sale Creek and Walden's Ridge. Hamilton County Schools will be closed on Tuesday due to hazardous road conditions. SACC will be closed. All school activities are cancelled. Twelve-month employees will work remotely. Due to the anticipation of severe weather, all campuses of Georgia Northwestern Technical College will be closed on Tuesday. All classes, activities and events are canceled. Cleveland City Schools and offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to the road conditions stemming from snowfall and freezing temperatures. Additionally, all after-school care and activities are canceled. Cleveland School officials said, "We will continue to monitor weather conditions closely. Please stay tuned for updates. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work to ensure the safety of our students and staff." Other school closings for Tuesday include Hamilton County, Chattanooga Christian School. Baylor School, Boyd Buchanan, OLPH and Calvary Christian. Some schools are closed through Wednesday, including Grace Baptist Academy, Marion County, Meigs County, Dayton City Schools, Rhea County Schools, Polk County and Sequatchie County. Hamilton County General Government will be closed Tuesday due to inclement winter weather. Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry said both the Circuit Court Clerk's office at the old Courthouse and the civil division of General Sessions Court would be closed on Tuesday. General Sessions Court Judge Gary Starnes said the Hamilton County General Sessions Court - Criminal and Civil - and Clerks' Offices are closed on Tuesday. Chattanooga City Court and the Chattanooga City Court Clerk's Office will be closed on Tuesday. Due to inclement weather, city of Chattanooga facilities will be closed on Tuesday. Essential employees will report as usual. The Chattanooga City Council business meeting (3:30 p.m.) on Tuesday has been cancelled. All agenda items will be moved to the Jan. 23 agenda. All City of Collegedale Offices and the Library will be closed Tuesday. The Courthouse and all Bradley County Government offices will be closed on Tuesday due to the winter storm. The Bradley County Commission meeting scheduled for noon on Tuesday is also cancelled. The Chattanooga Housing Authority is closed Tuesday, as is the Hixson Utility District offices. Due to icy roads and temperatures expected to plunge into the teens Tuesday these closures/cancellations have been made for Tuesday in Catoosa County: - Catoosa County Juvenile Court - Catoosa County Health Department delayed opening until 10:00am - Catoosa County Transit - Catoosa County Senior Center - Catoosa County Meals on Wheels - Board of Assessors meeting (tentatively rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 30) Rhea County Executive Jim Vincent has declared that all county offices will be closed on Tuesday. I spent the day riding round with Sheriff Mike Neal touring the county roads and the side roads are in bad shape, especially on Dayton Mountain, Grandview and out Highway 302 and the snow keeps coming down, said County Executive Vincent. Snow amounts range from 4 to 5 inches in the southern part of the county to 6 or more inches in the Spring City area. Dayton City government will also be closed on Tuesday. Dayton Police Chief Tracy Blevins said the roads are hazardous, and there have been a few crashes but nothing major. Catoosa County Government Administrative Offices (including Board of Commissioners, Tax Commissioner, and Assessors Office) will be delayed opening until 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. -Walker County Transit will be closed. -Walker County Government offices will open at 10 a.m. -Walker County Landfill will open at 10 a.m. -The Walker County Civic Center will be open as a warming shelter from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you need a place to get out of the cold prior to the Civic Center opening, please call 911 for help with accommodations. All Whitfield County non-emergency offices will open Tuesday at 10 a.m. The Whitfield County Senior Center will be closed. McLemore on Lookout Mountain is closed on Tuesday. All SimplyBank locations will be closed Tuesday. How would you react to receiving an absolute guarantee that God wants to give you your hearts desire? Who wouldnt want that, right? When you consider the idea that God truly wants to give you your hearts desire, what pops into your mind? Some might want to immediately start compiling a personal wish list to offer up in prayer. Others, however, might think this post is about to venture into the realm of so-called prosperity theology or the name-it-and-claim-it mentality. We find it fairly common in our American consumer-oriented way of thinking to equate Gods blessings with material things. Stuff like cars, houses, vacations, other forms of affluence. But that view is more of a cultural perspective than a biblical one. Consider this: If theological interpretations are to be true and biblical, they should apply to people universally, regardless of their status or citizenry, dont you think? Biblical truth must apply to Third World believers folks living in Bangladesh, an impoverished village in India, the barrios of Mexico City or the favelas of Sao Paolo, Brazil as well as people living in more materially rich first world nations. So, its hard to see how a declaration, God wants you to be rich! relates to a devoted Christ follower struggling day-to-day in an impoverished region. That doesnt mean God cant bestow material gifts on His people, because He can and often does. But if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20), why should we think were above that? Why should we conclude that if being His follower defines us children of the King, the Lord is obligated to bless us with fancy homes and lavish lifestyles? Wait. Didnt I start off by saying the Lord wants to give us the desires of our hearts? Yes, I did. And He does. How do we know this? Because Psalm 37:4 says so: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. But lets hit the pause button for a moment. Before taking that promise to the bank so to speak, lets look more deeply at the rest of the psalm. Psalm 37, written by King David, also declares were to Trust in the Lord and do good. It says were to Delight yourself in the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him (verses 3-5). Those statements are equally important because Bible scholars know to properly understand a passage in the Scriptures, or even specific words, we cant ignore the context in which they appear. I like the way pastor and author Tony Evans expresses it in his book, Kingdom Man Devotional. He wrote, If [Gods] words are abiding in you, His wishes will become your wishes, and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4), because your desires will be His desires. This can work in a variety of ways. Suppose a Christ-centered physician has built a thriving practice and has been generous supporting charitable causes. But one day he senses God is calling him to give all that up. Instead, the doctor senses the Lord is leading him to become a medical missionary, dependent on the financial support of others. Suddenly, the desire of his heart has changed. Ive known of many highly successful business and professional people who before committing their lives to Christ were intent upon building impressive financial portfolios. After He became Lord of their lives, however, their focus shifted to giving away as much of their wealth as possible. Industrialist R.G. LeTourneau and inventor/entrepreneur Stanley Tam come immediately to mind. God gave them the desire of their heart, but very different from what it once was. A number of couples I know have had the joy of adopting children, For some it was because of being unable to have biological children or their own; others wanted to add to their biological families through adoption. This wasnt their original plan, but again, God gave them the desire of their hearts and they wouldnt have it any other way. Early in my journalistic career, the plan was to climb the ranks and become a newspaper executive, wherever that would lead me and my family. But God had other ideas. He closed all doors except for one, a parachurch ministry called CBMC, through which He presented opportunities I couldnt have imagined. He bountifully gave me the desires of my heart, even though I didnt realize it at the time. The list of examples could go on, but the point is clear: When God gives us the desire of our hearts, they arent shaped by our self-centered wants and wishes. He changes our hearts and prompts us to embrace what He wants for us because, as Romans 8:28 declares, we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. How comforting is that? * * * The king of the United Kingdom could bestow a gift on his daughter-in-law that could make her one of the most powerful influencers in the world. Kate Middleton, surrounded by her immediate family, recently celebrated her 42nd birthday privately. However, the day did not go unnoticed by her father-in-law, King Charles. He is reportedly set to bestow on Kate a rare privilege few royal family members possess. Here are the details of a royal warrant and why a royal commentator believes this gift could be worth billions. King Charles is reportedly setting in place a royal warrant for Kate Middleton: What does that mean for the monarchy? Kate Middleton may be honored by King Charles for her dedication to the crown with a gift that allows for a rare privilege that few royal family members possess. Thus, a royal commentator believes Charles is close to issuing a royal warrant to the Princess of Wales. Daniela Elser of News.com.au believes that this royal warrant could elevate Kate Middletons profile to one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Once given, these royal family members are allowed to give their approval to chosen brands and suppliers. A royal warrants worth would be in the billions for Kate Middleton. Holding such a title means Kate could endorse specific products, putting them in the spotlight. The warrant enables senior royals to allow companies that provide them with services to use their coat of arms. That can be displayed on their business premises, products, packaging, stationery, advertising, and vehicles. The Princess of Wales placing her seal on a brand or product could amount to a staggering amount of revenue. Elser believes that with this, Kate could become the worlds most powerful influencer ever. Why is a royal warrant so important? Per the royal familys official website, a royal warrant allows a family member to give their approval to a particular good or service. If King Charles allows Kate Middleton to grant royal warrants, she will be one of a handful of senior royals with this privilege. The website explains that the ruling monarch decides who may grant Royal Warrants. They are known as the Grantors, and the website reports the king gives Royal Warrants. Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh were also once grantors of Warrants. There are currently over 800 Royal Warrant holders. They represent a huge cross-section of trade and industry, from individual craftspeople to global multinationals, ranging from dry cleaners to fishmongers, and from agricultural machinery to computer software, the royal family website writes. There is no requirement for the company concerned to be British-owned or UK-based. Warrant-holding firms do not provide their goods or services for free to the Royal Households, and all transactions are conducted on a strictly commercial basis. A Royal Warrant is initially granted for up to five years. An official Royal Warrant Display Document is sent to the Grantee, which provides authority to use the Royal Arms. As a royal warrant holder, Kate Middleton surpasses Princess Diana Kate Middleton and Princess Diana in side-by-side photographs | Dan Charity WPA Pool/Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images If King Charles allows Kate Middleton to be a royal warrant holder, she will have achieved a status her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, did not. None of the Kings siblings can issue Royal Warrants, putting Kate in a rank even above senior royals such as Princess Anne and Prince Edward. Another idea on the table is that King Charles might appoint Kate as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, along with being a royal warrant holder. This is another royal distinction that Diana wanted but did not achieve in her years of royal family service, The Royal Order of the Garter was founded by Edward I in 1348 during the Hundred Years War. Membership is a monarchs most exclusive accolade for a senior royal. This would place Kate among senior royals such as Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and Princess Alexandra. Also included in the order are the Royal Knights, including Prince William, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew, and the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester. King Charles has not formally bestowed the title of royal warrant holder to Kate Middleton as yet. Her birthday is January 9. Leslie Fhima made it to The Golden Bachelor Wedding last week to celebrate Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner. In the lead-up to the big event, fans questioned if the runner-up would make it to the wedding. An emergency surgery days before the event called her attendance further into question. While Fhima was on hand to celebrate her former love interest and her friend, some fans thought she looked uneasy. Now, Fhima is speaking out about the wedding. While she insists shes happy for the couple, she did reveal that one moment during the ceremony made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Leslie Fhima reveals a moment that made her uncomfortable during The Golden Bachelor wedding special Leslie Fhima recently sat down for an interview on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast and got candid about showing up for Gerry and Theresas wedding. Fhima admitted that it took her time to get to a place where she could sit down at the event and be happy for Theresa Nist. She said she decided to go because she and Nist were good friends while filming the show. The Golden Bachelor wedding | John & Joseph Photography/Disney via Getty Images Still, a moment during the event made her feel a bit awkward. Fhima revealed that she felt uncomfortable when the couples trip to Costa Rica was mentioned. Fhima had been on that trip, too, and it turned out to be the turning point in the competition. Turner insisted that he decided who to pick during his visit to the fantasy suite with each woman. Fhima said she quickly got over the moment, but fans werent sure. During the broadcast, viewers took to social media to discuss the event. Several suggest Fhima was only at the wedding because of a contractual obligation. Will Leslie Fhima be the first-ever golden bachelorette? ABC has yet to reveal which losing contestant will become the first-ever golden bachelorette, but a few different contestants seem interested in the role. Fhima has not explicitly stated that she would be happy to return, but she has spoken about what she would do differently from Gerry Turner. Leslie Fhima in The Golden Bachelor | ABC/John Fleenor Joan Vassos has expressed an interest in becoming the golden bachelorette. Vassos left the dating competition unexpectedly to tend to a family emergency. Fans of the series would have liked to see either Faith Martin or Susan Noles take on the role. While Noles hasnt mentioned whether she is in or out, Martin announced in a recent Instagram comment that she would not appear in the series. While many The Golden Bachelor fans assume the shows runner-up would get first dibs on the part, that isnt always the case. Over the years, the production team pulled in contestants who were voted off at various points in their season. Only time will tell. 'The Golden Bachelor' couple Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner are still deciding where to live. Here's what Theresa's posting that may hint at a big move for Gerry. ABCs The Golden Bachelor is over, and Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner are officially married. Theresa and Gerry walked down the aisle for all to see in January 2024. Now, the couple has a huge decision regarding where to live. Here are the clues Theresa recently gave that indicate Gerry might be willing to move to New Jersey despite his Indiana roots. The Golden Bachelor star Theresa Nist gave clues that Gerry Turner might move to New Jersey The Golden Bachelor wedding was beautiful, as Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner said I do in front of friends, family, Bachelor Nation alums, and fans watching ABC from home. The couple now has the opportunity to head to Italy for their honeymoon. And they also need to decide what state to call their permanent home. Theresa is from New Jersey, while Gerry lives in Indiana. After their wedding, Gerry and Theresa spoke to People about where they may potentially end up. Gerry said hes warming up to moving to Theresas home state. I like that area, and Theresas home is 15 minutes from the ocean, and that is so attractive to me, Gerry said. So, we have more than one option to explore. Well find the spot that were both happy with. It looks like Gerrys spending significant time in New Jersey post-wedding. On Jan. 12, 2024, Theresa posted photos and videos to Instagram of Gerry and his dog on the Jersey Shore. The following day, Theresa posted photos of her and her spouse at Americana Diner in her home state. A diner date is part of our story so, I had to bring Gerry to a New Jersey diner, she captioned the post. (We are kinda famous for them here!) Eggs, bacon, and pancakes (for him), a spinach, feta cheese omelet, and a fruit cup for me. So much fun meeting new and old friends! Finally, she posted additional photos on Jan. 14, 2024. Theresa took Gerry to Tramas Trattoria, a Tuscan Italian restaurant she adores. According to the Instagram post, their meal included delicious artichoke salad, burrata salad, fluke francese, rigatoni, and (Theresas favorite) tiramisu served affogato style. Theresa included footage of Gerry happily eating his rigatoni dish. She ended the post with, Tramas may be the reason Gerry stays in New Jersey. Thank you, Tramas!! We cant say if Theresa is winking at fans with her final sentence, but she might be suggesting that Gerrys heavily leaning toward a New Jersey move. The Golden Bachelor stars Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner | John Fleenor/ABC via Getty Images The couple previously discussed moving to Charleston, South Carolina Before The Golden Bachelor wedding, Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner discussed moving to South Carolina. While neither of them had ever lived in South Carolina, they thought it served as the perfect middle ground for both of them. You know, I have a son and a daughter, Theresa told the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast. I live four minutes from my daughter and my three grandsons in Shrewsbury. But, I have a son who lives in South Carolina. So, it would be an hour and 45 minutes from there. We want the family to visit all the time. Theresa added that Gerrys always dreamed of living in the state, he just never shared it. Hes always had this thought for the last two years, and no one really knew that, she said on the podcast. So, it was sort of like, Are you going to move to Indiana? I keep saying, Im not moving to Indiana. For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel. North Korea said Monday it successfully test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) carrying a hypersonic warhead the previous day as part of regular activities to develop powerful weapons systems. The missile loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead was launched Sunday afternoon in a bid to verify the warhead's gliding and maneuvering capabilities and the reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It did not disclose the missile's flight details. The Missile General Bureau said the test is part of the agency and its affiliated defense science institutes' "regular activities for developing powerful weapon systems," according to the KCNA. North Korea also said the test-fire "never affected the security of any neighboring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation." South Korea's military said Sunday it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 2:55 p.m., and the missile flew approximately 1,000 kilometers before splashing into the sea. It marked North Korea's first missile launch since firing the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Dec. 18 and its first known firing of a solid-fuel IRBM loaded with a hypersonic warhead. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency last week, South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea could test-fire a new type of IRBM as early as this month after the repressive regime staged solid-fuel engine tests for a new IRBM in November. Solid-fuel missiles are known to be harder to detect ahead of launch than liquid-fuel ones that require more preparations, such as fuel injection. Seoul military officials believe Pyongyang's solid-fuel IRBM under development is capable of targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. IRBMs have a range of 3,000-5,500 km. Guam, approximately 3,000 km southeast of North Korea, hosts key U.S. naval and air force bases. Hypersonic missiles are usually hard to intercept with existing missile defense shields. Such missiles travel at a speed of at least Mach 5 five times the speed of sound and they are designed to be maneuverable on unpredictable flight paths and fly at low altitudes. A hypersonic warhead is among the list of high-tech weapons that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop at a party congress in 2021, along with spy satellites, solid-fuel ICBMs and nuclear-powered submarines. In September 2021, North Korea said it test-fired the Hwasong-8 hypersonic missile for the first time, followed by two more similar tests powered by liquid fuel in January 2022. South Korea's defense ministry rejected the North's claim as "exaggerated." South Korea's military did not elaborate further on the specifications of the latest launch, noting that a detailed analysis is under way. "A comprehensive analysis is still being conducted, so there aren't a lot of details to explain," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a regular briefing Monday. He also said Seoul, Washington and Tokyo shared warning data on the North's missile in real time through the data-sharing system they fully activated last month in a joint effort to counter the North's military threats. Meanwhile, Seoul's defense ministry called the Sunday firing a "clear act of provocation" that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions banning the regime from using ballistic missile technology. It warned of an "overwhelming" response in the event of any direct North Korean provocation against the South. Experts said North Korea is expected to further raise tensions with provocative acts ahead of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November. At a year-end party meeting, the North's leader urged stepped-up war readiness to deter what he called "unprecedented" acts of U.S.-led confrontation against his country. Branding inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other," he ordered preparations for "a great event to suppress the whole territory" of South Korea in the event of a contingency. During his inspection of munitions factories last week, Kim also said he has no intention of avoiding war with South Korea and threatened to annihilate the South if Seoul attempts to use force against the North. (Yonhap) A fascinating historical figure was Pocahontas, the indigenous woman famous for her relationships and interactions with English settlers in the 1600s. However, her story has often been clouded by myths, and unless you learn about her actual life story in school, you may have only learned about her through false tales or the Disney movie. So, here is what researchers believe Pocahontas story was. Pocahontas was born around 1596 and was the daughter of Wahunsenaca, who was also known as Powhatan. He was the chief of the Powhatans, a Native American tribe who lived in the Chesapeake Bay area. Pocahontas first became known among English settlers when they arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in the early 1600s. Captain John Smith, one of the English settlers, met Pocahontas when she was much younger than she is often portrayed in the media. Researchers believe Pocahontas was only around 11 or 12 when the Powhatan captured John. According to letters written by John, he was about to be executed when Pocahontas intervened by laying her head next to his, subsequently saving his life. However, researchers now believe those actions may have been part of a Powhatan ritual and that they werent actually trying to execute John Smith but instead were considering him a member of their tribe. Regardless, Pocahontas actions led to her developing a friendly relationship with John and eventually the other settlers. She delivered messages back and forth between them and the Powhatans to help her people. She would guide the Powhatans to provide food to the settlers, who were often hungry. But then, this relationship suddenly turned ugly when a food shortage hit around 1608, and the settlers began demanding food from the Powhatans. They began to burn down their village and threatened to hurt them for food, leading Pocahontas to stop her visits. After getting married to Kocoum, a member of the Patawomecks, in 1610, Pocahontas was taken captive three years later by Captain Samuel Argall and transported back to Jamestown. She was used as ransom, as the settlers demanded food and other items from the Powhatan. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. On TikTok, a traveling nurse has gone viral for expressing her frustrations with the way people are being treated at healthcare facilities. Lex (@travelingnurse) has been a nurse for four years, and shes calling out everything thats wrong with the American healthcare system. She began her video by saying, Its virtually impossible to be [an] ethical healthcare worker in this extremely unethical healthcare system. She also revealed that she had worked in seven different states and that her career as a healthcare worker has opened her eyes to the state of our country more than anything else. Lex believes that our society wont be able to improve unless for-profit healthcare is out of the picture. Then, she shared a story that illustrates how money is considered more important than the lives of patients in America. Recently, a hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, was criticized for kicking patients out and leaving them outside. Sometimes, the patients would be dropped off in front of shelters. One patient, in particular, was dumped out of her wheelchair and left on the ground in 36-degree weather, still in her hospital gown. A female employee at the hospital alerted the media of the situation, claiming that she had witnessed a lot of similar situations during her time there. Lex mentioned that this practice was not restricted to hospitals in Kentucky. She explained what could lead to the occurrence of these events. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Home News 80 Christians die after being displaced by violence in Manipur MANIPUR, India Tens of thousands of Christians from the Kuki-Zo tribal community in Indias northeastern state of Manipur continue to be displaced, more than eight months after the onset of ongoing violence. During this period, at least 80 individuals, including women and children, have died due to inadequate healthcare and substandard living conditions in makeshift shelters in one district alone. The conflict between the Kuki-Zo and the majority Meitei community, which is largely Hindu, over land rights and identity has been ongoing since May 3, 2023, resulting in at least 158 deaths and displacing nearly 41,000 Kuki-Zo individuals, according to the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum. Of these displaced individuals, at least 21,000 are in more than 110 relief camps in Churachandpur district, which is inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people. Mary Beth, who works with the Churachandpur-based Rural Women Upliftment Society, told The Christian Post that at least 80 displaced individuals, including women and children, have died primarily due to the absence of specialist doctors and essential medicine. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Most of these victims had pre-existing conditions like asthma, cancer, renal issues and diabetes, and couldnt afford to move to another state, Beth said, adding that the governments aid, consisting of only one blanket and mattress per family, was grossly insufficient for the needs of the displaced families, averaging four members each. Despite the state capital of Imphal being less than 40 miles away, no medicine or goods have been transported to Churachandpur since May 3, 2023. This has forced locals to rely on supplies from Aizawl, the capital of the neighboring Mizoram state, located roughly 220 miles away on hilly terrain. The violence, despite military presence, continues to victimize people daily, with Meitei civilians reportedly blockading key routes to hinder security personnel. The local police, dominated by the Meiteis, have been accused of attacking the Kuki-Zo community. Some young Kuki-Zo residents, known as village volunteers, have taken up arms for self-defense. The violence began on May 3 over a contentious state high court order asking the state government to consider extending special economic benefits and quotas to the Meiteis, which would also allow them to purchase land in Kuki-Zo territories. Currently, the affirmative action is only for the states tribal communities, including the Kuki-Zo. The violence has also led to destruction of over 7,000 Kuki-Zo homes and more than 350 churches. Some Kuki-Zo women were gang-raped. On Dec. 20, a mass burial was held for 87 of the Kuki-Zo victims of violence in Churachandpur. The state governments response to the violence has been severely criticized. In July 2023, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging the Indian government to urgently restore peace in Manipur. There have been concerns about politically motivated, divisive policies promoting Hindu majoritarianism, and about an increase in activity by militant groups, the resolution stated. There are also accounts of partisan involvement by security forces in the killings have increased distrust in the authorities. Home News Child Evangelism Fellowship releases animated series 'Esther' to combat 'immoral' kids' content In an effort to provide children with wholesome, biblical content in a digital age rife with harmful online material, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) has announced the release of a new animated series titled "Esther, inspired by the biblical book of Esther. The five-part "Esther" series, which premiered on Jan. 6 with the episode "Once Upon a Time in Persia," focuses on themes such as faith, courage, prayer, grace and providence. Each episode aims to instill biblical values and principles in young viewers, according to a press release sent to The Christian Post. The series also complements the God Protects His People: The Life of Esther Good News Club series from CEF Press. Its the latest offering on CEFs U-Nite TV Series, which unites kids with the Gospel through streaming animated adventures, songs, missionary stories and more. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe More than ever, children are exposed to immoral content on social media, in advertising and on many internet platforms," said CEF Director of Digital Ministries Andrew York. Esther gives parents the confidence to know that their children are watching wholesome, entertaining programming with a biblical message. Statistics from meeting platform firm Zipdo highlight the urgency of this initiative: findings show that 27% of children between 7 and 17 years old have encountered harmful content online, and about 41% of people have experienced negative outcomes due to their online presence. Additionally, 95% of 3- to 4-year-olds access the internet for an average of eight hours per week. Barna Research supports the potential positive impact of such media, noting that children engaged with digital technology are more likely to interact with the Bible through apps, audio or video. Founded 87 years ago, CEF has a long history of reaching children worldwide with the Gospel. In 2022 alone, over 19.5 million children heard the Good News through CEF's ministries, and more than 439,000 teachers were trained globally. In a recent interview with The Christian Post, CEF Executive Vice President Moises Esteves said the international nonprofit ministry has been unwavering in its mission since 1937: ensuring every child is reached with the Gospel, spiritually nurtured and integrated into a local church. The structure is in place, the boots are on the ground to grow this ministry exponentially. And we have strict strategies, like children reaching children, which is teaching older, more mature children to evangelize their peers. Its a beautiful training that were accelerating in the coming years," he said. Children need the hope of the Gospel, they need the hope that God can give into their lives, he said. Theres a great need for the Gospel. The doors are open, and we just need more believers to get on board. Lets reach children for Christ while theyre young, while their hearts are open, because as they grow up, the backpack of sin begins to be heavy, and hearts begin to harden. In recent years, faith-based media has seen increasing success in mainstream markets, indicating a growing interest and availability of such content. Recently, Minno, Slingshot Productions, Sunrise Animation Studios and Angel Studios rolled out the original animated episodic five-part series "Young David. The series aims to give viewers a glimpse into King David's early years and explores the many facets that made him a man after God's own heart. Last year, The Daily Wires new children's show app Bentkey released "A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay," which follows Mabel, a cheerful redhead, as she helps children create, explore and think critically about the world around them. Creators Katy and Ryan Chase, devout Christians, told CP they were inspired to develop the show after becoming discouraged by the media options available for young children. "We felt really inspired to find a solution to this problem," Katy, who plays Mabel, said. "We'll turn off a show in the limited amount of time our kids have seen modern kids' content, and they truly have flushed cheeks, dilated eyes, and crazy behavior; they don't want to turn it off. They've obviously been so hyperstimulated by the content. But when we show them older things, the ways shows used to feel, they don't have that reaction. We thought, let's make a modern take on that stuff; it's so good. That's what we've set out to do." Home News Deacon calls for Immanuel Baptist Pastor Steven Smith to resign as church investigation continues A month after Pastor Steven Smith informed his congregation that he would be willing to step down for failing to inform them that a former church leader had been credibly accused of abusing minors before his tenure began, a member of the deacon board at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock has reportedly called for the pastor's resignation. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, A member of the Immanuel Baptist Church board of deacons told his fellow deacons Thursday that ... Smith lacks integrity and needs to depart for the good of the Little Rock congregation. The church remained closed Monday due to inclement weather but last month, shortly after the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette made the disclosure in a report, Smith told his congregation that former church staffer Patrick Stephen Miller, who served as the assistant director of children's ministry until he left the job in January 2016, had been accused of child abuse. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe In a clip from his sermon posted on YouTube Sunday, the full version of which is also available on YouTube, Smith assured congregants that he is working with his deacon board to ensure the church fully investigates what happened and how they can do better. I mentioned to the church, the 17th of December, that in terms of these past immediate situations of abuse, we have formed an investigation that's taking place to look into these. The deacons, who I'm very grateful for, are leading that process and they formed a smaller team of eight deacons who very soon are going to come to the conclusion working with a lawyer and the investigator to bring this out, Smith said. In this process, I know some of you have seen documents that were just supposed to be a part of that process, so my responses to that I've already given all of my responses to the investigative person in charge of this and all of that will come out in time. And so, this process is very, very, important, he said before going on to explain why patience is needed in order for the investigative process to run its course. And here's why it's important: We need this investigation, and beyond investigation we need assessment. How can we do better? How can we be more effective? In other words, we could say it this way, 'How can we pretend to care well if we don't know ways in which we haven't cared well in the past?' And so, for us to heal, and for trust to be restored, I have to be able, and we have to be able, to submit ourselves to the scrutiny of any way doing better, and anything we've done wrong. It's very, very, important, he noted. Miller, now 37, and whose father-in-law is a deacon at Immanuel, was accused of taking a child into a dark closet in 2015 and abusing her. He allegedly sat her on his lap, placed his hands down her pants and beneath her shirt, and sexually assaulted her, the Democrat-Gazette reported. He was not arrested until December 2018. In January 2019 he was charged with second-degree sexual assault, a felony, but he only pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment in January 2022, which happens when a defendant "strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise touches a person, subjects that person to offensive physical contact or attempts or threatens to do so." While Miller resigned a year before Smith became pastor of the Southern Baptist congregation which has some 2,386 members, Immanuel leaders were made aware of the allegations against Miller in March 2016. In 2018, the child also provided additional details of the allegations to church leaders and a police investigation was started. "I wish we would have told you about these crimes sooner," Smith told congregants last month, a week after it was reported by the Democrat-Gazette. "We recognize the importance of treating abuse behavior seriously. We intend to honor Christ in the way we care for anyone who's experienced past abuse. If you have knowledge of any inappropriate behavior with children at Immanuel or anywhere else, please call the abuse hotline of the Little Rock Police Department, he said. Smith said he has been told by some people to just move on from the situation, but he insisted that without a thorough investigation the church wont be able to rebuild trust. I understand the sentiment, and believe me no one lives this as much as I do. We live with it every single day. But we can't move on if moving on doesn't mean a thorough investigation and assessment of what's happened and where we need to go. How can trust be restored in the church if we cant say fully, these are the measures weve taken to understand who we are. This step is critical, he argued. And so again, I thank you for your patience as we try to do this and try to do this well, both the investigation step and the assessment. Home News Megachurch pastor on leave for alcohol use on church property, denial of wrongdoing Lead Pastor Jeff Frazier of Chapelstreet Church in Illinois, an influential Evangelical megachurch in the Chicago suburbs, has been placed on leave. The churchs executive council cited the use of alcohol on church premises while performing duties and alleged concealment of this wrongdoing as reasons for this action. On Jan. 3, Sean Glore, chairman of Chapelstreets Executive Council, informed members via email about Fraziers leave of absence, according to The Roys Report, which said Glore highlighted that the decision aims to address issues hindering Fraziers performance, including alcohol possession and use on church premises during duties, willful concealment of these actions, and denials when confronted. Brian Coffey, pastor of leadership and development at Chapelstreet, has been appointed as interim lead pastor, according to the megachurchs website. Coffey, who previously led the church for over two decades, expressed shock and pain over the news, emphasizing the impact on the churchs community of over 5,200 members. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The announcement, initially shared on the churchs website and through a video featuring Glore and Coffey, was removed hours after The Roys Report contacted a church staff member for comment. The church did not respond to the Christian media outlets inquiry about the removal of the webpage and video. However, an archived version of the page remains accessible online, it said. Glore also mentioned the initiation of a process of healing and restoration for Frazier by the church's leadership. He stated that the duration and outcome of this process are uncertain but hoped for positive results for Frazier and the church. Chapelstreet Church, formerly known as the First Baptist Church of Geneva, operates under a governance model involving both pastors and the congregation. The congregation votes on the annual budget and key decisions, while the lead pastor manages day-to-day operations. The executive council, comprising non-staff and staff members, oversees strategic leadership and the churchs mission. In his statement, Coffey reflected on his 25-year ministry alongside Frazier, urging the congregation to support Frazier during his healing journey. He emphasized the importance of accountability and redemption in this process while cautioning against gossip and speculation. Chapelstreet Church is part of Converge Worldwide, a historic Evangelical denomination. Coffey and Frazier previously discussed the church's leadership transition in 2016, which was seen as a model for other congregations. In a 2021 podcast interview, Coffey shared insights into the churchs growth and evolution under his and Fraziers leadership, highlighting the churchs expansion from a small, traditional Baptist church to a multi-campus establishment. Former President Donald Trump on Sunday boasted his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he had built during his presidency, stressing America was "safe" then. Trump made the remarks during a rally in Indianola, Iowa, on the eve of the first vote of the Republican Party's nomination contest in the lead-off state. Hours earlier, Pyongyang fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea in its first missile launch this year. "Kim Jong-un (is) very smart, very tough, but he liked me and I got along really well with him and we were safe," Trump said during a live-streamed speech. "We were going to have a war with them. They have a massive nuclear stockpile, possibly as big as anybody, and so we did a great job," he added. During his White House term from 2017-2021, Trump sought direct engagement with Kim, which led to three face-to-face meetings between them, though serious dialogue between the two sides stalled after the no-deal Hanoi summit in February 2019. On Monday, the Republican Party is set to hold its first vote of the monthslong state-by-state nomination process that will pick its flag-bearer for the November general election. Polls have shown Trump leading in the race while former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are vying for second place. (Yonhap) Home News Ohio pastor arraigned after being charged for housing homeless at church An Ohio pastor was arraigned in municipal court on Thursday after being slapped with 18 zoning law violation charges related to keeping his church open around the clock to house the homeless. Pastor Chris Avell, who pastors the nondenominational Dad's Place in Bryan, which is a town of around 8,400 people about 50 miles southwest of Toledo, pleaded not guilty to the charges, his attorney told The Christian Post. Yesterday, the city of Bryan, Ohio, arraigned Pastor Chris on criminal charges for having his church open 24/7," Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, told CP. "He pled 'not guilty,' as any pastor should who is simply doing what churches throughout history have done: care for those who walk through their doors no matter the time of day." Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe "We hope Mayor Carrie Schlade will drop all of these charges and begin talking with us about how Pastor Chris and Dads Place will continue to contribute to the wonderful community of Bryan," he added. CP reached out for comment to Schlade and received a response from City Police Chief Gregory Ruskey, who forwarded a Dec. 13 press release from the police department explaining that the city's zoning and engineering department "received a complaint in regards to people living" at Dad's Place on Nov. 3. A court filing states that because Dad's Place is zoned as Central Business, the building is prohibited from allowing people to eat, wash clothes, or sleep on the property. The release signed by Ruskey cited legal precedent in state law "supporting [that] religious organizations cannot create homeless shelters within their property that violate local zoning codes." Ruskey's statement also alleged that there were "numerous State Fire Code violations that the tenant and property owner were made aware of." "A reasonable amount of time was given for both the tenant and property owner to fix the issues. Due to the safety of all involved the city moved forward with filing charges," the statement also said. In an interview with The Village Voice, Avell pushed back against any claim that he is running a homeless shelter, explaining that his church has "put in things people can use, like a shower and a small ability to do laundry." "Some who found this to be a home for them have stuck around," he said. According to First Liberty Institute, Avell decided last March to keep his church open all the time because the neighboring local homeless shelter was often full, forcing some of the town's homeless to stay outside. He claimed his church has since been able to help at least 100 people who are struggling with homelessness. The director of operations at the Sanctuary of Williams County Homeless Shelter supports what Avell's church is doing, according to First Liberty Institute. "The city, churches and community in general should work together. We need to work together to help people in need," the director said. "There is nowhere else for these people in Williams County to go. We have to turn away around 600 people every year." During a recent interview with Fox News about his situation, Avell grew emotional explaining what drives him to care for the homeless in his town. "I was spiritually homeless, and God provided a home for me in Heaven," he said. "Hes put a burden on my heart for them. Many of these people have been rejected by their families and cast aside by their communities. So, if the church isnt willing to lay down her life for them, who will? This is what were called to do." "And I can't help it because I believe this is the mission of the church to make disciples and this is how we do it by showing the love of Christ preaching the truth and laying down our lives in service and humility. As Christ laid down His life for us. That's what I believe," he added. The visiting judge presiding over Avell's case ordered another hearing to be scheduled within 30-45 days, according to local WTVG. A Go Fund Me fundraiser has been set up for those who want to support the church. Home News This week in Christian history: Puritans apologize for Salem witch trials, Reformation ally dies Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance. Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births and notable deaths. Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while others might be unknown to many people. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The following pages highlight anniversaries of memorable events that occurred this week in Christian history. They include the Puritans holding a day of repentance over the Salem witch trials, the death of a Reformation ally, and the release of a papal edict denouncing conciliarism. Home News Activists blame abortion restriction for pregnant mother's death; pro-lifer responds A pro-life doctor has responded to abortion proponents' assertions that Texas' abortion restrictions played a role in the death of a woman who died following complications from a high-risk pregnancy two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. As The New Yorker reported last Monday, Yeniifer "Yeni" Alvarez-Estrada Glick came to the United States at the age of 3 in 1998. She later met Andrew Glick, an army reserve specialist, whom she married in 2021. The nonprofit group Abortion Access Front claimed that the state's abortion restrictions were responsible for Glick's death in June 2022. In a Tuesday X post, the group argued that the "anti-abortion ecosystem is designed to kill people." Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the political arm of the Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, also blamed Glick's death on Texas' abortion restrictions in a Wednesday X post. The advocacy group argued that the mother's death is an example of the "reality" Texans face as a result of Roe's reversal and, before that, Texas' heartbeat abortion ban, which banned abortion as early as six weeks gestation. "Yeni could still be here today if it wasn't for the dangerous abortion landscape in our state," Planned Parenthood Texas Votes stated. Dr. Christina Francis, board-certified OB-GYN and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told The Christian Post that the deaths of Glick and her daughter Selene are "immeasurably tragic." But the pro-life doctor contends that this outcome could have been avoided if Glick had access to high-quality care before and during her pregnancy. Francis highlighted factors that likely contributed to the woman's death, including the lack of resources at the local hospital, the high cost of Glick's diabetes medication, which deterred her from taking it, and the premature discharge from the Austin hospital. "These are circumstances we see throughout our country, leading to our worst maternal mortality rates in decades and these rates are from before Texas' pro-life protections went into place and before Dobbs." According to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, fewer than 45% of rural hospitals in the United States offer labor and delivery services. From 2021 to 2022, more than half of small rural maternity care hospitals lost money, and, in most cases, these hospitals were forced to eliminate maternity care. As a result, community members are forced to travel more than 40 minutes to reach a hospital with obstetric services, according to the report. "The narrative that promotes induced abortion as a Band-Aid solution to the complex factors contributing to our nation's maternal mortality crisis does nothing to improve women's health and, in fact, actively endangers women as it prevents us from addressing the real, and often preventable, causes," Francis asserted. "Yeni and Selene deserved access to a well-resourced medical team that were equipped to adequately care for them," she continued. "The tragedy of their deaths should spur us to work towards real solutions, not be used to advance a radical political agenda." A month after her wedding, Glick learned she was pregnant. While she had been diagnosed with some health issues that would make the pregnancy high-risk, Glick felt joy at the news, according to The New Yorker. The mother learned in her mid-20s that she had hypertension and diabetes. She also became ill after COVID-19 peaked in Luling, the town where her family settled. Another issue that made the pregnancy high-risk was Glick's weight, which, as The New Yorker reported, "rarely dipped below [260] pounds." She experienced her first complication at seven weeks, and the emergency room referred to her case as a "threatened miscarriage." Glick's blood pressure also spiked to 185/98, according to the report. The emergency room referred Glick to Dr. Jessica Mueller, an OB-GYN, who warned that her hypertension appeared severe and that she should be admitted to a hospital. Due to financial concerns, Mueller was unable to persuade Glick to go to the hospital, as the mother had already been forced to pay for the visit with the OB-GYN out of pocket. Glick also hadn't received a response after applying for health coverage as an undocumented immigrant, according to The New Yorker. Mueller counseled Glick about potential health risks, and she advised her patient against skipping doses of her blood pressure medication. Glick sometimes avoided taking her medication because the drugs made her nauseated and sleepy. The doctor warned Glick that not taking her medication put her at risk of a heart attack, stroke or a miscarriage. Mueller would then counsel Glick several more times to ensure her patient was stable. "Medical records do not suggest any discussion of the fact that an abortion could have alleviated the additional strain that the pregnancy placed on her heart," The New Yorker reported. When she was around 22 weeks pregnant, Glick went to the emergency room while suffering from shortness of breath, and her blood pressure was 205/129. Glick developed pulmonary edema, which, according to The Mayo Clinic, is caused by too much fluid in the lungs. The threat to her health meant Glick needed to be transferred out of Luling. However, a helicopter could not take Glick to a larger hospital due to poor weather. Instead, Glick was taken to a specialist at a medical center in Austin. When she arrived, The New Yorker cited records that indicated Glick was at "high risk for clinical decompensation/death." There were concerns that she may have pre-eclampsia, which typically requires early delivery to reduce the risk of complications; however, it was later found that Glick did not have pre-eclampsia. The mother was eventually discharged and provided with an adjusted dose of hypertension medication. Glick's family wondered if she would have been permitted to stay longer if she had insurance, according to The New Yorker. In May, Glick started experiencing shortness of breath once again, and she went to see Mueller, who instructed the mother to return with a urine sample the next day. While Glick sensed something was wrong, the doctors did not appear to be able to diagnose the problem, and each visit was expensive. Even though her shortness of breath continued, The New Yorker noted that records indicate Glick did not visit the doctor again. She also stopped taking the medication prescribed to her, and she did not seek care again until July. By that time, her symptoms intensified, and her blood pressure was 213/146. The paramedics who arrived planned to take Glick to the hospital in Luling, which was five minutes away, and then transfer her via helicopter to another hospital. There appeared to be confusion about how to treat Glick, leading to a two-hour delay. By the time Glick arrived at the hospital, the helicopter was still en route, and while doctors were prepared to treat her, Glick did not have a pulse. As The New Yorker noted, specialists believe that a C-section within four minutes of the mother's death can revive the mother and improve the infant's chances of survival. It was past the four-minute mark by the time a doctor made an incision, and at 31 weeks, Glick's daughter Selene also died. The cause of death listed for Glick was "Hypertensive cardiovascular disease associated with morbid obesity," with "pregnancy" listed as a contributing factor. Home News Alabama can enforce ban on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones for kids: appeals court Alabama may begin enforcing a law outlawing the use of puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones for minors after a federal appeals court granted a request to stay a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of the 2022 ban. The 11th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower court's injunction Thursday against the state's Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act. Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the law in April 2021, which was supposed to go into effect in May 2022. The court's order allows the ban to go into effect while a legal challenge from the families whose children identify as transgender continues. The state asked the appeals court in November to stay the enforcement of the preliminary injunction, which the court granted. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall called the order "a significant victory for our country, for children, and for common sense." "The physical and psychological safety of our children can now be better protected from these untested and life-altering chemical and surgical procedures through the implementation of the Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act," Marshall said in a statement. Marshall has supported laws in other states that seek to protect children who struggle with their gender identity from body-altering drugs or surgeries. Last month, the attorney general led 23 states in a brief before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in defense of an Oklahoma law banning hormones and sex-change surgeries for minors. Lawyers representing the parents who are challenging the state ban contend that the court's decision will "harm" trans-identified children by preventing their parents from finding the "medical care their children need to thrive." The families challenging the law are represented by the Human Rights Campaign, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center, King & Spalding LLP and Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC. "The district court issued its preliminary order blocking the ban after hearing days of testimony from parents, doctors, and medical experts about the devastating impact of this ban and the lack of any medical justification for it," the statement read. "Today's ruling will hurt parents and children in the state. We will continue to challenge this unlawful ban and to support parents and their kids in pushing back against the dangerous reality of being denied access to necessary, best practice medical care." In August, a three-judge 11th Circuit panel unanimously ruled that Alabama had the right to enforce its Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act. Circuit Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Trump appointee, authored the opinion. "The plaintiffs have not presented any authority that supports the existence of a constitutional right to 'treat [one's] children with transitioning medications subject to medically accepted standards,'" Lagoa wrote. "Because the district court erred by reviewing the statute under a heightened standard of scrutiny, its determination that the plaintiffs have established a substantial likelihood of success on the merits cannot stand. We therefore vacate the preliminary injunction." Circuit Judge Andrew L. Brasher, another Trump appointee, argued in a concurring opinion that an injunction against the law "will not equalize burdens or benefits between girls and boys." "It will not require the government to treat boys and girls the same. It will merely force Alabama to either ban puberty blockers and [opposite-sex] hormones for all purposes or allow them for all purposes," Brasher stated. The plaintiffs requested a rehearing before the full 11th Circuit in September 2023, arguing that the panel's reversal of the lower court injunction conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court and 11th Circuit precedent that "laws discriminating based on sex should be subjected to heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause." The request for the en banc hearing is pending. A full trial concerning the constitutionality of the ban is scheduled for August 2024. Home News Attacks on Christians, forced conversions belie Pakistan's claim of religious freedom: church leader Continuing violence against religious minorities in Pakistan belies the governments Jan. 8 statement that it promotes religious freedom and protects the members of non-Muslim faiths, rights activists said. The U.S. State Department on Jan. 4 designated Pakistan among countries such as Burma, China and Iran as Countries of Particular Concern for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. It called on governments to end communal violence, attacks on religious minorities and lengthy prison terms for peaceful expression. In response, Pakistans Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement expressing dismay over the country's inclusion on the list, asserting that it was based on biased and arbitrary assessment and was detached from ground realities. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Pakistan is a pluralistic country, with a rich tradition of interfaith harmony, the ministrys statement claimed. Pakistan has undertaken wide-ranging measures to promote religious freedom and protect minority rights. A senior church leader and a prominent rights advocate, however, cited ongoing abuses that show Pakistan is not a safe place for religious minorities: violent attacks on multiple churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad District on Aug. 16, unabated blasphemy allegations against Christians as well as Muslims, increasing number of underage Christian and Hindu girls falling victim to forced conversion to Islam in the guise of Islamic marriages, and attacks on minorities worship places. The day-long attacks on Christians in Jaranwala as law enforcement personnel looked on as mere spectators, and the provincial governments persistent refusal to launch a judicial inquiry into the incident to hold the negligent officials accountable, is in itself a charge sheet against the government, Bishop Azad Marshall, president of the Church of Pakistan, told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Instigated by mosque leaders, Muslim mobs on Aug. 16 burned 20 church buildings and ransacked scores of Christian homes and businesses in Jaranwala after a Muslim framed two Christians in a false blasphemy case. The rioting began after Muslim residents of Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala, Faisalabad District, accused Umar Saleem, known as Rocky, of desecrating pages of the Quran and writing blasphemous comments. Marshall filed a petition in the Lahore High Court in September for the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the attacks, but the Punjab government told the court there was no need for a judicial inquiry as it had already formed joint investigation teams to probe the incident. In December, the court directed the Punjab government to review its decision, but subsequent adjournments have kept the crucial matter pending. Marshall said the Pakistani government also has ignored calls to criminalize false allegations of blasphemy, resulting in a steep increase in fake cases that land Christians in jail for months and years awaiting trial outcomes. The government has also failed to legislate against forced conversions and forced marriages of underage girls from the Christian and Hindu communities, he said. The fear of our minor daughters being abducted by Muslim men for sexual exploitation in cover of marriage continues to haunt us, yet theres no sign that the government is committed to preventing this barbarity against children. Marshall expressed the hope that a general election on Feb. 8 would lead to a new government that would focus on addressing challenges religious minorities face. We are hoping and praying for a leadership that not only hears our problems but also acts on the solutions, he added. Samson Salamat, chairman of the Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality), echoed Marshalls points. There are prominent signs and indicators that prove that religious freedom has been squeezed significantly in Pakistan, making the lives of religious minorities more difficult and unpredictable in terms of their safety and security, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Salamat said hollow statements by government officials and cosmetic measures like the establishment of mediation centers in Punjab, along with formation of a toothless National Commission on Minorities and high-profile meetings with minorities leadership, would not ensure minorities' protection. Nothing will help in stopping the mob violence against religious minorities in the presence of the blasphemy laws and impunity for extremist outfits like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), he said. We were expecting a major crackdown against TLP and other extremist outfits who are using blasphemy laws as a tool to persecute religious minorities, but instead the group has been allowed to make a successful entry into politics. Salamat said the country needs to reset policies in order to improve religious freedom. If the state apparatus is serious about improving Pakistans image, he said, it should make a constitutional amendment to ensure that religious minorities are equal citizens of Pakistan in letter and spirit; initiate a grand parliamentary debate to stop the misuse of the blasphemy laws and formulate a strategy to prevent religiously-motivated mob violence; show zero tolerance against hate speech; and effectively crack down on extremist outfits. Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors 2023 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, up from eighth the previous year. Originally published by Christian Daily International Home News Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez released from prison, exiled to the Vatican A Nicaraguan bishop imprisoned for denouncing the government's human rights violations against the Catholic Church and its members was among over a dozen religious leaders released and handed over to Vatican authorities. The Nicaraguan government released Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa and 18 other imprisoned clergy members as part of a negotiation with the Vatican. Government officials confirmed the releases, which were first reported by local media, according to Vatican News. All except one arrived in Rome on Sunday and were welcomed as "guests of the Holy See." The other remained in Venezuela. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Alvarez was sentenced to 26 years in prison last February after he was convicted of "undermining national integrity" following a trial that he did not know was going to happen. The bishop was initially barred from celebrating mass and imprisoned in his residence in August 2022 before he was arrested and later held in prison. The clergy members were arrested amid a crackdown on the Catholic Church by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his regime. The president accused the clergy of supporting mass protests in 2018 that called for his resignation, which he claims was a plot to overthrow him. The Catholic Church became a target of the Nicaraguan government in April 2018 amid a period of civil unrest due to the country's economic conditions. Church officials accused the government of religious persecution as religious leaders and places of worship faced attacks. Catholic clergy provided shelter and aided the protestors demanding economic reforms and the resignation of President Ortega, prompting the president to use the government to take action against clergy members, worshipers and Catholic organizations. Alvarez, who called for the Catholic Church to act as a mediator in 2018, was prohibited from leaving his home on Aug. 4, 2022, and celebrating mass. The bishop was detained for 15 days alongside seminarians, priests and a cameraman before the police arrested Alvarez without a warrant and placed him under house arrest. He was found guilty of "undermining national integrity" and "propagation of false news." He was also found guilty of "aggravated obstruction of functions" and "disobedience of contempt for authority." The charges were related to sermons Alvarez delivered that accused the Nicaraguan government of human rights violations. Alvarez was stripped of his nationality and citizenship rights and was later sentenced to 26 years and four months in prison and fined almost $5,000. In November, the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations held a hearing titled "An Urgent Appeal to Let Bishop Alvarez Go." Two of the witnesses were exiled prisoners of conscience who shared their stories to advocate for the bishop's release. The names of the witnesses were concealed for safety reasons. According to the witness referred to as Exiled Prisoner of Conscience #2, he was arrested without a warrant, stripped naked and subjected to multiple interrogations about Alvarez. The interrogators threatened to harm the witness' family to pressure him to declare that Alvarez was part of an organization promoting a coup d'etat against Ortega. The unnamed witness was among 222 other people, most of them political prisoners, members of human rights organizations and priests, who were exiled for defending human rights. The other unnamed witness, referred to as Exiled Prisoner of Conscience #1, testified that he was arrested in the street by two police officers and six members of the security troops. He testified that his interrogators asked him about Alvarez and how much money he supposedly received from the U.S. government and the European Union. "I was accused of undermining the dignity of the state and of Nicaragua, of spreading false news," the exiled witness said. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., a senior House Foreign Affairs Committee member, called for Ortega to release Alvarez from prison and allow him to travel to the United States or the Vatican. In early July, the newspaper Divergentes reported that Alvarez met with a representative of the Vatican who tried to persuade him to be exiled to Rome, which he reportedly refused. During his opening remarks, Smith highlighted the Nicaraguan government's treatment of people of faith, urging the international community not to "turn a blind eye." The lawmaker noted that prisoners have had their requests for Bibles denied, and he pointed to Nicaragua's expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity an order founded by Mother Teresa as another religious freedom attack. "The regime has closed Catholic radio stations and universities, obstructed access to places of worship, banned public Way of the Cross processions, and frozen the bank accounts of hundreds of Catholic institutions," he said. Home News Christian group blasts eHarmony for glorifying sin The prominent online dating service eHarmony is facing backlash from the conservative Christian group One Million Moms for its recent LGBT-inclusive advertisement featuring a lesbian couple in a domestic setting. The commercial is part of eHarmonys Get Who Gets You: Warm Laundry campaign, which, One Million Moms says, is normalizing and glamorizing the LGBTQ lifestyle. In the commercial, a lesbian couple is shown intimately lounging on a couch, their legs entwined and heads close together. As the laundry cycle completes, one of the women stands to collect the clothes while her partner sprawls on the bed. The scene continues with the first woman carrying the warm laundry to the bedroom. Standing next to the bed, she playfully cascades the laundry over her partner, then bends down for a kiss, hidden amid the clothes. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Throughout the advertisement, Lost in Love by Toodlum Barker & Emil Lomax sets a romantic tone in the background. The commercial wraps up with eHarmony's slogan, Get Who Gets You. The group, in an online petition, says the ad is an attempt to brainwash both children and adults. Such representation goes against biblical teachings, One Million Moms says, citing Romans 1:26-27 from the Bible. The group is urging eHarmony to withdraw the advertisement, saying it pushes a liberal LGBTQ agenda during prime family viewing hours. This controversy is not eHarmonys first encounter with issues surrounding sexual orientation. In 2007, the company was sued for not offering services to gays, lesbians and bisexuals. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Linda Carlson, accused eHarmony of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Carlson, denied access to the dating service due to her sexual orientation, alleged discrimination in eHarmonys policies. The company, founded in 2000 by Evangelical Christian Dr. Neil Clark Warren, had strong ties with the religious conservative group Focus on the Family at the time. Warren, CEO of eHarmony, has publicly addressed the impact of the same-sex marriage debate on his company. In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, Warren, a self-described passionate follower of Jesus, expressed his exhaustion with the controversy and its detrimental effects on eHarmony. He recounted the backlash from the Christian community following the launch of Compatible Partners, a service catering to same-sex couples, as part of a settlement in a 2008 New Jersey discrimination case. Warrens efforts to reconcile his companys services with broader societal changes have been evident. A 2005 USA Today article highlighted his attempts to distance eHarmony from its Evangelical roots, particularly its association with Focus on the Family. Warrens strategy aimed to make eHarmony more inclusive, catering to a diverse audience beyond its initial Christian-oriented user base. eHarmony is an online dating website that uses patented algorithms to match singles via 29 compatibility dimensions. When visiting other online dating websites for single Christians, such as ChristianMingle.com and Christiansingles.com, only heterosexual pairing options are offered. Home News Christian rapper defends criticism of Lil Nas X, calls for 'pure rebuke' Christian rapper Bryson Gray has defended his criticism of Lil Nas X, urging Christians to rebuke the 24-year-old openly gay rapper for what he considers to be the mockery of Jesus Christ. Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill and is best known for the hit "Old Town Road," has received scrutiny in recent weeks as he teased the beginning of his "Christian era" and was accused of mocking Jesus with the promotion of his new single "J Christ," which was released last Friday. Last Monday, Lil Nas X tweeted an image of himself being lifted on a cross to promote his new song. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Among Christian rappers who have been most critical of Lil Nas X is 32-year-old Gray, best known for his 2021 anti-Joe Biden song "Let's Go Brandon." Gray expressed distaste with the images in Nas X's video, saying he is "blaspheming" and "mocking Christians." In an Instagram post last Thursday, Gray responded to "Christians and conservatives who say Christians shouldn't give Lil Nas X any attention" because he is only mocking Christ "to promote his album and get clout." He disagreed with this approach, saying Christians should be "rallying behind each other to rebuke Nas X by calling out sin." "I'm seeing many Christians and conservatives saying that 'Christians shouldn't give Lil Nas X any attention because he's only blaspheming and mocking Christ to promote his album and to get clout. They're right about what Lil Nas X is trying to do. But, they are completely wrong about how Christians should respond," Gray said. "All biblical Christians, we should be using Lil Nas X in two ways. One: Lil Nas X should be used for us to rally Christians up. Because if you're a Christian and you're not calling out the clear blasphemy. And I'm tired of people calling out stuff in the weak ways: 'I will pray for you brother.' Lil Nas X is not a brother. In biblical times, he would've got smoked instantly," he continued. "Lil Nas X needs pure rebuke right now. And Christians need to be rebuking him. So we should be using Lil Nas X to bring the body of Christ that is so fractured and separated and all over the place [together]. We should be rallying behind each other to call out sin and to defend our Lord and Savior." Gray questioned Christian conservatives who won't rebuke Lil Nas X for blaspheming Jesus but will criticize celebrities who oppose former President Donald Trump. "If you are a Christian rapper and not calling out Lil Nas X blaspheming, what are you doing? You all talking about everything else. You all talking about racism. Y'all conservatives, you all talk about liberals all day," Gray said. "If somebody says something bad about Donald Trump, you will be right on their head. If a music artist publicly said they don't like Donald Trump, you all would stop listening to their music. You all talk about it on Twitter. But, you telling me when Lil Nas X is blaspheming Jesus Christ, you telling me we should ignore him?" In an interview with Fox News Digital, Gray said he believes Lil Nas X is potentially a "reprobate" as described in Romans 1. "I think that he is mocking Christianity. He is mocking Christ. That's why he uses Christian imagery to do it. He's doing it with the goal to mock us because that's how he gets his clicks," Gray said. "I don't care if he gets the clicks about Christians reacting. I want to see more Christians reacting," Gray said. Gray doubts the music video is Lil Nas X's unique way of finding and discovering the Christian faith. "If he was serious, he would apologize for the things he's done in the past like everybody else. You apologize for that. You acknowledge that. And him, he's done all this damage to children in the public sphere," Gray told Fox News. "So come out and say, 'I apologize. My label forced me to do these things, but I truly give my life to Christ. I'm going to apologize. That's not how I actually feel.'" Another Christian rapper, Holy Gabbana, told Fox News Digital that if someone truly accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, they would profess their faith and renounce their sins. "Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, not putting yourself on the cross, especially as a public figure with millions of followers. It's as simple as clicking on the camera, recording yourself, saying, 'Jesus Christ is Lord. I repent of my sins. I'm no longer gay. I'm no longer whatever he was doing in the world. And now I'm taking this time to confess Christ is Lord, and I want to live the rest of my life following after Him.' As simple as that," Gabbana told Fox News. On his podcast in December, Christian rapper Lecrae criticized how Christians responded when Lil Nas X posted a teaser for his new music with the caption, "Y'all mind if I enter my Christian era?" Lil Nas X was seen in a video clip wearing a long denim skirt, sporting a hairdo with straight black hair past his shoulders and wearing a T-shirt that reads: "If God doesn't exist, then who's laughing at us?" Lecrae urged Christians to show people like Lil Nas X "forgiveness and love," stating he doesn't know what the rapper's experience was like growing up in a religious movement as a gay male. He said too many Christians have "a problem with grace." "It's our job to show them where forgiveness and love just permeates and transforms everything," Lecrae said. "It's almost as if people forgot they were ever folks who made poor choices." "If someone would have approached me when I didn't know Jesus with the attitude of 'what a dumb ignorant sinner you are God's going to get you,'" Lecrae said he might not have ever come to faith. On Friday, Lecrae tweeted that Lil Nas X is "playing with fire mocking Jesus." "[H]es getting the attention he wants from folks at the risk of searing his conscious," Lecrae wrote. "Still if God can transform King Neb, murders, slave masters, sex workers, etc. he can add another Blasphemer to the list." Home News Woman brutally murdered at church compound in India A Christian woman was brutally attacked and murdered at the St. Mary's Cathedral Church compound in Varanasi, India, on Jan. 1, marking the second murder in that city this year, raising concerns among the community, according to local media. The victim, identified only as Victoria, was believed to be around 50 years old and resided in Gumla, Jharkhand state. She lived with her sister, Retina, in the staff quarters of the church and used to help with work at the church compound. According to Ronald Benjamin Nadar, a senior member of the church and president of the Uttar Pradesh Catholic Union, the assailant, identified in media reports as Jitendra, also known by his alias Chetu, reportedly entered the church through the back gate while the security guard was away. Seizing the opportunity, he broke into Victoria's room, which was left unattended as Retina had already gone to work around 7:30 a.m. local time. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe When the guard returned to his post, some women informed him about the unidentified man who they had seen enter the compound. The women also informed the guard that they had seen the man go near the staff quarters. By the time the guard and the women reached the staff quarters to investigate, they heard Victorias cries for help. They tried to open the door but it was locked. After they called for help from additional guards they were finally able to force the door open. They found Victoria on the ground covered in blood. The attacker was found standing over her holding an iron rod and a grinding stone. They captured the attacker and called the police and rushed Victoria to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Government Hospital, but as her condition was severe, she was immediately referred to the Banaras Hindu University Trauma Centre. By the time she was admitted, she was pronounced dead. This disturbing incident follows the New Year's Day murder of a lawyer in Varanasi. As per media reports, it is believed that the attacker had attempted to force himself upon the victim and not having been successful in his intentions, had resorted to murder. Police Commissioner S. Chinnappa later confirmed the arrest of Jitendra to the media. Victorias body was sent for post-mortem, with further actions contingent on the findings of the autopsy report. Originally published by Christian Today India Home News 'Dark money': $13 billion funneled to Ivy League, US universities by Qatar, authoritarian regimes A new report reveals that top colleges and universities that received billions of dollars in foreign donations from countries with authoritarian regimes and failed to report these funds to the U.S. Department of Education also saw a deterioration of free speech and a rise in antisemitism on their campuses. The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy has published a report titled The Corruption of the American Mind: How Concealed Foreign Funding of Higher Education in the United States Predicts the Erosion of Democratic Values and Antisemitic Sentiment on Campus. Released in November, the report has received renewed attention following last months testimonies of the presidents of top Ivy League academic institutions before the U.S. House of Representatives regarding rising antisemitism on their campuses. At least 100 American colleges and universities illegally withheld information on approximately $13 billion in undocumented contributions from foreign governments, many of which are authoritarian, the report stated. The research chronicled how antisemitic rhetoric and incidents were more prevalent at institutions that had received such contributions than those that did not. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The report identified the largest source of undocumented funding for colleges and universities as the Gulf nation of Qatar, which gave $2,706,240,869 to U.S. universities between 2014 and 2019. Two of the other three countries that donated more than a billion dollars in undocumented money to colleges and universities, China and Saudi Arabia, are also well-known authoritarian, anti-democratic regimes. Those two countries gave $1,237,952,112 and $1,065,205,930, respectively, to U.S. universities. Other top donor countries to American institutions of higher education include: England ($1,464,906,771), Bermuda ($899,593,972), Canada ($898,160,656), Hong Kong, China, ($887,402,529), Japan ($655,954,776), Switzerland ($619,899,445), India ($539,556,490), Germany ($442,475,605) and the United Arab Emirates ($431,396,357). Meanwhile, Carnegie Mellon University was listed as the school that received the most undocumented funding, totaling $1,473,036,665 in the five-year period. Data included in the study is based on an investigation from the U.S. Department of Education. Cornell University was the only other institution of higher education to receive more than a billion dollars in undocumented money ($1,289,433,376), while Harvard University ($894,533,832), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($859,071,692), Texas A&M University ($521,455,050), Yale University ($495,851,474), Northwestern University ($402,316,221), Johns Hopkins University ($401,035,647), Georgetown University ($379,950,511) and the University of Chicago ($364,544,338) rounded out the list of top 10 beneficiaries of such funding. Brigham Young University, a prominent Mormon school, got $323,509,863 in unreported funding, while the Catholic Church-affiliated University of Notre Dame received $46,652,439. Westminster Theological Seminary accumulated $1,467,620 from undocumented sources, while Americas flagship Jewish institution, Yeshiva University, received $297,397. Additional information in the report included results from a survey that asked college students how often certain antisemitic ideas were expressed on their campuses. The results demonstrated that support for antisemitic ideas was more common on campuses that had received undocumented money than those that did not. Based on responses from college students to the survey, schools that received undocumented money had higher frequencies of students saying Israel has no right to exist as a Jewish country, saying that the U.S. government only supports Israel because of Jewish money, drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policies to that of the Nazis, boycotting Jewish organizations because they have a connection to Israel and saying American Jews care more about Israel than the U.S. A subsequent report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, published last month, lists additional authoritarian and/or Middle Eastern countries that have provided funding to U.S. universities. The document, titled Networks of Hate: Qatari Paymasters, Soft Power and the Manipulation of American Democracy, details how Kuwait provided the 16th-highest amount of academic funding, while Russia gave the 30th-highest amount, and Iraq donated the 43rd-highest. Israel also provides such funding, ranking 25th based on the amount donated. The problem of antisemitism has found itself in the spotlight following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel perpetrated by the terrorist group Hamas. As explained in the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policys Networks of Hate report, Qatar has donated regularly to Hamas over the past 16 years. Last months Networks of Hate report also illustrates how Qatars influence in American education extends beyond donations. The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has developed partnerships with several American universities, including Texas A&M University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Georgetown University, Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University. An agreement between Texas A&M University and the Qatar Foundation that governs the schools campus located in the Middle Eastern nation includes an article that requires the faculty and students of both Texas A&M and Texas A&Ms Qatar Campus to abide by the applicable laws and regulations of the State of Qatar and respect the cultural, religious and social customs of the State of Qatar. The report warns that the agreement leads to restrictions on political expression, sexuality and other matters that conflict with norms of academic freedom. The United States on Sunday condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch as a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, while reiterating America's "ironclad" security commitment to South Korea and Japan. The North fired an apparent intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday (Korea time) in its first missile launch this year, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. "The United States condemns the DPRK's Jan. 14 ballistic missile launch," a State Department spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency via email. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "This launch, like the other ballistic missile launches (by) Pyongyang in recent years, is in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. It poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and undermines regional security," the official added. The spokesperson also restated Washington's openness to diplomacy. "We remain committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK and call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue," the official said. "Our commitments to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remain ironclad." In a separate statement, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) said that the U.S. has been consulting closely with its allies and partners over the North's launch. "While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK's illicit weapons program," USINDOPACOM said. "The U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan remains ironclad. The ROK, Japan, and the U.S. trilaterally coordinated operations to ensure protection of their respective nations," it added. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. (Yonhap) Home News Iowa high school principal who risked life to protect students from shooter dies; family grieves loss An Iowa community recently shaken by a school shooting is mourning the loss of Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who succumbed to his injuries 10 days after bravely intervening during the shooting. Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags at half-staff. On Jan. 4, a 17-year-old student opened fire at Perry High School, resulting in the death of a sixth grader and injuries to seven others, including Marburger. The principal, known for his dedication and heroism, attempted to calm the shooter, identified as Dylan Butler, allowing students to escape. Marburger, 56, who had served the school for nearly three decades, died Sunday, according to his family. Local news outlet We Are Iowa reported that the principal was celebrated for his commitment to student safety and well-being. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The Perry Community School District released a statement expressing profound sorrow over Marburgers passing. Dan was a tremendous leader in our school district and a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Our school community is heartbroken by Dans death, the district said in a statement. His daughter, Claire Marburger, paid tribute to her fathers love and kindness in a heartfelt post on Facebook, highlighting his role as a devoted family man and educator. If you are lucky enough to know my Dad, you know there are not enough words to say about him, she wrote. Dad taught us, inspired us to be better people everyday. He passed many lessons and things on to us kids. She added: Another thing Dad taught us was how to love. How to love each other, how to love our parents, how to love our spouses and significant others, how to love our kids and grandkids. And it comes down to one word, selflessly. Gov. Reynolds ordered flags at half-staff, acknowledging Marburgers sacrifice. Our entire state is devastated by the news of Dan Marburgers death. Kevin and I offer our deepest condolences to his wife and family as we pray for their comfort during this very difficult time, Reynolds said in a statement. Dan courageously put himself in harms way to protect his students, and ultimately gave his own life to save them. He will forever be remembered for his selfless and heroic actions. May he rest in peace. The shooting, which occurred around 7:37 a.m. before school started, also claimed the life of 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff. The state medical examiner ruled Jolliffs death a homicide. The incident unfolded during a breakfast program, with few students on campus. Butler, armed with a pump-action shotgun, a small-caliber handgun, and an improvised explosive device, was stopped before causing further harm. Marburgers role extended beyond his administrative duties. He was a pillar of support in times of tragedy, helping students grieve after past incidents, including a fatal car accident and a former students death from cancer. His impact on the community was profound, with his daughter describing him as a gentle giant and an amazing Dad and just amazing person. The investigation into the shooting and Butlers motives continues. Allegations have surfaced regarding Butlers struggles with his gender identity. Shortly before the shooting rampage, Butler posted a photo to his TikTok of himself in a bathroom stall with a duffel bag on the floor. "Now we wait," he wrote. Butler's alleged accounts also used "he/they" pronouns, and his TikTok account included a photo using trans flags and the hashtag "genderfluid," as well as a video of Butler pretending to shoot someone and a screenshot of graffiti that reads: "Love your trans kids." A Reddit account believed to have belonged to Butler posted in a forum about transgenderism and claimed he was reticent to transition because he didn't "want to look ugly," according to Reduxx. Law enforcement and media outlets are examining the shooters background and potential motives. A GoFundMe campaign, which was launched last week for Marburgers family, had raised $179,936, as of early Monday. An update added on Sunday reads, Although Dan is no longer fighting with us here, his family will continue to deal with the unfathomable for many days, weeks, and years to come. All of the Marburger family and the entire Perry Community will forever be touched by the selflessness of Mr. Marburger. Home News Beyond the dream: 7 lesser-known facts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Every year on the third Monday in January, the United States celebrates the life of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King is widely known and respected for his commitment to racial equality, advocating for a nonviolent method of social changes, and preaching unforgettable words to mass audiences. While popular memory has enshrined this image of King, the late civil rights leader was a man of many positions and actions, as well as the occasional flaw. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe As one observes this year's MLK Day, consider some of the lesser-known facts about the life and views of King. Home News NYC man's brother-in-law held hostage by Hamas: 'Piecing together the broken pieces' Moshe Lavi says his family will never be able to mend the "broken pieces" after his brother-in-law Omri Miran was kidnapped from his kibbutz by Hamas during the terror group's Oct. 7 attack on civilians in southern Israel. Last week, Lavi joined a delegation in Washington, D.C., comprised of the families of individuals taken hostage by Hamas, which killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 on Oct. 7. Hamas abducted Miran from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and he is currently still a hostage. In an interview with The Christian Post, Lavi said this was the third time participating in a delegation like this one to advocate for the release of Hamas hostages. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The families met with foreign diplomats and politicians from both sides of the aisle and officials from the U.S. State Department. Lavi met with the likes of Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.. The concern the group of families had is the current pace for securing the hostages' release is not appropriate to the current crisis, Lavi said. "Which is why we're here," he said, "to ensure that the relevant stakeholders understand that this needs to be resolved yesterday, not today," he added. "And then, use those conversations to see how pressure can be leveraged with relevant stakeholders." Lavi clarified that the "relevant stakeholders" he mentioned included Qatar, Egypt, the United States, the Israeli government and the European Union. He understands the issue is "complex," considering that the opposition, being a terror organization, makes finding a solution to the crisis more challenging. Lavi said his 46-year-old brother-in-law, Miran, is married to his sister, and the couple has two daughters. He described Miran as a spiritual man connected to nature. In addition to reading, Miran is a fan of sports. While Lavi lives in New York, he told CP that his sister and nieces live in Israel. He noted that his work has changed as of late, as he had always worked in management consulting. However, since the abduction of his brother-in-law, Lavi has been fighting for Miran's release. One of the last times Lavi remembers speaking to his brother-in-law was in a video conversation one week before Oct. 7. Lavi had just moved to New York in September and was showing his sister and brother-in-law his new place. He recalled that they were happy for him. On Oct. 7, Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, carried out its surprise attack in southern Israel. Most of the dead were civilians. With over 240 hostages taken, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza, seeking to eradicate Hamas and secure the hostages. On the day of the attack, Lavi said that the entire family was messaging each other in a group chat. One of the last photos he received from his sister was of his nieces and the family dog before losing contact with her for hours. During the interview with CP, Lavi revealed that it was his sister's birthday, but the tragedy that had befallen their family made it impossible to celebrate. "We are very close to each other," Lavi said about how the family has been coping in the aftermath of the attack. "But there are obviously a lot of issues we have to deal with: displacement, the trauma from the attacks, the piecing together of the broken pieces. Although, we won't be able to do it completely until Omri returns." At the time of the interview, Lavi said that the family received confirmation through hostages who were released that Miran is still alive. But that was at least five weeks ago, and the family has not heard about Miran's condition since then. "Every second in captivity is a charity," Lavi stated. Home Opinion Dr. Kings legacy of courage still beckons Christians to stand The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was quite literally a dream come true for me. I was only five years old at the time, living in the poorest part of Shreveport, Louisiana, one of six children being raised by a single mother. But I was already dreaming of being a firefighter when I grew up. And that wasnt even a possibility, in the then-all-white Shreveport Fire Department. But that new law allowed me to become part of the first generation of Dream Kids the ones Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of a year earlier in his famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Like so much of what he wrote and said, his words that day challenged the people of America to be true to their nations founding principles of freedom and equality, and challenged people of faith to stand for Gods truth. Most famously, he called for a new birth of freedom for a new generation, in which people would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. It took a federal lawsuit to accomplish that in the Shreveport Fire Department, but in 1972 the city hired its first black firefighter. Nine years later, they hired me. A child of poverty, raised on my mothers Christian faith and unwavering patriotism, I went on to become the fire chief of that city, and later to serve as U.S. fire administrator under President Barack Obama. While serving as fire chief of Atlanta, I came under investigation for sharing my personal beliefs in a book I wrote for Christian men, on my own time. One of those beliefs is that sex should be reserved for marriage, and that marriage is intended to be between one man and one woman. For expressing that belief shared for thousands of years by millions all over the world I was fired. Nine years ago this week, Christian leaders stood alongside me at a rally in support of my character and my religious freedom. I will never cease to be grateful for their support and encouragement. In recent years, Ive thought often of what they did, as Ive watched so many other Christian leaders and churches retreat into silence in the face of growing persecution, racial turmoil, and social upheaval. I dont have to imagine what Dr. King would think, watching Christians stand quietly by as so many all over our country today ignite riots, reject the principles of our faith, and denigrate the values of our Constitution. He spoke and wrote with almost prophetic insight gauging the spirit of his own time in terms that remain painfully true in our own. Three months before that great speech in D.C., Dr. King sat in the Birmingham jail, writing these words: I see the Church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice, with an uncertain sound an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the churchs silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are. If todays church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century. Dr. King understood all too well that for Christians to give any effective witness in this world for us to make any real and lasting difference we must be willing to sacrifice. Sacrifice our time. Our comfort. And the artificial peace that comes with trying to hide from or get along with the forces of evil. As one who has personally experienced the pain of persecution, I have learned that worldly consequences are unavoidable when we challenge a hostile culture. But God prepares us for whats coming and uses our faithfulness to show opponents of freedom and ourselves a side of Himself that they otherwise would never see. Whats more, He honors and rewards those who find the courage to stand. Dr. King understood all too well the risks of challenging an unjust culture. But he also knew, as he said in a speech in Selma in 1965, that: A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right when he refuses to stand up for justice when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true. So many Christians today are dying inside and dont even know it. Its my prayer that, as we move into what will likely be a contentious year for our country, believers will find the courage Dr. King found, in the faith he held fast to and learn to live out Gods truth and justice once again. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Home Opinion Has Pope Francis changed Catholic Church teaching? My friends at the Christian Post have asked for my insights, as a faithful Roman Catholic, regarding the recent Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans. I am honored to be asked. The Vaticans recent actions have caused tremendous confusion. All of us who are committed to traditional Christian sexual morality must keep our wits about us if we are to navigate this mess. The Sexual Revolution is intrinsically seductive. The Revolution claims that people can have all the sex they want, under any circumstances they want, and nothing bad will happen. Lots of people would like to believe this, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The Sexual Revolution has corrupted every authority structure in the West: political, educational, academic, all the professions, and yes, pretty much all the major religious structures. I remember what the Episcopalians went through when their leadership insisted on ordaining homosexually active men and even consecrating an openly gay man as bishop. The denomination split. In many cases, the most traditional members lost their church property. Many placed themselves under the authority of African bishops. I thought to myself, our brothers and sisters are in agony. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Now, it is our turn to suffer. Sola Scriptura has not protected you from the ravages of the Sexual Revolution. Papal infallibility has not protected us. I conclude that unless a person or institution specifically and intentionally resists the Sexual Revolution, it will sweep you away. Some Catholics are taking comfort from the idea that the doctrine reaffirms important points of Christian teaching. And that is technically correct. But no one needed a new 5,000-word document to reaffirm things that could have been stated in less than 100 words. The remaining 4,900 words were weasel words. The weasel words are the point of the document. In my opinion, this document is psychological warfare, a psy op, one more psychological operation in an ongoing campaign to disarm opposition to the Sexual Revolution. Let me be as clear as I possibly can about how Catholics understand themselves and their church. Pope Francis has not changed the teaching of the Church BECAUSE He does not have the authority to change the teaching of the Church. Technically this document does not meet the very high threshold required for a papal pronouncement to be infallible. In that legalistic sense, Pope Francis has not changed the teaching of the Church on homosexual acts and the definition of marriage. I predict he will not cross that line. However, this document has changed the allowable pastoral practice so much, that our counter-cultural, life-giving teaching is obscured. Sadly, this is not the only instance in which the gap between Catholic doctrine and Catholic practice has left us in bad shape. On paper, the Catholic Church maintains the biblical prohibition on divorce and remarriage. On paper, the Catholic Church maintains the ancient and universal Christian prohibition on contraception. But Catholic practice in both these areas is barely distinguishable from the rest of society. The modern world thinks all moral systems are man-made and changeable. Many people in our world cannot even entertain the idea that morality could be eternal and universal. That is why I have been telling my Catholic friends, we must repeat this statement as often as possible. The teaching of the Church was given to us by God. No one has the authority to change it, including the Pope in Rome. Full stop. If we look around us, we can see the destruction that our society has inflicted on itself by attempting to rewrite the moral law. The pornification of the culture. Marriage disappearing from the lower classes, much to the harm of their children. People denying the reality of male and female. I dont know who is really making decisions in Rome. I am not aware of any allegations of sexual misconduct by Pope Francis himself (although cover-up rumors abound). But it is undeniable that he has surrounded himself with some disreputable characters, including Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the head of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, and author of Fiducia Supplicans, and some known homosexualpredators. Whomever is actually responsible for what is coming out of Rome, these men collectively are doing what gay men so often do when they gain control of an institution. They are running it into the ground for their own purposes. Pope Francis is the pope. Catholics believe he has the responsibility to guard the ancient teachings entrusted to the church by God. Pope Francis is doing a bad job of this primary responsibility. This makes him a bad pope. Weve survived bad popes before. We will survive this one. As a Catholic and as a social scientist who has studied the Sexual Revolution for years, I firmly believe we must never apologize for the Churchs sexual teaching. We may have to apologize for the actions of our fellow Catholics. (After all, this is a worldwide organization of over one billion sinners.) But we must never apologize for the teaching itself. Fiducia Supplicans changes the pastoral practice to obscure the teaching. This will just mean more destruction, more grief, more pain, more brokenness. The Ancient teaching of the Church on marriage, family, and human sexuality is good and true. It is the only intellectually coherent competitor with the Sexual Revolution. I hope all of you can join me in saying at least that much, as often and as clearly as we can. Home Opinion The Ambrose Option: Toward human flourishing, Christian calling and the common good How do we understand the preconditions for human flourishing? What should a well-ordered society and public justice look like? Lets consider a story, a true story, a Christian story. With the Edict of Milan (313) the practice of Christianity ceased to be illegal. This became known as the Constantinian settlement. [1] The empire continued thereafter, albeit with a new aroma of tolerance, liberty, including religious liberty, furnished by the budding public application of Christian precepts societally. 70 years later (383), another emperor, Theodosius, permitted immigration in the empires Eastern region this policy of welcoming aliens and strangers also derives from Christian precepts rooted in the Old Testament and now being applied to Roman society. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe A few years later in 387 a cleric from Milan performed a now common and routine religious, spiritual, and heavenly ritual of initiation: baptizing a disciple named Augustine. Thats what clerics do and supposedly only do: spiritual and other worldly good ... again, supposedly, at least according to dualistic sacred/secular assumptions. In 390 the empire experienced an uprising in the East, specifically involving the immigrants in the city of Thessaloniki. This riot resulted in the death of a Roman military officer. Full stop. When the news reached Empower Theodosiuss ear, he immediately sent troops to quell the riot and in the process sent a message by indiscriminately slaughtering about 7,000 immigrants: Men, women, and children. The message conveyed? Dont mess with Rome. However, that baptizing cleric who had discharged his spiritual duty by preaching and performing the sacraments, learned of these killings. What did he do? Was he satisfied by doing his higher calling of conducting spiritual rituals? Hardly. Instead, he confronted Emperor Theodosius to his face.[2] This cleric, Bishop Ambrose, possessed the moral clarity, moral conviction, and moral courage to engage the temporal in the public square for public justice and the common good. He rejected the dualistic fable that his Christian calling confined him to only doing supposedly otherworldly eternal tasks in spiritual heavenly spaces involving rituals, preaching, and other church stuff. Instead, without hesitating or flinching he informed the great emperor that as a Christian man, taking one innocent life violates the Lords law; how much more does taking 7,000 innocent lives compound his sin? Ambrose then barred the emperor from the eucharist until he repented. And Theodosius did so, by Gods grace seven months later. Heres the key point: Ambroses action was not optional, outside, or beyond his vocation as Bishop, but rather cohered with and expressed it. What he believed (theology) and how he acted (ethics) correlated. The lesson here is plain and negates all dualistic formulae: Religious conviction should actuate and generate public religious exercise for the common good.[3] This incident supplies a big hint about how ordered liberty should look. There must be public and civic space aka liberty for the faith to be proclaimed and practiced, including its moral precepts beyond the churchs doors. A rightly formed Christian, like Ambrose, will reject any dualism that pits law against Gospel, sacred against secular, nature against grace, clergy against laity, et al. Dualism at best privatizes the faith and over time will at worst subject society to increasing injustice. Neither is an option for ordered liberty. This Ambrose Option illustrates a course of conduct that reflects Christian calling, protects human flourishing, and promotes the common good for all while avoiding the invocation of and reliance upon an overreaching Leviathan State.[4] In fact, the State comprised the problem here. Classical Liberalism incarnates these precepts at many points. This Christian conception of the public sphere, as this incident illustrates, provides the foundation for ordered liberty. That foundation in particular, establishes that 1. no ruler is above Gods law; 2. arbitrarily destroying humans made in Gods image and likeness irrespective of tribe, clan, citizenship, et al. manifests injustice, and therefore 3. the State, and thus its positive law, have roles as well as limits/boundaries. This is a crucial recognition as Benjamin Wiker explains: "By recognizing a moral code that stood above all merely human laws and judged them, the Christian Roman civil law instilled in the minds of the converted the profoundly revolutionary truth that the sovereigns will is only law insofar as it conforms to Gods revealed moral law and no farther."[5] Notably, Ambrose did not invent or improvise his actions. Rather, he applied the developing Christian practice of public justice based on Gods universal moral standards. Glimpses of this began emerging soon after Christs Ascension. For example, perhaps the earliest non-inspired Christian writing, The Didache (AD 90?), conjoins religious conviction with religious exercise, including retraining murder, abortion, adultery, et al.[6] Church father (and lawyer) Tertullian coined the term and advocated for religious liberty.[7] Gregory of Nyssa preached boldly against a predominant social evil: chattel slavery.[8] Emperor Justinians Christian-based legal code protected conscience and religious liberty among both pagans and Jews.[9] These Christian predicates and examples point the way toward human flourishing, showing that it is best achieved and protected by ordered liberty. This liberty recognizes 1. a knowable law above the positive law, which provides standards for evaluating all assertions of coercive power; 2. the inherent dignity of every human person, which provides the basis for equal treatment under the law; 3. the key roles of civil society, which provides community and the predicate and agents for informed subsidiary and sphere sovereignty; and recognized the legitimacy and limits of the State. This is the Ambrose Option and it shows the way forward for our conflicted times, privately, socially, and publicly. [1] Peter J. Leithart, Defending Constantine, The Twight of an Empire and the Dawning of Christendom, (2010) [2] This is not unlike John the Baptist confronting King Herod for violating another creational norm: Marriage. Matt. 14:1-4. To assert that the Faith has nothing to do with the political politicians and/or policies is to ignore not only the implications of Christs Lordship, but also wide swaths of Scriptures narrative. See also, Jeffery J. Ventrella, Law & Public Policy Not a Gospel Issue? (2019) [3] I call this the Ambrose Option. [4] A Leviathan savior State cannot comport with Christs Lordship. If Christ is the omnipotent King, the State cannot rightly act as such. [5] Benjamin Wiker, Worshipping the State: How Liberalism Became Our State Religion (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2013), 70. Compare this to the contemporary coziness to State power being advocated today on the political Right by Catholic Integralists, Protestant retrievalists, as well as advocates for National Conservatism and so-called Christian Nationalism. [6] The early Christians engaged the culture by exposing evil, opposing evil, and eventually, foreclosing evil. [7] Robert Louis Wilkin, Liberty in the Things of God: The Christian Origins of Religious Freedom, (2019) [8] https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/gregory-of-nyssa-a-lone-voice-against-slavery [9] Robert Louis Wilkin, Liberty in the Things of God: The Christian Origins of Religious Freedom, (2019) Home Opinion This is what happens when you live a good life When my dad would find a parking space up close to a store he was going into, he would look over at me, smile, and say: See, this is what happens when you live a good life. Question for you: do you feel that way? That, if Im a good person then good things will happen to me? Cmon be honest; its just the two of us talking here and I wont tell. Im betting you do, at least occasionally. I know I do from time to time, although Im doing better at catching myself in the act and nipping it in the bud, as Barney Fife says. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The idea of favor resting on us when we do good deeds is pretty universal and found in countless religious teachings, with a primary example being the causality concept found in Hinduisms teaching of Karma (best translated as cause and effect). One of Hinduisms scriptures, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, says this: Whatever deed he does, that he will reap. Now, doesnt that sound eerily familiar to some of the same things stated in the Bible? For example, Paul says: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (Gal. 6:78). Paul also writes elsewhere: Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor. 9:6). So, is Paul (or the Bible in general) saying the same thing as what Hinduism espouses with karma? No, not by a long shot. Ways to a better life The vast majority of all religions take one of three approaches to addressing our human predicament of good and evil. Theyre either epistemic, pragmatic, or existential, with some blending two or all three. The epistemic path says learn something to be better. The existential route recommends experiencing something to be better. But the pragmatic road is the most traveled of the three and declares if you do good things, they will come back to you in some way, both in this life and the next. Hinduisms karma specifically teaches that goodness done in this life results in a higher quality of life in a persons reincarnated state. As Christians, we know this as the works-based plan of salvation. Of that, Scripture says the exact opposite is true: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:89). Its also important to note that Christianity is not epistemic, pragmatic, or existential but is instead ontological. The Christian faith rests completely on a Person Jesus Christ. True good comes to us not through our actions but through His. Its because of that the Bible says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3, my emphasis). So, needless to say, when it comes to the what-goes-around-comes-around teachings such as karma and its principle of causality, you have something much different than what exists in Christianity. The doctrine of karma is not judgment per se as whats found in the Bible because bad karma is nothing like sins committed against a holy God. Further, no decree from any divine entity is required to bring about the consequences of a persons actions with karma. And, all that aside, if we learn anything from Scripture its that the most righteous people profiled in the Bible those living a good life often experienced the most pain and suffering, with Jesus being the most obvious example. If there was ever a case study of no good deed going unpunished, its Marks account of Jesus being baptized where he then states immediately (1:12) afterward, Christ was sent into His lengthy trial with the devil. This biblical concept isnt exactly popular today. In his essay, The Ministry of the Night, A. W. Tozer warns us that the idea of the righteous suffering is mostly eschewed, saying: the type of Christianity now in vogue does not include anything as serious as this. The quest of the modern Christian is likely to be for peace of mind and spiritual joy, with a good degree of material prosperity thrown in as an external proof of divine favor. And on the flip side, Jesus Himself negated the whole idea of negative karma in an incident Luke records: Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those 18 on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:15). The bottom line and real danger of the if-I-live-a-good-life-then-good-will-come-back-to-me mentality is that its a short step towards the trap of works-based salvation and the belief that you can earn your way into Gods kingdom. And Scripture is clear thats not true because we are only justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24). My dad was right about a lot of things, but he was wrong about getting a close parking spot because of being a supposedly virtuous person. On the contrary, since No one is good except God alone (Luke 18:19), we should consider ourselves blessed that God is kind to the ungrateful and the evil (Luke 6:35), which we all are. That being the case, as someone once said, the question is not why bad things happen to good people, but the real mystery is rather why good things happen to anyone. Could the Pope's plea inspire Scorsese's next blockbuster? Renowned Hollywood director Martin Scorsese, celebrated for his gritty portrayals of mafia life in films like 'The Departed', 'Casino', and 'Goodfellas', has recently surprised the global film industry with a planned departure from his signature crime dramas. At the age of 81, Scorsese, known for his tough and impactful storytelling, has made clear his desire to shift gears once more and explore the subject of Jesus Christ in his upcoming film. This cinematic pivot follows Scorsese's earlier exploration of the life of the Messiah over 30 years ago with 'The Last Temptation of Christ'. While that film proved controversial, containing passionate scenes between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, this new venture is not merely a revisitation; it's a response to a personal encounter with Pope Francis and his impassioned plea to those working within the arts. In his call to creatives, the Holy Father urged artists "not to 'explain' the mystery of Christ, which is ultimately unfathomable, but to enable us to touch him, feel his closeness, and see him as alive." Motion pictures could, perhaps, rise to this specific challenge. Motivated by the pope's call, Martin Scorsese, a cradle Catholic of Italian-American descent, is gearing up to embark on a motion picture based on Shusaku Endo's 'A Life of Jesus'. As Scorsese has announced, the project aims to present Jesus's teachings without the weight of religious dogma, addressing criticisms often associated with organised religion. "Right now, when you say the word 'religion,' everyone is up in arms, because it has failed in so many ways," Scorsese told the Los Angeles Times. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that the initial impulse was wrong," he added. Regarding Christ, the pope has impressed upon the artistic world that, "Because his promises appeal to our imagination, they help us imagine in a new way our lives, our history, and the future of humanity." While Scorsese is undoubtedly a gifted filmmaker, whether he has the ability to satisfy the hopeful demands of both the Vatican and the modern cinema-going public remains to be seen. "I have responded to the pope's appeal to artists in the only way I know how, by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I'm about to start making it," shared Scorsese, subtly hinting that this film could become his next blockbuster. As he draws towards the autumn of an illustrious career, Scorsese seems committed to an insightful film about faith and Jesus Christ, emphasising its potential to reshape public perceptions about organised religion. With a reflective tone, the director notes, "It might make a difference in how you live your life - even in rejecting it. Don't dismiss it offhand." And so too the rewards of Christian faith. Reacher star defends role against Christian critics Alan Ritchson finds it "funny" that some people including "supposed Christians" have criticised him for his role in the hit Amazon show, Reacher. Ritchson, himself a committed Christian, addressed the criticism in a video on the InstaChurch YouTube channel. He said that he loved playing the titular character of Jack Reacher, a retired military officer who drifts across the US challenging injustice. The first season aired on Amazon Prime in 2022 to critical acclaim, and the second season that launched last month has been just as big a hit with audiences. But the show does contain a lot of violence and has the TV equivalent of an R rating - or 15 in the UK. In the YouTube video, Ritchson defended taking on a role that could be viewed as "morally ambiguous". "I love playing Reacher. I love telling this story. I love playing a character who creates a kind of moral ambiguity that we should struggle against as we consider whether or not what he's doing is good all the time or morally right," Ritchson said. "But it's funny to me how a lot of people criticize me, supposed Christians especially, criticize me for playing Reacher. As if the only TV that should exist is seeing people silently folding their hands in the pew of a church. I mean, what kind of stories are we supposed to tell?" The 41 year old, who also recently starred in the Fast X movie, said that the Bible was full of "stories of paganism, of war and bloodshed and ghost stories, mysticism", and that God often revealed himself "through an imperfect people". Ritchson suggested that shows like Reacher could even be used to start conversations "in a way that I think God enjoys." "We see miracles and magic. We see life and resurrection and death, and we see this incredible canvas where God is completely unafraid to tell the story of who He is through less than morally ambiguous characters, through pure evil sometimes," he said. Deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia is a trend of "great concern," a State Department spokesperson said Sunday, as North Korea's top diplomat is set to visit Russia this week in a sign of growing bilateral ties. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is scheduled to visit Russia from Monday through Wednesday at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. "Deepening cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is a trend that should be of great concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, upholding the global nonproliferation regime, and supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russia's brutal invasion," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Choe's trip to Russia came amid concerns about alleged arms transfers between the North and Russia that Washington, Seoul and other governments have decried as a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. Earlier this month, the White House said the North had provided Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles, some of which were used against Ukraine on Dec. 30, 2023, Jan. 2 and Jan. 6. In October 2023, the White House also revealed that the North had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia for use in Ukraine. The transaction came amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13, 2023 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Russian spaceport might have led to an arms deal. (Yonhap) Religious unpaid carers have better health, study finds Unpaid carers who have a faith are more likely to be in better health than their counterparts who are not religious. They are also more likely to report better mental health, prompting calls for faith groups to support unpaid carers in their communities. The call comes from Carers UK whose new research found that having a religion or faith can support the health of those who care for the elderly, disabled people, or seriously ill friends or relatives. The charity's State of Caring 2023 report found that nearly a third (30%) of unpaid carers with a religion said that their faith improved their health and wellbeing. Over a quarter (27%) said they had 'very good' or 'good' mental health, compared to 20% of those who did not identify with a religion. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that many unpaid carers in England and Wales have a religious belief, with around half (49%) identifying as Christian. The survey by Carers UK was carried out between June and August 2023 and received 10,751 responses from unpaid carers across the country. Of those surveyed, nearly half (47%) were caring for someone for 90 hours or more a week, while a quarter (24%) spent 20 to 49 hours a week in their caring role. Commenting on the findings, Carers UK said that religious or spiritual beliefs may play a valuable role in helping carers to cope with the challenges of caring for others. It may also support them in having a more positive and less stressful caring experience, the charity said. Carers UK welcomed some of the support already being provided by faith organisations but suggested more could be done after finding that only 7% of carers of faith reported receiving support with their caring role from a faith organisation or place of worship. Carers UK said the figures suggested that faith organisations "could play a greater role" in supporting unpaid carers. Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: "It's clear that faith plays an important role in the lives of many unpaid carers, increasing their sense of inner strength and connecting them with others. Providing care for an older or disabled relative can be isolating, so having a community to lean on can make a big difference to carers' wellbeing. "Religious institutions and faith communities could consider the unique challenges facing unpaid carers, and ways they could be supported to engage in religious life, such as creating carer networks, providing opportunities for carers to meet other people, or offering volunteering opportunities that can be fitted around caring responsibilities." Tina English, Director at Embracing Age, a Christian charity which began offering support to carers feeling isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic, said: "This report highlights the vital role faith organisations can play in supporting unpaid carers. "As a Christian charity we have seen first-hand the positive impact of bringing carers together to pray and chat with one another, in what can be very challenging circumstances. It's so important that carers are seen and supported in their congregations and communities." Scotland: fears for parents who oppose child's gender transition Concerns have been raised about the rights of parents in Scotland who oppose their child's desire to change genders. A consultation was launched by the Scottish government last week into detailed proposals for legislation aimed at ending "conversion practices" in Scotland. Under the proposals, parents who attempt to "change or suppress" another person's gender identity, including within family settings, face prison. Criminal penalties could be incurred if they cause their children "fear, alarm or distress" over their gender identity, or are found to be "controlling" or have "pressured" their child to "act in a particular way". One example given in the proposals is of "preventing someone from dressing in a way that reflects their sexual orientation or gender identity". Those found in breach of the law could face up to seven years in prison and an unlimited fine. The Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF UK) called the proposals "vage and wide-reaching" and expressed fears about the rights of parents. Responding to the proposals, Lois McLatchie Miller, ADF UK spokesperson for Scotland, said that "common sense parenting is not a crime". "Under these draconian proposals, the Scottish government would place parents under a terrifying and well-founded fear of losing their children or being locked up in prison for saying something contrary to the favoured ideology of the day," she said. "The proposed law would violate fundamental human rights, starting with the right and duty of parents to protect their children, in addition to religious freedom and free speech rights, including for those in a position to give pastoral support. "Children are not adults, and parents are not children. The vast majority of parents are committed to doing the sometimes difficult job of raising their children well. They deserve support and protection, not suspicion. Many hold firm, science-based beliefs in the immutability of biological sex. "They have concerns grounded in the real-life testimonies of those who felt pushed into life-altering decisions that proved to be no solution. Parents must be supported to raise their children; not criminalised for protecting them." Equalities Minister Emma Roddick has said that religious freedom will be safeguarded. The Christian Institute has said it will take the Scottish government to court if changes to the law threaten free speech or the criminalisation of parents and church leaders. The Scottish Catholic Church has said that religious bodies must be free to teach their beliefs. "While the Church supports legislation which protects people from physical and verbal abuse a fundamental pillar of any free society is that the state recognises and respects the right of religious bodies and organisations to be free to teach the fulness of their beliefs and to support, through prayer, counsel and other pastoral means, their members who wish to live in accordance with those beliefs," a spokesman said. "We would urge the Scottish Government, not to criminalise mainstream religious pastoral care, parental guidance, and medical or other professional intervention relating to sexual orientation, which is not approved by the State as acceptable. "The worrying lack of clarity about what is meant by the term 'conversion practices' could create a chilling effect and may criminalise advice or opinion given in good faith." Christian policy group CARE warned that the proposals could lead to the "subjective policing of speech" and that parents, teachers, church leaders and counsellors could be "caught up and unfairly criminalised". Michael Veitch, CARE's Scotland Policy Officer, said, "At CARE for Scotland, we recognise that abusive or coercive 'practices', 'treatments' or 'therapies' aimed at changing a person's identity are wrong and a source of deep hurt to those who experience them. These things are rightly condemned, can already be reported to the police for investigation, and would already constitute a crime under existing provisions. "The need for new legislation, and the wider impact of new laws must be carefully assessed. Senior legal professionals and others are concerned that the proposals in question risk being overbroad in their application, undermining human rights. In particular, the right to a private and family life, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom of expression. "Scrutiny of Scotland's hate crime legislation underlined the dangers involved with laws of this kind. An ill-defined law on 'conversion practices' could lead to the subjective policing of speech about sexuality and gender, in a range of settings." He added, "Given these concerns, and the efficacy of existing, well understood laws targeting harmful behaviour, we question the need for the proposed ban." The consultation runs until 2 April. Anunt concurs pentru post vacant Institutia Publica Centrul de Consiliere Agricola si Rurala (CCAR) este in cautare de un profesionist dinamic si dedicat, pentru pozitia de Sef/a de Sectie la sectia Inovare si transfer de cunostinte in cadrul institutie Organizatia HelpAge International contracteaza un formator/ o formatoare / o echipa de formatori sau o companie ce va presta servicii de instruire si consultanta privind dezvoltarea activitatilor generatoare de venituri pentru persoanele in etate North Korea is scheduled to convene a key parliamentary meeting Monday amid key attention over whether its rubber-stamp parliament will approve a constitutional revision on inter-Korean unification. The meeting comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other" at a year-end party meeting, saying there is no point seeking unification with South Korea. The North earlier announced its plan to hold the 10th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Monday to discuss the state budget of 2024. North Korean state media has not reported whether the SPA session started. The session is widely expected to last for at least two days, and its outcome could be made public Wednesday. The SPA is the highest organ of state power under the North's constitution, but it actually only rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Drawing keen attention is whether North Korea's parliament will revise the Constitution or related acts to take into account its leader Kim's new definition of inter-Korean relations. North Korea has maintained a blueprint for unification that the country's late founder Kim Il-sung unveiled in 1980. North Korea has claimed the only realistic way to achieve unification is the federation system, which calls for respecting each other's differences in political ideology and government system in the form of "one state and two systems." Lee Kyu-chang, a senior research fellow at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, said North Korea is expected to take measures to provide legal grounds for setting inter-Korean relations as the state-to-state relationship. "In a follow-up to the WPK's plenary meeting, North Korea is likely to push to delete or revise clauses related to unification under the Constitution and revise the nationality law to regard South Koreans as foreigners," Lee said in a recent report. In September 2022, the SPA stipulated the policy of the country's nuclear force in the constitution, after the North's leader called for an "exponential" increase in the nation's nuclear arsenal at a year-end party meeting in 2022. Kim is not one of the deputies to the SPA, but he may attend the parliamentary meeting to deliver his hawkish stance against South Korea or the United States. In an SPA session in April 2019, Kim voiced his willingness to hold his third summit with then U.S. President Donald Trump following the no-deal second summit in early 2019. In a meeting in September 2021, Kim said he would restore the severed inter-Korean communication channel. During an SPA meeting in September 2022, the North's leader publicly announced the legalization of nuclear weapons, as its parliament approved a new law that allows for a preemptive nuclear strike. (Yonhap) A former employee at a local Age UK charity is suspected of fraudulently gaining nearly 460,000 over a seven-year period. Age UK Gloucestershire said in its accounts for the year ending 31 March 2023 that it identified a potentially fraudulent transaction on its bank accounts in early July and immediately launched an internal investigation. Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed to Civil Society that it had received a report from the charity of suspected fraudulent activity. A woman has been interviewed under caution in relation to the allegations and our investigation is ongoing, a spokesperson said. The Charity Commission also confirmed that Age UK Gloucestershire filed a serious incident report on 13 July 2023. Meanwhile, Age UK Gloucestershire announced earlier this month that its CEO, Matthew Fellows, will be stepping down on 28 February . Fellows told Civil Society that his departure was unconnected with the serious incident. 460,000 fraudulently gained through systemic dishonesty Age UK Gloucestershire said that the fraudulent transaction was carried out between 2016 and 2023 and identified through enhanced financial management and reporting. The board appointed an expert legal advisor and an external audit company to support, with the first action being a forensic investigation, its accounts read. While there is an ongoing investigation led by the police, the investigation we commissioned concluded that almost 460,000 had been fraudulently gained by a former employee through systemic dishonesty over a number of years dating back to 2016. It also concluded that there was no evidence that any other person has had any involvement or knowledge of the activity. The accounts add that the financial impact of the fraud was 85,028 in the year, and that the charity is reporting an additional operating deficit of 8,000. As a result of these factors and the realised loss on investments we are reporting a deficit of 112,000 for the year. No change in our current financial position The charity said that its board is now working closely with the expert legal advisor to explore all options open to recovering the funds and the costs associated with so doing, including the investigation. There is no change in our current financial position, due to the fraudulent transactions having been included in the records of our financial performance such as our annual report and accounts. While the impact on our charity continues to be assessed, we have no reason to believe there will be a direct impact upon our services, which will continue as usual. Fellows said: We can confirm that a police investigation is underway regarding a former employee from Age UK Gloucestershire. As this is an on-going investigation, Age UK Gloucestershire is supporting the police with their enquiries and no other comment is available at this time. My departure is unconnected with the serious incident. A Charity Commission spokesperson said: We can confirm that, in line with our guidance, Age UK Gloucestershire filed a serious incident report on 13 July 2023 relating to a suspected fraud. We engaged with the charity around this matter at the time and were satisfied that appropriate steps were being taken to manage the situation. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Pyongyangs latest breakthrough aims to undermine South's air defense: experts By Jung Min-ho North Korea said on Monday it successfully test-fired a new solid-fuel missile tipped with a hypersonic maneuverable warhead, marking the latest breakthrough that analysts said poses a significant threat to South Koreas air defense system. The launch, North Koreas first known weapons test this year and the first-ever of a solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), was aimed at checking the reliability of new solid-fuel engines and the maneuverable flight capabilities of the warhead, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. It added that the test was a success. The announcement came just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to annihilate South Korea and the United States, its key ally, if they attempt to challenge Pyongyang's sovereignty by force. South Koreas military said the missile, fired from or near Pyongyang, flew about 1,000 kilometers before falling into the waters off its east coast. North Korea did not elaborate on the results. But a typical IRBM is capable of traveling 3,000-5,500 kilometers. This means one fired from the North could reach anywhere in the South as well as U.S. military bases in Guam or Japan at five times the speed of sound. If the claim is true, a hypersonic missile fired from the North Korean capital could strike a target in Seoul in just about a minute. The latest launch has sent alarm bells ringing in South Korea as there is currently no system in place to intercept such missiles, according to experts. The North Korean missile presents two challenges for South Koreas military. First, missiles that use solid fuel are easier to transport and faster to fire than liquid-fuel ones. As a result, early detection and, therefore, preemptive strike would be difficult, said Kim Yeoul-soo, an analyst at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, a think tank. Also, hypersonic missiles are extremely difficult to intercept given their high speed, maneuverability, low flight paths and unpredictable trajectories. Currently, neither South Korea nor the U.S. military has any reliable defense system against such threats. Hypersonic missiles were among the advanced weapons the North Korean leader vowed to develop. Hypersonic missiles test-fired in 2022 and 2023 were liquid-fuel types that traveled up to 10 times the speed of sound. Analysts said North Korea appears to have been increasingly shifting to solid-fuel missiles with the aim of undermining and ultimately incapacitating South Korea and the U.S. capability to detect and defend against missile threats. It appears to be North Koreas solution to our Kill Chain (preemptive strike system) and air defense under development, said Shin Jong-woo, a senior analyst at the Korea Defense Security Forum, a think tank. South Korea is developing long-range surface-to-air missiles to improve its air defense against hypersonic weapons. If everything goes as planned, the new missiles are expected to be deployed as early as 2028. The Ministry of National Defense condemned the latest provocation from the North, saying it was a clear violation U.N. Security Council resolutions, while warning that an attack on South Korea would be met with an overwhelming response. On the same day, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Moscow for talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov as the two countries deepen ties in security and other sectors. Some experts have expressed concerns that Russia, known for advanced hypersonic missile technology, might support North Korea in developing its version of the Avangard, a nuclear-capable, hypersonic boost-glide vehicle developed by Russian scientists. The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan have condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch during their phone talks earlier this week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday. The North test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile into the East Sea on Sunday in its first ballistic missile launch this year, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It came after North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells near the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea from Jan. 5 to 7. Kim Gunn, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, spoke by phone on Sunday to discuss the latest provocation with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Jung Pak and Hiroyuki Namazu, respectively, the ministry said. The envoys denounced the launch as a violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions that threatens the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region. Pointing out the North's illicit provocations as the "root causes" of instability in the region, the three sides emphasized their trilateral cooperation will bolster even further as North Korea escalates its provocations. They also agreed to keep close tabs on North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui's visit to Russia this week amid deepening military cooperation between the two countries. (Yonhap) Korea is considering various measures to secure safe passage for cargo ships in the Red Sea amid rising tensions on the major shipping route, the defense ministry said Monday. Tensions in the Red Sea have escalated as the United States and Britain conducted strikes on military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen last week following more than two dozen attacks by the rebels since mid-November 2023. "The defense ministry is making all efforts to ensure Korean vessels' safe shipping in the Red Sea. Various support measures are under consideration, taking into account various factors," ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said in a regular press briefing, without elaborating. A 300-member strong Cheonghae unit has been operating in the Gulf of Aden and nearby waters to conduct maritime security missions, including escorting civilian ships and anti-piracy operations. Last week, Korea and nine other countries issued a joint statement in support of precision strikes that the U.S. and Britain conducted against Iran-backed Houthis in response to their repeated attacks in the Red Sea. (Yonhap) Apple is offering a discounts across a range of its products in China, including the latest iPhones, its website shows, as it faces rising competition and growing fears of a lack of demand for its flagship smartphone. Between Jan. 18 and Jan. 21, Apple is offering 500 Chinese yuan ($70) off its iPhone 15 range, including the most expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max. There are also discounts available on certain Mac models and the iPad. The offers come ahead of the Lunar New Year in mid-February. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends the start of the second round table during the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence in Brussels, on October 21, 2021. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks. He is expected to work from home as he recovers. Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, which was detected earlier in the month during a routine screening. He developed an infection a week later and was hospitalized Jan. 1 and admitted to intensive care. Doctors said he remained in the hospital due to ongoing leg pain resulting from the infection and so he could get physical therapy. "As I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I'm eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon," Lloyd wrote in a Jan. 15 statement. President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were not told about Austin's hospitalization until Jan. 4, and Austin kept the cancer diagnosis secret until Jan. 9. Biden has said Austin's failure to tell him about the hospitalization was a lapse in judgment, but the Democratic president insists he still has confidence in his Pentagon chief. During Austin's time at Walter Reed, the U.S. launched a series of military strikes late last week on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting dozens of locations linked to their campaign of assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Working from his hospital bed, Austin juggled calls with senior military leaders, including Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, and White House meetings to review, order and ultimately watch the strikes unfold over secure video. The lack of transparency about Austin's hospitalization, however, has triggered administration and Defense Department reviews on the procedures for notifying the White House and others if a Cabinet member must transfer decision-making authorities to a deputy, as Austin did during his initial surgery and a portion of his latest hospital stay. And the White House chief of staff ordered Cabinet members to notify his office if they ever can't perform their duties. Austin's secrecy also drew criticism from Congress members on both sides of the political aisle, and Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has opened a formal inquiry into the matter. Others openly called for Austin to resign, but the White House has said the Pentagon chief's job is safe. It is still unclear when Austin will return to his office in the Pentagon or how his cancer treatment will affect his job, travel and other public engagements going forward. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been taking on some of his day-to-day duties as he recovers. The Santos Ltd. Logo atop Santos Place building, which houses the company's office, in Brisbane, Australia, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. Australia's Santos can proceed with construction of an undersea pipeline vital to its $4.3 billion Barossa gas project after a court on Monday ruled in favor of the oil and gas company in a dispute with an Indigenous man looking to pause the work. Work on the pipeline, which will connect the Barossa gas field to a processing plant in the northern Australian city of Darwin, was paused by court order in November after a suit by a traditional land owner from the nearby Tiwi Islands. Simon Munkara sought to halt work and force Santos to do a fresh assessment of the pipeline's impact on underwater cultural heritage. However, Justice Natalie Charlesworth on Monday dismissed Munkara's application and lifted the November court injunction, opening the door for Santos to commence work on the pipeline. "In respect of the claim founded on tangible cultural heritage, the evidence established is nothing more than a negligible chance that there may be objects of archaeological value in the area of the pipeline route," she said. In this article GM Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Mary Barra, Chair and CEO of the General Motors Company (GM), speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on May 2, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images DETROIT Monday marks 10 years of Mary Barra's tenure as CEO of General Motors , ushering in a crucial year for the Detroit automaker and for her legacy. Over the past decade, Barra has been a dynamic executive, guiding the company through high-profile crises as the first female leader of a major automaker. Under her stewardship, GM has seen record profits, cultural changes and major achievements, including beating Wall Street earnings forecasts in 34 of the last 35 quarters, according to FactSet. She's regularly ranked as one of the most powerful business leaders in the world, with former and current executives describing her as a "visionary" and "inclusive" leader who has always remained focused on the task at hand. That task, for much of Barra's time at GM, has been to push the envelope and transform the largest U.S. automaker for sustained success. But her main business plans of late have failed to meet internal or external expectations, including her own. Initiatives involving electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles have come under pressure, with EV rollout and demand slower than expected and GM majority-owned Cruise in crisis. The EV and AV businesses, along with emerging software initiatives, were major parts of lofty financial targets earmarked for 2025 and 2030. GM says it can still achieve its goals among them to double revenue by 2030 by shifting focus, but it's yet to detail how, without the help of its stated growth drivers. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon GM's stock under CEO Mary Barra's 10-year tenure. "I always thought the EV and AV strategies were awfully ambitious and were more to show Wall Street that they were becoming a 'tech company' more than an auto company, trying to imitate Tesla too much in many ways," said Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst with Cox Automotive, who previously covered GM as a reporter starting in the 1980s. Public criticism of Barra has been scant, but Wall Street and investors are speaking through the company's stock price. Famed investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which took a major stake in GM in 2012, sold all its shares in the company without explanation during the third quarter of 2023. GM stock closed Friday at $35.26 per share, down 10.5% under Barra's tenure and off by nearly 50% from a high of more than $67 on Jan. 5, 2022. GM appeared to be the front-runner in recent years to challenge U.S. leader Tesla in electric vehicles with its new EV architecture and billions in investments. Barra surprised many in 2021 by announcing that GM would end production of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles and exclusively offer consumers EVs by 2035. At the time, GM promised to transform the company and automotive industry through what Barra called "visionary investments," including what would become $35 billion toward electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025. She touted GM's growth opportunities, including its next-generation "Ultium" EV architecture, and many other major automakers followed suit and announced similar electrification goals. But GM has rolled out its next-gen EV models at a snail's pace amid production snags. And its most recent model the Chevy Blazer EV has paused sales due to significant software problems. GM's EV sales last year totaled 75,883 units, or 2.9% of the company's overall sales. It was third in EV sales behind Tesla, and Hyundai Motor , which includes Kia, according to Cox Automotive. However, a vast majority of GM's EV sales were from its now-discontinued Chevrolet Bolt models. Broad consumer demand for EVs hasn't materialized the way GM or others had hoped, and many automakers have withdrawn or walked back the EV ambitions they set just a few years ago. Mary Barra, GM chair and CEO, speaks during the unveiling of the Cadillac Celestiq electric sedan in Los Angeles, Oct. 17, 2022. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images Barra said in December that while there's still a path to exclusively offer EVs by 2035, customer demand will ultimately determine the pace of the company's EV transition. "We still have a plan in place that allows us to be all light-duty vehicles by 2035. But again ... we'll adjust based on where the customer is and where demand is," she said. "But I do believe this transition will happen over a period of time." As early as 2017, GM's EV focus was on getting as many electric vehicles to market as possible, promising to launch a mix of at least 20 new all-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles globally by 2023. Then, in November 2020, that goal post shifted, and the automaker said it would introduce at least 30 new EVs by 2025 and spend $27 billion an amount that was later upped to $35 billion on electric and autonomous vehicles. GM has not released exact details about that spending, but executives last year confirmed the automaker was pushing back or cutting EV spending by billions. In October, GM pulled its near-term EV targets that included selling 400,000 electric vehicles in North America between 2022 and mid-2024 as well as producing 100,000 EVs in North America during the second half of 2023. The Detroit automaker and Honda Motor also canceled plans to jointly develop affordable EVs, which would have been a $5 billion capital project, and GM opted to instead revive the canceled Chevrolet Bolt as a new model in 2025. GM maintains it will achieve low profit margins on EVs by 2025 as well as increase North American capacity for the vehicles to 1 million units by then. The automaker expects to maintain an 8% to 10% adjusted profit margin in North America through the transition. Taking the wheel If EVs have been struggling to capture consumer attention, autonomous vehicles and GM's Cruise unit have been commanding it but not for the reasons Barra would like. Late last year Cruise transformed nearly overnight from one of GM's greatest business opportunities into a growing liability. Cruise, of which GM owns more than 80% and which Barra chairs, has confronted a wave of problems and investigations sparked by an Oct. 2 accident in which a pedestrian in San Francisco was dragged 20 feet by one of the unit's self-driving cars after the person was struck by another vehicle. Investigations into the incident are ongoing, GM said Friday. Since the incident, Cruise's robotaxi fleet has been grounded, pending the results of independent safety probes. Local and federal governments have launched their own investigations. Cruise leadership has been gutted: Its cofounders resigned and nine other leaders were ousted. And the venture laid off 24% of its workforce. Beyond all of that, GM is massively cutting spending and growth plans for the business, including pausing production of a new robotaxi. Mary Barra, chair and chief executive officer of General Motors, during an Automotive Press Association event in Detroit, Dec. 4, 2023. Jeff Kowalsky | Bloomberg | Getty Images Barra said during an Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit in December that GM is "very focused on righting the ship" at Cruise. Cruise was considered to be among the leaders in autonomous vehicles alongside Alphabet -backed Waymo, outlasting many other companies that have abandoned the segment. The turmoil at Cruise also calls into question GM's own plans to offer personal autonomous vehicles by as early as mid-decade, as well as the company's next-generation driver-assistance system Ultra Cruise. The Ultra Cruise system was initially planned to debut in 2023 and eventually be capable of driving itself in 95% of scenarios, but progress has been unclear. Two sources familiar with the system told CNBC that the automaker is ending the Ultra Cruise program. One source said GM has decided to instead focus on the current Super Cruise system and expanding its capabilities rather than having two different, similarly named systems. Darryll Harrison Jr., GM vice president of global technology communications, declined to comment on specifics of Ultra Cruise but said: "GM continues to expand access to and increase the capability of Super Cruise, our advanced driver assistance technology. Our focus remains on safely deploying this technology across GM brands and more vehicle categories while expanding to even more roads." Transformative legacy Barra took over as CEO of GM in January 2014 when the company was still emerging from government ownership as a result of a 2009 bankruptcy and decades of mismanagement. She was brought in both to deal with the ghosts of GM's past and to guide the automaker into a cleaner future. "Mary was one of the few people in the original team that I thought understood that this thing was broken," Barra's predecessor Dan Akerson told CNBC in 2022. GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson, left, announces he is stepping down during a town hall meeting at the GM Renaissance Center Global Headquarters in Detroit, Dec. 10, 2013. Listening are Mary Barra, the new CEO; Dan Ammann, the new president; and Mark Reuss, the new executive vice president for global product development, purchasing and supply chain. Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors Barra's philosophy as CEO and chair, a position she's held since 2016, has been to address problems head-on. She routinely says the "best time to solve a problem is the minute you know about it." That philosophy has served her and GM well thus far, as Barra has navigated what seems like an unending string of crises in the past decade, the second-longest tenure of any CEO in the company's 115-year history, after its founder. Barra managed a recall of roughly 30 million vehicles beginning in 2014 after an ignition switch defect caused 120 deaths and led to a complete restructuring of GM's safety operations. "The way that she took the ignition switch recall and used it to really drive some deep change into the organization she shook some things up," said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of research at S&P Global Mobility. "And I think they've made a difference." Barra guided the company through the 2014 parts crisis and initiated several company restructurings across the globe, including exiting many unprofitable markets. That fat-trimming was in preparation for an expected disruption from the "mobility" or tech industries and the likes of Lyft , Uber , Apple and Google . And, she fended off two activist-shareholder campaigns, including from David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital, which pushed for seats on GM's board and to initiate a split of GM's common stock into two classes to help boost its share price. Einhorn declined to comment through a spokesman on those efforts, Barra or GM, which the firm exited in 2020. General Motors CEO Mary Barra testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 1, 2014. Getty Images Heavy snow falls as a man walks along the Skywalk system that connects buildings in downtown on January 08, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. The battle to win the Republican Iowa caucus is the most expensive on record, with over $120 million spent on ads by the campaigns and their affiliated political action committees in the Hawkeye State, according to data provided to CNBC by AdImpact. The massive amount of resources placed into Iowa reflects how competitive candidates and their allies still believe the GOP nomination race to be, despite Donald Trump's dominance in the polls. Going into Monday's caucus, Trump's lead over his closest rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, averaged 33 percentage points, according to a Real Clear Politics polling aggregation. Around $84 million of the $120 million total ad buys came from campaigns and allies of the top three candidates, Trump, Haley and Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the data. The figure includes television, radio and digital spots. Among the top three, Haley and her allies have spent the most: $37 million in Iowa alone. Despite Haley's advantage in the Iowa ad spending wars, Trump is clearly not taking his massive polling lead for for granted, however. Together, the former president's campaign and the outside group supporting him, Make America Great Again Inc., have aired around 21,000 TV ads this cycle. This is roughly equivalent to the 22,000 spots the Haley team has paid to broadcast, according to data by Wesleyan Media Project, reviewed by CNBC. "Judging by the number of ads placed in Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump's campaign is not taking those states for granted," Michael Franz, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, said in a statement released with the report. Haley and DeSantis' allied groups in Iowa are paying for more than just ads. Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC backing Haley and financed in part by billionaire Charles Koch, said they planned to knock on 50,000 doors in the eight days between Jan. 7 and Iowa Caucus day. The group told CNBC they have more than 150 staff and volunteers throughout the Hawkeye State, working to build support for Haley. In addition to the volunteers, AFP Action has spent over $900,000 on pro-Haley ads targeting Iowa voters, according AdImpact. Nonetheless, the group appeared to be managing their expectations for Monday night. "While Iowa and New Hampshire are important, we're building for the long-term. We're already up with advertising and one-on-one grassroots outreach in South Carolina and a number of Super Tuesday states," Bill Riggs, a spokesman for Americans for Prosperity Action, told CNBC in an email. "The DeSantis team has made clear they need Iowa to survive. Our goal is to help Nikki Haley finish strong and keep the momentum going into New Hampshire," said Riggs. DeSantis' campaign and two outside allies have spent a combined $30 million on TV, digital, and radio ads in Iowa. But they have also been active in door knocking and engaging with voters in Iowa. One of the two DeSantis super PACs, Never Back Down, has knocked on over 915,000 doors in the Iowa, according to the organization. As for Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc. would not provide data on what efforts they've made outside of their ad spending in support of the former president. "We'll leave the pre-election backslapping to others," Taylor Budowich, the head of the super PAC, told CNBC. "I have no interest in telegraphing strategic or tactical efforts to the media." Health care may be a real challenger to tech this year, a business that can actually grow faster than most of tech and has the possibility of a comeback from the Covid straitjacket that so many of these companies got caught up in. The pandemic obscured so much of the growth as Abbott Labs , for example, poured money into BinaxNOW tests, and Regeneron developed a rapid response drug. Pfizer went after vaccines and rapid responses, and the drug stores shifted resources to Covid immunity shots. Now, with Covid behind them, we are seeing the true earnings power of so many terrific companies. For our newest Bullpen additions , we focused on Abbott Labs, Novartis , Amgen and Walgreens Boots Alliance . We will go over them but first, let me talk about what I learned at last week's JPMorgan Health Care Conference that I attended in San Francisco, and what it means to your portfolio. We have not spent too much of our resources on this sector because it wasn't right to do so. You have Covid eating up time and resources not just to develop sources of immunity and treatment but also because you did not have patients coming and asking for treatment for more elective surgery, especially the elderly. That's what felled UnitedHealth taking our now-disappointing Club name Humana down with it. So, we have focused on the best performer, Eli Lilly , with its best-in-class GLP-1 drugs and its Alzheimer's formulation, donanemab. CEO Dave Ricks reiterated at the conference that Lilly expects donanemab to receive Food and Drug Administration clearance in the first quarter of 2024. This strategy has been correct. While Novo Nordisk now has the lead in GLP-1s for both diabetes, Ozempic, and weight loss, Wegovy, Lilly's recently approved Zepbound has a superior weight loss profile, and the company is rapidly expanding production. Mounjaro for diabetes has been on the market since getting FDA clearance in 2022. All four drugs are once-per-week injectables. These are hard drugs to make, and they must be done in a clean room similar to that of semiconductor manufacturing facilities. They use the self-injection needle from Becton, Dickinson Co., or BD as it's also known, is another terrific company that makes everything in a hospital including catheters and blood drawing equipment. Lilly has two plants in North Carolina meant for the drugs and one in Europe. Regeneron is liked because it is developing a vaccine that gives you weight loss reduction, but it attacks the fat, not the muscle and fat. The GLP-1s from Novo Nordisk and Lilly reduce body mass so if you drop, say, 20 pounds, eight of those pounds could be muscle, which has devasting consequences if you don't stay in shape. One of the reasons why, for example, we like Abbott so much is its protein supplements for seniors. It's not talked about much, but the elderly can get very frail from these drugs and don't get enough protein. We like Amgen because it is focused on both pill form 60% of respondents do not like injecting shots and on a long-form, once-a-month shot regimen rather than once a week. Roche spent $2.7 billion to buy Carmot last month, which is working on all of these. I am not sweating the competition because Lilly is working on all of these, too. We know health care has a lot of angles too it. There are so many companies that are working, for instance, on oncology everyone is looking for a Keytruda, Merck 's cancer franchise that is thought to be by far the strongest with Bristol-Myers Squibb a distant second with Opdivo. We have focused less on cancer drugs because we fear Keytruda's power, even as we like Seagen's cancer work, a company Pfizer spent more than $40 billion on to play a huge cancer role. ABT 1Y mountain Abbott Labs 1 year We also don't want to be too hostage to any company that can be hurt by the GLP-1s even as we have found out that some really aren't. We were concerned about Abbott's exposure to the drugs because of its Libre diabetes product. After we spoke to CEO Robert Ford, we decided that Abbott is a beneficiary of the drugs. We also liked Abbott because you couldn't see anything the company was doing whether it be in diagnostics or diabetes or infant formula where it is back being No. 1 after being in Justice Department purgatory. It's got four double-digit growing franchises that are unassailable. WBA 1Y mountain Walgreen 1 year What struck us first and made us make a move on Walgreens for the Bullpen was the extraordinary transformation of the company that I expect from Tim Wentworth. He's an extraordinary pharmacy benefits manager-schooled CEO. His talents are so needed if Walgreens is going to pivot and go more to health. The previous CEO Roz Brewer was from Starbucks and struggled with the role that Walgreens plays in health care. Wentworth knows that the possibilities of Walgreens reconfiguring the store so it is a lot more health care and a lost less flotsam and jetsam that can be stolen from his stores or bought on Amazon just as easily. I see Walgreens as being "destinational," and there will be nothing like it. The company has been struggling to find pharmacists but can pick them off via a bankruptcy-challenged Rite-Aid. If Rite-Aid has to liquidate, it could be a huge win for Walgreens. I think Wentworth might be willing to sell it stake in Cencora, the old Amerisource and get rid of its medical clinics to have the capital to reconfigure the stores, stay nimble, and get the lowest drug prices. Wentworth is liked among pharma, and that helps. It's a tough group of CEOs he'll be going up against. Wentworth is as much up to the task as Brewer wasn't. Wentworth is going to move fast. Could this be a Foot Locker , something we got in way too early? It's a thought but with the dividend cut two weeks ago and the disposals ahead of it, the time is now on Walgreens. AMGN 1Y mountain Amgen 1 year We came around to Amgen because it has about 18 drugs that could be billion-dollar formulations, which is great given how so many drug companies have too much focused on one drug such as Merck with Keytruda. Amgen CEO Bob Bradway is not a promotional CEO. He's straight as an arrow. But he is excited about what he has seen for artificial intelligence, and he is downright thrilled about Amgen's new anti-cholesterol drug, Repatha, which defeats all cholesterol by lowering it almost to zero. There is no such thing as good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. We are getting studies that show Repatha, an injectable, has no peer and could be the replacement therapy even for those who have just moderately high cholesterol. This could be a very big drug. Amgen recently bought Horizon Therapeutics to develop specialty drugs and it already has one for those who have a thyroid problem that produces a bulging eye disease. This acquisition, which was originally fought by the Federal Trade Commission, went through when the agency dropped concerns and showed realism as there was no overlap. My disdain for the FTC diminished when I saw they could listen to reason, and this change of heart on Amgen-Horizon has opened the floodgates for a host of deals. NVS 1Y mountain Novartis 1 year Finally, the oddity of our choices was Novartis. This is a company that has, over the last five years, since the new CEO Vas Narasimhan came in, has radically changed. He immediately sold the stake inherited in the company's generic drug spinoff, and then he got rid of Sandoz, which had lower growth medicines, and now Novartis is entirely first in class, high growing drugs, that generate a huge cash flow, which is returned in a good dividend and a giant buyback. A pure pharma play with almost all young drugs is very hard to find. When I was interviewing these CEOs, I found myself almost joyous in seeing what they are up to. There was none of that swagger I have gotten used to out West, none of that "only off the record" gatherings. Just straight-out pride. Now here's the tough thing about the group. Normally at this point in the cycle, when we are coming in for a soft economic landing, this is the last group you would want. But there is always a vocal, almost self-righteous group that says it can't be done. That's why pharma can play such a role and should play a bigger role in our portfolio. There are other companies on my radar screen. You have to be following the transformation of Bristol-Myers, which is opening its wallet to buy a host of drug companies, including anti-psychotic firm Karuna. Bristol-Myers is quite an exciting company if it can pull off its transformation into a cancer. But Karuna is a big gamble. There has never been an effective anti-psychotic invented in the last 70 years that did not have horrendous side effects, especially weight gain. If Karuna's KarXT drug works, it can also be used for schizophrenia and bipolar: huge markets. You are being paid to wait with Bristol-Myers' big dividend. When I spent time with BD I was blown away by how much the company owns lower-end devices. Medtronic has begun its comeback and can be pulled off provided its new anti-hypertension procedure will be used by the profession. It took more than ten years to be approved. Medtronic also says that, despite the GLP-1s, bariatric surgery will still be the standard of care for obesity. Medtronic has a robotic-assisted surgery system, Hugo, that is meant to rival Intuitive Surgical, which reported a terrific quarter last week. Medtronic could be one to watch. I wanted to be excited about CVS Health, but I do not really understand its expansion plans in health where it owns a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and a health insurance company as well as a series of specialty firms, ones that work with the elderly and ones that are strong in at-home care. These acquisitions seem expensive to me. I also can't figure how they are shrinking their footprint by closing some stores in Target, which is supposed to be a terrific partnership. Call me confused. Overall, I sense that we could be in a period where people have finally stopped willing to pay up for all tech and as you saw last week, you can't be all that excited about the bank stocks if JPMorgan reports a great quarter, and the stock goes up and then finishes down. What the heck was that? Club name Morgan Stanley reports its quarter Tuesday following fellow Club holding Wells Fargo's numbers this past Friday. Health care is the way to go. It's just too easy to like after a tumultuous period where Covid hid so much of what these companies do well. (See here for a full list of the stocks Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. An exhibit from Abbott is seen during the Consumer Electronics Show January 10, 2024, in Las Vegas Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen testifies about the proposed massive grocery store merger with Albertsons at a Senate Judiciary Committee Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 29, 2022. Supermarket chain Kroger's proposed acquisition of rival Albertsons is now expected to close in the first half of Kroger's fiscal year 2024 instead of early this year. Ongoing discussions with federal regulators delayed the deal's close, the companies said in a Monday statement. Kroger, Albertsons and C&S Wholesale Grocers said they are in "active and ongoing dialogue" with the Federal Trade Commission and individual state attorneys general, according to the joint statement. "While this is longer than we originally thought, we knew it was a possibility and our merger agreement and divestiture plan accounted for such potential timing." In a bid to close the proposed $24.6 billion deal, Kroger agreed in September to divest 413 stores and eight distribution centers to C&S for $1.9 billion. With regulatory approval, the merger may require C&S to purchase an additional 237 stores from Kroger and Albertsons, Kroger said last year. Kroger noted that it plans to invest $500 million to reduce prices and $1.3 billion to enhance customer experience. The grocery chain also said it will invest an incremental $1 billion to raise wages and benefits for all associates after the deal is done. Kroger is the nation's largest grocer with nearly 2,800 stores, while Albertsons is the second-biggest and owns brands such as Safeway and Acme. The proposed merger which was previously set to be completed by early 2024 once the Federal Trade Commission completes its antitrust review has faced intense opposition from U.S. lawmakers and political leaders due to antitrust concerns. Those who oppose the merger worry that consolidation leads to higher prices and fewer shopping options for consumers, as well as job losses from a lack of marketplace competition. Washington state's attorney general filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the proposed merger, calling it "harmful" for shoppers and workers. In response to the lawsuit, Kroger and Albertsons said in a Monday statement that the companies are "disappointed" in the attorney general's "premature decision" to file a suit while the merger remains under regulatory review. "Blocking this merger would only serve to strengthen larger, non-unionized retailers like Walmart, Costco and Amazon, by allowing them to maintain and increase their overwhelming and growing dominance of the grocery industry," Kroger and Albertsons said in the statement. Six lawmakers, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had also written a letter to the FTC in December arguing that Kroger's proposal to divest hundreds of stores to C&S fails to address potential harms to consumers, workers and the grocery industry. South Africa's Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola speaks to members of the media on a day judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa, who asked the court to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza and to desist from what South Africa says are genocidal acts committed against Palestinians during the war with Hamas in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, January 11, 2024. South Africa's legal case accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza has "global support," the country's Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told CNBC Monday. A two-day hearing last week at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, saw South African lawyers lay out arguments alleging that Israel's bombardment of Gaza that has caused massive casualties was tantamount to genocide. "South Africa has not done anything unusual by going to an institution which has been established by the United Nations for dispute settlement between nations, and we're following rule of law and legal principles in this regard," Godongwana told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. "Supporters of Israel of course, including the U.K., will say our application is nonsense but there is global support for our view that in fact, our case was substantive and we have argued our case." Turkey, Jordan, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Pakistan and Malaysia are among the states that have publicly supported South Africa's application, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Saudi-based organization consists of 57 member states, 48 of which are Muslim-majority countries. Pyongyang speculated to have preserved underground facilities: defense minister By Lee Hyo-jin The previous Moon Jae-in government is facing accusations of lax monitoring regarding the 2018 demolition of North Korean guard posts, after the current defense minister suggested that North Korea may not have fully destroyed its guard posts as stipulated in the inter-Korean military tension reduction pact. As per the Sept. 19 military agreement, also known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), signed in 2018 by then-President Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, both Koreas demolished 10 out of 11 guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), respectively, as part of measures to prevent military clashes near the border. The demolition process took place in November 2018 and was verified by mutual parties in December of that year. However, controversy has arisen following incumbent Defense Minister Shin Won-shik's recent remarks speculating that North Korea might not have completely demolished the guard posts back then. "It seems that North Korea has only destroyed the guard posts visible aboveground, leaving the rest of the underground facilities untouched. It appears that the guard posts can be easily repaired and accessed once the repairs are made," he was quoted as saying during an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Jan. 10. Shin mentioned that North Korea appears to have preserved the underground facilities, given the swift deployment of soldiers and equipment shortly after restoring the aboveground facilities recently amid heightened inter-Korean tension. Following the nullification of the Sept. 19 agreement, the Kim regime vowed to resume military activities near the border and began restoring the dismantled guard posts in late November, according to the South Korean military. Surveillance photos taken by cameras and thermal optical devices in the DMZ captured images of armed North Korean soldiers repairing the facilities. Suspicions that the North has maintained its underground guard post facilities have led to speculations that the previous Moon administration, which pursued peaceful ties with Pyongyang, may not have monitored the demolition adequately at that time. On Monday, the conservative newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that the Moon administration's announcement of the demolition of the North's guard posts lacked verification processes for crucial underground facilities. "During the on-site verification process at that time, it appears that our military did not properly confirm whether the underground facilities of the North Korean guard posts were actually destroyed," the newspaper wrote, citing multiple soldiers who participated in the verification procedures. The report speculated that back then, South Korean military officials concluded that North Korea had effectively destroyed the underground facilities based on visual observation and North Korea's claims, instead of technical assessments. This contradicts the military's earlier announcement in 2018. "Both parties confirmed faithful adherence to the trial withdrawal of guard posts as stipulated in the Sept. 19 military agreement," Suh Wook, then chief director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), had said during a briefing in December 2018. The JCS said a verification team comprised of 77 personnel confirmed the withdrawal of firearms, military equipment and personnel from the guard posts, as well as demolition of both aboveground and underground facilities, which include connective tunnels and entrance barricades. The defense ministry said Monday that it is looking into the issue. "We are currently verifying the facts related to the issue," ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu said during a briefing. In response to an inquiry on the basis by which the Moon administration had announced the demolition of the North's guard posts, Jeon replied, "We would need to look into the data from that time. It is difficult to provide an exact definition (of demolition) right now." Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks as Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's vice president and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate looks on during a campaign rally ahead of the elections in Taipei, Taiwan, January 11, 2024. Carlos Garcia Rawlins | Reuters Taiwan's election results place the island on a "collision course with China" and the market reaction has been too sanguine, according to veteran investor David Roche. Beijing has already dismissed the outcome of Saturday's elections, which saw the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's Lai Ching-te elected president alongside a split parliamentary vote. China sees the DPP as a threat to its ultimate aim of "reunification" with the self-governing island of 23 million people, and claimed on Saturday that the outcome of the presidential election was not representative of popular opinion. The DPP rejects the so-called "One China principle" and advocates a separate and distinct Taiwanese national identity. "If you look at what this election does, it tells you quite clearly there is absolutely no support in Taiwan for reunification with China, and that will not be possible," Roche, president and global strategist at Independent Strategy, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Monday. "What this election tells you in all of its ramifications, including the split of the vote in the Legislative Yuan, is that Taiwan is now a mature, sovereign, democratic state, and that is not something that China will accept. For China, that is separate to them, so that's why you're running towards a bigger crisis," he said. China over the weekend insisted that Taiwan is "China's Taiwan" and lashed out at world leaders who congratulated Lai, accusing them of meddling in China's internal affairs. The market reaction was muted across Asian stocks on Monday, however. The Taiwan Weighted index rose 0.19% while mainland China's CSI 300 index closed 0.1% lower. watch now The reason markets have responded in this muted manner, Roche contended, is because they are governed by the belief that "money buys everything," and that the sheer scale and global significance of Taiwanese corporate giants like TSMC and Foxconn means Beijing will be reluctant to cause too great a disturbance. "That is just simply a wrong view [Chinese President Xi Jinping] puts politics way ahead of economics, always has, always has said so, and has always done so," said Roche, who correctly predicted the development of the Asian crisis in 1997 and the 2008 global financial crisis. Xi has repeatedly stated that Taiwan will be reunified with China, and has not ruled out using military force to achieve his goals. Many analysts believe a military incursion could occur if diplomacy is unsuccessful. Roche argued that Xi will always prioritize the interests of the Chinese Communist Party over economics, a tendency he believes the market is overlooking as the outcome will "not be in any way calm" and places Taiwan "on a collision course with China." watch now Status quo Analysts at Citi struck a more optimistic tone on the election result, however, suggesting in a research note Sunday that Lai will likely "seek to maintain status quo in cross-strait relations." "The DPP lost its legislative majority, with the opposition KMT to occupy the most seats in the legislature though also short of a majority, with the TPP and independent legislators holding the swing votes; this is likely offer checks and balances to the ruling administration, but is unlikely to impede normal policy implementation," the bank's Taiwan Macro Strategy team said. Citi believes Taiwan's economic momentum will become increasingly visible going into the second half of the year ad the Taiwanese dollar is likely to outperform after "some initial turbulence with the election settling down." watch now A kid runs across the flag of Taiwan banner during the announcement of official results on January 13, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. Sawayasu Tsuji | Getty Images News | Getty Images TAIPEI Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te will face a split parliament that will likely moderate his policy agenda, with Taiwan People's Party seen as the king maker with eight seats since neither of the two major parties won an outright majority in the 113-seat Legislative Yuan. The presidential contest on Saturday was a three-way race among candidates from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP which China describes as a "serious threat," the main opposition party and pro-Beijing Kuomintang, and the smaller Taiwan People's Party, or TPP. The Kuomintang, or KMT, won 52 seats in the legislature one more than the DPP and the combative Han Kuo-yu could well be the party's choice for Speaker on his return to Taiwan's parliament. If the KMT forms a coalition with TPP, Han's rancor after being recalled as Kaoshiung mayor and losing in the 2020 presidential election as KMT's nominee may be tempered by its prospective coalition partner. While Lai won the presidential election on Saturday with 40% of the popular vote, his DPP lost 10 seats in Taiwan's parliament from its previous 61, giving up its majority. The TPP is in a great strategic position to make or break Lai's legislative hopes. Timothy S. Rich Western Kentucky University At a post-election press conference, Lai pledged to stay open-minded in his governance, while committing to forging consensus in a divided legislature. "Because the KMT did not win a majority in the legislature, they will be dependent on the support of the TPP to build a majority coalition, and if the KMT is too intransigent and tries to oppose everything the Lai administration wants to do, they may have a hard time sustaining that coalition," said Sara Newland, an assistant professor in government at Smith College and a scholar of local politics in China and Taiwan. "The TPP's policy positions aren't very stable, so they could just as easily cooperate with the DPP as the KMT on many issues," she added. "And given their critiques of the ineffectiveness of the major parties, I don't think it's in the TPP's interest to be part of a coalition that makes the legislative process grind to a halt this would just look really hypocritical." More restraint toward China The outcome could see Lai embracing a more restrained China policy particularly since KMT and TPP have advocated a more conciliatory posture even as Beijing is likely to ramp up pressure on Taiwan's government when Lai is officially inaugurated as president in May. The new parliament will take office next month. "Lai refrained from provocative pro-independence rhetoric during the campaign, and our base case is that his administration will show continuity with Tsai, who exploited anti-mainland sentiment while avoiding obvious provocations," Gabriel Wildau, Teneo's managing director focusing on political risk in China, wrote in a client's note. Taiwan's president- and vice president-elect from the Democratic Progressive Party Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim standing along several party's heavyweight on the central stage in Taipei on Janauary 13, 2024 to celebrate victory in Taiwan's 8th presidential election. Alberto Buzzola | Lightrocket | Getty Images "Beijing will pay particular attention to signals from Lai's inauguration speech," he added. "Apart from military exercises, Beijing may also impose new tariffs or sanction Taiwanese companies that are political donors to the DPP." Beijing has repeatedly labeled Lai as a "stubborn worker for Taiwan independence" and a dangerous separatist, framing the election as a choice between "peace and war, prosperity and decline." The Chinese Communist Party has refused to engage with outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen since she assumed office in 2016. Tsai did not stand at this election because she has served the maximum two presidential terms. Democracy is compromise. Lai will be forced to reach consensus first before he can secure his policy bills. It may also constrain him to be more moderate. Wei-Ting Yen Franklin and Marshall College China has never relinquished its claim over Taiwan which has been self-governing since the Chinese nationalist party, or Kuomintang, fled to the island following its defeat in the Chinese civil war in 1949. The DPP has not accepted the so-called "1992 Consensus," and disputes the tacit agreement for "one China" between the then-KMT government and Chinese Communist Party officials, which Beijing assumes as the basis for cross-Straits engagement. Lai said Saturday he is committed to peace in the Taiwan Straits and open to resuming talks based on "parity and dignity" though he made clear he's also "determined to safeguard Taiwan from threats and intimidation from China." Consensus or gridlock? At a post-election press conference on Saturday, Lai committed to a building "a new political environment of communication, consultation, participation, and cooperation" in the new legislature. "Lai's statements about consensus-building is likely not just because he only won 40% of the vote and wants to assuage concerns about relations with China, but also practical," said Timothy S. Rich, a professor in political science at Western Kentucky University. Supporters attend the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) campaign rally on January 12, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. Sawayasu Tsuji | Getty Images News | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is displayed on a screen via video link as World Economic Forum (WEF) participants stand for a minute of silence to pay tribute to Ukraine's late interior minister at the Congress centre during the WEF annual meeting in Davos on January 18, 2023. China needs to be involved in talks to end the war with Russia, Ukraine's top representative said after a high-level diplomatic meeting ahead of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Ukraine's presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Sunday it was important that Russian ally China was at the table when Kyiv convenes further meetings on its peace formula. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation in Davos this week. Asked if President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would meet Li, Yermak told a news briefing "let's see", adding he had not seen the Ukrainian president's final agenda. Zelenskiy is due to arrive in Bern, Switzerland on Monday to meet the President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd. Swiss Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, who attended Sunday's discussions, told an earlier news conference: "We must do everything to end this war." "China plays a significant role. We must find ways to work with China on this," Cassis said, adding that both Russia and Ukraine were not willing to make concessions. Zelenskiy is also likely to meet JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon at Davos this week as he tries to seek support to shore up funds for Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter said. Bloomberg News first reported about Zelenskiy's plans to meet Dimon. President Vladimir Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Cassis said that countries that had a dialogue with Russia, such as Brazil, India and South Africa, were involved in the Davos discussions and could play an important role. A European Union official said Ukraine's Western partners had expressed unequivocal support for Kyiv and its peace plans, with a call on the Global South nations to make clear to Russia the importance of respecting the United Nations charter and its core principles in the interest of global security. The role of the Global South in Ukraine's peace formula talks has come into focus in the lead up to Davos. Many of the non-aligned countries from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia that have largely stayed on the sidelines over Ukraine will be represented in the Swiss mountain resort. Asia is becoming the latest hunting ground for global investors in data centres, as companies from KKR & Co. to Bain Capital bet on the regions growing computing and data storage needs following an artificial intelligence boom. Like in the US, Asia is seeing a surge in demand for data centres as giants like Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google boost cloud services , the recent generative AI wave fuels data and capacity requirements, and the regions growing population spurs storage needs. Demand in Southeast Asia and North Asia is expected to expand by about 25% a year through 2028, according to Cushman & Wakefield data. That compares with 14% a year in the US. Its the US first and then the trend tends to follow soon after into Europe and with a little time lag into Asia Pacific, said Udhay Mathialagan, global head of Brookfield Asset Management Ltd.s data centre business. While its a diverse region, the one thing in common in Asia is that everyone is online, he said. You need phenomenal amounts of connectivity and really good data centres. Investors have already made moves. Bain Capital announced a deal in August to take Beijing-based data centre business Chindata Group Holdings private with an implied equity value of $3.2 billion. In September, KKR & Co. agreed to acquire a 20% stake in Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.s regional data centre business for about $800 million. Blackstone Inc. announced the launch of its first wholly-owned data centre platform in Asia in November 2022. Including the Singtel platform, KKR sees the potential to invest $1 billion in equity on data centre projects in the Asia-Pacific region in coming years, said Projesh Banerjea, the firms director of infrastructure. Returns for such investments are in line with targets for KKR s infrastructure strategy, which are in the mid-to-high teens, he said in an interview. The bet is that Asia will eventually provide a bigger slice of the pie. About 29% of so-called hyperscale cloud revenue used in the industry as a proxy for market growth is generated from Asia Pacific versus 49% from the US, according to Cushman & Wakefield. By 2028, Asias share is expected to increase to as much as 33%, or $173 billion. This is a super-easy investment story, said Morgan Laughlin, global head of data centre investments at PGIM Real Estate. You have demand, which is growing with no end in sight, and youve got supply becoming increasingly constrained with no solution in sight. PGIM plans to invest as much as $3 billion in the global data centre sector over the next three years, including in major Asia-Pacific markets, said Laughlin. The company has been negotiating for sites in Tokyo and Seoul, according to a person familiar with the matter. PGIM declined to reveal the location. Bain Capital will continue to invest in China and Southeast Asian markets, as well as look for opportunities in developed regions elsewhere in Asia, Jonathan Zhu, partner and co-head of the firms Asia private equity business, said by email. Driven by cloud and AI, the entire Asia market will continue to grow, Zhu said. That will ramp up the competition for assets and resources. There are challenges. Data centre development is time-consuming and complex requiring a mix of expertise around real estate, technology, local regulations and environmental requirements. Asias highly fragmented market makes navigating these factors even more onerous. There is no such thing as one Asia, and each country has its own regulations, so we see more single-country operators than pan-regional ones, said Ellen Ng, co-head of Asia real estate at Warburg Pincus. Being able to offer products and services across multiple markets in Asia is important to users, so investors and operators try to crack this. China has proposed easing cross-border data controls after tightening its grip in recent years, although rules there remain vague. Singapore authorities lifted a moratorium on data centre construction in 2022 but remain selective about awarding projects, investors interviewed said, and the country has published standards for operators to ensure energy efficiency. Warburg Pincus, through its portfolio Princeton Digital Group, has a presence in six markets and is looking for opportunities in existing and new locations, Ng said. As part of its ESG strategy, it has also expanded to Malaysias Johor and Batam in Indonesia to serve Singapore as the city-state imports most of its energy and has fewer renewable power options. Warburgs investment in the sector in Asia has totalled almost $1 billion, she said. Data centres are also racing to improve their cooling systems, which have come under pressure from the increased use of graphics processing units to handle a surge in complex computation demands from areas such as AI. GPUs consume more power and emit more heat than central processing units, the primary component of computing engines. In October, a fault in the cooling system of data centre operator Equinix Inc. affected 2.5 million payment and ATM transactions of DBS Group Holdings Ltd. and Citigroup Inc. DBS, Singapores largest bank, was later banned from acquiring new business ventures for six months. Singapores government also said it will study how to further strengthen the security and resilience of data centres. Risk-wise, government regulations around data privacy, national data sovereignty and sustainability are building out across most markets, said Glen Duncan, Asia-Pacific director of data centre research at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. If investors and operators dont keep abreast of the changes, they can become wrong-footed. China-Kazakhstan logistics base handles over 500,000 TEUs Xinhua) 09:44, January 15, 2024 NANJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base has handled over 500,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) through China-Europe freight trains over the past decade, according to Nanjing Customs. As the first entity project inaugurated under the Belt and Road Initiative, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base in the city of Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province. The Lianyungang freight train services cover major destinations throughout Central Asia, transporting more than 400 categories of goods such as household appliances, pharmaceuticals and construction materials. In 2023, the transit volume of China-Europe freight trains increased by 10.7 percent year-on-year to 66,100 TEUs from the logistics base, which has become a pivotal cross-border transportation hub between Asia and Europe. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Seoul police raided the state media regulation agency on Monday over allegations that an employee has leaked personal information of a petitioner to news outlets, officials said. The raid came after the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) asked investigative authorities to look into the case last month after discovering the personal information of its petitioners has been leaked to media. The leaked information was subsequently reported by several news outlets, including Newstapa and MBC. Newstapa and MBC recently reported that the KCSC chief, Ryu Hee-lim, has asked his family members and acquaintances to file petitions to the commission to review the appropriateness of Newstapa's alleged fake interview with Kim Man-bae, a key figure in the high profile Daejang-dong development scandal in 2021. In the interview, Kim reportedly attempted to discredit then opposition party presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol, claiming Yoon had helped cover up a fraudulent lending scheme tied to the scandal during his tenure as a prosecutor in 2011. The Daejang-dong scandal was one of the hottest topics ahead of the presidential election in 2022. It centered on allegations that Kim, the owner of an asset management firm, and his partners reaped huge profits from the development project in the Daejang-dong area in Seongnam, south of Seoul, when then ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung served as the city's mayor from 2011 to 2018. (Yonhap) Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has altered the fine print in its usage policies to eliminate specific text related to the usage of its AI technology or large language models for military and warfare. Before the alteration was done on January 10, the usage policy specifically disallowed the use of OpenAI models for weapons development, military and warfare, and content that promotes, encourages, or depicts acts of self-harm. OpenAI said that the updated policies summarize the list and make the document more readable while offering service-specific guidance. The list has been now condensed into what the company terms Universal Policies, which disallow anyone to use its services to bring harm to others and ban the repurposing or distribution of any output from its models to bring harm to others. Our policy does not allow our tools to be used to harm people, develop weapons, for communications surveillance, or to injure others or destroy property, an OpenAI spokesperson said. There are, however, national security use cases that align with our mission. For example, we are already working with DARPA to spur the creation of new cybersecurity tools to secure open source software that critical infrastructure and industry depend on. It was not clear whether these beneficial use cases would have been allowed under military in our previous policies. So the goal with our policy update is to provide clarity and the ability to have these discussions. While the alternation of the policies is being read as the companys gradual weakening stance against working with defense or military-related organizations, the frontier risks posed by AI have already been highlighted by several experts, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Highlighting risks posed by AI In May last year, hundreds of tech industry leaders, academics, and other public figures signed an open letter warning that AI evolution could lead to an extinction event, saying that controlling the tech should be a top global priority. Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war, read the statement published by the San Francisco-based Center for AI Safety. Ironically, the most prominent signatories at the top of the letter included Altman and Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott. Executives, engineers, and scientists from Googles AI research lab, DeepMind also signed the letter. The first letter against the usage of AI came in March, in which more than 1,100 technology luminaries, leaders, and scientists issued a warning against labs performing large-scale experiments with AI. In October, OpenAI said it was readying a team to prevent what the company calls frontier AI models from starting a nuclear war and other threats. We believe that frontier AI models, which will exceed the capabilities currently present in the most advanced existing models, have the potential to benefit all of humanity. But they also pose increasingly severe risks, the company said in a blog post. In 2017, an international group of AI and robotics experts signed an open letter to the United Nations to halt the use of autonomous weapons that threaten a third revolution in warfare. These experts, again ironically, included Elon Musk, who has set up an AI firm, dubbed X.AI, to compete with OpenAI. Reasons for concern There could be reasons for more concern. Some researchers argue that so-called evil or bad AI models cannot be scaled back or trained to be good with existing techniques. A research paper, led by Anthropic, which seeks to check if an AI system can be taught deceptive behavior or strategy, showed that such behavior can be made persistent. We find that such backdoored behavior can be made persistent, so that it is not removed by standard safety training techniques, including supervised fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, and adversarial training (eliciting unsafe behavior and then training to remove it), the researchers wrote. Our results suggest that, once a model exhibits deceptive behavior, standard techniques could fail to remove such deception and create a false impression of safety, they added. According to the researchers, what is even more concerning is that the use of adversarial training to stop such deceptive behavior of models can teach them to recognize their backdoor trigger better, effectively hiding unsafe behavior. (The story has been updated with comments from an OpenAI spokesperson.) The United States is currently experiencing a brief respite in its ongoing battle against a surge of respiratory illnesses, including flu, Covid-19, and RSV, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, health experts are cautioning that this decrease in flu activity, observed for the first time in several weeks, is not indicative of a waning season, and further spikes are expected. Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, observed that a post-holiday decrease in reported cases is typical. "It's actually pretty common that we see a little bit of a dip around the holidays, but we typically see an increase after that - because people will delay seeking care, and lots of people get exposed to different things through holiday travel," Hamilton explained via CNN. This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner of the CDC's Influenza Division and Dr. Celine Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor, both highlighting the likelihood of an upcoming upsurge in flu cases in their statements published by CBS News. As of early January, respiratory virus activity remains high or very high in most states, excluding only 15. The CDC's Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics has suggested that this season's hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases could match those of the last season. While hospital capacity is currently stable, some regions have reported strains on resources due to the increase in respiratory illnesses. Flu, overtaking Covid-19, has become the leading cause of emergency room visits related to respiratory viruses. The CDC estimates the flu has caused at least 14 million illnesses, 150,000 hospitalizations, and 9,400 deaths this season. Notably, Covid-19 hospitalizations have also doubled since November, with nearly 36,000 new cases in the first week of January. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University, emphasized the prolonged nature of the virus season, telling CNN: "There's still a substantial amount of respiratory virus season to go. These viruses, to one degree or another, will be with us through the end of this month and well into February." The CDC continues to recommend flu vaccinations, which have been particularly effective this season, especially for children under 10. Despite this, less than half of the U.S. population has received a flu shot, and vaccination rates for the latest Covid-19 vaccine are even lower. In closing, Schaffner advised, "If you haven't been vaccinated, yes, it's very late, but it's not too late. Don't linger -- get the vaccines this afternoon." He also recommended practical measures like wearing masks in crowded places to mitigate the spread of these highly contagious viruses. This ongoing respiratory virus season serves as a reminder of the importance of vaccinations and the need for continued vigilance in the face of fluctuating infection rates. Further challenge lies in future of 520,000 dogs to be freed from farms By Lee Hae-rin The government should deploy sufficient administrative force and budget for a crackdown to bring a practical end to the country's age-old practice of eating dog meat, animal rights experts said Monday, amid growing concerns that the industry could continue operating in the shadows even after a legal ban on the practice takes effect in 2027. The National Assembly passed a special bill, Jan. 9, banning the breeding, butchering, distributing and selling of dogs for meat amid growing awareness of animal rights in the country. Animal rights lawyer Park Joo-yeon, who co-founded People for Non-Human Rights (PNR), a pro bono association of animal rights lawyers, told The Korea Times that the special bill gives more authority to local governments to carry out factual surveys and on-site inspections of dog meat traders and administer penalties. "It now depends on the governments will and use of its administrative power, Park said. The government could but did not seek to codify the legal gray areas that made the dog meat trade both legal and illegal, Park said. Even before the special bill passed, slaughtering dogs for food consumption was prohibited under the Food Sanitation Act, but there was no law that bans the consumption itself, creating ambiguity. So the government may have had difficulties actively controlling the industry in the past, she said, highlighting that the special bill now provides the legal grounds to authorities and obliges them to regulate the trade. According to a government survey from 2022, there are 1,156 dog farms in the country that raise over 520,000 dogs for meat consumption, and 1,666 restaurants that sell over 388,000 dogs for food per year. Park said this leaves another challenge for the government, as the number of those dogs should not grow any higher in the phase-out of the industry. The special bill states that dog meat farmers are required to either sell their remaining stock or send them away for adoption during a three-year grace period, and the government is currently mulling over its compensation plan. Park said the possibility should be considered that dog farmers will continue to breed dogs over the next three years to obtain more support money. Jo Hyun-jeong, head of the policy planning team at Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), echoed Parks view, urging the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to form a task force and map out a plan to phase out the industry for good. The agriculture ministry said its draft plan to end Korea's dog meat trade is scheduled to be announced around July and August. The Korean Association of Edible Dog, a group consisting of dog meat farmers and restaurant owners, claimed that farmers are entitled to receive support money of 2 million won ($1,522) per canine. However, the compensation sought by the industry representatives, which totals over 1 trillion won, is unlikely, as the ministry has only 17.4 trillion won budgeted for next year. The future of 520,000 dogs still on farms is another challenge. The special bill stipulates the agriculture ministry is to protect and manage dogs from farms after they shut down, but experts questioned the governments capacity to do so. The state-run animal shelters nationwide are already overcrowded with abandoned animals, while these dogs, which typically weigh over 20 kilograms and are traumatized from living in filthy conditions, often have difficulties to be adopted in Korea, they said. Cho Hee-kyung, head of the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA), said domestic animal advocacy groups will do our utmost to rescue dogs and find new families for them. But she admitted the tragic cost of shutting down the cruel industry and prevent more tragedies in the future could be necessary. Making decisions has to be one of my absolute least favorite things to do. Thats why I try to avoid it at all costs. Unless consequences are lurching above me like a wave of gravel and dirt, ready to bury me in an untimely grave, I would rather sleep on it for the 26th consecutive night. I have, more than once, done the emotional equivalent of driving a car directly into a tree marking a fork in the road. And the more decisions matter, the more they suck. Picking a cereal to start your day with is a decision, but given the general futility of life, who really cares? Realizing halfway through a bowl of Capn Crunch that you really would have preferred Froot Loops is just another thin cut delivered by the blade of life. Its when youre faced with decisions that really influence the future of your life or business that you get to experience the full cocktail of stress and anxiety. Getting something like a merger wrong (whether emotional, financial or both) can be a one-way ticket to daily torture. Here are four businesses that made exactly that kind of mistake 4 Sony Backing Betamax Bettenburg So that s what those look like. Huh. Given that plenty of people under 30 probably dont even remember VHS tapes, Im going to wager that Betamax rings even less bells. Its an old, cursed technology, that barely made the cut for my 33-year-old brain, much less Zoomers. Theyre too busy buying Celsius energy drinks with Fortnite V-Bucks and using all that energy to not learn cursive! My hip! But for a long time, VHS tapes were the go-to media should you have wanted to watch any form of home video. And boy, oh boy, were they dogshit. Fast-forwarding and rewinding was a constant chore, longer movies needed multiple cassettes, and every once in a while your VHS player would make a sound like a nauseous jeans zipper and youd pull out an exploded tape that looked like that big baby from Akira. Advertisement Somehow, this was the better option. Something Sony probably wishes theyd realized before pushing all their chips behind the main competitor, Betamax. It offered better picture quality, something they erroneously thought would give them a big advantage. Unfortunately, consumers dont actually care about quality above a certain baseline. What they do care about is things being cheap and convenient. So much so that were currently burning down our own planet in service of that point. VHS was cheaper, it was more accessible due to creator JVCs decision not to patent the technology and the tapes themselves were capable of longer recordings, two hours versus Betamaxs one hour at launch. 3 Borders Gives Amazon Its Business Bindydad123 There aren t a lot of 80 Percent Off Because We re Doing Great sales. Advertisement Another staple of my young life was the book, magazine and music megalith that was Borders. Should you want to burn some time after school by reading an Electronic Gaming Monthly cover-to-cover on the toilet and then putting it right back on the shelf like it was still fine, Borders was your destination. For a time, they were riding high, a massive business built on three pillars: in-person book sales, music CDs and DVD movies. In retrospect, not ideal. You might as well be sitting in a financial dunk tank. Advertisement At this point, I probably dont need to belabor exactly why theyre no longer around. The companies that run our current world, like Apple and Amazon, basically took turns curb-stomping Borders balance sheet until they went out of business. The existence of Barnes & Noble, though, does show that they could have had a chance to limp along successfully. The biggest mistakes they made? First was not investing in or offering e-books, and the second was outsourcing all their online book sales to a little company called Amazon. Its like the tale of the scorpion and the frog, except with a scorpion that can swim anyways, so why the fuck did you let it on your back to begin with? Advertisement 2 Kodak Doesnt Go Digital Joydeep And give up the joy of hauling multiple rolls of film around Italy and then ruining them in an airport X-ray machine? Its the nature of business, especially the tech business, that when a huge new leap forward is found, companies based on now obsolete technology will be left in the dust. Be the company that discovers that new leap, though, and youre suddenly vaulted out to the front of your industry, the one setting the tone and deciding the fate of not only your business, but those who are now along for the ride. At least, if you dont just toss a massive technological advancement into the trash because youd rather not get involved in all that. Advertisement Which is how Kodak achieved the incredible feat of being a company that was almost destroyed by their refusal to adopt a piece of technology that they invented. In 1975, a Kodak engineer named Steve Sasson invented an early digital camera that could record images electronically onto tape and display them on a TV screen. He showed it to executives, who gave it a resounding thumbs down, because it would ruin their ability to sell film, a big part of their business. Their mistake here, I guess, was assuming that no one else would ever come up with it. They did, and Kodak was laughably unprepared for a machine theyd had in a back room for years. Advertisement President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that a semiconductor industry cluster being built outside Seoul is expected to create at least three million jobs over the next 20 years. Yoon made the remark during a policy debate held at Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Sciences Campus in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, the third in a series of debates on people's livelihood issues. The plan for a "semiconductor mega cluster" was announced last year and envisions the creation of a hub for chip companies and research centers in cities across southern Gyeonggi Province, including Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong, Yongin and Icheon. On Monday, the government unveiled measures to support the cluster, which is expected to be completed in 2047 with the investment of 622 trillion won ($473 billion) from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix and other companies, such as by extending tax credits and building a new power plant running on liquefied natural gas in Yongin. "Our initial estimate is an investment of 622 trillion won, which has started already, and over the next 20 years, we expect it to newly create at least three million quality jobs," Yoon said, noting that in the shorter term, 158 trillion won will be invested over the next five years, creating 950,000 jobs. "Currently our chip sector has 180,000 jobs, but once the cluster is completed, this fab alone will produce 70,000 more jobs," he said, before citing an expected increase of 200 trillion won in sales for related industries, such as design, parts and materials. Yoon said nuclear power has become indispensable for the stable supply of electricity not only to the chip industry but also to other cutting-edge industries, disputing the signature nuclear phaseout policy of his predecessor, Moon Jae-in. He also vowed to extend tax credits for investments in the semiconductor industry, which are due to expire this year, and dismissed criticism that the scheme favors big businesses only. "I think we have to make it clear once again that such talk is nothing but false instigation," he said. "If tax credits lead to greater investment by semiconductor businesses, all businesses in the same ecosystem will greatly increase their profits and jobs, leading to an increase in state tax revenues." (Yonhap) Browser Compatibility Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks. We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Brent Yager, of Slice of Amsterdam pours a sample of Slice wing soup for a customer at the businesses new location, 189 Market Street in Amsterdam. Last year the business entered from its former location on Bridge Street in Amsterdam, as Southside Slice in Amsterdam Saturday, Jan, 13 during Soup Fest. A group of former lawmakers and mayors quit the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) on Monday, saying they would join a new party that former DPK leader Lee Nak-yon is trying to launch, amid attention over how deep the DPK's split will go. The departures of the five former lawmakers Shin Kyoung-min and Choi Woon-youl, former Goyang Mayor Choi Sung, former Bucheon Mayor Jang Deog-cheon and former Jecheon Mayor Lee Keun-kyu came four days after Lee Nak-yon left the DPK to create a new party of his own ahead of April's general elections. A day before Lee's departure, three incumbent lawmakers Reps. Cho Eung-chon, Kim Jong-min and Lee Won-wook also left the DPK, criticizing the way DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung runs the party, amid views that they are unlikely to win party nominations in the upcoming elections. The series of departures raised questions about whether there will be more people leaving the DPK, especially sitting lawmakers, and how much impact these will have on the parliamentary elections less than three months away. On the side of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok left the party in late December and is making preparations to launch a new party amid speculation that defectors from both sides could join hands to create a "big tent" party. Also Monday, Rep. Ryu Ho-jeon of the minor opposition Justice Party also quit the party. But the DPK's leadership is skeptical of the possibility that more lawmakers could leave the party. "Some incumbent lawmakers who expect to lose the party nominations could leave the party, but they won't have much of an impact," a DPK official said. (Yonhap) Want to shave years off your appearance without going under the knife? Try one of these five easy hairstyles instead, which according to celebrity hairstylists, will immediately make you look younger. Whether you want to embrace your natural locks or try an edgy, trendy style, these hairstyles are proven to be anti-aging. From a curly pixie cut to a French girl fringe, try one of these A-list approved hairdos to make you look younger than ever and revitalize lackluster locks. Cate Blanchett always looks stunning in the blunt bob she's become famous for Get edgy with a blunt bob Boston-based master hairstylist Katelyn Alberts, 38, who created the salon and stylist discovery app VERVERY, told FEMAIL the textured bob was the way to go. What hairstyles should you avoid? Frederic Fekkai advised avoiding 'extreme and overly structured hairstyles' The hair expert said super structured 'dos 'can sometimes contribute to an aged appearance' 'It's essential to find a balance between a stylish look and one that complements individual features,' Frederic explained Celebrity hairstylist Davontae Washington warned women to avoid an asymmetrical bob Davontae explained an asymmetrical bob can look outdated and unflattering Advertisement The bob is having a major moment right now, with Cate Blanchett, 54, and Kourtney Kardashian, 44, embracing the classic style, but it helps that the hairstyle is still timeless. Plus, if you have thin hair, this will make your looks look far more lustrous. Katelyn said, 'A blunt bob helps thin, fragile hair look fuller and stronger creating a more healthy, youthful appearance.' She suggested adding 'light texture to the ends for a slight lived-in effect, which adds natural movement and softness to the finished look.' Frederic Fekkai, who founded his iconic eponymous brand, agreed that a textured bob 'can contribute to a more youthful appearance,' because it 'adds a modern touch.' Garren, who's a celebrity stylist in New York City and the co-founder of R+Co haircare products, is also a champion of what he called 'bobs with edge, with some hair falling over one eye.' Celebrity stylist Chaz Dean agreed that 'short hair has always been associated with a young, youthful appearance,' and suggested 'a chin-length bob,' calling it 'a great way to turn the clock back visually.' 'Go for a blunt chop or add some airy textured, long layers for a little more fun,' Chaz advised. Embrace your natural curls According to Katelyn, embracing your natural curls makes all the difference. Halle Berry, 57, Taraji P. Henson, 53, Ginnifer Goodwin, 45, and Nicole Richie, 42, have all rocked the youthful style. 'Avoiding heat styling and embracing your natural curl helps make your hair look shiny and healthy,' Katelyn told FEMAIL. Halle Berry, who often changes up her hair, rocked her natural curls in a pixie style 'Shorter hair elongates your features and draws others' attention up towards your eyes,' the hair specialist continued. She suggested having 'a few curls coming down softly on your forehead to enhance the youthful appearance.' Katelyn said, 'Ask your stylist to taper your style at the neck to add a fun edge to your style.' Slick back your hair into an elegant updo Frederic Fekkai, who has styled Debra Messing, 55, (pictured) thinks, 'Sleek updos are timeless and classic' 'Nothing is more beautiful and ageless than pulled back hair that is swept away from the face, whether center parted or slicked back,' Garren, who has worked with Madonna, 65, and Linda Evangelista, 58, said. 'Pulling the hair back always works, it's a great go-to especially for more unmanageable hair, it's always flattering and very powerful,' Garren continued, 'Because you don't want the hair to be too fluffy, it will age you.' Frederic, who has styled Martha Stewart, 82, Hilary Clinton, 76, Debra Messing, 55, Claudia Schiffer, 53, and more, agreed: 'Sleek updos are timeless and classic.' Channel your inner French girl with a fanciful fringe Frederic is a fan of what he called the 'French chic look,' with a 'soft and swept fringe.' 'French curtain bangs add romance and playfulness, contributing to a fresh appearance,' the celebrity hairstylist said. Jane Birkin is the ultimate example, with her full bangs and collarbone length locks. Garren is another supporter of the French girl fringe and said, 'Think edgy with bangs falling over eyes, yet still refined,' naming French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld, 69, as an example since 'her look screams class and French style.' The late Jane Birkin (left circa 1960 and right in 2021) is the ultimate example of maintaining a fabulous French girl fringe, with her full bangs and collarbone length locks Parisian fashion editor Carine Roitfeld, 69, is as an example of someone who embraces the French girl fringe Garren explained it was not just about the cut, but 'also about the texture of the hair and quality of the color.' 'You can still be cool over 50, if you own your look. Letting your silver or white hair be the hair color it naturally is with these cuts and styles can really command the room and be beautiful,' Garren said, calling it 'a stand-out look.' Chaz also loves a bang, telling FEMAIL, 'Adding a bang, side-swept or blunt, instantly upgrades any haircut into a more playful, younger style. 'Something about a bang just makes everyone think of a childhood haircut, but as an adult they can be sexy and flattering on just about everyone.' Don't be afraid to go long Celebrity hairstylist Davontae Washington, who works with works with Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B in Los Angeles, explained that women shouldn't be afraid of keeping their hair long, as long as it's healthy. 'Societal norms have told us that longer styles can age you, but that is not the case at all,' Davontae, who specializes in natural hair, wigs, and extensions, said. Cher, 77, (left) and Sarah Jessica Parker, 58, (right) offer proof you don't have to chop your locks as you age 'To embrace an anti-aging haircut, the overall factor to look out for is hair health,' Davontae continued. According to Davontae, 'Many times we will keep longer styles, but the ends may appear stringy or you will see a lot of split ends popping out.' And just because your hair is longer doesn't mean you can skip visits to your stylist. He explained, 'Healthy, shiny hair truly makes a big difference. 'When you trim away the dead ends, you will also feel like your hair is thicker, which is a great way to keep your hair looking younger overall.' Just look at Cher, 77, or Sarah Jessica Parker, 58, for proof you don't have to chop your locks as you age, as long as you keep your hair healthy. A Los Angeles teacher has gone viral after he hilariously showed off a lesson on 'mewing' in the classroom. The amusing video, which was posted to TikTok in November and reached more than nine million views, showed math teacher and content creator Christian Shearhod giving the explainer. The internet personality wrote in white text over the viral clip, 'My teacher did a lesson on "mewing?"' as it looked like it was recorded from someone else's perspective although it's unclear if the clip was meant to be satirical or not. Mewing is a technique that is supposed to change the appearance of your jawline and facial features by 'repositioning' your tongue into a 'new resting place,' according to Healthline. In the hilarious clip, LA-based teacher Christian Shearhod showed himself giving a lesson on 'mewing' 'Mewing' is a technique that some people believe can give a more chiseled appearance on the jawline and facial features Shearhod, a math teacher, often takes to TikTok to share videos about his life and teaching Some believe that it can alter how your jawline looks, making it appear slimmer. Others think that it can even help to provide jaw pain relief and treat snoring. It was popularized by British father-son orthodontists John and Mike Mew. In the clip, Shearhod moved through the classroom to show a screen that read, 'Mewing' in big, black lettering complete with a cartoon meme. Underneath, there were words that read, 'Mewing changed my life.' Shearhod also showed off what appeared to be a 'before and after' photo of himself. In one picture, which seemed to be the 'before,' the teacher had a noticeably less defined jawline. In what was presumably the 'after' photo, Shearhod showed off a sculpted and chiseled jawline. Shearhod showed off some slides he made about 'mewing,' including this one that read, 'How mewing changed my life' Shearhod also showed off what seemingly appeared to be some 'before and after' photos in the presentation In the viral video, the teacher even demonstrated what 'mewing' should look like, pressing the tongue to the roof of his mouth Shearhod also demonstrated what mewing looks like in the video, doing it a couple of times for the camera. What is mewing? Per Healthline, m ewing is a technique that is supposed to change the appearance of your jawline and facial features by 'repositioning' your tongue into a 'new resting place' Some believe that it can also help to alleviate jaw pain and reduce the symptoms of snoring Advertisement Mewing can be done by placing the tongue on the top of the mouth, according to Everyday Health, and the 'lips touching and the teeth closed or slightly apart.' The teacher explained when responding to a comment on the TikTok that he started doing it as his dad was a photographer and instructed him to do it for photos. At the time, he didn't know it was mewing. Later on in the clip, the teacher can be heard saying, 'We're gonna practice this five times in a row,' as he then tells someone that they were doing a perfect job. In the comments section, many users joked that they wanted to be a part of Shearhod's classroom. 'I am now transferring schools,' one person wrote. Another agreed, 'I need to go to this school.' 'I wish I had a teacher like this,' someone else typed. The technique of 'mewing' was popularized by by British father-son orthodontists John and Mike Mew Later on in the clip, the teacher can be heard saying, 'We're gonna practice this five times in a row' In the comments section of his video, many users joked that they wanted to transfer to his school One user seconded, 'Even I wanna sit in his class & learn mewing.' In 2022, content creator @carolinehannibal further detailed exactly how you can mew, explaining that it can be done in just a few easy steps. '1. Tongue up behind the teeth, 2. Make vacuum, 3. Pull back,' she simply explained. However, although some swear by mewing for a slimmer jawline, it's not supported by scientific evidence, according to Medical News Today. The outlet encouraged those who want to 'shape their face' or realign their jaw start by consulting with a doctor. By Arthur I. Cyr North Korea has decided to bring in the New Year with a bang. The Pyongyang regime over several days has fired sizable artillery barrages near a maritime buffer zone between North and South Korea. Two years ago, in January 2022, the regime carried out four ballistic missile tests. Pyongyang described them as essential for self-defense. Other tests have followed, marking the end of hopes during the Trump administration that traditional tensions might be eased. North Korea has possessed at least rudimentary nuclear weapons since 2006. From time to time, Pyongyang threatens to use them against South Korea, Japan and even the United States, though the distance involved makes that last target still relatively secure. In September 2021, Pyongyang announced the successful launch of a cruise missile, an insidious weapon, flying low and difficult to detect with radar. An early version, the V-1 rocket of Nazi Germany, killed many people, overwhelmingly civilians, in Britain during World War II. Former President Donald Trump gave priority to trying to improve relations with long-isolated North Korea. There were several meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, facilitated by then-President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, but they failed. Meanwhile, South Korea continues on a positive course of exceptional economic growth and development, combined with a now firmly established representative democracy. As recently as the early 1960s, South Korea was one of the poorest economies in the world. Still a peasant society, the entire Korean Peninsula was devastated by the Korean War of 1950-53. Yet today, the Republic of Korea ranks among the strongest economies in the world, holding leadership roles in the automobile, advanced electronics, shipbuilding and other industries. Rapid industrialization and economic modernization have been complemented by a striking transition from dictatorship to democracy. President and General Park Chung-hee stifled incipient democracy and imposed extremely harsh military authoritarianism for nearly two decades. Park was assassinated in 1979 by the head of the KCIA, the national intelligence agency. In Korean memory, he remains a respected symbol of strength and effectiveness for many, though with progress and the passage of time that fades. General Park was succeeded as chief executive by two more generals, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, but growing pressure for true democratic representation proved insurmountable. The capstone of the transition to democracy was the election of Kim Dae-jung as president in 1998. He completed his five-year term without interruption, and in 2000 received the Nobel Peace Prize. A public symbol of opposition to the Park dictatorship, he was imprisoned for several years. On another occasion, KCIA agents kidnapped him and planned to kill him. Only the intervention of senior U.S. CIA official Don Gregg saved his life. South Koreas remarkable domestic accomplishments have unfolded while the country has become increasingly influential in global arenas. The original vision of the United Nations combined competing goals of favoring the most powerful nations and inclusive global representation. Kim and former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon personify South Koreas significant and expanding role as a bridge between developed and developing nations. Market economies and reasonably representative governments now characterize a steadily increasing share of the worlds developing nations. In short, South Korea is positioned to lead developing nations toward prosperity. Scare stories about the actions of the North overshadow the good news regarding the South. This is most unfortunate. Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is author of After the Cold War American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia. These hilarious signs from around the world are humorous enough to stop you in your tracks. Social media users have shared snaps of funny road signs, billboards and notices that made them chuckle, with the best examples collated into an online gallery by Bored Panda. They include a warning sign in the US, asking people to 'not skydive' 'if at first, they don't succeed.' Another warned motorists about 'smartphone zombies' who may have a tendency to not look where they are going. Elsewhere a sign at a petrol station, in Texas, asked 'has anyone tried unplugging the United States and plugging back in.' Sound advice: Social media users have shared snaps of funny road signs, billboards and notices that made them chuckle, with the best examples collated into an online gallery by Bored Panda. Including a hilarious notice, in the US, asking people to 'not skydive' 'if at first they don't succeed.' Another extolled potatoes as the elite vegetable because it can be made into chips, crisps and vodka. Meanwhile a college library decided to ask people not to eat while in the building in the most creative way. Here Femail takes a look at some of the best signs from around the world... Don't look up: Another warned motorists about 'smartphone zombies' who may have a tendency to not look where they are going Facts! Meanwhile a sign, in Michigan, likened humans to 'cucumbers with anxiety' as they are 96 percent water So true! Another funny sign praised potatoes as the elite vegetable as it can make chip, crisps and vodka Worth a shot! Elsewhere a sign at a petrol station, in Texas, asked 'has anyone tried unplugging the United States and plugging back in' You have been warned! Elsewhere a cat cafe, in Tennessee, clearly had a few unsavory customers seems they had to put this sign out front Now I know my ABC's: While a car made great use of it's alphabetical license plate to to write out the full alphabet Yikes! Meanwhile a college library decided to ask people not to eat while in the building in the most creative way Noted! There must of been a serious accident to mean that a clothing brand had to be this specific on the label You were warned! During a hot dry summer, in Canada, some local officials were forced to leave a very important notice to visitors Turning back! This is sign, spotted in Ireland, would appear to be a challenge to a group of teenagers no doubt They were notified hours before takeoff that the flight had been canceled A bride-to-be has revealed that she and her fiance almost missed their big day after the flight they were set to get on to fly to their wedding got canceled the night before due to the recent Boeing 737 Max 9 groundings. Emma Degerstedt and Shane Molidor, from New York, were left scrambling after they were notified hours prior to takeoff that the plane they were supposed to take to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for their nuptials this weekend was no longer in service. United Airlines told the couple that there were a few other options they could take - but when they went to rebook their reservation, they discovered that all of the new flights were full, which meant they'd be put on the standby list. Terrified that she may not make it in time to walk down the aisle, Emma took to TikTok to share her horror over the situation. Emma Degerstedt and Shane Molidor, from New York, were left scrambling after they were notified hours prior to takeoff that the plane they were supposed to take to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for their nuptials this weekend was no longer in service United Airlines told the couple that there were a few other options they could take - but when they went to rebook their reservation, they discovered that all of the new flights were full, which meant they'd be put on the standby list Terrified that she may not make it in time to walk down the aisle, Emma took to TikTok to share her horror over the situation @officialemmadegs SOS, i cant get anyone on the phone and all the flights are booked and only have standby. @United Airlines can you please fix this so we can get to our wedding????? original sound - officialemmadegs In the video, posted on Tuesday, the panicked bride-to-be explained that she had just found out that their flight for the next morning had been canceled. 'We are flying to our wedding tomorrow morning and United just told us that our flight is canceled,' she said frantically. 'They were like, "Here's three flights you can take instead." Great but not ideal. But we're like, "You know what, we gotta get there," so we click on it and find out it's standby, no guarantee.' Emma added that while she knew there would be mishaps ahead of her big day, she never expected something like this would occur. 'When people told me that things might wrong before your wedding, this was not... I thought the florist would [mess up] the flowers at our wedding, something I can manage, not that we wouldn't get there for our wedding,' she joked. 'United, help.' In a follow-up video, Emma explained that the flight they were originally supposed to take was scheduled for Wednesday at 9am, and thankfully, the wedding festivities weren't supposed to kick off until Friday afternoon - so they still had some time to get there. She added that she 'found out why the flight had been canceled' - and it was because the aircraft they were supposed to take was a Boeing 737 Max 9. On January 5, an Alaskan Airlines flight suffered a terrifying door blowout mid-flight, leading to an emergency landing. In a follow-up video, Emma explained that the flight they were originally supposed to take was scheduled for Wednesday at 9am, and thankfully, the wedding festivities weren't supposed to kick off until Friday afternoon She added that she 'found out why the flight had been canceled' - and it was because the aircraft they were supposed to take was a Boeing 737 Max 9 On January 5, an Alaskan Airlines flight suffered a terrifying door blowout mid-flight, leading to an emergency landing Since then, all Boeing 737 Max 9s have been grounded by the FAA, leading to over 100 flight cancelations this week Since then, all Boeing 737 Max 9s have been grounded by the FAA, leading hundreds of flight cancelations this week. 'Remember that Alaskan Airlines flight where the door flew off? That was our plane. A Boeing Max 9. It was recalled because doors are flying off,' Emma told her followers. 'There's only 80 [of those planes] in the entire United States, and we happened to be on one of them. Is this an omen?' she wondered. Thankfully, Emma revealed on Wednesday that they were able to get to Florida, but they had to book a new flight with American Airlines, which left at 6.30am and had a layover in Miami. 'Two expensive flights and Ubers later, we made it,' she captioned a video that showed her and her fiance Shane kissing on the beach. While discussing the travel disaster with Insider, Emma explained that they were 'emotionally prepared' for flight delays due to weather - since they were traveling in the wintertime - but that they never expected a problem like this to arise. Thankfully, Emma revealed on Wednesday that they were able to get to Florida, but they had to book a new flight with American Airlines, which left at 6.30am and had a layover in Miami 'We didn't think that doors, windows, and door plugs flying off of planes and loose bolts was going to be the reason our flight was completely canceled,' she said. Despite the initial panic, Emma told the publication that she knew they would find a way to get to the wedding. 'We'll fly out of a different airport. We'll fly into a different airport. We'll take a train. We'll do whatever we need to do,' she recalled thinking. Unfortunately, she revealed that 10 of their guests were supposed to fly on Boeing 737 Max 9s and were now dealing with similar problems. Five have been able to get new flights, but she's unsure if the other five will make it. Even so, she is looking at the situation in a positive light, concluding, 'Maybe this is a good omen, like rain on your wedding day.' Life isnt easy. It can be upsetting and difficult, and over the course of our lives, we come to realise how little control we have over much of what happens to us. People do and say cruel and awful things; events unfold that cause distress and fear. All of this used to be considered part of life and regarded as normal. Now, however, theres a growing tendency to reframe lifes vicissitudes as trauma. Every challenge, every upheaval, every grievance or trial is today classed as traumatic, and if life doesnt go your way, youre traumatised. Increasingly, people look back at a negative event and claim this, too, is trauma, when its just an unpleasant memory or something that we wish hadnt happened. It was inevitable, of course, that with this change in what we view as trauma would come a rise in people saying that they have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Its a term coined in the 1970s in response to symptoms reported by soldiers in the Vietnam War. But PTSD itself is not new. Using written sources, researchers have identified descriptions of the condition relating to wars going back thousands of years. A 'source' has reported that Amanda Abbington has been diagnosed with PTSD after her time on Strictly Come Dancing What is new is the way the diagnostic criteria for what constitutes genuine PTSD is widening. Clinicians now feel at liberty to label patients with PTSD when in fact they are grossly over-diagnosing the problem. Thanks to social media, were also inundated with people who are self-diagnosing. A whole slew of celebrities has claimed to have the condition. Last week it was reported, via a source rather than the woman herself, that the actress Amanda Abbington has been diagnosed with PTSD after taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, and has demanded that BBC bosses hand over footage of the rehearsals with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice. Now, Ive no idea what happened to Amanda or who diagnosed her, and it may be that something truly traumatic occurred during those rehearsals. An on-set source is quoted as saying: There is a feeling that the recordings will lift the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes. Things in rehearsals can become very tense. Giovanni is a perfectionist and he can be incredibly full-on. A friend, who was a contestant on Strictly a few years back, confirmed that it is particularly gruelling and demanding. But Im not sure doing the cha-cha-cha is quite in the same category as being shot at in Helmand province in Afghanistan or being mugged at knifepoint. Not that those things automatically mean a person will develop PTSD. Ive conducted research into the treatment of PTSD and, as part of this, I was trained in how to administer psychological tests to establish an accurate diagnosis. Indeed, most people who experience truly traumatic events dont have it. Its actually quite rare. So how do we square that clinical fact with the increase in claims to PTSD from people whove not experienced objectively traumatic events? Amanda has demanded that BBC bosses hand over footage of the rehearsals with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice Debating this issue in the BMJ back in 2021, Professors Dinesh Bhugra and John Tully argued that the conflation of stress with trauma and of trauma with PTSD has become rife. This is the most convincing explanation for overdiagnosis, they said, pointing out that other factors, such as the role of compensation culture and vested interests of the trauma industry charities that work with PTSD victims, for example might also be involved. And PTSD is not the only psychiatric condition to be over- diagnosed. Nowadays theres a trend to medicalise everyday distress or problems and re-label them as psychiatric illness. Feeling sad becomes depression; feeling worried is anxiety. Cant focus and pay attention? Youve got ADHD. Had an affair? Thats sex addiction. And so on. The appeal of such a diagnosis for the patient is that it absolves them of responsibility for the way they feel or behave. They get immediate sympathy and understanding. But many psychiatrists have tried to push back against this creeping over-diagnosis. Professor Sir Simon Wessely, former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, has railed against it, saying: We are acutely aware of the dangers of over-medicalisation of what are normal emotional problems. Dr Max admits that he has no idea what happened to Amanda or who diagnosed her, and it may be that something truly traumatic occurred during those rehearsals But a combination of increased awareness and celebrities speaking out about their mental health problems means more and more people are clamouring for a diagnosis a label to give a sense of legitimacy and validation to their problems. Far better to have clinical depression than just a dreary life. My concern is that while, on the one hand, its good to get people talking about how they feel, in reality it risks wrongly labelling normal feelings as abnormal and concerning. Mental health services will be flooded with the worried well, who are often the vocal middle class who elbow themselves to the front. What that means is that those genuinely in need and perhaps suffering PTSD after a traumatic event people who might well find it harder to speak up are denied the help they need. Call in on neighbours in the cold With the cold snap, a gentle reminder to call in on any elderly friends or relatives to make sure theyre keeping warm. Im often shocked by how cold patients houses are when I visit them at home. I know its not Arctic out there right now, but thats actually when people are at greatest risk. The winter death toll of older people is more than 40,000 each year, but research has shown that the vast majority of cold weather-related deaths occur when the outside temperatures are between 2c and 6c. This baffled me when I first read it. Surely the colder it is, the more likely it is that people will die of the cold? Not so. At temperatures just above freezing, people especially those on pensions avoid putting the heating up. They make do, without realising their bodies are struggling. This can prove fatal. When its freezing, however, they are more likely to give in and turn up the heat. DR MAX PEMBERTON (pictured) reminds you to make sure elderly friends and relatives are keeping warm Scientists have discovered there are five types of Alzheimers disease. The subtypes differ in several ways, including the speed of the diseases progression and the patients life expectancy. It confirms something we have long suspected. Ive had some patients who have plodded along quite happily for years, while others deteriorate with startling speed. Equally, some seem to respond to medication, while in others it has no effect at all. While our understanding of these different types of Alzheimers is in its infancy, it opens up the possibility of specific, targeted treatments for each in the future. DR MAX PRESCRIBES: Sentia Dr Max recommends to try a glass or two of Sentia if you are halfway through dry January If you are halfway through dry January, then try a glass or two of this. Its a new invention developed by a team of leading scientists, which gives you the buzz of alcohol without the alcohol. Sentia (sentiaspirits.com) contains a chemical that affects GABA in the brain, a neurotransmitter involved in relaxation. Ive tried it and, while its not the same as a G&T, its a pleasant alternative. Queen Mary of Denmark's son Prince Christian is the good-looking jet-setting teenager who has a 'close friendship' with a stunning Italian princess. Crown Prince Christian is now next in line to the Danish throne after his father King Frederick X replaced Queen Magrethe II following the royal grandmother's shock abdication. And just months after his 18th birthday, he is already being linked romantically with European royalty, including Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Due Sicilies, 19. The pair were recently pictured together by high society magazine, Tatler, sparking a flurry of speculation that a royal wedding could be in the offing. The princess - whose family have their ancestral roots in Naples in Italy's south- took to social media to dampen down the marriage gossip three weeks later. She admitted: 'Prince Christian and I share a close friendship.' Australian Queen Mary of Denmark's son Prince Christian is the good-looking jet-setting teenager who has a 'close friendship' with stunning Italian Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Due Sicilies, 19 (pictured together at the F1 Monaco Grand Prix) Prince Christian (pictured with Hobart-born mother Queen Mary and father King Frederick X) was the first Danish royal to be educated at a public state school Just months after his 18th birthday, he is already being linked romantically with European royalty, including Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Due Sicilies, 19 (pictured) But the princess - who posts on social media as Chiara de Bourbon - said the rumour mill stories about a burgeoning romance were getting out of control. 'When important events will occur in my life, I will be happy to share them with you,' she said. 'While we all enjoy dreaming of fairy tales, what truly matters is reality.' She added: 'I would like to set the record straight with regards to the unfounded rumour that has been circulating about me. 'Some inaccurate information has been disseminated. At first, this situation made me smile. 'However over time, this rumour has exceeded the limits of common sense and has spiralled, becoming at odds with reality. 'I believe it is now time to put an end to this rumour.' The pair have also appeared together on social media and went to the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, but the princess is keen to pour cold water on any marriage talk. While the Prince was preparing for his father's official coronation on Sunday, the princess was 10,000km away enjoying a family holiday in Mauritius. The young prince has been a trailblazer for the Danish royal family, and was the first to be educated at a public state school, attending Tranegardskolen in an upmarket suburb of Copenhagen. During the Covid lockdowns, he moved to private boarding school, Herlufsholm - founded in the 16th century, 80km outside Copehagen - but the stint was cut short after he was allegedly bullied by some other students. He finished his schooling instead at a public 'gymnasium' school to sit his final exams to qualify for university. His coming of age 18th party was a lavish affair, organised by his grandmother to allow him to burst onto the royal scene in a blaze of glory. Crown Prince Christian is now next in line to the Danish throne after his father King Frederick X replaced Queen Magrethe II following the royal grandmother's shock abdication Crown Prince Christian is the eldest of Queen Marty and King Frederick's four children (Left) Prince Christian's coming of age 18th party was a lavish affair, organised by his grandmother to allow him to burst onto the royal scene in a blaze of glory. But while the Prince was preparing for his father's official coronation on Sunday, Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Due Sicilies (right) was 10,000km away enjoying a family holiday in Mauritius As well as his own extended family, the elite guest list featured a string of Euro blue bloods including members of the Belgian, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian and Swedish royalty. The official Danish royal instagram page the following day posted a picture of a single sparkling shoe supposedly left behind at the royal Christiansborg Palace in Copehagen. The photograph was captioned: 'Is it Cinderella who forgot her shoe last night?' It's not yet known if Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Due Sicilies is missing any footwear. Denmark's royal children were star of the show a power transference of Crown Although yesterday was all about the adults as Crown Prince Frederik took the Crown to become King of Denmark, for some, all eyes were on the royal children, who were snapped having fun on the balcony at Amalienborg Palace after making their initial appearance at Christiansborg. Former Queen Margrethe, 83, shocked when she announced at the beginning of the new year that she would be stepping down and handing the Crown to her son Frederik and his wife Maria via a statement released on social media on New Year's Eve. It said: 'I have decided that now is the right time. The 14th January 2024 - 52 years after I followed my beloved father - I will step back as the Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son the Crown Prince Frederik. Tonight, I first and foremost would like to express my thanks. Thank you for the overwhelming warmth and support which I have received during all these years.' Yesterday saw the ceremony transferring the crown from Margrethe to her oldest son Frederik and his Australian-born wife Mary. During the lighthearted ceremony, snaps of the family on the balcony were shared, showing the couple's four children Crown Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 13 Christian - who has now been promoted to Crown Prince (pictured, right) was snapped pulling a funny face Crown Prince Christian (pictured, left) and Princess Isabella (pictured, right), appeared to be enjoying themselves on the balcony with their mother Mary (pictured, centre) Princess Josephine has been described by one body language expert as the Danish equivalent of the UK's Prince Louis, thanks to her outgoing and confident personality (pictured L-R: Prince Vincent, King Frederik, Princess Josephine, Crown Prince Christian at Amalienborg Palace While all the children waved at the attending crowds, it was Princess Josephine, 13 who appeared the most outgoing and confident. Margrethe's abdication speech on NY Margrethe is pictured giving her abdication speech after 52-years on the throne 'I have decided that now is the right time. The 14th January 2024 - 52 years after I followed my beloved father - I will step back as the Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son the Crown Prince Frederik. 'Tonight, I first and foremost would like to express my thanks. 'Thank you for the overwhelming warmth and support which I have received during all these years. 'Thank you to the changing governments with whom the collaboration always has been rewarding, and thank you to The Parliament, who have always vested their confidence in me. 'Thank you to the many, many people who on special occasions and in everyday life have embraced me and my family with kind words and thoughts, turning the years into a string of pearls. 'The support and assistance which I have received throughout the years, have been crucial to the success of my task. 'It is my hope that the new King and Queen will be met with the same trust and devotion which have fallen to my lot. They deserve it! 'Denmark deserves it! I will conclude my new years address in my usual manner: GOD BLESS DENMARK, GOD BLESS YOU ALL.' Advertisement According to body language expert, Adrianne Carter, she told FEMAIL that it is the female twin who is the most outgoing of the youngsters. In fact, he has been compared to the Danish royal family's 'Prince Louis', and managed to steal the show on the palace balcony with her fun antics. One of the images shows Mary holding Christian's arm tightly. According to body language expert Adrianne, this show how important the children are to her on her big day. She explains: 'When the children join them, they all move in together. 'Mary encompasses her children showing that's her important focus.' However, it appeared that Josephine was slightly more independent. As described by Adrianne Carter, the 13-year-old stole the show, and was 'at the forefront' as the family once again stepped out to adoring crowds at Amalienborg Palace - after making their initial appearance at Christiansborg. She added that her older brother was also at the forefront of the attention. Addrianne said: 'Her elder brother gives her a gentle touch to remind her to rein her behaviour in,' she added, commenting on Josephine's twin brother Prince Vincent. The excited duo waved excitedly at the crowds, while their elder brother Prince Christian, 18, and sister Isabella, 16, offered more subdued waves. The newly crowned King and Queen of Denmark - Frederik and Mary - also shared yet another gentle kiss. Yesterday marked a big moment for the now Crown Prince Christian, who became the first in line to the Danish throne on Sunday afternoon. The 18-year-old proudly waved at the hundreds of royal watchers who gathered underneath the balcony, dressed smartly in a navy suit and white dress shirt. His younger brother Vincent was equally smart in a matching navy suit. However, he opted for a pink and blue striped tie rather than the block colour worn by his older brother. Princess Isabella, 16, went for a bold red ensemble, with her hair swept back in a sleek bun. She enthusiastically waved at the crowds, singing along with their rendition of the Danish National Anthem. Despite how serious the situation was, the Royal Family appeared to be fairly relaxed as they engaged with the crowds There's little doubt that today will mark a turning point for the Danish royals, who until now have grown up with relative normality The family appeared close knit as they appeared on the balcony at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen in Denmark Her younger sister Josephine, 13, opted for a navy dress coat ensemble with gold buttons for a regal touch. Despite the enormity of the moment, Crown Prince Christian appeared confident. This is perhaps thanks to the physical support the photographs show his mother gave his on the balcony. Overall, according to the body language expert, it appeared that the new King Frederik may have been the most nervous on the during the big day. The new King Frederik sealed the situation with a kiss, as he and Queen Mary were snapped embracing At one point, King Frederik looked almost tearful, perhaps taking in the enormity of the event as he became monarch The newly crowned King and Queen of Denmark - Frederik and Mary - also shared another gentle kiss during the ceremony She told FEMAIL that while the new monarch is 'genuinely happy and highly emotional during the balcony time, he is 'not as relaxed as Margrethe'. Adrianne continued: 'The outgoing queen looked relaxed and genuinely happy. 'Her body language was relaxed and composed. Frederik is quite fidgety and not as composed. 'Once Margrethe stands up and allows him the chair, we see him point to the seat, he's used to deferring to her as Queen, but this will take some getting used to for him that he's now on the throne. 'We do see him give some genuine smiles alongside the nervousness he displays.' Following the abdication of Margrethe, Crown Prince Christian is considered one of Europe's most eligible bachelors. After the Council of State, Frederik was declared king on the balcony of Christiansborg Castle, joined shortly afterwards by his wife Mary and their four children Now Frederik is King, it will be seen whether the family's lifestyle will change - they are often considered fairly laid back given their royal status Crown Prince Christian is now next in line to the Danish throne after his father King Frederick X replaced Queen Magrethe II following the royal grandmother's shock abdication. And just months after his 18th birthday, he is already being linked romantically with European royalty, including Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone-Due Sicilies, 19. The pair were recently pictured together by high society magazine, Tatler, sparking a flurry of speculation that a royal wedding could be in the offing. The princess - whose family have their ancestral roots in Naples in Italy's south- took to social media to dampen down the marriage gossip three weeks later. She admitted: 'Prince Christian and I share a close friendship.' Queen Margrethe II signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch of Denmark yesterday, and according to a political commentator, Britain's royal family influenced her decision. According to political commentator Hans Engell, the Danish royal, 83, who becamse Queen in 1972, is 'tired' after having back surgery last year. However, the former minister also told the weekly magazine Se og Hoer, that the real reason she abdicated is so that 'Mary and Frederik don't end up like Charles and Camilla'. Engell said: 'There is no other explanation - apart from her health and that she feels tired - other than that she thought that Frederik and Mary should not end up like Camilla and Charles, who became a royal couple at 75 years old, where they look more like a couple, who need a sheltered home more than a castle.' Queen Margrethe II signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch, to her son- the new King Frederik yesterday King Charles, 75, was heir apparent for 70 years and 214 days until the death of his mother. It made him the longest-serving heir to the throne in British history and he surpassed William IV, who became monarch in June 1830, aged 64 years, as the oldest heir to become King. His wife, Queen Camilla, is 76 years old, and will turn 77 in July this year. She was also the oldest Queen Consort in British history to be crowned. Queen Margrethe, the longest-serving monarch in Europe, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, underwent a successful back surgery in February. 'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,' she said in her speech. 'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. 'I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.' Yesterday, festivities kicked off in Copenhagen as Denmark made Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary their new King and Queen. A live broadcast from regional channel DR1 showed soldiers marching up and down the streets as excited crowds lined up, to celebrate the low-key ceremony. Born in 1940, Margrethe has throughout her life enjoyed broad support from Danes, who are fond of her tactful and yet creative personality. Yesterday, festivities kicked off in Copenhagen as Denmark made Crown Prince Frederik (left) and Crown Princess Mary (right) their new King and Queen Political commentator Hans Engell told the weekly magazine Se og Hoer, that the real reason she abdicated is so that 'Mary and Frederik don't end up like Charles and Camilla' (pictured in 2023) The monarch hit the headlines last year when she removed royal titles from the four children of her younger son Prince Joachim. She enjoyed a close relationship with her third cousin Queen Elizabeth II, both descendants of Queen Victoria, having bonded during several state visits to each other's countries down the decades - most recently in 2000, when Margrethe was received at Windsor. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the decision in a news release that paid tribute to the 83-year-old monarch, offering a 'heartfelt thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom'. Margrethe is the 'epitome of Denmark' Ms Frederiksen's statement read, and 'throughout the years has put words and feelings into who we are as a people and as a nation'. Queen Margrethe's abdication has kicked off as Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary - along with their son Prince Christian - have begun to make their way to Christiansborg Castle Margrethe signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch, Danish broadcaster DR has said Margrethe II followed in a carriage, waving at delighted crowds as she left from Christian IX's Palace Margrethe appeared in great spirits as she beamed at delighted crowds from her carriage - and waved The six-feet-tall Margrethe has been one of the most popular public figures in Denmark. She often walked the streets of Copenhagen virtually unescorted and won the admiration of Danes for her warm manners and for her talents as a linguist and designer. A keen skier, she was a member of a Danish women's air force unit as a princess, taking part in judo courses and endurance tests in the snow. In 2011, at age 70, she visited Danish troops in southern Afghanistan wearing a military jumpsuit. As monarch, she crisscrossed the country and regularly visited Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, the two semi-independent territories which are part of the Danish Realm, and was met everywhere by cheering crowds. Denmark has Europe's oldest ruling monarchy, which traces its line back to the Viking king Gorm the Old, who died in 958. Although Margrethe is head of state, the Danish Constitution strictly ruled out her involvement in party politics. Queen Margrethe smiled as she delivered her annual speech on New Year's Eve - and told the Danish public she is stepping down in favour of her son Margrethe was born on April 16, 1940, a week after Nazi Germany had invaded Denmark. The occupation meant that the little princess became a symbol of hope for the Danes. She ascended the throne on January 15, 1972, after the death of her father. But, although she was his eldest child, she did not become heir presumptive until 1953, when Denmark's constitution was amended to allow women to inherit the throne. That followed a referendum in which more than 85 per cent of participants voted to allow female succession. She was married in 1967 to a Frenchman, Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat, later styled as Prince Henrik. They had two sons, Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim. Despite enjoying a long marriage of 50 years, her relationship with Henrik was plagued with controversy. Henrik stunned Danes by saying he felt he had been pushed aside in his own home by his wife. Prince Henrik died in 2018 aged 83. Following his parents becoming King and Queen of Denmark, Prince Christian has a new role that's made him one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe. The eldest son of Australian-born Queen Mary is now next in line to the Danish throne after his father King Frederick X yesterday replaced Queen Magrethe II as monarch following her shock abdication. Titled Crown Prince of Denmark, the 18-year-old is thought to be the only single royal with the prestigious status in the whole of Europe, meaning he's become quite the catch in high society. He was most recently linked romantically with 19-year-oldPrincess Maria Chiara di Borbone delle Due Sicilie - until the Italian heiress denied the engagement rumours and insisted: 'Prince Christian and I share a close friendship.' It appears the Crown Prince won't have any trouble dealing with the attention garnered thanks to his new role, however, after he put on a confident display at his father's accession to the throne on Sunday. Following his parents becoming King and Queen of Denmark, Prince Christian (pictured with his father) has a new role that's made him one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe Sporting a formal navy suit, paired with a white shirt, he appeared self-assured and at ease while stepping out at the balcony of Christiansborg Palace alongside his parents. Grinning and waving at the adoring crowds, the new Crown Prince looked perfectly natural in his role while joining his siblings, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 13, and Denmark's King and Queen. In recent months Prince Christian has been linked to Princess Chiara, the daughter of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro - who holds a claim to the now defunct throne of the former House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies - and Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro. Rumours that Chiara and Christian were close began when the two were pictured together at the Monaco grand prix last year. Eventually Chiara took to Instagram and appeared to dismiss the speculation, saying 'while we all enjoy dreaming of fairytales, what truly matters is reality.' Meanwhile, the Danish royal family remained quiet on the speculation. Chiara told Italian paper Corriere: 'We've known each other since we were little, my father Carlo is godfather to his younger sister.' But it was her hint that she 'hopes to meet Queen Margrethe soon' which sent rumours of an engagement into overdrive. Her father Prince Carlo holds a claim to the now defunct throne of the former House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family. While, her mother, Duchess Camilla, is the daughter of Italian industry Tycoon Camilla Crociani. Rumours that Princess Maria Chiara di Borbone delle Due Sicilie was dating Prince Christian were sparked after they were photographed standing next to each other at the Monaco Grand Prix in May After celebrating his 18th birthday back in October, the prince broke protocol by forgoing his royal allowance to focus on his education It appears the Crown Prince won't have any trouble dealing with the attention garnered thanks to his new role, after he put on a confident display at his father's accession to the throne on Sunday (pictured) Further proof of Christian's status as a desired eligible bachelor came after his lavish 18th birthday party in October. The future King celebrated the milestone with a glitzy gala dinner at the Christiansborg Palace - and guests included dazzling future Queens from across Europe. But one glamorous party-goer didn't let that stop her from trying to get the prince's attention and, in a real-life Cinderella moment, Danish student Anne-Sofie Tornso Olesen, 18, left her golden stiletto heel for the royal to find. As staff cleared up after the lavish celebrations, they discovered the shoe - but rather than go from house to house seeking its owner, the prince instead asked the Palace to post a photograph of the heel on social media. Actress Anne-Sofie, who appeared in Danish TV series BaseBoys, came forward to claim the shoe as her own, telling Danish outlet Se Og Hr: 'It was meant to be a fairytale ending a la Cinderella.' In a bid to return the shoe to its rightful owner, the Danish Royal Household revealed 'Cinderella' had somehow left the shoe at Christiansborg Palace. The Danish Royal Household revealed one partygoer at Prince Christian's 18th birthday bash left behind her glittering stiletto at Christiansborg Castle Anne-Sofie Tornso Olesen sported a sheer black dress at the reception and even greeted Denmarks Queen Margrethe II, her son, then Crown Prince Frederik and his son Prince Christian, who were all oblivious to her 'funny' plan to steal the show by leaving her heel behind The caption read: 'When the guests at Her Majesty The Queen's gala table yesterday had gone home, this lonely stiletto shoe was left at Christiansborg Castle. The owner is welcome to contact to get it back.' Anne-Sofie was invited to the party to represent the area where she lives outside the Danish capital. I won the invitation in a tombola, she told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden. It is unclear whether Denmarks now first in line to the throne returned the shoe in person to Anne-Sofie, whose father is a wine merchant. Despite the attention surrounding him, it seems Prince Christian prefers to keep his private life quiet and even said he wouldn't take a royal pension when he turned 18. At the time of the shock announcement, it was revealed he will only take money from the royal grant when his father ascends the throne, and will remain limited in his royal duties until he turns 21. A statement to the Royal House's Instagram page said: 'Prince Christian's main priority in the coming year will be the completion of the Prince's upper secondary education.' The eldest son of Australian-born Queen Mary is now next in line to the Danish throne after his father King Frederick X (pictured centre) yesterday replaced Queen Magrethe II as monarch following her shock abdication 'It has thus been agreed with the Ministry of State that support in the Danish Parliament for a law on annual pension will only be sought when the prince turns 21 or by a possible change of the throne, if it takes place before.' The statement concluded by saying Christian will refrain from the spotlight but one day return to making public appearances in an official capacity. 'Only after this is the expectation that His Royal Highness will participate to a greater extent in official contexts,' it said. 'However, it depends on where the Prince is at this point in his education. Until then, just like today, Prince Christian will only participate in official contexts to a limited extent.' Although he makes many public appearances alongside his parents and siblings, Christian is not yet a full-time working royal. At the time of the announcement, Christian was in his second last year of schooling at Ordrup Gymnasium, a public school in Copenhagen. The new king and queen looked delighted in their first official engagement The new king and queen of Denmark arrived in parliament as they performed their first official engagement in their new roles today. Queen Mary, 51, in a blue skirt suit and dress hat, tiptoed up the stairs into Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen in towering stilettos, alongside husband Frederik, who looked suave in a navy suit. The royal couple were joined by their son, the newly appointed Crown Prince Christian, 18, as well as Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe, who officially stepped down on Sunday after a 52 year reign. Also joining the royals at the Danish parliament was Frederik's brother Joachim, 54, who appeared at the ascension without his wife Princess Marie, and Princess Benedikte, who is Margrethe's sister. Once inside parliament, the family listened to speeches from Danish politicians, including the Prime Minister, before the Danish National Girls' choir sang Hans Christian Andersen's 'Denmark, my Fatherland,' causing Mary to cry. Braving the -2C (28F) temperatures and rainy weather, Mary and Frederik greeted their family outside the building before watching speeches by politicians. Queen Mary , 51, in a blue skirt suit and dress hat tiptoed up the stairs into Christiansborg Palace - the Danish parliament - in stilettos Clutching a bouquet, she was joined by the new King as the pair braved -2C weather Mary waved to adoring fans ahead of walking into her first engagement as Queen Clearly use to the Danish weather, Mary walked through into parliament in heel and a dress suit The pair appeared to take to the new role with grace as they walked at ease into parliament On the steps of parliament, Frederik greeted his brother Joachim, showing there's no ill will between the pair Prince Joachim, who fell out with his mother over a title row, showed that is was all water under the bridge The brothers seemed as close as ever as they sheltered under an umbrella going into parliament Joachim also appeared close with his mother again as her hugged and kissed her Frederik sweetly greeted his mother outside of parliament as he took over the new role Showing no sign of sadness after stepping down, Queen Margarethe looked delighted as she wondered into parliament The royal family popped up umbrellas to protect themselves from the sleet in the chilly temperatures Princess Mary appeared to well up as she listened to 'Danmark, mit fdreland' (Denmark, my fatherland) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1850 Mary listened intensely to the speeches, seemingly taking well in her first day as monarch The new face of Danish royalty: Crown Prince Christian sat alongside his mother and father as Queen Margrethe and Prince Joachim sat behind Mary and Christian chatted to one another from the viewing gallery Christian and Mary spoke to one another from the viewing gallery of parliament Mary, Frederik and Christian walked into the viewing gallery first and were followed by the rest of the royals The family stood to sing the national anthem before listening to speeches Margrethe, known for her quirky fashion sense, opted for a fur coat inside parliament The royals arrived in three separate cars , baring the Danish flag, before heading into the parliament building After entering parliament, Mary - clutching a bouquet - headed into the chamber with husband Frederik and son Christian sitting either side of her. Joachim, Benedikte and Margarethe sat behind as they listened to a speech by Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister. Other MPs also gave speeches before the Danish National Girls' Choir - known as DR Pigekoret - sang to the royal family. The choir performed, 'Danmark, mit fdreland' (Denmark, my fatherland) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1850. The poem is about his love for the Danish country and language, and is often proposed as a new national anthem of Denmark. The song is reportedly a favourite of he new Queen's, who closed her eyes and shed a tear as it played. 'It's more than a song. It is a declaration of love for Denmark, for history, for the language, for the culture, for the landscape. A love song that even I, even though I was not born in Denmark, can feel deep in my heart. And I know that you don't have to be born in a country to feel at home,' she said during a speech in 2017. Joachim, who famously fell out with his mother when his children lost their Prince and Princess titles, appeared to show it was all water under the bridge as he proudly stood alongside her today. Christian, Mary and Frederik stood in front of Benedikte, Joachim and Margrethe The royals laughed and smiled as they listened to parliament Mary looked animated as she watched the speeches in parliament Mary looked engaged as she listened intently to parliament Young Christian appeared to take well to his new role as Crown Prince as he chatted to his mother The family marked their first official engagement as royals The royal looked delighted to listen to speeches in the parliament The royals watched over parliament as they delivered speeches Frederik took a seat in the front row with Queen Margrethe behind him The new king seemed at ease in his new role in parliament Passing the torch! Margrethe looked proud as she took a seat behind her son Joachim, who famously fell out with his mother when his children lost their Prince and Princess titles, appeared to show it was all water under the bridge as he proudly stood alongside her today. Perhaps in a nod that everything is peaceful within the family, second-born Joachim wore a tie emblazoned with elephants. The Order of the Elephant (Elefantordenen) is Denmark's highest honour. The honour is typically given to children of the monarch and their spouses, as well as heads of state and foreign royals. In 2022, Queen Margrethe shocked royal watchers as she sensationally announced Joachim's four children would lose their titles. Nikolai, 24, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, are now known as 'Count and Countess' and referred to as Their Excellencies, rather than Their Royal Highness. The Queen insisted the move will be 'good for them in their future' and allow the children - who have maintained their positions in the line of succession - to 'shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties' that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves. After the family were stripped of their titles in September 2022, Prince Joachim claimed that his mother's decision had 'harmed' his children. Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that 'communication was missing' within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement. Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: 'There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.' He added that he had only been given five days' notice before the news was made public. Meanwhile, Prince Joachim's ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling 'ostracised' from the institution and the decision had come like a 'bolt out of the blue'. The Royal Household released a further statement, saying: 'As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming. 'We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen's wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected.' None of Joachim's children - or his wife - joined him at the ascension yesterday. However, there appears to be no hard feelings from his eldest son Nikolai, who posted sweet throwback pictures with both his uncle and grandmother. The student, who is currently studying in Sydney and on holiday in Bali, added that he was eating Danish food, perhaps in a a sign he is missing home. After the parliamentary reception, most of the royals headed to a reception in the parliament, however Joachim left to fly back to the US. The second-son works as Denmark's Military attache to the United States and is based in Washington DC. His wife and two youngest children stayed behind in the US. It's been a whirlwind start to the year for the Danish royals. Queen Margrethe, 82, announced her abdication in a shock New Year's Eve speech. Yesterday, 100,000 Danes gathered on the streets of Copenhagen to celebrate King Frederik's ascension. Mary showed off her new status in a royal blue dress with matching accessorises Clearly accustomed to the Danish chill, Mary braved the weather in a pair of blue leather gloves Meanwhile Margarethe, 82, wrapped up warm in a grey fur coat and hat for the celebrations Mary looked at ease in her new role as Queen as she carried flowers inside An emotional Frederik promised to be a modern monarch 'of tomorrow' as he asked his 'beloved wife' and family for support during a new reign - but a body language expert has questioned how 'spontaneous' his kiss with Queen Mary was, as he sealed the moment with a public smooch. In his first public speech after being proclaimed King, the father-of-four, 55, as per a translation by royal blogger Gert's Royals, said: 'My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the second, has ruled Denmark for 52 years. For half a century, she has followed the times with our common heritage as a starting point. 'She will always be remembered as a Monarch beyond the ordinary. Like few, my mother has managed to be at one with her kingdom. Today, the throne passes on. 'My hope is to become an unifying king of tomorrow. It's a task I've been waiting for all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy. 'It is a deed I will take pains to carry out and carry through the position I have been entrusted with. 'I need all the support I can get. From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future knowing that I am not alone. 'Bound, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.' The royal was visibly moved at Christiansborg Castle, and wiped away tears at the historic occasions as roaring crowds cheered him on. Beautiful in blue! Mary and Frederik looked delighted to arrive at the parliament building The couple appeared at ease in their new roles within parliament They chatted to various politicians and aides on their way in But Frederik's 'genuinely happy and highly emotional display' on the balcony revealed potential tensions in his marriage, a body language expert said. Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL: 'When Mary joins him we initially see quite a distance between the two of them as they hold hands, he moves closer which she accepts. A literal distance can often mean a distance in a relationship. 'When the children join them, they all move in together. Mary encompasses her children showing that's her important focus.' However, when the King pulls Mary close as the children leave the balcony - Mary is 'the first to pull away'. She continued: 'Frederik gives Mary a win, which means we're in this together. He pulls her in for a kiss, which he tries to do a few times before it actually happens. This is something he has planned, rather than something spontaneous.' It comes following rumours that the couple's marriage is on the rocks after Frederik was pictured with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid without his wife in October. Just moments before his first appearance as King, Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe II had signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch, Danish broadcaster DR has said - and BBC reports say that her poignant last words before leaving the Council of State were: 'God save the King'. A beaming Frederik was then joined by his wife Mary - who is now Queen of Denmark - and their children Christian, 18, Isabella, 16 and Vincent and Josephine - both 13 Fireworks were set off over Copenhagen on Sunday evening to celebrate the new Danish King King Frederik's speech in full My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the 2nd, has ruled Denmark for 52 years. For half a century, she has followed the times with our common heritage as a starting point. She will always be remembered as a Monarch beyond the ordinary. Like few, my mother has managed to be at one with her kingdom. Today, the throne passes on. My hope is to become an unifying king of tomorrow. It's a task I've been waiting for all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy. It is a deed I will take pains to carry out and carry through the position I have been entrusted with. I need all the support I can get. From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future knowing that I am not alone. Bound, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark. Source: Gert's Royals Advertisement Frederik's 'genuinely happy and highly emotional display' on the balcony revealed potential tensions in his marriage, a body language expert has revealed Mary was all smiles with an elated Frederik as the pair posed up a storm for adoring crowds on the balcony The royal, 55, was visibly moved as was proclaimed King on the balcony at Christiansborg Castle The royal, 55, was visibly moved as was proclaimed King by the Prime Minister at Christiansborg Castle A beaming Frederik was then joined by his wife Mary - who is now Queen of Denmark - and their children Christian, 18, Isabella, 16 and twins Vincent and Josephine, 13. Sunday's transferrence of power has kicked off as Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary - along with their son Prince Christian - made their way to Christiansborg Castle. A procession of cars set off with the royals being driven in a 1958 Rolls-Royce from Amalienborg. Margrethe II followed in a carriage, waving at delighted crowds as she left from Christian IX's Palace. Both passed through Frederiksgade, Bredgade, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Canal and Prince Jrgen's Courtyard on the way. At Christiansborg Palace, Margrethe, Frederik, and Christian all took part in a Council of State at with the Government and the Council of State secretary and Her Majesty signed a declaration of her abdication. Margrethe then made her way back to Amalienborg, while Frederik and Mary are holding a formal reception for specially invited guests. At 3pm Danish time, the couple made a balcony appearance at Christiansborg Palace. The Prime Minister then proclaimed the King's accession to the throne. After this, the newly crowned monarch made an impassioned speech as he admitted his wish to be a 'unifying king'. 'I need all the support I can get,' he revealed. 'From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future knowing that I am not alone. 'Bound, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.' The crowd is pictured in the Christiansborg Castle square during the declaration of abdication of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark The couple put on a united front as they held hands on the balcony appearance at Christiansborg Palace At 3pm Danish time, the couple made a balcony appearance at Christiansborg Palace. The Prime Minister then proclaimed the King's accession to the throne King Frederik was visibly emotional as he was declared the monarch of Denmark on the balcony It was followed by an honorary cannon salute from the Sixtus Battery - a heritage site on Holmen, Copenhagen - and the Royal Standard will then be lowered at Christian IX's Palace (Margrethe's home) and reraised at Frederik VIII's Palace, where the new King and Queen are based. Frederik and Mary then took part in a carriage ride from Christiansborg Palace back to Amalienborg, escorted by a mounted squadron. At 5pm Danish time, there was a transfer of the royal colours from Christian IX's Palace to Frederik VIII's Palace. Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Adrianne also said there were 'no signs of nervousness' from Magrethe as she beamed at delighted crowds from her carriage - and waved - when the festivities kicked off Sunday. 'Genuine smiles from the Queen in the carriage,' she explained. 'Full beaming smiles, she's enjoying seeing so many people in attendance.' Copenhagen's streets were lined to the brim as Sunday's festivities kicked off in the morning. A live broadcast from regional channel DR1 showed soldiers marching up and down the streets as excited crowds have lined up, donning plastic crowds, Danish flag and various regalia to celebrate the low-key ceremony. Queen Margrethe's abdication has kicked off as Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary - along with their son Prince Christian - have begun to make their way to Christiansborg Castle Queen Margrethe II has signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch, Danish broadcaster DR has said Frederik and Mary grinned at crowds as they drove through the streets of Copenhagen for Sunday's abdication A procession of cars has set off with the royals being driven in a 1958 Rolls-Royce from Amalienborg Queen Margrethe leaves the Council of State meeting after signing a declaration of abdication at Christiansborg Castle Margrethe has now made her way back to Amalienborg, while Frederik and Mary are holding a formal reception for specially invited guests. Pictured at the Council of State meeting Denmark's former Queen Margrethe leaves the place at the head of the table to her son Frederik Margrethe II followed in a carriage, waving at delighted crowds as she left from Christian IX's Palace A child wearing a crown, looks on as people gather on the day Danish Queen Margrethe abdicates after 52 years on the throne Pictured: The honour guard getting ready ahead of royal festivities in Copenhagen, Denmark Pictured: Crown Princess Mary, Crown Prince Frederik and Queen Margrethe attend the annual opening of the parliamentary session at the Danish Parliament in October 2022 Speaking to FEMAIL, body language expert Adrianne Carter said there were 'no signs of nervousness' from Magrethe as she beamed at delighted crowds from her carriage - and waved Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary look on during the drive from Amalienborg Castle to Christiansborg Castle The Queen appeared in high spirits as she rode in the carriage and waved to delighted crowds in the streets Queen Margrethe II of Denmark leaves for the proclamation of HM King Frederik X and HM Queen Mary Stable keepers have also been readying the horses in the royal stables of Christiansborg Palace this morning Well-wishers wearing crowns and coronation robes gathered outside Christiansborg Palace this morning Photos from the event also show security making checks at the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, with only hours to go before Queen Margrethe II's abdication - which she announced on New Year's Eve. Stable keepers have also been readying the horses in the royal stables this morning. And earlier Sunday, soldiers from the Danish Guard Hussar regiment appeared to have been rehearsing for the day's events. Elsewhere, excited royal fans in Copenhagen queued to buy cakes decorated with a seal of the soon to be crowned King Frederik X, displayed in the window of the well-known confectionery shop La Glace. And the celebrations began on Saturday night as Margrethe was seen listening to the public sing to her in Copenhagen on the eve of her abdication. The royal ruled Denmark for more than 52 years and became Europe's longest-reigning monarch after Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022. The Queen, known for her chain-smoking and flamboyant style - was seen on the clip walking around her home and peering out at the crowd. Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down. However, she said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future. 'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,' she said in her speech. 'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. 'I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.' Photos from the event also show security making checks at the balcony of Christiansborg Castle, with only hours to go before Queen Margrethe II's abdication - which she announced on New Year's Eve Well-wishers gather in Christiansborg Palace square , adorned in Danish flag regalia in the early hours of the morning The Danish Royal Horse Guard trains with a proxy carriage Police officers gather before the ride of the royals from Amalienborg Castle to Christiansborg Castle The honour guard prepares ahead of the proclamation of HM King Frederik X and HM Queen Mary of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace Square Danish flags are waved as excited crowds gather round the Amalienborg Palace Square in Copenhagen A kangaroo balloon - in a seeming tribute to Crown Princess Mary's Australian heritage - is waved in the air A police officer directs members of the public ahead of the proclamation of HM King Frederik X Elsewhere, excited royal fans in Copenhagen have been queueing to buy cakes decorated with a seal of the soon to be crowned King Frederik X People pass an image of Queen Margrethe in Copenhagen, Denmark, ahead of of her passing on the throne to her son on Sunday Danish royalists took to the streets of Copenhagen this weekend and waved red and white flags to honour their beloved Queen Margrethe The Queen, known for her chain-smoking and flamboyant style - was seen on the clip walking around her home and peering out at the crowd Early doors! Wellwishers have already started gathering at Christiansborg Palace Square ahead of Queen Margrethe's abdication in Copenhagen The first crowds have started coming together outside the palace for the historic stripped-back event The sun was yet to rise when the first royal fans started setting up to witness abdication Pictured: Danish flags fluttered on buildings close to Christiansborg Castle Square ahead of Queen Margrethe's abdication Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik takes over the crown on Sunday from his mother, Queen Margrethe II Department store windows display the Danish flag and the Danish crown in Copenhagen A picture of Danish Queen Margrethe II with a message reading 'Thank you, Your Majesty' Thousands of people have flooded into Copenhagen to witness the abdication People look at a picture of the soon-to-be King Frederik X and his wife Queen Mary displayed in a window at a shopping street Queen Margrethe II is breaking with centuries of Danish royal tradition and retiring after a 52-year reign The new Danish line of succession and titles MONARCH: King Frederick X (previously Crown Prince Frederick) Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be Her Majesty and bear the title HM Queen Margrethe. CONSORT: Queen Mary (formerly Crown Princess Mary) The Royal Couple will henceforth bear the title The King and The Queen of Denmark 1. Crown Prince Christian (previously Prince Christian) 2. Princess Isabella 3. Prince Vincent 4. Princess Josephine 5. Prince Joachim 6. Count Nikolai 7. Count Felix 8. Count Henrik 9. Countess Athena 10. Princess Benedikte Advertisement The monarch delivered the shock news during her traditional New Year's Eve speech. Danish royalists took to the streets of Copenhagen this weekend and waved red and white flags to honour their beloved Queen Margrethe - and this morning, wellwishers have already started to set up outside Christiansborg Palace Square. A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, captured the public singing to Margrethe outside Amalienborg, Margrethe's winter residence last night. One of the windows to the palace was left wide open, so that she could hear those who came to sing to her. Wellwishers with folding chairs donning Danish flags have already started to excitedly line the streets in preparation for this afternoon's events. The historic occasion is sure to be an exciting event for the nation - but is set to be a much more stripped down transferrence of power compared to King Charles's ornate Coronation in May. Queen Margrethe, who took to the throne in 1972, has become the first Danish monarch in nearly 900 years to relinquish the throne. However, during an interview in 2016, she expressed a different opinion. She said: 'It's always been: you stay as long as you live. That's what my father did and my predecessors. And the way I see it too.' 'It could be that she thinks Prince Frederik is prepared to take over now,' said Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, a historian and associate professor at University College Absalon in Denmark. 'He's 55, and maybe the queen wanted to avoid a situation where you would have a very, very old king, as you saw with Prince Charles.' The new Danish royal couple will take the throne at a time of huge public support and enthusiasm for the monarchy. The most recent survey, which was done after the queen announced she would abdicate, indicated that 82 per cent of Danes expect Frederik to do well or very well in his new role, while 86 per cent said the same about Mary. 'The royal family means everything that is Danish. It's fairytales and traditions,' said Anna Karina Laursen, 59, a nod to the country's famous fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen. The Amalienborg complex, built in the 1750s, is located in central Copenhagen and consists of four palaces built around an octagonal courtyard. It is home to both the outgoing queen and the new reigning couple. However, a royal expert said that the Danish Queen broke an 'invisible pact' between Scandinavian monarchs to never abdicate. Roger Lundberg told STV that, after Denmark's changeover, there is a chance King Harald of Norway, 86, and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, 79, might follow suit and step down to allow their eldest children to take the throne. Fast food fans who like to tuck into a McDonald's breakfast to start the day are in for the treat with the return of a menu favourite after a four-year hiatus. McDonald's UK has revealed that they will be bringing back the Breakfast Wrap due to popular demand after axing the product back in 2020. The savoury treat contains a pork sausage patty with free-range egg, bacon, a potato rosti and cheese, in a soft tortilla wrap, and comes with your choice of brown sauce or ketchup. The wrap will now contain a steamed round egg, like you get in a McMuffin, rather than a slice of 'folded' egg, which is like a cross between scrambled egg and an omelette. McDonald's yellow and red logo advertising sign placed on a pole with a clear blue sky in London (stock image) The Breakfast Wrap is described by McDonald's as a 'pork sausage patty with free-range egg, bacon, a potato rosti and cheese, in a soft tortilla wrap, with your choice of brown sauce or ketchup' Brekkie fans will be able to munch on the treat from February 7, for 4.39 on its own, or 5.89 as a meal with a drink and a hashbrown. The wrap will be back for a period of time, however if popular enough, will be brought back as a permanent fixture. Fans on X, formerly known as Twitter were gutted when the wrap first disappeared from menus a couple of years ago but were ecstatic to hear of its return. One penned: 'McDonald's breakfast wrap would hit so good rn, rip'. Another said: 'Just found out McDonalds is bringing back their breakfast wrap. What a great Monday'. A different X user mourned: 'McDonalds breakfast wrap I miss you so bad', Meanwhile, another user said with hints of regret: 'If Id known the last time Id ate a McDonalds breakfast wrap and bagel was going to be the last time ever I wouldve savoured them more'. And one shocked user said: 'Thinking about the McDonalds breakfast wrap. I cant believe it. I want to run to you. Really cant believe this'. Another chimed in: 'I would kill for a McDonalds breakfast wrap. The amount of money Id pay to eat one more McDonalds breakfast wrap is unreal'. One user even joked: 'Whoever is responsible for making the decision of removing the McDonald's Breakfast wrap for good should probably stay away from decision making from now on because it's clearly not the job for them!' McDonald's fans on X were pleased to hear about the return of the Breakfast Wrap which was axed in 2020 This comes after McDonald's relaunched the much-loved Steakhouse stack burger, which along other items was available nationwide from January 4. The treat, which will set you back 5.39 for a burger, or 6.99 for a meal, has been hailed 'the best burger ever' by delighted foodies. One user took to X, formerly known as Twitter: 'Whoever Ronald McDonald employed to invent the steakhouse stack deserves the world'. Another keen foodie said: 'The steakhouse stack was the best burger theyve done in a long time'. A different user went as far as claiming: 'The steakhouse stack is the best burger on the McDonalds menu and nothing will convince me otherwise'. It's no doubt supposed to be a show of public affection to reassure onlookers that all is well in their marriage - but kisses shared between Europe's royal couples don't always go to plan. Just yesterday, the newly-appointed King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark seemed to miss the mark as they kissed one another during their balcony appearance at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. Waving to the crowds who had gathered following the monarch's accession to the throne after his mother Queen Margrethe II's shock abdication, the couple eventually shared a kiss to mark the occasion. However, the affection was labelled 'forced' and 'cringey' by viewers online and comes amid rumours the pair's marriage is on the rocks after Frederik was pictured on a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid without his wife in October. But Denmark's new King and Queen aren't the only royal couple to suffer an awkward kiss in public - especially when surrounded by rumours of trouble in paradise. Here, FEMAIL reveals the royal kisses that seemingly failed to scream romance... King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark After becoming King on Sunday, a beaming Frederik took to Christiansborg Palace balcony, where he shared a public kiss with his wife - the newly crowned Queen Mary of Denmark After becoming King on Sunday, a beaming Frederik took to Christiansborg Palace balcony, where he shared a public kiss with his wife - the newly crowned Queen Mary of Denmark. But Frederik's 'genuinely happy and highly emotional display' revealed potential tensions in his marriage, a body language expert revealed. Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL: 'When Mary joins him we initially see quite a distance between the two of them as they hold hands, he moves closer which she accepts. A literal distance can often mean a distance in a relationship. 'When the children join them, they all move in together. Mary encompasses her children showing that's her important focus.' However, when the King pulls Mary close as the children leave the balcony - the Queen is 'the first to pull away'. She continued: 'Frederik pulls her in for a kiss, which he tries to do a few times before it actually happens. This is something he has planned, rather than something spontaneous.' Adrianne also noted that when Frederik tries to kiss Mary on the side of the forehead, she 'doesn't react in any way; she just accepts'. The body language expert mused whether Frederik is 'still in the dog house' after rumours of an alleged affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. The new King and Queen shared a kiss shortly after Frederik succeeded the throne (pictured) Adrianne said: 'We see Frederik pull in Mary and plant a kiss on the side of her forehead. She doesn't react in any way; she just accepts. Is Frederik still in the doghouse I wonder?' Rumours of an affair circulated late last year, after the King was spotted on a night out with Genoveva in Madrid. The Mexican socialite later denied what she labelled 'malicious' rumours after photos surfaced of herself with the Crown Prince in the Spanish capital. Spanish magazine Lecturas reported they had dined together and watched Flamenco dancing until 1am. Mary has remained tight-lipped about her husband's dinner with the socialite, and the royal couple have put on a united display in a number of public appearances. However, speculation has mounted that Queen Margrethe's decision to abdicate may have been a bid to keep Frederik's wife of 19 years on side. Mary is incredibly popular with the Danish people, and was labelled the real 'power behind the throne' and 'king Mary' last week, according to a royal author. Trine Villemann also told Hello! that the Australian mother-of-four, 51, is a 'much better communicator and public speaker' than her husband, Crown Prince Frederik. Ahead of Margrethe's daughter-in-law becoming Queen, Danish royal author Trine said: 'Mary truly is the power behind the throne and will be for decades to come - there's no doubt about that. 'Frederik is a lovely guy and he's very popular, but Mary is a much better communicator and public speaker. She has great skill and enormous talent, and people in Demark are calling her 'King Mary'. 'Her approval ratings are higher than those of the rest of the royals, too... As we say in Denmark: Long live King Mary!' Charles and Diana Diana turned away as Charles leant in to kiss her on the cheek at a prize-giving ceremony following a polo match in Jaipur, India in 1992, pictured The breakdown of Diana and Charles' marriage was almost confirmed to the world when the princess swerved her head at the moment of a kiss in India in 1992, leaving her husband's painfully pursed lips making contact with the side of her hair. Princess Diana turned away as Charles, then the Prince of Wales, leaned in to kiss her on the cheek at the prize-giving ceremony following the polo match in Jaipur. Body language expert Judi James previously said of the kiss: 'Charles and Diana looked as though they had no relationship or even connection between them in private. 'The kiss was clumsy and awkward with no suggestion of a normally tactile relationship or even chemistry together. There is no synchronicity here. Charles and Diana also shared a tense and distant peck following his polo victory in 1985, just four years after their wedding 'Diana leans forward but also away from her husband and their clutches look misplaced and lacking in any affection. 'Diana has deflected the kiss by turning her head away. This rejection means Charles is left to plant his kiss on her hair instead of her cheek. 'His splayed fingers on her back showed a lack of desire for any form of touch and his ugly grimace as he miss-kisses looks miserable.' Meanwhile, in 1985, just a few months after the birth of Prince Harry, the couple shared an awkward and distant kiss following Charles' polo victory. The couple also looked tense on a number of other occasions, with Diana looking glum as Charles showed off his sporting prowess on the pitch. Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene Charlene - who appeared to share a very awkward kiss with Albert at their wedding in 2011 - appeared serious and in floods of tears during the ceremony prompting much speculation It was set to be the wedding of the year that threatened to put Kate and Prince Williams nuptials a few months earlier in the shade. But days before the big day, rumours began to circulate that Princess Charlene of Monaco had tried to flee the country on three occasions with a one-way ticket to Johannesburg. A Parisian news magazine reported that Charlene had been stopped at Nice airport after allegedly learning a distressing revelation about her future husbands private life. A senior Monaco detective claimed at the time: Charlene had her passport confiscated so that the Princes entourage could persuade her to stay. The rumour mill in France went into overdrive. Charlene had, it was suggested, heard talk of another illegitimate child, conceived when she was dating Prince Albert in 2005, and who would bring his tally of children born out of wedlock to three. But the Princess would go on to dismiss the hilarious rumours. She said: Why would he go through all this effort to have our dearest friends come join us, for us to be reluctant? Prince Albert added: My family have long been the subject of rumours born out of jealousy. In July 2011, Charlene, then 33, and 53-year-old Alberts three-day wedding, thought to cost around 53million, got underway. Cried and groom: Charlene had been accused of trying to run away three times before she married The kiss coupled with Charlene's wedding day tears sparked speculation all was not well The couple shared another awkward kiss during the religious ceremony on July 2 Under blue skies, the former Olympic swimmer transformed into a Princess and became her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco. But Charlene - who appeared to share a very awkward kiss with Albert at their wedding - appeared serious and in floods of tears during the ceremony prompting much speculation. Speaking about her big day, Charlene said later in an interview: Everything was just so overwhelming and there were all the mixed emotions because of the rumours, and obviously the tension built up and I burst into tears [immediately after the ceremony]. And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking "Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry. She continued: 'I think I kind of went into Olympic mode. I was in the zone, and I don't think anything was affecting me at that time. When all the rumours had started and people were questioning this and that, I just totally ignored it. Albert insisted their composed expressions had been misinterpreted and were unfair. Turning to his wife, he said: I thought I paid attention to you, smiled at you many times - but maybe that's not enough for some people. Brace for 'big bang' in cryptocurrency market The nations financial regulator on Friday rejected the proposed introduction of U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the domestic market. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said in a statement, "Any trading of the overseas-listed cryptocurrency ETFs may infringe upon the Capital Markets Act on related assets." An FSC official added that it would be difficult for Korea to follow suit as the two nations have different legal systems. The FSC's decision was prompted by the approval of bitcoin-linked ETFs by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This marks the inclusion of virtual assets in the current financial markets, implying that, despite the stance of the Seoul government, Korea will have to increasingly prepare for this development. The recent U.S. decision will likely prompt global investors, previously skeptical of virtual assets, to pour a maximum of $10 billion into the cryptocurrency markets. From a mid- and long-term perspective, the total investment will likely amount to $300 billion, equivalent to 3 percent of all global ETFs. There are growing expectations that the approval of bitcoin ETFs will open up new investment opportunities and foster growth in the asset markets. This is based on past instances where the introduction of gold-linked ETFs activated the gold market. On the other hand, concerns are also flaring up over the potential overheating of the virtual asset markets due to the recent U.S. decision. More analysts foresee the price of one bitcoin will reach even 200 million won ($152,000), instigated by the coming half-life period of bitcoin. It is risky to make a blind investment judging that the cryptocurrency has entered a bullish market. An increasing number of governments are rushing to institutionalize virtual assets into the official financial markets. For starters, the European Union passed a bill named Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) for the first time in the world last year. The G20 Summit held in New Delhi, India, in September of last year adopted a joint statement covering policies and regulations regarding virtual assets. Underlying the global move to bring virtual assets into the establishment are growing expectations of a revolution in the pertinent blockchain technology. Despite this, Korea has regrettably lagged in its efforts to endorse virtual assets, largely regarding them as speculative investments. Against this backdrop, the domestic market has already been a garbage gambling site replete with altcoins or kimchi coins issued outside the markets with the initial coin offerings (ICO) having been completely blocked. In June last year, the National Assembly passed a bill designed to protect investors of virtual assets. Yet it was incomplete and focused on punishing potential violators. The envisioned approval of bitcoin ETFs appears unlikely for the time being. This raises concerns about the potential shift of domestic investments to the U.S. market, posing a challenge to the local capital market and impeding progress in the essential field of blockchain technology. It is high time for Seoul to speed up endeavors to prepare institutional infrastructure, such as basic laws regarding digital asset management and investments. China has been intensifying efforts to boost relevant industries with the goal of regulating the production, possession, and trading of virtual assets and issuance of digital currencies, following the lead of the U.S., Japan and the European Union. Given this, it is fortunate to see Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong saying, I believe bitcoin has firmly taken root as an investment asset, during a press conference on Thursday. It is time for us to test the intrinsic value and safety of the assets, he added. Efforts should be made to both protect investors and nurture future industries. They cannot be separated. Steps should be taken to prevent the possible exploitation of cryptocurrencies for criminal purposes. The government should take proactive measures by implementing laws and establishing institutions to effectively support the seamless adoption and integration of blockchain technology. Queen Margrethe of Denmark paid heartwarming tribute to her late husband Prince Henrik as she stepped down as monarch yesterday. The royal, 83, ended her 52 year reign yesterday afternoon after she signed her historic abdication papers at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. The mother-of-two wore a purple button-down jacket and matching skirt for the occasion. The former Queen - who had her hair swept back in her signature up-do - completed her elegant ensemble with a pair of silver and ruby earrings. The priceless earrings were a present from Margrethe's husband Prince Henrik, who passed away in February 2018. Pictured: Queen Margrethe looked visibly emotional as she became the first Danish monarch to abdicate in 900 years yesterday The late royal had given the earrings to Queen Margrethe in 1990 to celebrate her 50th birthday. Queen Margrethe has worn the ruby earrings on several occasions - including her 40th Jubilee celebrations in 2012, as royal jewellery expert Lauren Kiehna pointed out on X, formerly known as Twitter. What's more, the royal paired her earrings with her diamond-and-ruby horseshoe brooch, which had been a present from her father King Frederik IX. The royal wore this brooch for own proclamation ceremony in 1972 as it is believed to have been given to her to celebration her becoming Queen. In February 2018, the Danish Royal Family announced that Prince Henrik - who was married to Queen Margrethe for 51 years - had passed away 'peacefully in his sleep'. In 2016, Henrik renounced the title of Prince Consort and spent much of his time at a chateau on a vineyard in southwestern France, although he remained married to the queen and officially still lived with her. The following year, French-born Henrik announced he did not wish to be buried next to the queen, breaking a 459-year-old tradition. The palace said it would respect his request not to be buried in a sarcophagus prepared for him and Margrethe and instead would follow Henrik's wish to be cremated. Queen Margrethe pictured with her late husband Prince Henrik in Caix, France, in 2002. Henrik passed away in 2018 The mother-of-two, 83, wore a purple cor-ord which she paired with her ruby-and-diamond earrings and brooch Queen Margrethe pictured wearing the ruby-and-silver earrings Prince Henrik gave her for her 50th birthday Queen Margrethe pictured wearing her ruby-and-diamond brooch for her proclamation in 1972 Shortly afterwards, the palace announced he had dementia - he was hospitalised in January 2018 with a lung infection. Born on June 11, 1934, in southwestern France to parents with the noble titles of count and countess, Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat married Denmark's future queen in 1967. Henri became Henrik and converted to Denmark's state Lutheran Church. However, he found it difficult to fit in with Denmark's egalitarian lifestyle. He was titled prince consort - the husband of a reigning queen but not a king - and he wasn't in the line of succession - his oldest son Frederik being the heir. Shortly after the royal marriage, media criticized Henrik because he had openly aired his views that spanking was good for children. In the mid-1980s, Henrik publicly said he wanted a paycheck instead of relying on the queen, who gets annual allowances. The law was eventually changed to give him roughly 10 percent of the annual allocation Parliament makes to royals each year. People pass an image of Queen Margrethe in Copenhagen, Denmark, ahead of of her passing on the throne to her son on Sunday The former monarch signed her historic abdication papers with her son and grandson Prince Christian, 18, present in Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen The pair looked overcome with emotion as they shared a loving look before then being joined by their four children The Queen's last words before leaving the Council of State yesterday were: 'God save the King.' Following this, the new King addressed the crowds that had gathered outside the royal palace from the balcony. Queen Margrethe became the first Danish monarch to abdicate for 900 years when she stepped down as monarch yesterday. On Saturday night, the Royal - who announced she was stepping down on New Year's Eve - listened to the public singing to her on the eve of her abdication. Danish royalists took to the streets of Copenhagen this weekend and waved red and white flags to honour their beloved Queen Margrethe. A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, captured the public singing to Margrethe outside Amalienborg, Margrethe's winter residence last night. One of the windows to the palace was left wide open, so that she could hear those who came to sing to her. The Queen, known for her chain-smoking and flamboyant style - was seen on the clip walking around her home and peering out at the crowd. Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down. However, she said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future. 'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,' she said in her speech. 'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. 'I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.' Prince Joachim of Denmark joined the new King and Queen in Copenhagen The new King and Queen of Denmark sent a message that Prince Joachim is still a key part of the monarchy today, by including him in their first official engagement since taking the throne. It was a remarkable turnaround for the brothers' relationship, which was rocked in September 2022, when Queen Margrethe stripped his children of their royal titles - a decision Prince Joachim claimed had 'harmed' his family. Amid the ructions, Joachim, 53, and his second wife Princess Marie, 46, admitted their relationship with his older brother Crown Prince Frederik, 54, and his sister-in-law Crown Princess Mary, 50, was 'complicated'. But there was no sign of tension between the brothers today, as Joachim joined the royal couple at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen for their first official engagement as the new King and Queen. While there may be echoes of Prince William and Prince Harry's feud, the pair have proved that it is possible to overcome the tensions in a brotherly relationship where one is destined to be King. On the steps of parliament, Frederik greeted his brother Joachim, showing there's no ill will between the pair Joachim (pictured right), who famously fell out with his mother when his children lost their Prince and Princess titles, appeared to show it was all water under the bridge as he proudly stood alongside her today Clearly accustomed to the Danish chill, Australian-born Mary braved the weather in a vibrant blue outfit for today's outing The new face of Danish royalty: Crown Prince Christian sat alongside his mother and father as Queen Margrethe and Prince Joachim sat behind Prince Joachim with his wife Princess Marie in September 2022. He is also pictured alongside his four children, who were stripped of their HRH status by their grandmother Joachim, who famously fell out with his mother when his children lost their Prince and Princess titles, appeared to show it was all water under the bridge as he proudly stood alongside her today. Perhaps in a nod that everything is peaceful within the family, second-born Joachim wore a tie emblazoned with elephants. The Order of the Elephant (Elefantordenen) is Denmark's highest honour. The honour is typically given to children of the monarch and their spouses, as well as heads of state and foreign royals. In 2022, Queen Margrethe shocked royal watchers as she sensationally announced Joachim's four children would lose their titles. Nikolai, 24, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 11, are now known as 'Count and Countess' and referred to as Their Excellencies, rather than Their Royal Highness. The Queen insisted the move would be 'good for them in their future' and allow the children - who have maintained their positions in the line of succession - to 'shape their own lives without being limited by the special considerations and duties' that a formal affiliation with the Danish Royal Family involves. After the family were stripped of their titles in September 2022, Prince Joachim claimed that his mother's decision had 'harmed' his children. Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that 'communication was missing' within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement. The brothers seemed as close as ever as they sheltered under an umbrella going into parliament Clutching a bouquet, Queen Mary was joined by the new King as the pair braved -2C weather Joachim also appeared close with his mother again as her hugged and kissed her Frederik sweetly greeted his mother outside of parliament as he took over the new role Showing no sign of sadness after stepping down, Queen Margarethe looked delighted as she walked into parliament The royal family popped up umbrellas to protect themselves from the sleet in the chilly temperatures Queen Mary, 51, in a blue skirt suit and dress hat tiptoed up the stairs into Christiansborg Palace - the Danish parliament - in stilettos Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: 'There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.' He added that he had only been given five days' notice before the news was made public. Following the Queen's announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lived with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been 'hurt' by their grandmother's decision. 'I was given five days' notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,' he clarified at the time. Speaking to B.T., Joachim and his second wife Marie also admitted their relationship with Prince Frederik and Princess Mary is 'complicated'. Meanwhile, Prince Joachim's ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling 'ostracised' from the institution and the decision had come like a 'bolt out of the blue'. The Royal Household released a further statement that the 'decision has been a long time coming'. 'We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen's wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected,' the statement added. None of Joachim's children - or his wife Princess Marie - joined him at the ascension yesterday. Instead, Marie and their two children, Count Henrik, 14, and Countess Athena of Monpezat, 11, remained in Washington DC, where the family now live after Joachim became defence industry attache at the Embassy of Denmark. A palace spokesperson told Hello!: 'Prince Joachim will be there, but the children go to school, there is no special reason.' However, there appears to be no hard feelings from his eldest son Nikolai, who posted sweet throwback pictures with both his uncle and grandmother to his Instagram account. The student, who is currently studying in Sydney and on holiday in Bali, added that he was eating Danish food, perhaps in a a sign he was missing home. After the parliamentary reception, most of the royals headed to a reception in the parliament, however Joachim left to fly back to the US. Princess Mary appeared to well up as she listened to 'Danmark, mit fdreland' (Denmark, my fatherland) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1850 Mary and Christian chatted to one another from the viewing gallery The King and Queen Mary spoke to one another from the viewing gallery of parliament Mary, Frederik and Christian walked into the viewing gallery first and were followed by the rest of the royals The family stood to sing the national anthem before listening to speeches Margrethe, known for her quirky fashion sense, opted for a fur coat inside parliament. Pictured walking alongside Danish politician Karsten Hnge Once inside parliament, the family listened to speeches from Danish politicians, including the Prime Minister, before the Danish National Girls' choir sang Hans Christian Andersen's 'Denmark, my Fatherland,' causing Mary to cry. Braving the -2C (28F) temperatures and rainy weather, Mary and Frederik greeted their family outside the building before watching speeches by politicians. After entering parliament, Mary - clutching a bouquet - headed into the chamber with husband Frederik and son Christian sitting either side of her. Joachim, Benedikte and Margarethe sat behind as they listened to a speech by Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister. Other MPs also gave speeches before the Danish National Girls' Choir - known as DR Pigekoret - sang to the royal family. The choir performed, 'Danmark, mit fdreland' (Denmark, my fatherland) which was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1850. The poem is about his love for the Danish country and language, and is often proposed as a new national anthem of Denmark. The song is reportedly a favourite of he new Queen's, who closed her eyes and shed a tear as it played. 'It's more than a song. It is a declaration of love for Denmark, for history, for the language, for the culture, for the landscape. A love song that even I, even though I was not born in Denmark, can feel deep in my heart. And I know that you don't have to be born in a country to feel at home,' she said during a speech in 2017. It's been a whirlwind start to the year for the Danish royals after Queen Margrethe, 82, announced her abdication in a shock New Year's Eve speech. Yesterday, 100,000 Danes gathered on the streets of Copenhagen to celebrate King Frederik's ascension. An emotional Frederik promised to be a modern monarch 'of tomorrow' as he asked his 'beloved wife' and family for support during a new reign. In his first public speech after being proclaimed King, the father-of-four, 55, as per a translation by royal blogger Gert's Royals, said: 'My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the second, has ruled Denmark for 52 years. 'For half a century, she has followed the times with our common heritage as a starting point. She will always be remembered as a Monarch beyond the ordinary. 'Like few, my mother has managed to be at one with her kingdom. Today, the throne passes on. My hope is to become an unifying king of tomorrow. It's a task I've been waiting for all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy. 'It is a deed I will take pains to carry out and carry through the position I have been entrusted with. 'I need all the support I can get. From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future knowing that I am not alone. Bound, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark.' Christian, Mary and Frederik stood in front of Benedikte, Joachim and Margrethe The royals laughed and smiled as they listened to parliament Mary looked animated as she watched the speeches in parliament Mary looked engaged as she listened intently to parliament Young Christian appeared to take well to his new role as Crown Prince as he chatted to his mother The family marked their first official engagement as royals The royal looked delighted to listen to speeches in the parliament Frederik took a seat in the front row with Queen Margrethe behind him The new king seemed at ease in his new role in parliament Passing the torch! Margrethe looked proud as she took a seat behind her son The royal was visibly moved at Christiansborg Palace, and wiped away tears at the historic occasion as roaring crowds cheered him as he appeared on the balcony alongside her family. But Frederik's 'genuinely happy and highly emotional display' on the balcony revealed potential tensions in his marriage, a body language expert said. READ MORE: Queen Margrethe's heartwarming tribute to late husband Prince Henrik revealed as she becomes first Danish monarch to abdicate in 900 years Advertisement Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL: 'When Mary joins him we initially see quite a distance between the two of them as they hold hands, he moves closer which she accepts. A literal distance can often mean a distance in a relationship. 'When the children join them, they all move in together. Mary encompasses her children showing that's her important focus.' However, when the King pulls Mary close as the children leave the balcony - Mary is 'the first to pull away'. She continued: 'Frederik gives Mary a wink, which means we're in this together. He pulls her in for a kiss, which he tries to do a few times before it actually happens. This is something he has planned, rather than something spontaneous.' It comes following rumours that the couple's marriage is on the rocks after Frederik was pictured with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid without his wife in October. Just moments before his first appearance as King, Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe II had signed her historic abdication after 52 years as monarch, Danish broadcaster DR said - and the BBC reported that her poignant last words before leaving the Council of State were: 'God save the King'. A beaming Frederik was then joined by his wife Mary - who is now Queen of Denmark - and their children Christian, 18, Isabella, 16 and twins Vincent and Josephine, 13, for a balcony appearance. Margrethe delivered the shock news of her abdication during her traditional New Year's Eve speech. Margrethe, who in the past had said she would remain on the throne for life, did not give an exact reason for her decision to step down. However, she said that a major back surgery she underwent in February last year had made her consider her future. 'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,' she said in her speech. 'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.' Amanda Knox has defended Gypsy Rose Blanchard as she attempts to return to a normal life, saying she's in 'a new kind of prison: the prison of public opinion.' Knox, who was convicted of the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while she was studying in Italy. The now 36-year-old was freed from prison in 2011 and returned to normal life - but says trying to return to normalcy after being incarnated was difficult. Amanda, who was convicted alongside her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, says she believes that Gypsy Rose's sudden rise to fame and the circumstances surrounding her mothers death may make it difficult to overcome her years in prison. Gypsy Rose, 32, was released from prison on December 28, after serving an eight-year prison stint for the murder of her mother, Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard, in June 2015. Amanda Knox (pictured) was convicted of killing her roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007 Dee Dee Blanchard (right) was found stabbed to death in her Missouri home in the summer of 2015 by Gypsy's then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn In a piece for the Free Press, Amanda wrote she could see parts of Gypsy's release into the world were mirroring her own experience. 'She may not yet realize that she has entered a new kind of prison: the prison of public opinion,' Amanda wrote. 'When I look at Gypsy, even though she was guilty and I was innocent, I see she is blundering into freedom in the exact same way as I did.' The motivational speaker continued saying it's taken her 'over a decade; to feel like she's in control of her life and no longer 'trapped by my own story.' 'Ive learned that I am more than the worst thing that ever happened to me, but where there is value in sharing my story with others, Im entitled to do so,' Knox wrote. 'The same goes for Gypsy. She is more than the horrible abuse she suffered, she is more than a conspirator to murder,' she explained. 'And now that shes admitted to what shes done and served her time, she doesnt owe anybody anything.' According to experts, Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy - a form of abuse that involves a guardian or caretaker inflicting harm upon their child by exaggerating medical issues to gain sympathy. Dee Dee falsely claimed she suffered from an array of illnesses including leukemia and muscular dystrophy. Gypsy's mother shaved her head, forced her into a wheelchair, had some of her teeth removed and paraded her at charitable events as a sickly child, including fully paid trips to Disney World. Gypsy Rose, 32, was released from prison on December 28, after serving an eight-year prison stint for the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, in June 2015 According to experts, Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy by her mother, Dee Dee (pictured) Amanda, pictured in 2009, was convicted of the 2007 m murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher Dee Dee was found stabbed to death in her Missouri home in the summer of 2015 by Gypsy's then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. Godejohn and Gypsy were arrested and both were sentenced to prison terms, with Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole while Gypsy was sentenced to ten years. According to Amanda, for anything familiar with Gypsy Rose Blanchards case, you know that '48-year-old Clauddine Dee Dee Blanchard had it coming.' 'Gypsy may not realize that many people admire her not because she admits that what she did was wrong or even because she survived and escaped horrific abuse, but because, deep down, they feel that Dee Dee deserved to be murdered,' Amanda wrote. After her release, she appeared on 'The View' and on 'Good Morning America' where she admitted that she did not want to kill her mother, but believed it was 'the only way out' of her situation.' Since her release, Gypsy has showcased her romance with Ryan Anderson on social media, whom she married in 2022 while incarnated. Her social media presence has attracted praise from fans but harsh criticism from others. Gypsy has defended her husband against critics, and says they are now happy 'enjoying' their life. 'Of course I feel conflicted. Fame is not what I'm looking for. I always said I think I'm infamous and then I came out famous,' she said. 'I'm a very shy person, I'm not doing anything that anyone else wouldn't do,' she insisted. The Dutch royals host an annual event for prestigious political and public figures Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands looked cheery on Monday as they welcomed guests to a traditional New Year's Reception. The Dutch royal, 52, and her husband the king, 56, waved as they prepared to welcome several hundred guests from political and public administration and from various sectors of Dutch society to the Royal Palace. The Queen looked elegant in a camel-coloured coat, adding a roll-neck jumper in the same neutral palette underneath to keep warm. She opted for her classic make-up style, keeping it naturally bronzed with a smokey eye and nude lip, while her blonde locks became slightly windswept amid a busy set of engagements. King Willem wore a single breasted navy suit with a patterned tie to match Maxima's outfit as he joined his wife to host their annual gathering. Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands looked cheery on Monday as they welcomed guests to a traditional New Year's Reception at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam Also in attendance was his mother Princess Beatrix, 85, who still attends significant events, even after her abdication from the Dutch throne in 2013. Wearing an ornate royal blue cape with gold detailing by the collar, she too welcomed guests to the impressive and high-calibre event. Maxima was born in Argentina and married into the Dutch royal family in 2002, three years after meeting her husband-to-be in Seville, Spain. Despite reportedly having no inkling that Willem-Alexander was heir to the throne when the pair first met, she eventually became queen consort when her husband ascended to the throne. Willem-Alexander became king when his mother, Beatrix, abdicated in April 2013 after 33 years as reigning monarch. The couple share three children - the eldest being 20-year-old Crown Princess Amalia, who is the heir to the throne. Her siblings, Princess Alexia and Ariane, are aged 18 and 16. For their Christmas card this December, the Dutch royals showed the rest of the European monarchies how it was done with an adorable family photo. The Queen looked elegant in a camel-coloured coat, adding a roll-neck jumper in the same neutral palette underneath to keep warm The Dutch royal, 52, and her husband the king, 56, waved as they prepared to welcome several hundred guests from political and public administration King Willem wore a single breasted navy suit with a patterned tie to match Maxima's outfit as he joined his wife to host their annual gathering Also in attendance was Princess Beatrix, 85, who still attends significant events, even after her abdication from the Dutch throne in 2013 Willem-Alexander became king when his mother, Beatrix, abdicated in April 2013 after 33 years as reigning monarch Maxima opted for her classic make-up style, keeping it naturally bronzed with a smokey eye and nude lip They even enlisted their dog, Mambo, to join them as they posed for portraits in front of the Christmas tree at Huis ten Bosch Palace. The family looked closer than ever as they showed their close bond, while appearing to coordinate their looks by each choosing a winter coat from a complementary colour palette - with Alexia choosing navy while Ariane opted for jade green. The eldest of the three sisters celebrated her 20th birthday in November and thanked royal fans for their well-wishes on Instagram. Via the Dutch Palace's account, the Princess of Orange said: 'Many thanks for all the congratulations I received on the occasion of my 20th birthday. 'All the heartwarming messages made my day even more special.' It has been a turbulent few years for the heir to the throne, who is currently studying at university - but is no longer allowed to live in student accommodation after potential kidnapping plots were uncovered. Speaking during a Dutch royal tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, the Princess of Orange opened up about missing 'normal life, the life of a student' following a security threat which meant she had to move back to her home in The Hague just weeks after she enrolled at university. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima together with princesses Amalia, Alexia, Ariane and dog Mambo for their Christmas card, December 2023 She said: 'I'm going to be very honest, I'm still having a very hard time. 'I miss the normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store.' Meanwhile she said she had enjoyed having some freedom back during the international tour, saying: 'I had a wonderful time.' Last October, Dutch news agency ANP quoted Queen Maxima during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander, saying: 'She can hardly leave the house. 'The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like others have,' she added with an unusual amount of emotional candour. The name of the the princess, along with former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, are understood to have come up in communications among organised crime groups which indicated they may be in their crosshairs for kidnapping. 'I'm very sorry for her and I'm obviously very concerned about it,' the prime minister said, without divulging details about the threats or the security measures. King Frederik and Prince Joachim 'lacked genuine warmth' despite their attempt to put on a united front today, a body language expert has claimed. The new monarch, 55, was joined by his younger brother - who now lives in Washington DC - at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen for his first official engagement since becoming King. After arriving with Queen Mary, Frederik went to hug his brother Joachim - who famously spoke of his frustration after his four children were stripped of their royal titles last January. Although this appeared to be a show of unity after a tense 12 months for Joachim and his immediate family, body language expert said this hug appeared 'cool' and speculated it could have been for the cameras. Speaking to FEMAIL, Judi James said there was a 'mood of suppression' about Joachim's appearance in parliament today. King Frederik's younger brother Prince Joachim - whose children were stripped of their royal titles last year - looked pensive as he watched the emotional balcony scene from inside the Palace The expert said: 'There is clearly a desire to show unity between the brothers. 'It was signalled via rituals rather than any more spontaneous gestures of mutual warmth but their very meaningful hug in front of their mother seemed to announce the fact that Joachim, who appeared to have been stung when his mother stripped his children of their royal titles, showed that he is capable of putting any problems behind him and congratulating the new King. 'There is a mood of suppression in Joachims body language, even as he hugs his brother, that seems to imply some ongoing coolness, though.' Unlike the British Royal Family, Judi claims that the Danish royals are more 'expressive and tactile' in how they interact with one another in public. The royal, 54, attended the ceremony without the support of his wife Princess Marie and their two children, Count Henrik, 14, and Countess Athena of Monpezat, 11. Comparing the brothers' behaviour, Judi added: 'Frederiks own body language showed he intended to display his emotions and even enjoy some fun as he became King, rather than treating it as a totally solemn occasion as out royals do. 'That is why this hug seems to lack signs of genuine warmth. Joachim stands planted with his feet splayed while the new King leans in to show some effort to register sibling closeness. 'Their torsos are held apart, which is unusual for brothers and although Joachim is performing a smile, that tight top lip and the way the corners of the mouth curl down slightly suggests a lack of genuine and more spontaneous joy here.' Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary, together with Prince Joachim, visit the Parliament Hall for the first time in their new official roles today King Frederik and Prince Joachim exchanged a hug outside of parliament - which body language expert Judi James said 'lacked warmth' Joachim also appeared close with his mother again as her hugged and kissed her What's more, Judi said Joachim's demeanour was equally icy once inside the Palace too - where he was seated behind his sister-in-law in Parliament. Analysing the family's demeanour, Judi continued: 'Everyone is smiling warmly in this pose apart from Joachim which, during a family gathering where mirroring tends to prevail to show like-minded thinking, could suggest someone who deliberately places themselves outside the group. 'His head is turned at an angle and his gaze looks watchful, with his brows pulled into a frown. 'His pose might create a dour presence at what looks like a happy gathering. All other three royals have rounded-cheek smiles of authentic delight and good humour but Joachim looks much more icy here.' On top of this, Judi says Prince Joachim appeared similarly detached from the celebrations yesterday. After Queen Margrethe officially abdicated, Joachim was filmed watching his brother, sister-in-law and nieces and nephews waving to crowds of royal fans from inside the palace. The brothers seemed as close as ever as they sheltered under an umbrella going into parliament Frederik sweetly greeted his mother outside of parliament as he took over the new role The royal family popped up umbrellas to protect themselves from the sleet in the chilly temperatures The expert continued: 'Prince Joachims body language and his facial expression might not be the sort you would want watching from the side-lines on your big day. He looked a very solitary, proud and reflective presence here as his older brother became King. 'Fredericks own body language, even with the elevated status, remains very open, spontaneous, relatable and real. 'His small sign and eye-roll before he stepped out onto the balcony to wave to the crowds looked sweetly humble and his own cheek-rounding, authentic smile that seemed to come accompanied by tears made him look utterly human, as did his gesture of dabbing his nose onto his formal white gloves. 'Joachim and Frederik are close in age but seem very different in terms of their emotional displays. Frederik looks likeable; Joachim looks regal, cool and very restrained. 'Watching his brother enjoying the cheers from the crowds Joachims pose and his facial expression suggested he was there as a viewer rather than a fond and supportive brother. 'There was no mirroring between the two men, even subliminal mirroring signals, and Joachims clamped-lip smile with the muscles tight long his top lip showed no real hints of genuine pleasure.' The Danish Queen (pictured with her sons and their wives) has said the decision was intended to allow Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20 - born from Joachim's first marriage - and Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, to live normal lives without royal obligations Prince Joachim's children Nikolai, 23, Felix, 20, Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, all lost their titles on January 1 2023 Out of a title: The four grandchildren who are no longer TRHs Nikolai of Denmark, 23: The Copenhagen Business School student and model regularly tops lists of the world's most eligible bachelors. He lives in Denmark but has jetted around the world to walk for designers in Paris and London. Nikolai has also appeared on the cover of Vogue Scandinavia. Felix of Denmark, 20: Following in his brother's footsteps, Prince Felix has also had success as a model and has starred in an advertising campaign for Georg Jensen. He had a short stint at the Royal Danish Military Academy but quit after two months because it 'wasn't for him'. Henrik, 13, and Athena, 10, of Denmark: The youngest of Prince Joachim's four children, Henrik and Athena are the product of his second marriage to Princess Marie. They live with their parents in Paris. Advertisement Tensions first arose in the Danish royal household after the monarch decided to strip four of her grandchildren of their HRH titles in 2022. She subsequently apologised about the timing of the announcement but stood by the move. Joachim had spoken out against his mother's decision in the days that followed - claiming that his two children, Counts Nikolai, 24, and Felix, 21 - born from his first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg - and Henrik and Athena, had been 'harmed' in the process. Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne said that 'communication was missing' within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement. Joachim told Danish tabloid B.T.: 'There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.' In February 2023, Queen Margrethe gave a rare interview where she shed light on her decision to strip Joachim's children of their titles. In an interview with Danish publication Ekstra Bladet she said: 'It's been important to me that this should never be Frederik's lot to make that kind of decision. 'It's better that I did. Because then it's the old lady that made the decision. I am not keen to get into it to be honest. 'I could mention some things, but you shouldn't have to tell everything. But it is still a little bit too private to talk about.' They are now Counts and Countess and referred to as Their Excellencies - and in January this year the Danish Royal Family updated their website to show the new status. Speaking in her 2022 televised New Year's address, Margrethe admitted: 'That the relationship with Prince Joachim and (his wife) Princess Marie has run into difficulties hurts me. 'Difficulties and disagreements can arise in any family, including mine. The whole country has witnessed this.' She added that she was 'sure that the family can enter the new year together with confidence, understanding and new courage'. Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Joachim claimed that he had only been given five days' notice before the news was made public. Following the Queen's announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he used to live with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been 'hurt' by their grandmother's decision. Ahead of yesterday's proclamation, a palace spokesperson said: 'Prince Joachim will be there, but the children go to school, there is no special reason.' Elsewhere in the statement, the Palace confirmed that Joachim will return to the US later today. People are now visiting the site and leaving bizarre tokens of their appreciation The silhouette of what appears to be a rat has been there for over a decade An imprint of a rodent in Chicago has gone viral after a visitor snapped a photo Rats don't run this city, but they do shape the pavement in Chicago. An oddly-shaped rodent hole in the ground has curious tourists from all over visiting Roscoe Village after a now-viral tweet alerted people to its existence. A photo of the famous silhouette was posted to X - previously known as Twitter - by local artist and comedian Winslow Dumaine on January 6. The image, which shows a splayed out rat indent in the pavement, was accompanied by text that read: 'Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole.' The rat shaped imprint went viral after local artist and comedian Winslow Dumaine (pictured) posted a photo of it to X, formerly known as Twitter, on January 6 The image, which shows a splayed out rat indent in the pavement, was accompanied by text that read: 'Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole' The response was immediate with the post amassing more than five million views and 136,000 likes so far. The hole has captured the attention of the locals as well - with the Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce even leaning into the rat-shaped hysteria taking over the city. 'We could not resist the urge to give into the hype,' they said in a Facebook post. 'From Remy to Mickey Mouse, rodents have a special place in the heart of pop culture. The Roscoe Village "Rat Hole" is no exception.' 'This little guy deserves to live out his fame by name!' they wrote, adding the best moniker will be voted on at a later date. Others who have made the pilgrimage to the famous rat hole have left offerings to the rodent imprint such as coins, small trinkets, and even a tiny bouquet of flowers. There has been some debate over the how long the rat silhouette has been there for and if it even is the said animal. In a Reddit thread from more than a decade ago, residents argued over the origins of the hole. Visitors have been leaving small trinkets, like this fake rodent, at the now-famous rat hole in Chicago Others who have made the pilgrimage to the famous rat hole have left offerings to the rodent imprint Eager visitors snap some photos of Chicago's rat hole after it went viral on X, previously known as Twitter The rat outline has reportedly been a feature in the neighborhood for more than a decade Took this on my pilgrimage in 2016, need to get back up there fr pic.twitter.com/hGVC5DN0DR ravenswood revanchist (@alopex_ii) January 6, 2024 'That definitely looks more like a squirrel than a rat to me,' one observer commented. 'And I say this as somebody who has been bitten by a squirrel.' 'Naw... it's a squirrel... I live in Roscoe village and we've done research... It's a squirrel...,' another agreed. 'You can tell by the foot prints next to it.' 'I took a picture of that exact same imprint a couple months ago, and I'm sorry but it's no squirrel. It's a fat Chicago rat,' someone else declared. 'Alternative theory - somewhere a construction worker, who has a strange sense of humor and cares little for the quality of his work, keeps a rubber rat with his masonry tools,' a fourth person joked. The hole - believed to be from a rat falling on wet concrete and either decaying over time or being removed - has been the topic of neighborhood debates for more than a decade. Pest control company Orkin even named Chicago the nation's 'rattiest' city in 2023 It's not clear if the rodent ever escaped - with no obvious trail leading away from its imprint but some users on the thread pointed out there were some markings which looked like small paws nearby. Winslow guessed it was likely a 'perfect combination of factors' that resulted in the rodent imprint. 'The cement was obviously very wet for a rat to be able to land that deeply in it,' he told Book Club Chicago. 'It probably just landed and then was covered in cement and then crawled out. Because there are little scratch marks near the hole.' It's not the only rat-related craze to sweep the city, with the constant presence of real-life rats causing Chicago residents to make 50,000 rat complaints in 2022. Pest control company Orkin even named Chicago the nation's 'rattiest' city in 2023. Despite the city's efforts to tame the rat population for nearly a decade, it continues to be the most infested city in the U.S.. Queen Mary of Denmark hid a number of subtle meanings in the sophisticated outfit she wore during her first public appearance as queen. The Australian-born royal was a vision in white as she waved to fans on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen alongside her husband King Frederik X just moments after his mother Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne on Sunday. But there were a number of hidden messages in the 51-year-old's simple yet chic outfit - from the colour of her dress to her accessories. Her white dress is a symbol of new beginnings, strength and purity while her choice to accessorise with red jewellery is a nod to the Danish flag. Dr Giselle Bastin, royal expert at Flinders University told FEMAIL that white is traditionally worn by women of the royal household at coronations to represent 'renewal and the purity of the Crown'. The New Queen Mary of Denmark looked a vision in white as she waved to adoring fans on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen alongside her husband King Frederik X There were a number of hidden meanings in her outfit. She opted for a white dress by Danish designer Soeren Le Schmidt to represent 'renewal and the purity of the crown' 'We've seen this in the British royal family, where in 1953 Queen Elizabeth II wore white, as did her maids in waiting and all the females present in the Abbey. We saw it at the coronation of King Charles III, also,' she said. Princess of Wales Kate Middleton wore white to King Charles III's coronation in May last year. Dr Bastin said she thinks Queen Mary opted for white to give the symbolism a 'modern twist'. 'The Danish royals are known for being more low-key than the British royals, and Mary's outfit suggested the focus on 'the future' and the 'modernity' of the new royal Danish court,' she said. White's strong association with purity also could mean Mary is giving a subtle dig to those who speculated about Frederik's alleged 'affair' with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova showing his innocence and that their relationship is unscathed. Mary's dress was sewn by Birgit Hallstein, the same seamstress who made her iconic Uffe Frank wedding gown Similarly, white is most commonly known as the colour brides wear down the aisle which could allude to Mary and Frederik's upcoming 20th wedding anniversary in May. Mary's dress was sewn by Birgit Hallstein, the same seamstress who made her iconic Uffe Frank wedding gown. She is not often seen in a new outfit as she loves reusing and rewearing pieces from her wardrobe time and time again but yesterday's festivities were an exception. She looked stunning in a white A-line midi dress with long sleeves and a mock shawl detail around the neck by Danish designer Soeren Le Schmidt. The dressmaker took to Instagram to show his gratitude towards the queen for choosing on of his designs for the momentous occasion. 'Beyond grateful, thank you for choosing me, Queen Mary of Denmark,' he captioned an image of the new King and Queen. Le Schmidt told Vogue Scandinavia the dress is 'relatively simple' and that he was 'very honoured, happy, proud, and not least grateful' to be asked to dress Mary for the historical event. The queen paired her Soeren Le Schmidt dress with pieces from a priceless jewellery set encrusted with red rubies. The red and white combination is a nod to the Danish flag 'The first dress that Queen Mary would wear under her new title as Queen a dress for the history books means a great deal. I am very moved,' he said. 'It is constructed with a separate waist belt that has a voluminous drape from the waist, around the neck, and over one shoulder.' The queen paired her Soeren Le Schmidt dress with pieces from a priceless jewellery set encrusted with red rubies. The red and white combination is a sweet homage to the Danish flags of the same colours. 'The colours of Denmark are red and white, so a graphically beautiful white dress adorned with the earrings and a brooch from the Ruby Set seemed like the right choice,' Le Schmidt said. Mary wore two hair pins, earrings and a brooch on her belt that is part of the Ruby Parure which also includes a tiara, necklace, ring and bracelet. The set is a family heirloom originally made by a now-unknown jeweller and commissioned by Napoleon for the late Queen of Sweden in 1804 for his extravagant coronation. They made their way to the Danish royal family when the Swedish queen's daughter married the future King Frederik VIII in 1869 and have been in their hands ever since. Mary wore hair pins, earrings and a brooch on her belt that is part of the Ruby Parure, a family heirloom that has a fascinating history involving French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte Mary has been the exclusive wearer of the rubies since her marriage to Prince Frederik in 2004, last donning them at the palace's New Year's dinner on January 1. Her ruby jewels weren't the only accessory of significance. Below her left clavicle she pinned Queen Margrethe II's Royal Family Order which features a diamond-framed portrait of the Queen hanging from a white and red ribbon bow. The brooch is a personal award gifted by the queen at her discretion rather than a state decoration. Mary was given the pin before her wedding to Frederik but was first seen wearing it publicly in 2012. Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedict and their sister Queen Anne Marie of Greece all wear a similar badge with a portrait of their father. A new portrait will be made of King Frederik and Mary will be the first and so far only recipient. The 'Ordensportrttet' of Frederik will be set in a 200-year-old diamond frame that originates from Empress Amelie of Brazil. Three of the siblings will be awarded the prestigious Order of the Elephant The Danish royal family were all smiles during King Frederik X's proclamation on Sunday - and their outfits held a number of subtle details many may have overlooked. Queen Consort Mary wore a set of family heirlooms that have a fascinating history involving French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and a heart-warming tribute to her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe. The royal couple's eldest daughter Princess Isabella, 16, wore a pearl and diamond brooch gifted to her by Margrethe who inherited it from her grandmother. Meanwhile, King Frederik wore the insignia of Denmark's highest honour, The Order of the Elephant, which will now be bestowed upon all his children. Mary wears her portrait of Queen Margrethe for the last time Mary had a tribute to her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe pinned to her white dress - but it may be the last time she wears it. The Danish royal family hid a series of historical and sentimental details in their outfits at King Frederik's proclamation on Sunday Below her left clavicle she wore Queen Margrethe II's Royal Family Order or 'Ordensportrttet'. The pendant is a portrait of the former queen set in a diamond and pearl frame with a red and white ribbon. The brooch is a personal award gifted by the queen at her discretion rather than a state decoration. Mary was given the pin before her wedding to Frederik but was first seen wearing it publicly in 2012. Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedict and their sister Queen Anne Marie of Greece all wear a similar badge with a portrait of their father. But the sentimental brooch may soon be replaced with Frederik's Ordensportrttet. The Australian-born royal will be the first and so far only recipient of Frederik's order which will be placed inside a frame of 200-year-old diamonds dating back to 1829 and belonging to Amelie of Leuchtenberg Empress of Brazil. Mary wore Queen Margrethe II's royal family order pin. She will soon to be first to receive Frederik's order in which his portrait will be framed with 200-year-old diamonds What does Princess Isabella's brooch mean? Mary and Frederik's eldest daughter Princess Isabella wore a small pearl brooch on her red scarf coat by Carolina Herrera. Isabella paired the designer coat with her mum's Valentino Black Leather Rockstud Pumps - but it was her pin that was the most valuable detail of her outfit. The brooch contains a triangle of diamonds with a white pearl in the middle and a pink pear-shaped pendant. It was reportedly gifted by Queen Margrethe to her eldest granddaughter when she was a just baby in 2007 as a Christening present. The stunning brooch belonged to Queen Alexandrine of Denmark who ruled from 1912 to 1947 and was Queen Margethe's paternal grandmother. Alexandrine wore the priceless brooch in a series of portraits in the early 1900s before she became queen. On her red Carolina Herrera coat, Princess Isabella, 16, pinned a pearl and diamond brooch gifted to her by Queen Margrethe Queen Margrethe inherited the pin from her grandmother Queen Alexandrine before giving it to Isabella as a Christening present. Isabella wore the brooch to her conformation in 2022 After her death in 1952, Margrethe inherited the brooch and wore it a handful of times before gifting it to Isabella. Isabella only wore the pin publicly for the first time at her uncle Prince Joachim's 50th Birthday Dinner in 2019. The last time she was seen with it on was for her confirmation at the Fredensborg Palace Church in 2022. The history of Queen Mary's favourite ruby jewellery Queen Mary wore her chic dress designed by Soeren Le Schmidt with a sparkling series of red jewels to represent the red-and-white Danish flag. Mary added two hair pins, earrings and a brooch on her belt to her outfit that is part of the Ruby Parure which also includes a tiara, necklace, ring and bracelet. Le Schmidt told Vogue Scandinavia the white dress was the 'perfect background' for the stunning jewels and described the combination as 'very beautiful'. 'The colours of Denmark are red and white, so a graphically beautiful white dress adorned with the earrings and a brooch from the Ruby Set seemed like the right choice,' he said. Mary added two hair pins, earrings and a brooch on her belt to her outfit that is part of the Ruby Parure which also includes a tiara, necklace, ring and bracelet Made to look like a sparkling branch of diamond leaves with ruby berries, the tiara has coordinating earrings that are customisable and have been worn by Mary in the past in a number of configurations. The set is a family heirloom originally commissioned by Napoleon for the late Queen of Sweden in 1804 for his extravagant coronation. They made their way to the Danish royal family when the Swedish queen's daughter married the future King Frederik VIII in 1869 and have been in their hands ever since. Mary has been the exclusive wearer of the rubies since her marriage to Prince Frederik in 2004, last donning them at the palace's New Year's dinner on January 1. Three more children set to get a new and very high order King Frederik wore a blue sash with a elephant pendant on his right hip for the proclamation. The pendant is the insignia of the Order of the Elephant, a Danish order of chivalry and the country's highest honour with origins dating back 600 years. King Frederik's accession will see Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, 13 and Princess Josephine, 13, also receive the order. King Frederik wore a blue sash with an elephant pendant, an emblem of Denmark's highest honour The Order of the Elephant which will be not be awarded to his children Eldest sibling Prince Christian was bestowed the honour by Queen Margrethe on his 18th birthday last October. The elephant emblem is worn at a number of special events and in two different configurations. During The Order of the Elephant festival royals wear the symbol on a gold chain hanging from each shoulder. It is also worn as Frederik displayed it on Sunday, at the end of a blue sash on the right hip. The Order of the Elephant has a complex and varied history dating back to the 1400s during the reign of King Christian I. Between 1580 and now, 890 royals have been awarded the honour with Margrethe giving 68 people the order during her 52-year reign. Queen Mary of Denmark appeared 'relieved and tired' in her celebratory carriage ride following the abdication of Queen Margrethe on Sunday, a body language expert has claimed. Royal watchers expressed concern the new queen was 'sad' and 'glum' while waving at well-wishers, with some pointing out that she didn't hold the hand of her husband King Frederik during the procession in Copenhagen. But body language professional Dr Louise Mahler said the Australian royal looks confident in her decision to step up as queen and while the 'smile and energy have gone' the 51-year-old seems 'relaxed and possibly tired, which is possibly fair enough!'. 'I don't see slumped,' she told FEMAIL. 'Apparently those carriages are hideously uncomfortable.' The newly crowned pair marked their rise to the throne with a public kiss on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, much to the delight of the 100,000 strong crowd. While they may have appeared loved up, there has been speculation over the couple's 'fairytale romance' in recent weeks after Frederik was pictured on a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. Genoveva, 47, denied any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the royal. Queen Mary of Denmark appeared 'relieved and tired' in her celebratory carriage ride following the abdication of Queen Margrethe on Sunday, a body language expert has claimed Body language professional Dr Louise Mahler said the Australian royal looks confident in her decision to step up as queen and while the 'smile and energy have gone' the 51-year-old seems 'relaxed and possibly tired ' The crowd let out a huge cheer to welcome their new king, 55-year-old Frederik, to the balcony before screaming even louder when his wife appeared. The couple's children were then invited onto the balcony, delighting the crowd even further. Body language experts have also said the couple didn't seem 'spontaneous' in their public displays of affection. After he was declared King by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, King Frederik X was joined by his wife Mary and their four children: Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine. In one moment, Frederik turned to kiss Mary - to loud applause from the crowds gathered below the Christiansborg Castle balcony. But body language expert Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL that the kiss was clearly something Frederik had planned, rather than something spontaneous. She said: 'Frederik gives Mary a wink, which means we're in this together. 'He pulls her in for a kiss, which he tries to do a few times before it actually happens. The new King and Queen shared a kiss shortly after Frederik succeeded the throne, in the wake of Queen Margrethe II's abdication which was formalised in Copenhagen today After he was declared King by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, King Frederik X was joined by his wife Mary and their four children: Christian, Isabella, Vincent and Josephine In one moment, Frederik turned to kiss Mary - to loud applause from the crowds gathered below the Christiansborg Castle balcony 'This is something he has planned, rather than something spontaneous.' Adrianne also notes that when Frederik tries to kiss Mary on the side of the forehead, she 'doesn't react in any way; she just accepts'. The body language expert mused whether Frederik is 'still in the dog house' after rumours of an alleged affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. Adrianne said: 'We see Frederik pull in Mary and plant a kiss on the side of her forehead. She doesn't react in any way; she just accepts. 'Is Frederik still in the doghouse I wonder?' Rumours of an affair circulated late last year, after the now King was spotted on a night out with Genoveva in Madrid. Body language expert Adrianne Carter told FEMAIL that the kiss was clearly something Frederik had planned, rather than something spontaneous The body language expert mused whether Frederik is 'still in the dog house' after rumours of an alleged affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova Rumours of an affair circulated late last year, after the now King was spotted on a night out with Genoveva in Madrid The Mexican socialite was later forced to deny what she labelled 'malicious' rumours after photos surfaced of herself with the Crown Prince in the Spanish capital. Spanish magazine Lecturas reported they had dined together and watched Flamenco dancing until 1am. Mary has remained tight-lipped about her husband's dinner with the socialite, and the royal couple have put on a united display in a number of public appearances. However, speculation has mounted that Queen Margrethe's decision to abdicate may have been a bid to keep Frederik's wife of 19 years on side. Mary is incredibly popular with the Danish people, and was labelled the real 'power behind the throne' and 'king Mary' last week, according to a royal author. Trine Villemann also told Hello! that the Australian mother-of-four, 51, is a 'much better communicator and public speaker' than her husband, Crown Prince Frederik. The pair marked their rise to the throne with a public kiss on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace - much to the delight of the 100,000 strong crowd King Frederik's speech in full My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the 2nd, has ruled Denmark for 52 years. For half a century, she has followed the times with our common heritage as a starting point. She will always be remembered as a Monarch beyond the ordinary. Like few, my mother has managed to be at one with her kingdom. Today, the throne passes on. My hope is to become an unifying king of tomorrow. It's a task I've been waiting for all my life. It is a responsibility I take on with respect, pride and great joy. It is a deed I will take pains to carry out and carry through the position I have been entrusted with. I need all the support I can get. From my beloved wife, from my family, from you and from that which is greater than us. I face the future knowing that I am not alone. Bound, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark. Source: Gert's Royals Advertisement Ahead of Margrethe's daughter-in-law becoming Queen, Danish royal author Trine said: 'Mary truly is the power behind the throne and will be for decades to come - there's no doubt about that. 'Frederik is a lovely guy and he's very popular, but Mary is a much better communicator and public speaker. She has great skill and enormous talent, and people in Demark are calling her 'King Mary'. 'Her approval ratings are higher than those of the rest of the royals, too... As we say in Denmark: Long live King Mary!' Ahead of Margarethe's shock announcement, the family headed for a pre-Christmas break to Mary's native Australia, as well as visiting New Zealand. Before the family's flight from New Zealand Princess Mary shared a cryptic post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection ahead of Christmas. In the letter posted on the Mary Foundation website, the future queen reflected on the past year - and said she felt it was shorter than previous years. 'And at the same time, so much has happened that it is impossible to put it all into words,' she continued. An excerpt shared on the official Instagram of the Danish Royal House had some speculating the princess was using her foundation to hint at the affair rumours. 'We need each other if we are to succeed.' And that's not only true in the working world and for those of us who are working to combat social isolation,' it read. 'This is true for all of us. Humans need humans.' The post and powerful words were pictured alongside a gorgeous picture of the royal in the snow. She wore a purple jacket beneath a warm woolen wrap and gave a soft smile toward the camera. Princess Mary has shared a cryptic post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection ahead of Christmas Her trip came after rumours of the prince having an affair with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova rocked the Danish Royal Household 'The Danish royal family are lucky to have you. I hope your husband realises he has embarrassed you and his children immeasurably. You will make a fine queen,' one fan commented. Another wrote: 'I think this is a sad year for Mary, her husband's (alleged) betrayal and it's public. What a brave woman, she can handle anything. I just adore her.' Some came to the defence of the royals calling for people to stop talking about the alleged affair. There has been speculation that Queen Margrethe's abdication may have been driven to save the marriage of her son and Princess Mary in the wake of the alleged 'affair'. Ms Casanova has denied allegations of any relationship with Frederik. Royal commentator Phil Dampier told The Telegraph: 'It's possible that the Queen took this action because she would have been terrified of the marriage breaking up and the royal family losing Mary. It would have caused major problems. 'The Queen has always seen Mary as a tremendous asset.' Meet the world's first Aussie-born queen: How Princess Mary worked as an advertising executive before meeting her future husband in a Sydney pub - with no idea he was Denmark's heir to the throne Crown Princess Mary will become the world's first Australian-born queen when her mother-in-law abdicates the Danish throne in two weeks time. Margrethe II caused shock when she announced in a speech on New Year's Eve that she would be stepping down as monarch after 52 years. She will be succeeded by her son, Crown Prince Frederik, on January 14. It means his wife Mary, whom he first met at a pub in Sydney, will soon become the world's first Australian-born queen. The 51-year-old was working as an advertising executive when she first met Frederik in a packed city pub 23 years ago and had no idea the handsome European tourist she had been chatting to for hours was actually the future king of Denmark. Now, married for 19 years and proud parents to four children, Mary has won her adopted country over by her dedication to royal duty and her fluency in the language. Gossip magazines in both Denmark and Australia have published speculation about the state of the royal couple's marriage over the years, but there is nothing concrete to suggest they are anything but happily married. The couple's relationship was most recently scrutinised after photographs emerged of Frederik, 55, enjoying a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova in Madrid in October. But despite rumours of an alleged 'affair', Frederik and Mary made a show of unity as they headed into Aarhus cathedral on Christmas Eve. Crown Princess Mary, pictured in Milan in April this year, will soon become the world's first Australian-born queen Then: A fresh-faced Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark drapes his arm around Tasmanian advertising executive Mary Donaldson in a photo believed to be taken shortly after their first meeting in 2000 Mary, 51, was working as an advertising executive when she first met Frederik in a packed city pub 23 years ago and had no idea the handsome European tourist she had been chatting to for hours was actually the future king of Denmark. Frederik and Mary are pictured together at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, on November 6, 2023 Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark arrive for a State Banquet at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen on November 6, 2023 Mary Donaldson was 28 years old when she met Frederik in the Slip Inn in Sydney 23 years ago. After the pub encounter, then 32-year-old Fred - who was in Australia to support Denmark's sailing team at the 2000 Olympics - asked Mary for her phone number and a romance blossomed. 'The first time we met we shook hands. I didn't know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later someone came up to me and said, "Do you know who these people are"?' Mary revealed in an interview about meeting the heir to the Danish throne. They maintained a long-distance relationship for a year, with Frederik making secret trips Down Under before Mary moved to Denmark to study Danish language at Copenhagen's Studieskolen in 2001. In early 2003, Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged the relationship and the couple announced their engagement at Amalienborg Castle later that year on October 8. Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905. In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden. Princess Mary shows off her engagement ring to the media during a press conference at Fredensborg Castle October 8, 2003 Frederik and Mary married on May 14, 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, with the newly minted Crown Princess opting for a beautiful gown by Danish designer Uffer Frank and a veil first used by Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden in 1905 In a nod to her heritage, Mary carried a bouquet of Australian snow gum eucalyptus interspersed with blooms from the Palace garden The couple are spotted together at the Melbourne Cup in 2002, months before Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe publicly acknowledged their relationship Frederik and Mary make their first official appearance together at the Tasmania Yacht Club ahead of the Dragon Boat World Championship on January 19, 2003 At the altar, Frederik announced: 'From today, Mary is mine and I am hers. I love her, and I will protect her with all my love.' Their first child, Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John, was born October 15, 2005; Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe followed on April 21, 2007. Almost four years later Mary and Frederik welcomed twins, Princess Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda and Prince Vincent Frederik Minik Alexander at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen on January 8, 2011. Standing on the hospital steps, a beaming Frederik declared: 'It's a miracle.' The family has returned to Mary's native Australia on many occasions, visiting famous landmarks in Sydney, Canberra and the Northern Territory and even spending Christmas Down Under. The sporting event which brought them together continues to hold a special place in their hearts, with the couple attending the Olympics in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In 2009, Frederik was appointed to the International Olympic Committee a role he has had ever since. In October 2019, Mary was named regent in a historic move by Queen Margrethe. The title gave the Princess power to perform duties as head of state when the 80-year-old monarch is overseas or otherwise engaged. Between raising her children and appearing at diplomatic events, Mary has worked tirelessly to prove her commitment to charity, becoming a patron of more than 25 international organisations since her marriage to Frederik in 2004. Patronages include the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe and the United Nations Population Fund, where she supports their work to promote maternal health in more than 150 developing nations. In 2007, the Princess launched The Mary Foundation, a charity focused on stamping out domestic violence, bullying and loneliness. Married for 19 years and proud parents to four children (pictured together), the famously down-to-earth royals are adored by millions, with Mary poised to become the world's first Australian-born queen Between raising her children and appearing at diplomatic events, Mary (pictured with her husband) has worked tirelessly to prove her commitment to charity, becoming a patron of more than 25 international organisations since her marriage to Frederik in 2004 Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (left) has been given the right to act as regent in place of her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe (right) when the monarch is otherwise engaged Mary will soon become Queen of Denmark when her husband Frederik takes the crown. Queen Margrethe announced during her traditional New Year's Eve speech that she will abdicate on January 14 next year after 52 years on the throne. The monarch, famed for her chain-smoking as well as her flamboyant sense of style, will be succeeded by her eldest son Crown Prince Frederik. The 83-year-old queen, who took over the throne in 1972, is the longest-serving monarch in Europe following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. In February, she underwent a successful back surgery. 'The surgery naturally gave rise to thinking about the future - whether the time had come to leave the responsibility to the next generation,' she said in her speech. 'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. 'I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.' In her broadcast today, Queen Margrethe II stated: 'I have decided that now is the right time. On January 14, 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark.' Margrethe II was the eldest of the three daughters of King Frederik IX of Denmark, and succeeded him to the throne in 1972 Queen Margrethe II (centre) pictured with her son Crown Prince Frederik (left), daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mary (right) and their four children Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine Crown Prince Frederik reaches out an arm towards his wife during an engagement on November 8, days after a Spanish magazine pictured him on a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova News of her abdication comes just months after the Danish Royal Family has been shaken by rumours of an alleged 'affair' between Frederik and Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova. Photos published by Spanish magazine Lecturas in October that showed Prince Frederik out for the evening in Madrid with the 47-year-old socialite. The newspaper published the photos and alleged the pair had spent the evening at a bodega in the Spanish capital where they watched flamenco dancing and dined into the early hours. Since the photos emerged Mary has remained tight-lipped about her husband's dinner with the socialite, and the pair have adopted a 'business as normal' attitude during public appearances. Days before Christmas, the mum-of-four shared a cryptic post about loneliness and the need for positive human connection during the festive season. The post came after the Princess reconnected with Frederik and three of their children in New Zealand during an unofficial getaway. In the letter which was posted on the Mary Foundation website the future queen reflects on the past year - and says she felt it was shorter than previous years. 'And at the same time, so much has happened that it is impossible to put it all into words,' she continued. An excerpt posted on the official Instagram of the Danish Royal House had some speculating the princess was using her foundation to hint at the 'affair' rumours. 'We need each other if we are to succeed.' And that's not only true in the working world and for those of us who are working to combat social isolation,' it read. 'This is true for all of us. Humans need humans.' The post and powerful words were pictured alongside a gorgeous picture of the royal in the snow. Frederik and Mary were also spotted holding hands at a Christmas Eve church service at Marselisborg Castle with their four children Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine, both 12. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has been spotted holding hands with husband Prince Frederik while attending a Christmas Eve church service with their four children Despite swirling rumours of the Prince's alleged 'affair' that rocked the family, Mary and Frederik appeared loved up as they headed into Aarhus cathedral on Sunday, December 24 Mary looked stylish in a $1,400 floral Saloni maxi dress she paired with Aquazzura's knee-high suede Gainsbourg 85 Boots, a grey soft drop coat and burgundy gloves on December 24 The royal couple were all smiles as they stepped out alongside Prince Christian, 18, Princess Isabella, 16, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, both 12 Queen Margrethe (right) also attended the Christmas Eve service as well as Frederik's brother Prince Joachim, his wife Princess Marie and their children Count Henrik and Countess Athena. Pictured from left on Christmas Eve: Prince Christian, Princess Josephine and Princess Isabella The popular royal family celebrated Christmas day at Marselisborg Castle with Frederik's mother Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. They are pictured on December 24 this year According, according to Hola!, Frederik's private trip to Spain was to enjoy art exhibitions, watch flamenco and visit new restaurants. It is believed that he had planned to attend the Picasso exhibition with a mutual friend he shares with Genoveva - however at the last minute, the friend was unable to go and asked Genoveva to attend in his place. After visiting the exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, the pair walked through El Retiro Park, before heading to El Corral de la Moreria for dinner. Genoveva has since hit back at 'malicious' rumours she was romantically involved with the heir to the Danish throne. A statement from the socialite said: 'I categorically deny the statements that suggest a romantic relationship between Prince Frederick and me.' She added: 'Any statement of this type not only completely lacks the truth but also misrepresents the facts in a malicious manner. 'This is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take care of the pertinent steps to protect my right to honour, truth and privacy.' Advertisement An emotional King Frederik promised to be a modern monarch 'of tomorrow' as he asked his 'beloved wife' and family for support during a new reign. In his first public speech after being proclaimed King, the father-of-four, 55, as per a translation by royal blogger Gert's Royals, said: 'My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe the 2nd, has ruled Denmark for 52 years. For half a century, she has followed the times with our common heritage as a starting point. 'She will always be remembered as a Monarch beyond the ordinary. Like few, my mother has managed to be at one with her kingdom. Today, the throne passes on. It's the latest drama for the Danish royal, which follows Margrethe sparking a public rift with Joachim after stripping his four children of their royal titles. She subsequently apologised about the timing of the announcement but stood by the edict. Joachim had spoken out against his mother's decision in the days that followed - claiming that his children born from Joachim's first marriage to Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg - and Henrik and Athena had been 'harmed' in the process. While Mary may have appeared sad, King Frederik was in his element on the carriage ride The couple waved to crowds form the balcondy They were later joined by their four children to greet adoring well-wishers Months later, the sixth-in-line to the throne admitted that 'communication was missing' within the Royal Family in the lead-up to the shock announcement. Joachim told local news outlet B.T.: 'There is a lot to work on. Communication was what was missing. Now we have met and we are on the right track.' Shortly after his children were stripped of his titles, Joachim claimed that he had only been given five days' notice before the news was made public. Following the Queen's announcement, Joachim spoke to Danish publication Ekstra Bladet outside the Danish Embassy in Paris, where he lives with his French-born wife Princess Marie and his two youngest children, and said his four children had been 'hurt' by their grandmother's decision. 'I was given five days' notice to tell them. In May, I was presented with a plan which, by and large, was that when the children each turned 25, it would happen. Now I had only five days to tell them. Athena turns 11 in January,' he clarified at the time. Meanwhile, his ex-wife Alexandra said that her sons, Nikolai and Felix, had been left feeling 'ostracised' from the institution and the decision had come like a 'bolt out of the blue'. The Royal Household released a further statement, saying: 'As the Queen stated yesterday, the decision has been a long time coming. 'We understand that there are many emotions at stake at the moment, but we hope that the Queen's wish to future-proof the Royal Household will be respected.' Australians have compiled a list of unspoken rules for travellers and immigrants who head Down Under. The comprehensive list touches on essential aspects of Australian culture and societal expectations. A few recognised that the etiquette tips would come in handy to prevent possible 'rude' behaviours that stem from lack of knowledge regarding Australian norms. As tourism and immigration soars, Aussies recommend expats get behind basic rules like respecting queues, waiting for people to get off trains before getting on, and refraining from using speakerphones on public transport. Many on Reddit also recommended visitors abstain from tipping, follow noise laws set by local councils, and treat everyone equally. Australians have compiled a list of unspoken rules for travellers What to do on public transport 'Respect queues and don't cut in line,' one said. 'Many people may be from cultures where you will 'miss out' on something unless you push in. Please don't do this in Australia. The person lining up in front of you should always go first.' He also revealed it was proper etiquette to let people get off first before you attempt to board trains and buses. 'Don't talk on speakerphones on public transport,' the Aussie said. 'Most people do not want to hear your conversations being broadcast out of your phone's speaker.' Australians also typically stick to the left side of the footpath and escalators - so it's essential to know this if you want to prevent bumping into strangers. Etiquette tips in Australia Respect queues and don't cut in line Wait for people to get off trains before attempting to get on Don't talk on speakerphones on public transport Walk on the left on footpaths and stand on the left on escalators Respect the equality of all genders and sexual orientations Try and speak English as much as possible in the workplace Swim between the flags when at the beach Be polite to hospitality staff waiting on you at eateries Don't tip at cafes or restaurants Respect the 'noise laws' set by your local council Don't litter Advertisement Australian values and attitudes The man shared several 'classic' rules that are well-known in Australia. 'Respect the equality of genders and sexual orientations,' he wrote. 'We strive for 'fairness' and discrimination is socially unacceptable.' He also recommended speaking in English as much as possible in common areas like workplaces to prevent excluding people who don't speak foreign languages. Others revealed that Aussies have a higher standard of personal hygiene because of the heat. 'Please wear deodorant every single day,' one said. Restaurants and cafes Australians do not tip hospitality workers and many have asked visitors to stop 'normalising' tipping. 'Contributing to this American, un-Australian trend is an attempt to standardise paying more money that should already be being paid to the staff by their boss under our award wages system,' the Aussie said. He also asked expats to be polite to waitstaff. 'Looking down on such workers even if you perceive them as less-skilled is a no-no. Saying 'please' and 'thank you' to service workers is standard.' Many requested people refrain from littering at the beach How to act at the beach 'Swim between the flags when at the beach,' an Australian warned. 'Swimming in the ocean can be dangerous. The red and yellow flags indicate the areas patrolled by lifeguards, which can help in providing you with aid should you experience trouble while in the water.' Many also requested people refrain from littering and leaving their rubbish in public. 'Australia's nature is one of its main selling points and we all should try to do our part to keep it that way,' the man said. 'Learn how the rubbish collection system works and be responsible for any mess caused by your overflowing bins.' By Sandip Kumar Mishra North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly said on Dec. 30 at a five-day plenary meeting of the Workers Partys Central Committee that Pyongyang would no longer seek unification and reconciliation with South Korea as the South has declared North Korea its "main enemy." He said that "the party (Workers Party of Korea) has come to the conclusion that unification is not possible." North Korea now considers inter-Korea relations as relations between "two hostile countries" or "countries in a state of combat." It appears to be a big shift in North Koreas policy toward Korean unification and was widely reported in media across the world. It is indeed an important shift in North Koreas formal stance towards South Korea. Until now, North Korea has maintained that unification of the two Koreas is the ultimate goal. It is interesting to note that the ruling formation of North Korea is called the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea or Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) which is led by the Workers' Party of Korea and at present has 24 political parties and organizations as members. The Front was founded in July 1946 prior to the establishment of North Korea and if unification is not the goal of North Korea, the Front must be renamed and reorganized. In North Korea, there is also a Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea which was established in May 1961. Even though the committee is not a governmental body, it has played its role in inter-Korea relations. It is to be seen if North Korea abandons this committee also. Another important change is that until now most of the inter-Korea joint declarations such as those drafted in 1972, 1991, 2000, 2007 and 2018 have iterated that the goal of Korean unification is paramount and beyond all "ideas, ideologies and systems." North Koreas unilateral withdrawal from its stated position in these documents could indeed be considered an important shift in the North Korean approach. However, in reality, the shift in North Koreas approach could not be considered a big one. Actually, in the 2023 plenary party meeting Kim Jong-un also said that South Korea is an undoubted enemy and thus North Korea should exponentially increase its nuclear capabilities. Thus, the recent statement of Kim Jong-un that reunification is impossible basically means that unification of the two Koreas on the terms of North Korea is not possible. The statement may be the first such admission by North Korea but experts on inter-Korea relations have been aware of this reality for around three decades. The economic, military and cultural capabilities of South Korea have taken a big leap along with its ironclad security alliance with the U.S. and any future unification of Korea would happen in terms of South Koreas liking. Thus, the statement of Kim Jong-un is merely a North Korean admission of reality. Kim Jong-uns statement that the enemies have taken reckless measures to invade North Korea and it is certain that war on the Korean peninsula may break out anytime is also not anything new. He said that the North Korean military must be ready to pacify the entire territory of South Korea using nuclear weapons if it is necessary in the event of an attack. Similar statements have been made by North Koreas leaders in the past. In fact, the statement of the North Korean leader is encouraged by its growing confidence in being able to make renewed connections with China and, more significantly, Russia. The Ukraine war has brought North Korea and Russia close to each other in a very significant way. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russia in 2023 and it is speculated that Putin might make a reciprocal visit to North Korea in 2024. Furthermore, it has been reported that North Korea has provided artillery and other equipment to Russia and has received advanced weapons as well as assistance in launching its spy satellite from Russia. North Korea would seek to provoke South Korea more in 2024 through its statements and actions in the expectation that it would bring it closer to Russia and China. North Koreas strategy is also meant to show that South Koreas toughened approach towards North Korea and its increased connections with the U.S. and Japan are futile and even counterproductive. In brief, it could be said that Kim Jong-un's statement about abandoning the goal of unification of Korea is an important shift in terms of its formal position but substantially, it is just a continuation of its existing policy to deal with South Korea, as well as the U.S. and Japan. The statement as such is merely a frank admission that unification of Korea would not happen on North Koreas terms and conditions. The author teaches at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and can be reached at sandipmishra10@gmail.com Medicine shortages are 'worse than ever' in Britain and are now putting lives at risk, pharmacists warned today. Data shows 106 commonly taken drugs are currently out of stock across the UK double the number recorded in January 2022. Over the past two years, supply problems have hit crucial antibiotics and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs, as well as type 2 diabetes and cancer medicines. Now a treatment for controlling epileptic seizures has also been added to the list. Experts warned supply problems are forcing some patients to switch to other brands and, in extreme cases, leaving cancer patients without medicines needed to control the spread of their disease. Over the past two years, supply problems have hit crucial antibiotics, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs, type 2 diabetes medicines and cancer medications. Now a treatment for controlling epileptic seizures has also been added to the list According to the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA) the trade body representing drug manufacturers and suppliers supply issues affected 96 products as of December 18. While this is down on the 111 recorded at the end of October, 10 drugs that weren't hit with supply problems in the autumn have since been added to the list. And the total is double the 52 medicines with supply issues logged in January 2022. Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, warned patients had been forced to go without medicines, increasing their risk of the cancer recurring or spreading. She told The Guardian: 'Last year many people shared with us, via Breast Cancer Now's helpline, that they'd been facing difficulties accessing their hormone treatment including letrozole, anastrozole and tamoxifen, causing them huge worry and anxiety. READ MORE: Rogue online pharmacies are selling potentially fatal doses of prescription drugs without checks, probe reveals The probe attempted to purchase three restricted drugs - painkillers as well as sleeping and anti-anxiety drugs - from online pharmacies Advertisement 'Trying to track down a treatment by travelling to a number of different pharmacies is an added burden for patients at an already difficult time. 'It may also sometimes be that certain brands of drugs are out of stock and people may have to switch to another brand or different drug. 'In the worst case someone may have a period of time without the medication, a drug which could help reduce the risk of their breast cancer coming back or spreading.' Meanwhile, Douglas Twenefour, the head of care at Diabetes UK, told the newspaper: 'The ongoing shortages of many GLP-1 medications are having serious implications for many people with type 2 diabetes and are still a major concern. 'With these shortages likely to last for at least the rest of this year, this will have a significant impact on whether many people with type 2 diabetes can access the best course of treatment for them.' EU health chiefs have attributed supply chain shortages to the war in the Ukraine and Covid pandemic. Chaos in the Red Sea, a vital shipping corridor for good, could bring fresh instability to the supply of drugs, experts have warned. Selling medicines to the NHS is also becoming increasingly unprofitable, with manufacturers seeing costs soar in the face of rising prices for raw ingredients. But there are caps on how much the NHS will pay for medicines, making international firms are less willing to sell to the UK. At the end of last year, the Government raised business taxes on sales of branded drugs from 14 per cent to nearly 26.5 per cent, meaning some firms are threatening to pull out of the UK market completely, according to reports. Janet Morrison, the chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, told the Guardian that supply problems have been ongoing for months but are now 'worse than ever'. She said shortages had become 'worryingly normal', with pharmacy teams spending an average of 11 extra hours a week tracking down vital medicines their patients need. She added: 'This all causes worrying delays for patients, and in worst cases it can lead to a deterioration of their health.' READ MORE: NHS warns celebrity weight loss drug Ozempic will remain in short supply 'until 2025' The weekly injections have been in short supply since last year when the health service announced it would begin rationing its stock Advertisement A 2023 survey by Community Pharmacy England found 92 per cent of pharmacy teams were dealing with medicines supply issues daily, up from the 67 per cent logged the year before. Almost nine in ten (87 per cent) team members believed patient health was being put at risk. But reports have highlighted that medicine shortages have been increasing for over 20 years. Older medications are often subject to shortages because prices drop once a laboratory's original patent expires and other companies can make generics. Pharmaceutical companies also do not keep stocks of these older medicines that are much less profitable than newer therapies. A small disruption during manufacturing, for instance, can lead to a shortage. The issue, however, is not suffered by the UK alone. In October, one of France's pharmacy unions, the USPO, called for more transparency as well, adding that drug shortages were becoming a permanent problem. EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides also told MEPs in October that addressing the medicine shortages was a top political priority in Europe, adding that there was a new alert system and shortage prevention plans, as these are problems impacting multiple countries. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'There are a number of reasons that a limited number of medicines may be unavailable, such as manufacturing difficulties, supply of raw materials, sudden demand spikes or issues with distribution. 'The department has well-established procedures to deal with such issues and works closely with industry, the NHS and others to prevent shortages, and resolve any problems as soon as they arise.' They added: 'This includes working closely with the NHS so they can put suggested plans in place to mitigate the risk of the shortage impacting patients.' Measles cases have doubled in a year as experts warn that children may die unless vaccination uptake increases. Health officials have blamed low uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for a series of outbreaks in Britain this winter. They urged parents to check their kids have had both doses of the jab, or risk them becoming seriously ill and fuelling prolonged outbreaks. The West Midlands is in the grips a of a major outbreak with more than 50 children needing hospital treatment for the virus over the last month. It is the region's worst outbreak since the mid-1990s. A significant number of cases have simultaneously been reported in London, with immunologists warning that the UK is far from its measles-free status in 2019. In England, 89.3 per cent of two-year-olds received their first dose of the MMR vaccine in the year to March 2023 (blue line), up from 89.2 per cent the previous year. Meanwhile, 88.7 per cent of two-year-olds had both doses, down from 89 per cent a year earlier Your browser does not support iframes. At least 95 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks, under public health guidance. But nationally, the proportion of five-year-olds who are fully-jabbed has fallen to 84.5 per cent the lowest in more than a decade. The trend has partly been blamed on the rise of anti-vaxx beliefs. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data show there were 1,603 suspected cases in England and Wales in 2023. The figure is more than twice as high as the 735 logged in 2022 and an almost five-fold rise compared to the 360 cases reported in 2021. The suspected cases are based on official notifications by doctors making a diagnosis from clinical symptoms. While not all are later confirmed to be measles by laboratory tests, health chiefs warn that levels are clearly rising. WHAT JABS SHOULD I HAVE HAD BY AGE 18? Vaccinations for various unpleasant and deadly diseases are given free on the NHS to children and teenagers. Here is a list of all the jabs someone should have by the age of 18 to make sure they and others across the country are protected: Eight weeks old 6-in-1 vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and hepatitis B. Pneumococcal (PCV) Rotavirus Meningitis B 12 weeks old Second doses of 6-in-1 and Rotavirus 16 weeks old Third dose of 6-in-1 Second doses of PCV and men. B One year old Hib/meningitis C Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) Third dose of PCV and meningitis B Two to eight years old Annual children's flu vaccine Three years, four months old Second dose of MMR 4-in-1 pre-school booster for diphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough 12-13 years old (girls) HPV (two doses within a year) 14 years old 3-in-1 teenage booster for diphtheria, tetanus and polio MenACWY Source: NHS Choices Advertisement The MMR jab is first offered to children aged one, with a second injection available soon after they turn three. Two doses offer up to 99 per cent protection against the measles, mumps and rubella, which can lead to meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy. UKHSA data shows that cases in the West Midlands have surged. In December, 57 suspected cases were detected, representing more than a quarter of all 217 cases detected across England and Wales that month. Figures released today also showed there were 198 cases recorded in the West Midlands between January and the end of November 2023. Around 80 per cent of cases were in Birmingham, most in young and school-age children who were not vaccinated with MMR, the UKHSA said. Dr Naveed Syed, a consultant in communicable disease control at the UKHSA, based in the West Midlands, warned he was seeing 'cases of measles rising every day'. He added: 'Uptake of MMR in the region is much lower than needed to protect the population, which is giving this serious disease a chance to get a foothold in our communities.' Dr Syed urged the parents of school children to ensure they have had both doses. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chair of the Government's vaccine taskforce, told The Times: 'If vaccine coverage does not improve, it is likely that deaths and other complications from measles will reappear. 'This disease can be prevented, indeed in 2016 we showed that it can be completely blocked from our shores. 'With the virus transmitting in England today, it would be a tragedy if any child were to die from measles when we have the tools in front of us to stop it.' Latest NHS Digital shows that up to four in ten children in parts of England haven't had both MMR jabs by the time they turn five. Just 56.3 per cent of youngsters that age in Hackney, east London, were fully-protected against measles, mumps and rubella in 2022/23. After Hackney came Camden (63.6 per cent) and Enfield (64.8 per cent). Outside of London, the lowest uptake rates for both doses among five year olds were logged in Liverpool (73.6 per cent), Manchester (74.5 per cent) and Birmingham (75.1 per cent). Worries about low uptake in the capital saw councils send letters to parents warning unvaccinated children may be excluded from school for three weeks in the event of an outbreak in their classroom. This advice was first issued by UKHSA chiefs in 2019 but councils flagged it to parents amid a spike in measles cases. Measles can infect nine in ten unjabbed children in a classroom if just one classmate is infectious. In November, new guidelines were drawn up for NHS staff when dealing with children with respiratory infections, urging them to 'think measles'. The document, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, asked health professionals to check the vaccination records of all children arriving at hospital. Measles, which mostly produces flu like symptoms and a rash, can cause very serious and even fatal health complications if it spreads to the lungs or the brain. One in five children who catch measles will need to go to hospital, with one in 15 developing serious complications like meningitis or sepsis Any showing symptoms of the disease should be immediately isolated while staff ought to wear personal protective equipment, it urged. Measles, which mostly produces flu like symptoms and a rash, can cause very serious and even fatal health complications if it spreads to the lungs or the brain. One in five children who catch measles will need to go to hospital, with one in 15 developing serious complications like meningitis or sepsis. Medics have been increasingly concerned that measles, which has long been kept at bay because of these vaccines, could make a return due to declining uptake. Uptake of the MMR jab collapsed in the wake of study by the now discredited medic Andrew Wakefield which falsely linked the jabs to autism. MMR uptake in England was about 91 per cent prior to Wakefield's study being published but plummeted to 80 per cent in the aftermath. While rates have recovered slightly, thanks to concentrated efforts by health officials, a rise in anti-vax sentiment during the Covid pandemic is thought to have contributed to some parents opting not to get their children jabbed. An NHS England spokesman said: 'Measles is incredibly infectious, can cause serious illness and has no specific treatment so the best possible protection is vaccination. 'The MMR vaccine is safe and has been used to protect children for decades, so it's very important to check your child's vaccination status and get them caught up with any missed doses.' Your browser does not support iframes. What is measles? Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death. While measles can affect anyone, it is most common in children. Complications can include chest and ear infections, diarrhoea, encephalitis (infection of the brain) and brain damage. Complications are more likely to occur in certain groups including people with weakened immune systems, babies under one year old and pregnant women. Those who develop complications may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment. How do you catch it? Measles is caught through direct contact with an infected person. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. In England, 89.3 per cent of two-year-olds received their first dose of the MMR vaccine in the year to March 2023 (blue line), up from 89.2 per cent the previous year. Meanwhile, 88.7 per cent of two-year-olds had both doses, down from 89 per cent a year earlier What are the symptoms? Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Typical symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth. Symptoms usually develop nine to 11 days after becoming infected and last up to 14 days from the first signs to the end of the rash. There are no specific drugs for measles, so treatment is to help relieve symptoms and address complications. How infectious is measles? Extremely. Each patient typically passes the viral infection on to 20 others. If you are not protected and have even passing contact with someone who has measles, the chances are that you will be infected too. If someone has either not been vaccinated or become immune through natural infection and they live in the same household as someone with measles, there is a 90 per cent chance that they will develop it themselves. Why are people concerned? Cases of suspected measles cases have doubled in a year, with outbreaks currently reported in London and the West Midlands. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show there were 1,603 suspected cases of the disease in England and Wales last year, up from 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021. The suspected cases are based on official notifications by doctors making a diagnosis from clinical symptoms. Not all are later confirmed to be measles by laboratory tests. But it is clear cases are rising. Levels in the West Midlands are now the highest since at least the mid-1990s, with more than 300 cases identified since October. It has triggered the UKHSA to declare a 'national incident'. There were 57 suspected cases reported in the region in the last four weeks of December alone a quarter of the total of 217 for the whole of England and Wales. Last week, Birmingham Children's Hospital also said it had treated 50 children for measles in the past month, the highest in years. Meanwhile, London reported 44 cases of the same period with cases reported throughout the year. It comes after the UKHSA warned earlier this year that London faced an outbreak of between 40,000 and 160,000 because of low vaccination coverage. For every 1,000 people infected, between one and three will die with those under 5 and with weakened immune systems most at risk. Why is this happening? The UK lost its measles-free status three years after virus transmission was eliminated in the country, due to falling vaccination rates. In the late 1990s and early 2000s there had been a fall in uptake due to false claims that the MMR vaccine was linked to autism. But efforts to boost vaccination rates worked and led the World Health Organisation to declare the UK measles-free in 2016. But this has not been maintained, meaning measles is now circulating within our communities again. Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said the vaccine programme in the UK is 'clearly not' where the health body wants it to be, adding 'we want it to be 95 per cent'. But she noted: 'Its quite common with vaccination programmes that when the risk is perceived to have gone away, then the concern to get vaccinated may drop off and so one of the reasons for flagging this today is to remind people that cases are still out there. This is a serious illness.' The pandemic led some children to miss out on routine vaccinations, with numbers still not caught up. At least 95 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks, under public health guidance. But uptake of both doses of the MMR vaccine is at about 85 per cent nationally. This figure drops far lower in some areas with greater ethnic minority populations, making them more susceptible to outbreaks. Experts have also said vaccine hesitancy in the wake of the pandemic is likely 'a contributing factor' and vaccine misinformation will 'have had a "spillover" effect into other vaccines'. Cases of suspected measles cases have doubled in a year How do we protect against measles? Measles is extremely contagious. To reach herd immunity against measles, it requires at least 95 per cent of people to be immune to the disease, usually through vaccination. Immunisation programmes are essential to prevent measles and there is a highly effective vaccine available as part of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) jab. Babies are offered the first dose at 12 to 15 months and a second dose is usually given from three to three-and-a-half years onwards. I've not had mine, what should I do? If missed, it can be given at any age. Anyone who has not had two doses of the MMR vaccine should ask their GP surgery for a vaccination appointment. The NHS recommends anyone planning a pregnancy, travelling abroad, starting university or working in the healthcare sector should check that they have had both doses. Definite past infection will also protect against future infection. Pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems should not be immunised. Health officials have also urged the 'Wakefield generation' adults born in the late 1990s or early 2000s to check their own medical records. Tens of thousands of children missed out on the MMR vaccine because of the now-debunked autism fears raised by discredited medic Andrew Wakefield. How soon should a child be back at school after measles? Measles is most infectious from four days before the appearance of the rash until four days afterwards. Doctors recommend that a child should be kept off school for four days after the onset of the rash. Disease X could result in 20 times more fatalities than Covid, the WHO said Six industry experts will convene on Wednesday to talk out pandemic concerns World leaders are set to meet this week to talk out concerns about the potential for a future pandemic that could cause 20 times more fatalities than Covid. A panel led by World Health Organization chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Gehreyesus will debate 'novel efforts needed to prepare healthcare systems for the multiple challenges ahead' at a session called 'Preparing for Disease X' at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Disease X represents a hypothetical, currently unknown pathogen. It was added to the WHO's list of nine priority diseases in 2018. In 2018, the WHO identified nine priority diseases (listed) that pose the biggest risk to public health. They were deemed to be most risky due to a lack of treatments or their ability to cause a pandemic Disease X represents a hypothetical, currently unknown pathogen. It was added to the WHO's list of nine priority diseases in 2018 Dr Gehreyesus will be joined on Wednesday by Michel Demare, chair of the board of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, Brazilian health minister Nisia Trindade Lima, Royal Philips CEO Roy Jakobs, Indian hospital chain Apollos executive vice-chairperson Preetha Reddy and Shyam Bishen, head of the center for health and healthcare and member of the World Economic Forum's executive committee. In its list of priority diseases, the WHO said: 'Disease X represents the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease.' The UN agency ranks Disease X alongside Covid-19, Ebola, Zika virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars). Experts do not yet know what type of virus will trigger the next pandemic, but scientists have warned for decades that bird flu is the most likely contender. Researchers say this is because of the threat of recombination with high levels of human flu raising the risk of a human becoming co-infected with avian flu as well. Others have long speculated Disease X would more generally come from zoonotic transmission an animal virus or bacteria that jumps to humans. Some have even warned Disease X could be sparked by a biological mutation, an accident or a terror attack that catches the world by surprise and spreads fast. DailyMail.com previously spoke to three virus experts who agreed a respiratory virus spread via droplets from coughs and sneezes was most likely to trigger the next fast-spreading disease that causes a global shutdown. In a session called 'Preparing for Disease X' at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a panel led by World Health Organization chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Gehreyesus (pictured right) will debate 'novel efforts needed to prepare healthcare systems for the multiple challenges ahead DailyMail.com previously spoke to three virus experts who agreed a respiratory virus was most likely to trigger the next fast-spreading disease that causes a global shutdown They said the infamous Disease X would most likely appear after a farm worker is infected with an animal-borne disease that mutates, but said they could not rule out the disaster would be sparked by a lab leak, a main theory as to the origin of the Covid pandemic. It was also possible, they warned, for the outbreak to be even worse than the Covid pandemic, pointing to the 1918 influenza outbreak, which killed an estimated 50 million people globally, compared to the seven million deaths from Covid. Top culprits for the next pandemic, the experts speculated, were another coronavirus and avian influenza a virus that infects birds but could possibly jump to humans. This disease has led to the slaughter of five million birds in the US this year in an attempt to prevent an outbreak. The experts, though, could not rule out other diseases like Ebola and outbreaks from insect-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever. Some of the most dangerous viruses such as smallpox, measles and HIV originated in animals and later became highly transmissible between humans. So far, scientists are aware of 25 virus families, each of them comprising hundreds or thousands of different viruses, any of which could evolve to cause a pandemic. Worse still, they estimate there could be more than one million undiscovered viruses that may be able to jump from one species to another, mutate dramatically and kill millions of human beings. There was a silver lining, however. They pointed to rapid advances in vaccine technology and antivirals as a sign the pharmaceutical industry would be able to rapidly roll out treatments against a pandemic disease when the next arises. Around the world, countries have pledged a total of $1.5billion (1.15billion) to help scientists prepare for Disease X. The UK government has pledged 160million ($210million), alongside pledges from the US, Japan, Germany, Australia, and Norway. The Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust have also invested in research to tackle Disease X. News of the World Economic Forum meeting sparked a heated debate on social media last week, with ring-wing accounts claiming that preparation for Disease X could result in shutdown measures such as more lockdowns. During the Trump administration, Monica Crowley, a former Fox News contributor and assistant secretary for public affairs to the Treasury Department, said that a new disease would allow world leaders to enact lockdowns, 'restrict free speech and destroy more freedoms.' But Dr Stuart Ray, vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics at Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine, told Fortune it would be 'irresponsible' for world leaders not to meet at the forum. He said: 'There have been multiple such events in recorded history, and the recent coronavirus pandemic taught us that rapid response can save millions of lives. 'Coordination of public health response is not conspiracy; it's simply responsible planning.' Taking Viagra in combination with common chest pain medications could be deadly, a study warns. Nitrate drugs work by causing blood vessels to dilate, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the heart, and are prescribed to people suffering from chest pain in men that is normally those aged 42 years and over. Doctors have advised against taking nitrates like Nitrostat and erectile dysfunction drugs which also work by causing blood vessels to dilate for decades due to fears they may cause a sudden drop in blood pressure that risks a fatal heart attack. And now Swedish researchers has found evidence backing up the claim, after analyzing data on 61,000 men hospitalized after suffering from a heart attack. Men are warned against taking Viagra and nitrates like Nitrostat close together. Doctors say this could cause a sudden drop in blood pressure risking a heart attack (stock image) Doctors advise patients wait at least 24 hours after taking viagra before taking nitrate medications like Nitrostat (right), and vice versa Doctors said those who were prescribed both drugs overall had a higher risk of any complication, including death. The complications could be recorded up to 28 days after Viagra was prescribed to patients already receiving nitrates. Doctors have previously advised patients on nitrates should wait at least 24 hours before taking Viagra, and vice versa. In an editorial accompanying the study, the researchers said it was 'reasonably safe' to take Viagra 24 hours after using nitrates among patients who had ischemic heart disease a heart problem caused by narrowed arteries mild angina and the ability to exercise reasonably well. But for those who needed to take nitrates regularly, they said Viagra use was 'ill-advised' and 'not recommended'. Viagra and nitrate medications work by causing blood vessels to dilate, or expand, allowing for a surge in the blood supply to the penis causing an erection or the heart boosting the supply of oxygen to the organ to help ease pain. But if the medications are taken close together doctors say they can cause blood vessels to dilate too much, triggering a sudden dip in blood pressure. This also cuts the supply of oxygen and vital nutrients to the heart, which raises the risk of suffering a heart attack. About 4million men in the United States take Viagra every year, data suggests, while about 5.5million use nitrates to treat chest pain. Doctors say men should take Viagra about an hour before sexual intercourse, and only take the drug about once per day. For the study, Swedish researchers used database the Swedish Patient Register which holds medical information on almost everyone in the country. They searched for men who had suffered a heart attack myocardial infarction or percutaneous coronary intervention and received at least two nitrate prescriptions within six months. Patients were also checked for whether they had received a prescription for Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) or Viagra, Levitra and others. Results showed 55,777 of the men in the group had received a prescription for nitrates while 5,710 had received a prescription for both. Scientists said their analysis showed men who had received both drugs had a higher risk for all health outcomes including death compared to those who took nitrates alone. They also discovered that this risk was not immediate, with health events occurring as late as 28 days after receiving the medication. Professor Daniel Peter Andersson, a medical experet at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said: 'Physicians are seeing an increase of requests for erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs from men with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). 'While there is a positive association of ED medication for men with CVD, patients taking nitrates may experience an increased risk of negative health outcomes.' He added: 'Our goal is to underscore the need for careful patient-centred consideration before prescribing PDE5i medication to men receiving nitrate treatment. 'Furthermore, it justifies our efforts for continued research into the ambiguous effects of ED drugs on men with CVD.' Limitations of the study included they were not certain when men prescribed both medications had taken the drugs. About 18million Americans have heart disease, which puts them at higher risk of chest pain and erectile dysfunction. Causes of the condition include diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and excessive use of alcohol or caffeine. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Energy drinks might raise the risk of physical and mental health problems among children, a large scientific review has revealed. Kids who consume the beverages, which can contain more caffeine than a cup of coffee, are more likely to be overweight and develop heart problems. They also face a higher chance of getting mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression and suicide attempts. Other hazards included poor sleep quality, ADHD symptoms and severe stress. Scientists who combed through dozens of studies warned sales of the 'damaging' drinks, touted for as little as 25p, should be restricted to children. Drinks such as Red Bull, Prime and Monster can have up to 150mg of caffeine. For comparison, a 250ml cup of coffee has around 90mg. Energy drinks can also contain up to 21 teaspoons of sugar, making children who drink them more probe to putting on weight. The review, by experts at Teesside University and Newcastle University, looked at data from 57 studies to probe the effect they have on children. The studies included more than 1.2million young people, aged nine to 21, from 21 countries. Results, published in the journal Public Health, show that boys were more likely to consume energy drinks than girls. Possible side effects linked to young people having energy drinks Negative Smoking Alcohol use Binge drinking Substance use Vaping Skipping school School exclusion Less healthy lifestyle Eating junk food and skipping breakfast Unsafe vehicle use Violent behaviour Unsafe sex Binge drinking Eating disorders Accidents and injury Short sleep duration Poor sleep quality Higher than average BMI Heart rhythm disorders High blood pressure Heart palpitations Frequent urination Anxiety Depressive and panic symptoms Dental problems Asthma Allergic rhinitis Atopic dermatitis Severe stress Suicide ADHD inattention Positive Improved sport performance School performance Higher physical activity levels in boys Advertisement Findings revealed the beverages were linked with a higher risk of poor physical health, such as a higher than average body mass index (BMI), heart rhythm problems and high blood pressure. Youngsters who consumed energy drinks were more likely to have poor mental health and suffer from anxiety, depression and eating disorders, as well as suicide attempts. Some of the studies included in the review also highlighted that the group were at greater risk of unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, vaping and poor sleep quality. Other worrying side effects included a higher risk of asthma, frequent urination and tooth decay. People who reported drinking alcohol mixed with an energy drink were more likely to have poor grades, drink-drive and use drugs than those who had energy drinks alone. Two of the studies found a link between energy drinks and improved sport performance. However, the researchers said these studies were limited by sample size. The study did not name any brands or reveal how much of a risk young energy drinkers faced compared to those who did not have the beverages. The team noted that the review was observational, so could not pinpoint that energy drinks were to blame for the knock-on effects they detected. For example, it could be that energy drinks are popular among groups already in bad health. However, the researchers suggested the effects could be down to the caffeine content, which, in combination with sugar and other stimulant properties, could hinder children and young people's health. Dr Shelina Visram, an expert in public health from the University of Newcastle and the study's co-author, said: 'We are deeply concerned about the findings that energy drinks can lead to psychological distress and issues with mental health. 'These are important public health concerns that need to be addressed. 'There has been policy inaction on this area despite Government concern and public consultations. 'It is time that we have action on the fastest growing sector of the soft drink market.' Professor Amelia Lake, a professor of public health nutrition at Teesside University, said: 'We have raised concerns about the health impacts of these drinks for the best part of a decade after finding that they were being sold to children as young as 10-years-old for as little as 25p. That is cheaper than bottled water. 'The evidence is clear that energy drinks are harmful to the mental and physical health of children and young people as well as their behaviour and education. 'We need to take action now to protect them from these risks.' Previous research has found that up to a third of children in the UK consume energy drinks weekly a higher proportion than any other country in Europe. Nations including Lithuania and Latvia have already regulated energy drinks by banning sales to under-18s. Several energy drinks which can be bought in UK shops have more than double the caffeine content on an average cup of coffee (80mg) In the UK, rules state that any energy drink with more than 150mg of caffeine must be labelled high in caffeine. The Government outlined plans to ban the sale of energy drinks to under-16s in 2019 but the policy was never carried out during the Covid pandemic. In 2022, Wales launched its own consultation on a ban for under-16s. However, many large retailers and soft drinks companies voluntarily prohibit the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to children. The NHS advises that energy drinks should not be consumed by young children. Last May, a child suffered a 'cardiac episode' and needed their stomach pumped after drinking Prime Energy, leading a school to issue a warning to parents about the drink's 'harmful effects'. Prime was launched by YouTube icons KSI and Logan Paul last year. The pair have millions of followers online. Social media hype around the products led to it quickly selling out in supermarkets, leading to massive queues and rules on how many each customer could buy. In response to the review's findings, William Roberts, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said: 'This important review adds to the growing evidence that energy drinks can be harmful to children and young people's physical and mental health, both in the short and long-term. The study did not name any brands or reveal how much of a risk young energy drinkers faced compared to those who did not have the beverages Previous research has found that up to a third of children in the UK consume energy drinks weekly a higher proportion than any other country in Europe 'That's why we need the UK Government to step up and deliver on its 2019 commitment to ban sales of energy drinks to under 16s. 'In doing so it would not only be following the evidence, but also following the example of countries that have already restricted sales to children, a move supported by the majority of the public.' Meanwhile, Barbara Crowther, children's food campaign manager at Sustain, a charity advocating for better food and farming, said: 'It's not right that companies are profiting from energy drinks when evidence shows they're harming children and young people's health. 'These concerning findings should prompt our Government to act. But they've been disappointingly silent on the issue for the past five years. 'Over that time, energy drinks companies have increasingly targeted young people with even higher caffeine content drinks, putting more of them at risk. 'We need our government to step up and follow through with their planned restriction of sales of these drinks to under 16s.' But director general at the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), Gavin Partington, noted its code of practice already 'contains a number of stringent points on responsible marketing'. He said: 'The BSDAs voluntary Code of Practice on energy drinks, which was introduced by and for BSDA members in 2010, contains a number of stringent points on responsible marketing, meaning members do not market or promote energy drinks to under-16s, nor do they sample products with this age group. 'In addition, our members' energy drinks carry an advisory note stating "not recommended for children". 'BSDA members remain committed to supporting the responsible sale of energy drinks.' Tennessee could become the first Republican state to legalize assisted dying, as part of a new bill being considered in the state legislature. Lawmakers have introduced a 'right to die' bill that, if passed, would make it legal for terminally ill adults with only six months to live to end their own lives. The bill was tabled this month by Democrat Bob Freeman, whose friends had dealt with 'horrible end-of-life situations'. Currently, ten Democratic states have right-to-die die laws in place, as well as DC, some of which are more lenient than others. Lawmakers have introduced a 'right to die' bill that, if passed, would make it legal for terminally ill adults with only six months to live to end their own lives (stock photo) In states where right-to-die bills are approved, patients generally must have been told they only have six months left to live and have had counselling. The Tennessee bill HB1710 was introduced on January 9 this year to the state house in Nashville. It has a long way to go before becoming law, needing to survive two readings in the House unopposed, a consultation in a committee, a vote in the House and then two readings, a consultation and a vote in the Senate. It will then need to be signed by Republican Governor Bill Lee in order to become law. It is not clear how long the process could take, but in California the legislature took just two months to pass. At least four other Republican states are currently considering legislation to approve assisted dying Florida, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. A previous bill to legalize assisted dying in Tennessee failed in 2017. Congressman Bob Freeman told local news: 'Recently Ive had some close friends go through really horrible end-of-life situations for their family members that wanted the pain to be over, and its not an option, 'They just had to live in pain for the last six months of their life.' '[But] they should have been able to go into a facility, speak to a medical professional, get the counseling needed and go through that medically, and that decisions not available for Tennesseans today.' He added: 'When we know somebodys not going to get better and theyre not going to recover, we should have an opportunity for that person, if theyre in the right mind, to be able to make that decision and act on that decision.' The first state to legalize assisted dying in the US was Oregon, which approved the measure in 1994. READ MORE: States where doctors are most likely to give the WRONG diagnosis A study found that nearly a quarter of hospitalized patients were misdiagnosed Nearly one in five US hospital deaths are caused by misdiagnoses, research shows. A study published last month in the journal JAMA examined 2019 medical records from nearly 2,500 patients in 29 different American hospitals. All of the patients were transported to the intensive care unit (ICU), died while hospitalized, or both. The researchers found that 23 percent of these patients were misdiagnosed or received a delayed diagnosis. And nearly 18 percent of them died or suffered other serious harm. The findings align with other stark findings, which show that over a quarter of a million Americans die every year after being misdiagnosed in the emergency room. Nearly 18 percent of patients who are misdiagnosed die or suffer serious harm as a result A study published in BMJ Quality and Safety Protocol found that nearly 800,000 patients die or are permanently disabled every year due to being misdiagnosed. Top conditions that are misdiagnosed include infections, heart issues, and cancer Additionally, a study published last year in the BMJ Quality and Safety Protocol found that 795,000 patients die or are permanently disabled every year due to being misdiagnosed. The study also found that misdiagnoses include 1.5 percent of heart attacks, 17.5 percent of strokes, and 22.5 percent of lung cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 900,000 Americans die every year from heart disease or stroke. Lung cancer, meanwhile, is the deadliest form of cancer in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It accounts for one in five cancer deaths, followed by colorectal cancer, which causes one in 10 cancer deaths. More than half of lung cancer cases are diagnosed when the disease has traveled to multiple other organs, making it more difficult to treat. 'Because the overall burden of serious misdiagnosis-related harms is quite large, improving diagnosis of dangerous diseases most often responsiblestroke, sepsis, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism and lung cancerconstitutes an urgent public health imperative,' the researchers wrote. Dr David Newman-Toker, a professor of neurologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who led the BMJ study, told NBC News that the rate of misdiagnosis is highest in women and racial and ethnic minorities. These groups are about 20 to 30 percent more likely than white men to receive a wrong or delayed diagnosis. 'That's significant and inexcusable,' Dr Newman-Toker said. Misdiagnosis is also the most common reason doctors in the US are sued for malpractice - which alleges that a doctor or healthcare professional was negligent, failed to perform their basic duties, or caused a patient to die or become injured needlessly. According to law practice Buchanan Firm, 31 percent of doctors are sued due to failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis. Failure to treat or delayed treatment makes up 16 percent of cases, and wrongful death accounts for 13 percent. Misdiagnosis could be a contributor to the US maternal mortality rate, which is the highest among developed countries. The same groups that are most vulnerable to misdiagnosis are also most affected by maternal mortality. According to the CDC, non-Hispanic black mothers are 2.6 times more likely to die than non-Hispanic white moms. Additionally, research published in the journal Hypertension found that black women with childbirth-related heart conditions are typically diagnosed later in life than white women. And a 2020 study found that black children with appendicitis were less likely to be correctly diagnosed than their white peers, even when both groups visited the same hospital. Dr Hardeep Singh, a physician at Baylor College of Medicine who specializes in reducing diagnostic errors, told NBC News: 'The vast majority of diagnoses can be made by getting to know the patients story really well, asking follow-up questions, examining the patient, and ordering basic tests.' 'One of the things we hear over and over is, "The doctor didnt listen to me."' However overall revenue for 2023 still down to $65m (51m) from 2022's $74.9m Audioboom returned to revenue growth in the last quarter of 2023, with the firm targeting 'record' sales this year thanks to an improving outlook for the advertising market. The London-listed podcast publisher, which is one of the largest in the United States, revealed revenue growth of 37 per cent in the last quarter to $19.2million (15.1million), and year-on-year growth of 5 per cent. The fourth-quarter helped revive Audioboom's fortunes, but overall revenue for 2023 was still down from $74.9million to $65million (51million). The London-based firm also added that overall revenue for 2023 was down to $65million (51million) from $74.9million in 2022 The group's global monthly downloads were slightly down to 110.1 million. The business revealed this was due to Apple removing its auto-download feature, which has had an effect on the 'wider podcast industry', with numbers expected to decline by 10 per cent. Audioboom said it anticipates record revenue in 2024, with operational improvements, such as a 'significant reduction in minimum guarantee obligations', and a return to adjusted earnings profitability. Stuart Last, CEO of Audioboom, added: 'I am buoyed by a more positive sentiment in the advertising industry, with brands making strong budget commitments during the upfronts booking season, resulting in us contracting more than $47 million of revenue for 2024 through advance bookings.' In October, the firm saw a hefty drop in revenue following a slump in the advertising market and the loss of a hit show. The firm revealed turnover fell by around a fifth to $45.8million (37.6million) for the opening nine months of 2023. Much of the decline was caused by the departure of true crime anthology series Morbid to rival network Wondery in May 2022 after the pair agreed to an advertising sales and one-week windowing contract. Not only was Morbid the London-based company's most popular podcast, with about 30 million monthly downloads, it provided around 20 per cent of its business. Audioboom shares were down 3.85 per cent to 312.50p in Monday midday trading. Few would have expected it, but bitcoin is back in business. The granddaddy of cryptocurrencies looked close to certain death this time last year following a bevy of scandals that shocked the most speculative of asset classes into submission throughout 2022. But numerous collapsed Ponzi schemes (see Celsius; Terraform Labs) and one high-profile fraud conviction (see FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried) later, and bitcoin has reemerged as the watercooler asset class of the day. Bitcoin's reputation was further bolstered by last week's landmark approval of spot-bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the US, setting the stage for a tsunami of institutional money into the market. Bitcoin's reputation was further bolstered by last week's landmark approval of spot-bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the US, setting the stage for a tsunami of institutional money into the market Following the regulatory nod, major assets managers including BlackRock, Grayscale and Cathie Wood's Ark Invest business pressed the on-switch on the ETFs, thus bringing bitcoin directly onto the US stock market (through an ETF wrapper, anyway) for the first time in history. Trading volumes across all 11 newly minted bitcoin ETFs neared $5 billion in the first day, and Grayscale's GBTC fund broke the all-time ETF debut record by clocking $2.3 billion in volumes alone. Surprisingly for some, bitcoin didn't see a concurrent rally, though this was mainly due to it already clocking in 170% worth of year-on-year gains prior, leading to a moderate 'sell-the-news' situation. These approvals by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also came with a warning from chairman Gary Gensler, who remains a permahawk on anything even partially related to crypto assets. 'While we approved the listing and trading of certain spot bitcoin ETP shares today, we did not approve or endorse bitcoin,' he stated. The approvals 'should in no way signal the Commission's willingness to approve listing standards for crypto asset securities', Gensler remarked. 'Nor does the approval signal anything about the Commission's views as to the status of other crypto assets under the federal securities laws or about the current state of non-compliance of certain crypto asset market participants with the federal securities laws.' Why even approve them, you might ask? Without getting into the weeds of it, the SEC was more or less strongarmed by the US courts, who called Gensler's decade-long campaign against market-traded bitcoin securities 'arbitrary and capricious'. Huzzah for US investors not savvy enough (or risk-tolerant enough) to download a crypto wallet and hold bitcoin for free on the blockchain, but what about UK investors? Unfortunately and somewhat ironically given the UK's supposedly more liberal approach to cryptocurrency than the US the Financial Conduct Authority maintains a ban on ETFs dealing in 'unregulated transferable crypto assets'. As Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, explained: 'US ETFs are not available for sale in the UK because they don't issue a Key Investor Document, so fund groups would need to launch funds specifically for the European or UK market.' The tide may shift as the UK regulators play catch up, leaving few options for UK investors seeking exposure to the bitcoin markets through traditional finance routes. Few, but not none. London-listed bitcoin miner Argo Blockchain Technologies presents an intriguing small-cap, bitcoin-adjacent play. Bitcoin miners use massive server farms of highly specialised computers to keep the bitcoin network ticking along, receiving bitcoin payouts in return. The more a bitcoin miner contributes to the network, the more bitcoin it receives. This makes bitcoin mining stocks a popular proxy for bitcoin itself. Indeed, Argo's share price was up by 170% year on year to 32p earlier this month, reflecting bitcoin's performance almost to the tee. Jumping on the opportunity presented by the rally, Argo executed a 7.8 million equity round at a 24% discount on 8 January, after which its shares fell back to 15.5p as of the 15th. Will Argo shoot up again if, as many suspect, bitcoin has a bullish year in front of it? There's a good chance it will, though not definitively. Huge working capital requirements, debt considerations, regulatory uncertainty and even adverse weather conditions all play into Argo's valuation metrics. Too tangential for you? UK investors can tap into a bitcoin ETF listed on the Deutsche Borse thanks to ETC Group's Physical Bitcoin Fund (BTCE), which the London Stock Exchange just has made available through its Turquoise Europe multilateral trading facility. For all intents and purposes, this allows UK investors to invest in a physically backed, unleveraged bitcoin ETF despite the lack of domestic regulatory approval. All for a fee, of course. Or, you know, you could just go old school and hold bitcoin directly on the blockchain. This requires a sprinkling of technical know-how, but you could save thousands on management fees in the process. Korea on Monday unveiled its plan to establish what it calls a "semiconductor mega cluster" in southern Seoul by 2047 by promoting a total investment of 622 trillion won ($473 billion) with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The envisioned cluster, which includes various industrial zones throughout southern Gyeonggi Province, will boast a total area of 21 million square meters and post a monthly production capacity of 7.7 million wafers by 2030, according to the joint statement by the industry and science ministries. In detail, the government plans to establish exclusive zones for the fabless industry in Pangyo, along with foundry and memory chip production facilities in Hwaseong, Yongin, Icheon and Pyeongtaek. Korea will also build an industrial zone for material, part and equipment businesses in Anseong, with research and development facilities in Giheung and Suwon. Under the plan, the area, which currently houses 21 fabrication facilities, will host 16 additional fabs by 2047, including three for research. "By completing the construction of the semiconductor mega cluster at an earlier period, we will obtain the world's leading competitiveness in the chip sector and offer quality jobs for younger generations," Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said. In detail, Samsung Electronics plans to invest a total of 500 trillion won for the project, including the 360 trillion-won budget for six new fabs in Yongin, 33 kilometers south of Seoul. The country's top chipmaker will also invest 120 trillion won to build three new fabs in Pyeongtaek, 54 kilometers south of Seoul, along with three research fabs in Giheung with 20 trillion won. No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix will allocate 122 trillion won to build four new fabs in Yongin, according to the ministry. Based on the investment from the private sector, the government plans to have the complex boast world-class production capacity focusing on cutting-edge products, including chips with a 2 nanometer process and high bandwidth memory. The ministry added the 622 trillion-won project will eventually create 3.46 million jobs during the process. Korea will take up 10 percent of the global market for non-memory chips by 2030 as well, rising sharply from the current estimate of 3 percent. Along with the construction of the mega cluster, the government vowed to support the ecosystem by advancing the country's self-sufficiency in the supply chain of key materials, parts and equipment to 50 percent by 2030 from the current estimate of 30 percent. Other policy support includes launching a testbed for suppliers of chip-related materials, parts and equipment at the Yongin complex by 2027, where companies can test-run their products. (Yonhap) They sat in silence around the table in the darkened room, hands touching, faces uplifted - the Queen, Prince Philip, and the Queen Mother. Bathed in candlelight, the royal trio were joined by Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, and her daughter Princess Alexandra. They were attending a secret seance to to make contact with their lost loved ones. In the case of the Queen and Queen Mother, they were reaching out to the spirit of King George VI, who'd died a year or so earlier. Lilian Bailey a phony 'medium' who persuaded senior members of the Royal Family, including a young Queen Elizabeth II, that she could help them contact the dead A portrait of the British Royal Family in the state apartments at Buckingham Palace to mark the engagement of Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten (later Duke of Edinburgh) in July 1947. Five years later, King George VI, second from the right, would be dead Clearly unwell, King George VI talks to Princess Margaret (left) and Queen Elizabeth as they prepare to say goodbye to Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in January 1952. He had only one more week to live Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh cut short their Commonwealth tour following the death of the Queen's father. She is seen here with Prince Philip as they land back at London Airport Queen Elizabeth watches as George VI's coffin is lifted from the train before travelling to Westminster. The King had passed away at Sandringham, the Royal Family's country home in Norfolk Marina sought to have questions answered about the mysterious death in a 1942 airplane crash of her husband Prince George, Duke of Kent. The venue was a private address in Kensington. The date, 1953. The medium who'd brought them together was a powerful, 6ft tall Welshwoman called Lilian BaIley. She was a fraud. What occurred when this most powerful group of royalties submitted themselves to the inventions of a fake medium is now lost in the mists of time. Did the late king speak out? Did the war hero Duke divulge the secrets behind the cover-up of his mysterious death? We'll never know. But as in most families after a bereavement, there's always the hope that somehow an affectionate message can be passed back to a lost loved one. The desire to make contact sometimes overcomes reason - and so the first family in the land allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by a wily commoner. Yet Mrs Bailey came with the very best recommendations in this case, via Lionel Logue, the man who famously helped cure the late sovereign of his chronic stutter. In the film The King's Speech - with Colin Firth playing the George VI - the Australian speech therapist Logue (Geoffrey Rush) urged on by the Queen Mother (Helena Bonham Carter), calms the agitated Bertie as he assumes the throne and prepares to make all-important speeches to the nation. In return for his remarkable work Logue became a friend of the family, often staying at Sandringham. Colin Firth plays King George VI and Geoffrey Rush his speech therapist Lionel Logue in a scene from the film The King's Speech Lionel Logue with Myrtle Gruenert at the time of their engagement in Perth in 1906. Logue. Logue is credited with helping George VI overcome his nerves when speaking in public Queen Elizabeth II shakes hands with Eric Hamilton, Dean of Windsor at the February funeral of her father, King George VI. The Queen Mother is talking to Prince Philip. George's elder brother, the disgraced Duke of Windsor, stands far right Princess Marina with her husband Prince George, Duke of Kent. The Duke died in a wartime air crash in Caithness leaving Princes Edward and Michael and Princess Alexandra without a father. Today, Edward is the Duke of Kent Duchess of Kent, right, with her daughter Princess Alexandra, later Alexandra Ogilvy. They are pictured at home in Iver, Buckinghamshire, in 1954. Even today, few details are known about the crash that killed Alexandra's father When Logue's wife died, he sought out Mrs Bailey - already making a name for herself in the spirit world. He was so impressed with her apparent power to communicate with the dead that when the king died in his sleep at Sandringham in February 1952, at the young age of 56, Logue recommended the distraught Queen Mother to follow his lead and consult the medium. So, on that night in Kensington did Elizabeth and her daughter, the new Queen, make contact with the deceased? Before answering that question it's worth taking a closer look at the woman entrusted with this fragile some might say impossible task. Born in the docks area of Cardiff, Lilian Bailey described her husband as a 'mathematician' though in fact he was no more than a clerk for the London and North Western Railway. Her parents were domestic servants. Her father-in-law, she said, was a Wesleyan minister, but he was not - instead, a railway engine stoker who succumbed to premature senility at the age of 34. She claimed to have been awarded the OBE for her war work during the 1914-1918 conflict she hadn't. Her trump card in accessing the many gullible upper-class clients who paid her handsomely for her services (and she ended up owning a large London house worth 5 million in today's money) was the one spiritual guide she could always rely on. He was the dead Captain William Wootton, a Grenadier Guards officer who'd been killed with a single shot in the first Battle of Ypres in 1914. Wootton was a war hero, he was rich, aristocratic, and just the right type of person to convey messages back from blue-blooded individuals who'd departed this world. Except that Captain Wootton never existed. Extensive inquiries by the Daily Mail establish beyond doubt that no man of that name had served in the Guards, had died during WW1, or had a grave tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Lilian Bailey's act as a spiritualist medium was a sham, from start to finish. The wedding day of Princess Elizabeth of York and Prince Philip King George VI addresses the people of Britain and the Empire live across BBC news radio networks at 6pm on Sunday 3rd September 1939, the day that Britain declared war on Nazi Germany It made no difference to the Queen Mother, who in her ignorance of Mrs Bailey's lies, continued to consult her. But one dose of those messages from beyond was enough for Lilibet, Philip, Marina and Alexandra. Maybe they saw through her, or maybe they only went to the seance to support the grieving Queen Mother. Whichever, they never came back. It's true that many people continue to believe in the spirit world and it would be wrong to deny them that belief. But beyond question, the royal seance to contact the late King that night in 1953 was a sham a hoax cynically delivered by a woman whose imagination knew no bounds when it came to enriching herself. Seasoned Republican operatives are crediting Donald Trump with delivering a carefully calibrated message on an abortion question that has avoided antagonizing his evangelical supporters who are crucial to victory in Monday's Iowa Caucuses. The care that the frequently improvisational Trump is devoting to the issue was on display in Wednesday night's Fox News town hall, where he delivered a lengthy answer that took credit for ending Roe v. Wade while pitching pragmatism and defending his positions in support of exceptions on abortion bans. 'Now, I happen to be for the exceptions, like Ronald Reagan, with the life of the mother. Rape, incest, I have -- I just have to be there,' Trump said. He was responding to a question by an undecided Iowa GOP voter who told him, 'I'd like for you to reassure me that you can protect all life, every person's right to life, without compromise.' Trump delivered an answer that was all about compromise. President Donald Trump gave a nuanced answer about abortion at the Fox News town hall in Iowa on Wednesday night 'At least so far, both in the national polling and in the primary or state-specific polling including an Iowa Trump does not appear to be paying a price for making some of these statements about ... "look, we have to have the exceptions. We have to find consensus on a federal solution to this. We need to primarily let the state take the lead,"' said Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. He told DailyMail.com on a call with reporters that Trump 'probably treated a little differently than he would have been eight years ago as a candidate because he has a record' that runs from defunding Planned Parenthood to nominating three of the Supreme Court Justices who ultimately struck down Roe v. Wade. Trump is functioning 'more as a quasi-incumbent then as a typical candidate for the nomination.' 'I think it's candidly, I think it's one of the most fascinating and interesting things about this process has been that Trump has been able to kind of in a highly nuanced and sometimes amorphous way, addressed this issue with an eye to the general and at least so far has been hasn't really paid up a penalty for it,' he said. That was an assessment shared by one of Trump's rivals, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who Trump sometimes insults by contorting his first name. 'It's hard to figure,' Hutchinson told DailyMail.com while driving through Iowa's snow-covered roads Friday. 'It is the comfort level with somebody who is is like a current officeholder, he is like an incumbent. And so it's always hard to dislodge support from an incumbent. And the burden of proof is on those who are opposing it. And, you know, he's got a case to make that he appointed conservative judges to the US Supreme Court. And so, people remember that and respect that. But what they have to understand is that he is using language that now undermines what the court is trying to do. And so I'm surprised at that consistent loyalty of the evangelical community toward Donald Trump. I do believe it will change this year. And it'll start in Iowa. ''It's hard to figure,' said former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Trump's appeal among evangelical Iowans Trump has maintained strong support among evangelical voters through symbolism and through conservative appointments to the courts Pastor Paula White, left, and other faith leaders pray with President Donald Trump, center, during a rally for evangelical supporters at the King Jesus International Ministry church, Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, in Miami 'At some point you recognize that he does not reflect our national character. He doesn't reflect humility that is expected out of public servants. There's an arrogance. A there is an ego that gets in the way interferes with accomplishing the public good. And that's becoming more clear to the evangelical community,' said Hutchinson, who nevertheless credits Trump's rise to the court cases against Trump, which 'strengthened him versus weakened him in the short term.' Trump campaign senior strategist Chris LaCivita said Trump has been consistent on the abortion issue although way back in 1999 Trump declared himself 'pro-choice in every respect.' That preceded a 2016 campaign where Trump embraced evangelical voters in Iowa, posed with a bible, and vowed to install conservative judges on the courts. Asked by DailyMail.com if Trump was directing his focus toward New Hampshire, where independents hold sway and Democrats can even change their registration to vote, LaCivita responded, 'No, I think it's been his position from day one. I mean, if anybody's ever asked him that position as it relates to abortion, I think he's made the statement pretty clear over and over again. But he he has always held the belief that there should be exceptions.' He said pro-life voters 'know first and foremost that Donald Trump's appointments the United States Supreme Court are the reason why they're even having the discussion. They know that the President's position, frankly, is very much consistent. Nationally, where most pro life voters are which is they would rather have it remain with the states. Plain and simple.' Trump knows the power of social conservatives in Iowa. They propelled Ted Cruz to a narrow victory in 2016, which set up a prolonged primary fight. In his answer to the pro-life woman in Des Moines, Trump called his own political achievement a 'miracle,' and said people credit him for saving two million lives with the end of Roe v. Wade. But then he circled back to exceptions, on an issue where about two-thirds of of Americans think abortion should be legal, while speaking in a state where Reed says 64 per cent identify as evangelical (with Trump winning a fifth of their support in 2016). 'Now, I happen to be for the exceptions, like Ronald Reagan, with the life of the mother. Rape, incest, I just have to be there,' Trump said. 'Ronald Reagan, he was for it. I was for it. But I will say this, you have to win elections. Otherwise, you are going to be back where you were and you can't let that ever happen again. You got to win elections,' Trump said. Then he tore into Ron DeSantis, calling him 'just another politician.' DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban in Florida. 'But, his poll numbers have gone down to a level that he is going to be out of the race very soon. He's going to be out very soon. You know, I watched him last night, he is standing up with his shoes, his fancy shoes,' Trump said, digressing with an insult. Then he credited abortion as a potential reason for his rival's political problems. 'I hope it wasn't the reason. I hope it is for other reasons. I could see a lot of other reasons why he shouldn't be. But he is doing very, very poorly. It happened to coincide with that because a lot of people say a lot of, you know, if you talk five or six weeks, a lot of women don't know if they are pregnant in five or six weeks,' Trump said. 'If you talk five or six weeks, a lot of women don't know if they are pregnant in five or six weeks,' Trump said, criticizing the six-week abortion ban signed into law in Florida by Ron DeSantis Then Trump, who is also campaigning on an immigration crackdown and walked back prior remarks on 'retribution' and being a 'dictator' on 'Day One,' cast himself as a great unifier on the abortion issue. 'I want to get something where people are happy. This has been tearing our country apart for 50 years. Nobody has been able to do anything. And again, you can only ask that question and you ask it brilliantly, and I understand exactly where you are coming from. I love where you are coming from. But we still have to win elections. And they have used this -- you know, we have great Republicans and they are great on the issue, and you would love them on the issue. And a lot of them have just been decimated in the election, decimated -- I mean, absolutely. So, we are going to come up with something that people want and people like. I would love you to -- first of all, you have to go with your heart, OK? You have to go with your heart first. Go with your heart, your mind, go with it. But you do also have to put in there a little bit. You have to win elections. But, if it weren't for me with Roe v. Wade, you wouldn't be talking about this subject -- you wouldn't be asking that question...' He concluded with an upbeat prediction for the voter who wanted to protect life without compromise. 'I think you are going to be happy in the end,' he said. As they forge across the frozen expanses of Iowa some of them have icicles slowly sprouting on their eyebrows and beards, others are wrapped in blankets on top of their winter coats. These are the Hawkeye state's die-hard caucus-goers, who refuse to be cowed by the worst nature can throw at them. It is currently so cold in Iowa that coffee freezes instantly when you spill it. Back-to-back blizzards have turned roads into ice rinks. Hundreds of flights in and out have been canceled. In this evangelical bastion even churches told congregants to stay home on Sunday. But voting is a different matter. Iowans are supremely passionate about their role as the first state to have a say in the presidential nomination contest. Their job is to examine and winnow the field; they are determined to do their duty. Despite the elements some have repeatedly driven hundreds of miles to see Republican candidates speak, their knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel to stop sliding in the snow. A supporter of former president and Republican 2024 hopeful Donald Trump braves the below zero temperatures to attend a 'commit to caucus rally' in Indianola, Iowa, on January 14 A view of Iowa state capitol after a blizzard left several inches of snow in downtown Des Moines, Iowa on January 13 On Monday night tens of thousands of them will brave sub-zero wind chills that have wreaked havoc across the Midwest. As they make their way precariously to a caucus site Monday evening, often many miles away, they will come to a final decision on who to back. According to an influential final Des Moines Register poll released on Saturday night, Donald Trump has a commanding 28-point lead, but many caucus-goers still haven't decided which GOP contender they will pick. Over the last few months pubs, BBQ restaurants, theaters, schools and community halls across the state have been packed with Iowans listening to each of the hopefuls speak. A snow plow clears I-25 during blizzard-like conditions on January 13, 2024 in Blencoe, Iowa A man stands next to a flag that reads 'Iowa for Trump' outside the the Machine Shed in Urbandale, Iowa, on January 11, 2024 DailyMail.com has spent a week traversing Iowa and spoken to those who will ultimately decide who wins the caucuses. Some are locked into their top choice, while others will decide when precincts start voting at 7 pm Central Time on Monday. A staggering 82 percent of Trump supporters say their minds are made up compared to 64 percent for DeSantis and 63 percent for Haley, the Des Moines Register poll showed. Most Republican caucus-goers (65 percent) have always supported their first choice. 'Political tourists' who descended on Iowa to experience an election process like no other also wanted to get a glimpse of who they might be voting for in their respective states in the coming months. Here is what they had to say as they shared their thoughts on which way they were leaning: 'I've got a couple of steak dinners' on Trump winning by '20 to 30 points' Gary Leffler owns the 'Patriotic Tractor,' and is a Trump precinct captain based in West Des Moines. His job is encouraging others to get to their caucus site on Monday night and vote for the former president. He will be in charge of precinct 118 and speak on behalf of Trump before the votes are cast. The 62-year-old previously ran for Congress in Iowa's 3rd Congressional district but lost in the primary. He says the Trump campaign has been far more organized in Iowa this year than in 2016 and 2020. Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis points to his wife Casey and their daughters Madison, six, and Mamies, three, as he speaks at a campaign event on Sunday, January 14, 2024, in Ankeny, Iowa Snow covers a lawn sign in support of former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Des Moines, Iowa This effort has given Leffler the confidence to bet on Trump winning by up to 30 points. 'I've got a couple of steak dinners on that one. I think I'm going to win,' Leffler told DailyMail.com at an event for Donald Trump Jr. in Urbandale. 'Trump's gonna end up with between 48 and 50 [percent of the votes] and DeSantis is gonna come in right around 20,' he predicts. The DesMoines Register poll published Saturday night had Trump at 48 points and DeSantis at 16. 'Nikki Haley's gonna come in right around 20 and my surprise guy is going to be Vivek at 15,' he added. Concerns are high that Trump's massive lead in the polls and the life-threatening cold will make supporters want to stay home. A tree covered in ice as a result of steam exhaust from a BASF chemical plant in Ames, Iowa But Leffler is trying to combat it by ringing everyone, even the elderly, to make sure they can show up. He then showed off eight pages of 160 names he needs to call. In the final DesMoines Register/NBC News poll released on Saturday night, 56 percent of Trump supporters said they would definitely attend the caucus, even with the weather. That was just behind DeSantis fans with 62 percent, while Haley had 51 percent. Student, 19, voting in her first caucus says Nikki Haley is her first choice, and her top concerns are the economy and the border Lauren, 19, a student at Iowa State University studying finance and her father Pete, 64, stopped at a Haley event at Mickey's Irish Pub in their hometown of Waukee last week. It was their first time seeing any candidate in person for the 2024 election, and they said the border and the spiraling national debt were their biggest concerns. Lauren, who is voting in her first caucus ever on Monday, said: 'I'm still thinking, but at the moment right now, Nikki Haley is my first choice.' She said her second choice was 'up in the air' as she is still 'figuring it all out.' Dad Pete, donning Carhartt overalls, said he hadn't decided and felt it would go down to the wire on Monday. 'I'm looking for somebody to calm things down a little.' he said. 'And the border is significant. I think our country is immigrants, and we should welcome them but in a controlled, logical way. It's chaos right now.' 'And also, quit spending all our money. I wish either side would stop driving us into oblivion of debt.' Retired financial planner Wayne Frey, 69, was at the same Haley event. 'I want to see every candidate in person,' he said, admitting that he is still yet to make a final decision. 'I've wanted to see Haley for months, but every time she got something, I had a conflict. So this works out great. I've seen everybody else.' A volunteer plunges campaign signs for Republican Presidential Candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis into deep snow outside the Chrome Horse Saloon one day before the Iowa caucuses He said he would pick Ron DeSantis if the vote were held today because Trump has too much 'baggage' and Republicans 'can't afford to lose' Married couple: Mike, 70, working and Ruth, 70, retired said there was no question Haley is their first choice. 'I think she's intelligent, I think she's a pragmatic thinker,' Mike said. 'She looks for solutions instead of having a dogmatic approach to everything. She's not a divider.' DeSantis supporter says Haley is too focused on 'identity politics' and pushing that she is the daughter of immigrants Amy Meyer, 51, is all in for DeSantis. The data analyst from Urbandale spoke to DailyMail.com at his campaign event in West Des Moines on Saturday. She caucused for Ted Cruz in 2016 and didn't vote for Trump in the general election. In 2020, she changed her mind and backed the Republican because of the 'contrast' between him and Joe Biden. Amy Meyer, 51, is all in for DeSantis. The data analyst from Urbandale spoke to DailyMail.com at his campaign event in West Des Moines on Saturday 'I don't think I could ever support Haley. And I'm really annoyed with Trump right now, so it would be difficult to pick him,' Meyer told DailyMail.com Meyer doesn't think Trump has 'courage', can't take constructive criticism and says she doesn't believe what he says. 'I don't think I could ever support Haley. And I'm really annoyed with Trump right now, so it would be difficult to pick him.' It's the Florida Governor's 'accomplishments' that make him Meyer's top pick. 'He got rid of some DAs that were not prosecuting the law,' she said. 'He has been really good at that kind of thing, taking the leap, not just talking about it.' 'Fighting against Disney when they were interfering in parents' rights, as well as giving parents the information they need to take back their kids' education, and make sure that they're not exposed to pornography or other inappropriate materials.' For Meyer it's Haley's work on the Boeing board and her corporate 'connections' that have left a bad taste. 'When Ron DeSantis was dealing with Disney, she said well, they could come to South Carolina,' Meyer recounted. Steam from the MidAmerican Energy plant rises as the sun sets on January 14, 2024 in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa Casey DeSantis, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, carries her son Mason while on stage at an event in West Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 tractor-trailer truck sits wrecked in the median of Interstate 380 on January 14, 2024 north of Iowa City, Iowa 'She pulls the identity politics thing, like, 'I'm a girl,' or, you know, being a daughter of immigrants and that kind of stuff. 'What you accomplish and do is much more important than, you know, immutable characteristics. It's the wrong messaging for me,' the DeSantis backer concluded. 911 dispatcher on a 'political vacation' thinks Trump is 'petulant' and believes millennials will 'flock' to Nikki Haley Camron Barth, a 37-year-old 911 dispatcher, told DailyMail.com at a DeSantis event in Grimes, Iowa, he is on a 'political vacation' and flew to Iowa after a stop in New Hampshire. The Seattle, Washington, native was at a DeSantis event in Grimes when Republican Rep. Chip Roy started dissing Haley. Barth interrupted by shouting: 'We like her too'. Bill Couser, a cattle and grain farmer, watches his cattle eating on his farm during blizzard conditions, in Nevada, Iowa The Seattle, Washington, native is sure of one thing: Haley and DeSantis are a step up from Trump, and he would be 'delighted' if anyone else were the GOP nominee. 'He is very petulant and bad for the Republican Party,' he said of the frontrunner. Haley is his favorite, and he believes she is a candidate who millennials will flock to. He brushed aside concerns that DeSantis is making her path to the nomination harder by staying in the race. 'She's my girl. I call her a 21st Century Republican because she's the one to lead the party into the future.' Barth also went to a Vivek Ramaswamy event during his swing through Iowa, and was impressed by his wife Apoorva. Republican presidential candidate and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to supporters with his wife Apoorva Ramaswamy at a house party in Clive, Iowa, U.S., January 11, 2024 'She's a physician. She's pro-vaccine. I'm a Republican from Seattle so I'm pro-vaccine,' Barth said. 'I think everyone should choose to be vaccinated but I don't think it should be mandated. 'We lost 30 police officers and we were already short-staffed. It really hurts people,' he said, referencing the mandate. Two other self-confessed political tourists came out to Iowa and spoke with DailyMaill.com: Retired married couple Jeff and Mary, both 67. They left the far sunnier climate of Florida to watch the candidates battle for Iowa. The two attended DeSantis' rally in Ames, Iowa on Saturday and despite backing him in his two gubernatorial races in the Sunshine State, said their first choice for president is Nikki Haley. 'I think she's a little more energetic, she's got a lot of experience as does Ron but I just like her Christian conservative values, and her enthusiasm,' Jeff said when asked why he prefers Haley in 2024 over his home state's governor. Mary agreed, noting: 'Yeah, I think she has a lot more world political experience, working with the UN.' Nikki Haley is a 'RINO' and the 'antithesis' of DeSantis Cheri Olerich, a 55-year-old paraeducator from Des Moines is caucusing for DeSantis. She has been impressed by his 'success rate' as Governor of Florida and the fact he is 'persistent'. '[DeSantis] won't change his mind on things,' she noted. 'I was a Trump supporter in the last election, but he has dug his own grave. Olerich is also not a fan of Nikki Haley, who she calls a 'RINO' and the 'antithesis' of DeSantis. A digital billboard critical of the Republican presidential candidates stands in blizzard conditions on January 13, 2024 in Council Bluffs, Iowa 'I don't like her constant putting down of others and changing her mind back and forth.' If DeSantis doesn't make it onto the ticket, Olerich said she would write in someone like Tulsi Gabbard instead of voting for the GOP nominee or incumbent President Joe Biden. Deron Stender, a 53-year-old school superintendent from Creston will also caucus for DeSantis and says the U.S. can't take another four years of Joe Biden. '[DeSantis] has a lot of the attributes that I'm looking for in leadership. He's got a military background. I appreciate that. He's got a faith-based background. I appreciate that as well.' 'But I also appreciate the work he's done as a governor and in congress in leadership that he's provided. He gets results and he's not just a typical politician, which I liked about Donald Trump.' 'But what I like about him over Trump is that I think he can pull people together and close the divide in our country.' A snowy road as temperatures drop to dangerously cold levels due to an arctic airmass following a blizzard yesterday, in Adair County, Iowa Stender says he doesn't trust Haley and hasn't seen her in Iowa as much as the rest of the field. He was mainly put off by her comments that New Hampshire would 'correct' Iowa caucus results. 'You know Iowa starts it. You know that you correct it,' Haley said earlier this month. 'And then my sweet state of South Carolina brings it home.' Despite his concerns, he still has Haley as his second choice because he doesn't like Trump's divisive approach. 'I'm looking for someone that can unite the country. I voted twice for President Trump,' Stender said. 'I like President Trump's policies, I just do not like his approach to dealing with people. We gotta bring people together. You can say things without saying things that are so offensive.' 'You know I'm gonna vote for any Republican at the end of the day over Joe Biden. We cannot let our country go down this path.' 'I used to be a Ron DeSantis man, but I started liking Haley when the debates were happening' Retired 73-year-old Ann Wagoner was at a Haley event in Ankeny when she told DailyMail.com she was backing the former South Carolina Governor. 'I like her stand on spending and on education. Those are my two huge things.' Having never backed Trump she is hoping one of the other candidates can pull through to stop the 'disruption'. Icicles are forming on an overpass on Interstate 80 in Coralville, Iowa She says many of her friends and neighbors 'despise' the former president and are leaning towards Haley more than DeSantis because of her foreign policy experience. George Zhang, a 23-year-old from Ames, has just graduated from Iowa State University and is taking part in the caucus for the first time. 'I used to be a Ron DeSantis man, but I started liking Haley when the debates were happening,' he noted. 'I started learning about her positions and I really liked her foreign policy standpoint.' When he was in high school, Zhang was a Trump supporter, but the January 6 Capitol attack made him look elsewhere in the Republican party. As a member of the conservative Young America's Foundation (YAF) he talks to many friends his age about politics, and they are all divided. 'We have a few people there who are huge fans of DeSantis, Haley, new generation leaders, but there's still a huge chunk of YAF or College Republicans who are fans of President Trump.' 'I think Haley is gaining a lot of ground after Chris Christie dropped out, and I think she's going to gain more momentum,' he predicted. The undecided voters who want to hear 'everyone' before making their final choices Jaime Copley, 47, hasn't decided who he will vote for on Monday. The Clear Lake resident said he wanted to 'hear everybody' before making the final call, and seeing the candidates 'in-person' was very telling. But if he had to say now which way he was leaning, it would be for Haley. A truck that went off the road during a blizzard remains in the median outside Dubuque, Iowa, USA, 13 January 'There was something about Nikki that really resonated with me. The things she said, felt like attainable goals. They have clout behind and aren't just words.' In his social circle, Haley is the candidate who has the most momentum and he gets the impression she is resonating more with the locals. When asked about Trump, he only said he 'has a lot of personality'. Patrick McCarthy, 23, works in public relations and was on a work trip from St. Paul, Minnesota, when he showed up to a DeSantis rally in Ames. 'I think Nikki Haley is my top choice,' he said. 'Iowa gives you a unique opportunity to see all these candidates for a good period of time. 'I want to give each candidate a fair shot. I want to see what they have to say and come to as many events as I can.' quiet street as temperatures drop to dangerously cold levels due to an arctic airmass following a blizzard yesterday in Des Moines, Iowa He admitted he wasn't sure if he could change his mind because he has been hearing about DeSantis 'for years'. 'I'm not too captivated by the woke ideology that DeSantis talks about. I'm a Republican for limited government and lower taxes. I think Nikki Haley best represents that for me.' John Klein a 53-year-old health care worker from Ankeny, Iowa, still doesn't know his first choice. The only thing he would admit is that DeSantis is in his 'top two'. Another man in his early 30s wouldn't give his name when approached by DailyMail.com. He caucused for Ted Cruz in 2016, and voted for Trump in the primary. Then caucused for Trump in 2020, but voted for Libertarian Jo Jorgensen in the primary. A truck moves along the snow-blown eastbound lane of US Highway 20 during a blizzard near Sac City, Iowa 'I would say I'm undecided, leaning Vivek,' he said when asked about his potential first choice, but said he is still waiting until Monday to decide. Where does DeSantis stand for you?: 'I would say he's probably number two.' The man said that his wife, who was standing by with their two young children, has decided she is backing Ramaswamy. 'I have a lot of concern about the debt limit and you know, where the trajectory that's on and, you know, my kids' future,' the man said when asked why the millennial candidate his his No. 1 at the moment. 'So I think he, kind of outlining a plan to restructure, have a more limited government that and lower costs that way I think, stands out.' 'I think his I'm concerned about, you know, militarily what we're involved in currently. So I think his statement of not wanting us to be in any meaningless wars. I think I would agree with 'He's got a successful business background, so I feel like that's kind of what we need. I don't think we need career politicians.' Viewers in Scotland are more likely to believe the BBC is out of touch with their lives than people who live south of the Border, new research suggests. The National Audit Office (NAO) said only around 49 per cent agreed that the BBC is for people like me, compared with up to 60 per cent in the South of England. The report also found that fewer than half (an average of 43 per cent) of respondents to the survey in Scotland said the BBC reflects my region/nation fairly to the rest of the UK on its programmes. Commenting on the results, Scottish Tory culture spokesman Donald Cameron said: The BBC continues to be held in high regard by many Scots, but these findings should act as a reminder for BBC bosses. While Scots continue to grapple with the global cost-of-living crisis, the BBC must guarantee that viewers right across Scotland feel they are getting their value for money from the licence fee. The BBC Scotland headquarters at Pacific Quay in Glasgow The NAO report said: Scores for the metric The BBC is for people like me are highest in London and southern England, but lowest in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. The details of the survey were issued in a report published in November after 8,614 adults in the UK were interviewed. The head of the NAO Gareth Davies said: The BBC has made progress increasing spending, activity and decision-making outside London, already almost meeting its overall target for the transfer of network television production expenditure. However, it has made less progress in transferring radio and music budgets outside London and is behind on its ambitious target for apprentices. Scottish Tory constitution, external affairs and culture spokesman Donald Cameron said the findings should act as a reminder for BBC bosses that viewers need to feel they are getting value for money from the licence fee Responding to the findings about the concerns of viewers in Scotland, a BBC spokesman said: The Across The UK strategy is addressing these perceptions and, while we recognise that we operate in an increasingly competitive marketplace, audience feedback continues to inform our decision-making. We will continue to evolve our content to ensure we reflect Scotland back to itself and the rest of the UK. Last year the BBC was accused of caving in to nationalists after it axed a cartoon of a Scottish Government minister. Corporation chiefs had used an animated clip of Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Greens, to plug its radio comedy show Noising Up. But they deleted the Limo Lorna cartoon sketch after a backlash online, fuelled by criticism from Green and SNP ministers and their supporters. Separately, the BBCs former lawyer Alistair Bonnington claimed in 2022 that BBC Scotland was flouting its duty of impartiality due to pro-SNP bias. Mr Bonnington said the broadcaster was slavishly biased in favour of the SNP Government. His intervention came after former Scottish Labour MP Tom Harris warned in the Mail that the BBC had no understanding of the existential threat to Britain posed by the SNP. The focus of Scots voters has switched away from the SNP and independence, according to a former strategist for the partys failed bid for independence. Stephen Noon, a senior figure in the Yes Scotland campaign in 2014, said voters are no longer focused on issues such as whether there should be another referendum. He has also predicted that Scotland is set to enter a more normal political period where the SNP does not gain such high levels of success. His comments come after the first major poll of the year showed the SNP is on course to lose 24 of its seats in this years General Election. Mr Noon, who was chief strategist at Yes Scotland and a former policy adviser to Alex Salmond when he was First Minister, told BBC Radio Scotland: Things have changed dramatically in Scotland. Former independence strategist Stephen Noon says the Yes movement is no longer a focus of debate Weve gone through a period where the referendum was the central political focus, the energy was around a referendum. 'And then because of the Supreme Court decision (that Holyrood couldnt hold a referendum without UK Government consent) and Nicola Sturgeon stepping down, the political energy has switched. And so peoples focus is less on who to vote for to get a referendum, because that is not on the immediate horizon. So people are focusing more on things like who would be the next UK Government, what the SNPs record has been in Scotland, and so the job for the SNP is more difficult. He said the SNP winning 50 per cent of the vote in the 2015 general election and then the vast majority of seats in subsequent elections was unusual, and created by the circumstances of the post-referendum period. He added: We are now moving back into a more normal political period where the SNP is not going to be winning 50 per cent of the vote and 95 per cent of the seats. Stephen Noon, (left) a senior member of the campaign for independence in 2014, says voters are no longer concerned with another referendum. Nicola Sturgeon (right) stepping down as First Minister and the Supreme Court decision that Holyrood could not hold a referendum without consent has seen another independence referendum drop off voters list of priorities A new poll of voting intentions by Redfield and Wilton Strategies has the SNP and Labour tied on 35 per cent, with the Conservatives on 17 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 9 per cent. Polling expert Mark Diffley said that, if the survey result was repeated on election day, the SNP would fall to 19 seats and Labour would soar to 27. Speaking on the BBCs The Sunday Show yesterday, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn sought to keep independence voters on board. He said: If you believe that Scotland should be an independent nation then your vote should come to the Scottish National Party. But Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: The SNPs tone-deaf goal of ripping Scotland out of the UK shows how out of touch Humza Yousaf and Stephen Flynn are with what matters to real people. Labours Shadow Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: The SNP wants to make the next General Election about the constitution because it has no other ideas and cannot defend its own woeful record in government. The number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E has increased by 5,000 per cent in four years, analysis shows. A record 420,000 people faced lengthy waiting times while being admitted to hospital from an emergency department last year, the highest annual number since 2011. One in 15 A&E patients had 'trolley waits' of 12 hours or more, a 20 per cent rise from 2022. Patricia Marquis, of the Royal College of Nursing, said: 'Behind the numbers are people suffering for hours with no privacy and left in danger of their health drastically deteriorating. 'Patients won't get the care they deserve until the Government commits to safe nurse staffing levels but we will never be able to attract and keep enough nurses in the profession until the Government pays them fairly.' The number of patients waiting more than 12 hours in A&E has increased by 5,000 per cent in four years, analysis shows (Stock photo) Almost half of patients in some trusts, such as the North Middlesex University Hospital Trust, waited more than half a day, according to Lib Dem analysis. In 2019, 8,272 people waited 12 hours or more to be admitted to hospital at A&E. This increased to 419,560 in 2023. Significant waits in A&E have been linked to excess deaths and increased harm to patients. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey accused the Government of ignoring the suffering of patients. 'These appalling delays are leaving often vulnerable and elderly patients waiting for hours on end in overcrowded A&Es,' he said. NHS data for December showed hospital bed occupancy remained at 93.5 per cent, with 151,295 patients one in nine facing 12 hour waits in A&Es. The Department of Health and Social Care said ministers were working hard to reduce waiting times (Stock photo) Patricia Marquis, of the Royal College of Nursing, said: 'Behind the numbers are people suffering for hours with no privacy and left in danger of their health drastically deteriorating' READ MORE: NHS waiting list shoots to ANOTHER record high with 7.75million patients stuck in backlog amid fears worse is yet to come with winter looming Advertisement Delays are likely to have been exacerbated by waves of industrial action by nurses and consultants, as well as walkouts by junior doctors during the busiest time of year for the health service. Waiting times were described as 'shameful, distressing and deeply saddening' by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. The Department of Health and Social Care said ministers were working hard to reduce waiting times, with more than 8,500 patients treated on virtual wards at home, rather than in hospital, in the run-up to Christmas. A spokesman said: 'Our urgent and emergency care recovery plan is cutting both A&E waits and ambulance response times compared to last year but we know there is more to do. 'We are on track to deliver an additional 5,000 permanent staffed hospital beds this winter and have met our target to deliver 10,000 virtual ward beds, allowing patients to recover from the comfort of familiar surroundings. 'We recently provided 800million to support capacity in the NHS and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible.' NHS England was approached for comment. The cost of alcohol-free drinks may diminish their impact on the health of the nation, a report warns. The popularity of such beverages has surged in the past decade especially among those wanting to lead healthier lives by reducing their weekly intake of wine and beer. But any improvement to the general population's health could be reduced because the expense of no or low alcoholic drinks could price out those on tighter budgets, the report suggests. Most alternative tipples cost the same or more than the alcoholic versions. A report last week revealed how alcohol-free drinks have increased in price in time for so-called dry January when many Britons give up booze for a month. In the first study of its kind, researchers examined whether these drinks reduced alcohol-related harms. They analysed consumption and sales of beers, ciders, wines, spirits and ready-to-drink beverages with less than 1.2 per cent alcohol by volume in 2022. The cost of alcohol-free drinks may diminish their impact on the health of the nation, a report warns. Pictured is Sparklingly Sober, an alcohol-free drink The popularity of such beverages has surged in the past decade especially among those wanting to lead healthier lives by reducing their weekly intake of wine and beer In the first study of its kind, researchers examined whether these drinks reduced alcohol-related harms. They analysed consumption and sales of beers, ciders, wines, spirits and ready-to-drink beverages with less than 1.2 per cent alcohol by volume in 2022 A third of adults consumed no or low alcohol drinks, with one in five doing so at least one a month. They were popular with heavy drinkers, who were also likely to drink them more regularly than lighter or non-drinkers. The wealthy were likely to consume no or low alcohol drinks more often than those from poorer backgrounds, the authors found. They suggested that similar price tags for alcoholic equivalents put some people off. John Holmes, of the University of Sheffield, which carried out the research, said: 'It's good to see evidence that risky drinkers are trying no/low alcohol beverages. READ MORE - Ultimate guide on how to survive Dry January: Psychologist shares 4 tips to help distract you from thinking about alcohol or cigarettes Advertisement 'However, these drinks are often expensive. That's a problem because alcohol causes the most harm among more deprived groups. If those groups can't afford no/low drinks, it might mean we see only small improvements in public health.' Retailers sold over 57million litres of no/low drinks in 2021 the equivalent of one litre per adult in Britain and 1.06 per cent of all alcohol sales, worth 221million. Most drinks were made by the major alcohol brands, with low-alcohol beer the most popular item accounting for more than three-quarters of drinks sold. Using premium ingredients or new methods to extract flavour, the drinks were often more expensive than alcoholic beverages. Professor Brian Ferguson, of the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which funded the report, said: 'No and low alcohol products remain expensive. Hopefully prices will fall over time as technological advances reduce the production cost.' Last week figures from analysts Assosia for The Grocer magazine showed the price of nine alcohol-free beers, including Birra Moretti Zero and Guinness Draught 0.0, have risen 22.3 per cent at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Morrisons since the start of December. Matt Lambert, of the industryfunded Portman Group, said: 'The concerns around alcohol alternatives which share branding with regular-strength drinks are unfounded, as research shows these brands are helping consumers cut their drinking.' One of Australia's top newsreaders has announced she will step away from the airwaves after an illustrious 20-year career. 2GB newsreader Amie Meehan read her last broadcast before Christmas and will work as campaign director for PR agency 'In the Media PR'. Meehan hangs up the microphone having covered the world's largest news stories from the Queen Elizabeth II's death death to natural disasters, state and federal elections, and medical breakthroughs. She had most recently won her third Australian Commercial Radio Award for Best News Presenter AM for her role on Ben Fordham's show on 2GB. 'Amie will miss the loyal listeners and the great staff she has worked with but is excited to still be in the business of storytelling,' an In The Media PR spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. One of Australia's top newsreaders, Amie Meehan (pictured) is leaving air waves after an illustrious 20-year career with 2GB and moving to work in PR Ms Meehan's new role will be to help educate clients on how to 'speak to their audience through the media'. 'I'm excited about this move and joining such an experienced team,' Ms Meehan said, now working alongside former journalists each with over 15-years experience. 'I'll still be using my journalistic skills to tell stories, but in this case helping companies stand out in a media environment that's often saturated with content and noise.' She said that while her alarm won't be going off at 3.30am anymore, the early mornings will persist as the agency has 'the whole team on deck by 7.30am'. 'The continued focus on self and career development, as well as the flexibility provided at In The Media PR, enabling me to work remotely, also attracted me to the role,' Ms Meehan said. Despite being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2018, Ms Meehan remained determined and continued her role as a newsreader nearly every day. After 25 rounds of radiation and going into remission the following year, she brought veteran radio host Ray Hadley to tears in an interview detailing her battle with the disease. She and her husband would go on to raise over $12,000 for the Cancer Council in the Sh**box Rally in 2023, taking a $1000 car on a 3,000km journey in just 7 days. Ms Meehan had worked with radio heavyweights such as Ben Fordham (both pictured) and covered the world's largest stories from the Queen's death to state and federal elections Her departure comes just months after she was awarded her third Australian Commercial Radio Award for Best News Presenter AM (pictured with Ray Hadley) In The Media PR has quickly made a name for itself as an agency focussed on hiring former journalists to pitch their clients' stories to news organisations. Her new team includes former colleague and 2GB breakfast editor, Emily Fagan, former rival newsreader, Sarah Forster, Sky News' Melbourne Bureau's former head Ryan Van Haalen and award-winning writer Niki Waldergrave. The agency's co-directors, former Newscorp and Qantas magazine journalist Oryana Angel and ex-Ray Hadley Morning Show executive producer and newsreader Janyne Moore said Meehan is 'a perfect fit' for the role. 'We are different to traditional agencies in that we are a full team of former journalists - we still have the newsroom mindset and we approach our work with that same energy,' Ms Angel said. 'PR professionals who really understand the media landscape are more important than ever, particularly as journalists are increasingly time-poor with constant competing deadlines.' A suspected Australian bikie chief has been arrested at a luxury apartment after he flew into Thailand on a private jet allegedly using a fake Italian passport. A surprisingly clean-cut Rodrigo Elices, 31, also allegedly known as Elias, was arrested after he jetted into Bangkok with a false ID and a 30-day tourist visa on December 6, 2023. Elices, who also has few tattoos, claimed to be an Italian called Gjini, Thai immigration allege, but a fingerprint check revealed he was allegedly an Australian bikie at the centre of a drug ring. Immigration officials traced him to a ritzy apartment block in Bangkok's hip downtown ThongLor area where he was then arrested. Thai investigators said Australian police told them Elices was allegedly a key player in a Hells Angels drugs smuggling network and facing charges over importing 14kg of methamphetamine. Elices was also being hunted by police after a home in Kogarah was torched in October 2022, badly burning a 51-year-old man and allegedly uncovering a drug ring. Suspected Australian Hells Angels kingpin Rodrigo Elices (pictured centre) has been arrested at a luxury unit after he flew into Thailand on a private jet allegedly using a fake Italian passport Rodrigo Elices (pictured centre) claimed to be an Italian called Gjini, say Thai immigration, but a fingerprint check revealed he was allegedly an Australian bikie at the centre of a drug ring Detectives found 5.7kg of cocaine in the home, $15,000 in cash and drug manufacturing equipment. The injured man and two others were charged with drug offences, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. But Elices allegedly fled the country before detectives could seize him. Elices' arrest was paraded in a press conference for Thai media by immigration officials who released shirtless pictures of the Australian being quizzed by officials. He was shown handcuffed as investigators grilled him on his alleged links to drug syndicates and the alleged fake passport he used to attempt to flee to Thailand. The clean-shaven alleged bikie, with short hair and large tattoos across his chest and stomach, was also photographed surrounded by immigration officials who arrested him. An elaborate infographic also spelled out the immigration investigation which had allegedly unmasked the fake Italian as an Australian Hells Angel bikie. 'Elices is still a major suspect in Australia who is the [alleged] leader of the Hells Angels gang that is [allegedly] a drug distribution network,' said Police Major General Phanthana Nuchanart, Immigration Bureau Deputy Commander-in-Chief. He is allegedly wanted on smuggling charges for drugs and firearms with an arrest warrant for 38 charges, including 36 weapons charges, one charge relating to the 14kg of meth and one of participating in a transnational criminal organisation. 'He also has a criminal history of assaulting officials and robbery,' the commander in chief alleged. 'The investigative team investigated until they learnt Elices had [allegedly] fled to live in a luxury condo in the ThongLor area. 'They brought in forces and went to [arrest] Elices and from the inspection of the room they [allegedly] found the Australian passport of Elices and the Italian passport of Gjini.' Rodrigo Elices (pictured seated) was photographed surrounded by the immigration officials who arrested him, along with the two passports they allegedly found in his possession An elaborate infogram also spelled out the immigration investigation which had allegedly unmasked the fake Italian as an Australian Hells Angel bikie It's understood the same man was pictured in both passports. Major General Nuchanart added: 'Australian police are co-ordinating with Thai Police so he was always [allegedly] trying to escape.' Elices has been held in custody awaiting trial over the Thai immigration charges before deportation proceedings to fly him back to Australia. He was most recently convicted of affray at Sydney Down Centre and sentenced to nine months of intensive correction in the community, which expired in August. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment. NSW Police said they had no details of the overseas arrest and Australian Federal Police referred all enquiries to DFAT. Do you know more? Kevin.Airs@mailonline.com A guest was left outraged after being given a long and ridiculous list of rules when checking in to her motel off a highway. Megan stayed at the site on the NSW south coast over the Christmas and New Year period and told news.com.au the price was set at $250 a night. The customer couldn't fathom how the family-run business provided such strict rules and called them 'mean spirited'. 'They lived on-site but had a strict 3pm-6pm check-in policy and said they'd cancel the room with no refund if we didn't arrive between those times,' she said. Once Megan and her companion arrived and entered their room, they were greeted with a long list of strict rules that were hanging up in the bedroom. The guest called the family who ran the motel 'mean spirited' for having strict rules that included guests needing to pay $50 housekeeping (pictured, a mock-up of the rules) One of the off-putting rules was that motel management had the right to enter their room without the guest's permission. Guests wanting housekeeping would be charged $50 as the nightly rate didn't include cleaning. If the guest required a member of staff to help them with an issue outside of their strict 3pm-6pm office hours, they would be slapped with a $75 call out fee. The motel also had a strict policy when it came to food with guests only being permitted to reheat meals in the microwave but not cook anything in it. The pool was also off-limits to guests and customers were not allowed to charge their electric vehicles. Guests could not have visitors to the room without management approving them and, if permission was granted, they would then charge $20 per person. In the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's consumer law guide for the accommodation industry, it is made clear how hotel providers must handle terms and conditions. At the time of booking, the hotel and guest enter a contract. Guests are required to review and agree to the terms and conditions. One of the off-putting rules was that motel management had the right to enter their room without the guests' permission (stock image) 'It is recommended you have a written agreement with your customer that clearly states the terms and conditions of the agreement, including the cancellation policy,' the ACCC said. Guests must agree to terms and conditions either over the phone, by signing a document or clicking on 'I agree' if they booked online. Accommodation providers must also follow national contract terms laws, which protect a consumer. These include rules that are not necessary to protect the business and 'would cause detriment (financial or otherwise) to a consumer.' The science ministry said Monday it will invest 542.1 billion won ($412.7 million) in the development of original biotechnology this year. The budget marked a 3 percent decrease from the previous year's allocation of 559.4 billion won, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. In detail, the ministry plans to inject 151.8 billion won in research and development projects focusing on new medicines, medical equipment, regenerative medicine and related areas. Around 361.2 billion won will be funneled into the development of core biology strategic technologies, including synthetic biology and advanced neuroscience, and the establishment of a digital research ecosystem. Some 29.1 billion won was set aside to create a research network with foreign partners, the ministry said. (Yonhap) The foundations of the world order are being 'shaken to their core' by the actions of hostile states such as Russia, China and Iran, Grant Shapps will warn today. The Defence Secretary will issue the chilling assessment as he reveals 20,000 British personnel are to join a Nato exercise to prepare for a potential invasion of Europe by Russia. In a speech in London, he will say: 'We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation whenever the call comes. 'Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being redrawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine's lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at a crossroads.' Later, Rishi Sunak will update MPs on British air strikes against Houthi rebels terrorising merchant shipping in the Red Sea. Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps warns the foundations of the world order are being 'shaken to their core' by the actions of hostile states such as Russia, China and Iran Rishi Sunak will update MPs on British air strikes against Houthi rebels Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron yesterday indicated that Britain is willing to join the United States in further strikes on Houthi bases in Yemen if they continue their attacks on the trade route. During a series of TV interviews yesterday, he also issued a warning to Iran, which is known to fund and arm the Houthis, describing the state as a 'malign actor'. 'It is hard to think of a time when there has been so much danger and insecurity and instability in the world,' he told Sky News. This theme will be picked up by Mr Shapps in a speech at Lancaster House today. It will highlight the growing threat posed by Russia, China and Iran, but sources said Mr Shapps will also draw attention to the increasingly assertive stance of smaller actors such as North Korea and Venezuela. Left to right: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei The Defence Secretary will reveal that 20,000 British soldiers, sailors and airman will join one of the biggest Nato exercises since the Cold War to provide 'vital reassurance against the Putin menace'. The Army will deploy tanks, artillery and helicopters across eastern Europe next month while the Royal Navy will send eight warships and submarines. The RAF will provide F-35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft. 'Exercise Steadfast Defender' is a key part of Nato plans to turn the alliance into a war-fighting organisation in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The crisis in the Middle East has placed strains on the alliance, with Turkey's president Erdogan accusing Britain and the US of trying to turn the Red Sea into a 'sea of blood'. Responding to his comments yesterday, Lord Cameron said: 'He is an important Nato ally but in this case we don't agree.' Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove, yesterday said the West had no choice but to take action against the Houthis. But he warned it could heighten the risk of a 'lone wolf' terror attack. Donald Trump has promised to clean up a 'rat-infested, graffiti-infested, sh**hole' Washington DC in campaign rally in Iowa - a day before the first caucus of the GOP. Trump, considered a favorite to win the GOP nomination for a third time in a row, appeared to be referring to an anti-Israel protest in Washington in November. He looked at the state of disrepair in the capital and suggested a federal takeover might be on the cards for Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser's city. 'We have a capital that we all love. Right now, it is a rat-infested, graffiti-infested sh**hole where people are being killed,' Trump said in a campaign speech Sunday. He specifically stated that 'we are going to take it away from the mayor' who has seen homicides spike by 29% in the past year if Trump wins in November. Former President Donald Trump promised to clean up a 'rat-infested, graffiti-infested, sh**hole' Washington DC in campaign rally in Iowa, a day before the first caucus of the Republican Primary 'That does not make me popular there, but I have to say it,' he said, of the city in which Bowser won with 74 percent of the vote in the last mayoral election in 2022. 'We have to run our capital incredibly. We have to take the graffiti off those magnificent marble columns all over the city where they have swastikas printed on them, where they have the names of people who have hearts,' Trump added of the anti-Israel protest. He added that diplomats and ambassadors must look down on Washington whenever they visit. 'We are going to clean up our capital, we are going to knock out the slums. We have slums. We are going to have the most beautiful capital in the world.' Much of Washington's governance at a city level is under Congressional oversight, despite the 1973 Home Rule Act, which gave DC some independence. Any laws passed by the city's 13-member council can be overruled by Congress, though the president cannot personally rule. Soaring crime and homelessness in the nation's capital is leaving residents rattled, with locals driving small distances to avoid walking the dangerous streets and others now too fearful to step outside even during the day. Homicides and robberies are up 29 and 67 per cent from the same time period last year, with murders approaching levels not seen in two decades - while other big cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore are seeing declines. The president looked at the state of disrepair in the capital and seemed to suggest a federal takeover might be on the cards for what he called the 'horribly-run' DC under Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser (pictured) 'We have a capital that we all love. Right now, it is a rat-infested, graffiti-infested sh**hole where people are being killed,' Trump said of Washington in a campaign speech Sunday Soaring crime and homelessness in the nation's capital is leaving residents rattled, with locals driving small distances to avoid walking the dangerous streets and others now too fearful to step outside even during the day A body is covered with a tarp following a shooting in Washington DC in April. Murders are on track to reach levels not seen in 20 years Neighboring Baltimore could end the year with under 300 killings for the first time since the riots over Freddie Gray's death in police custody in 2015. Yet in Washington DC, one 58-year-old lobbyist told The Washington Post that he stopped walking in his neighborhood after he and his husband were attacked near Dupont Circle, and then had a bottle thrown at them outside Whole Foods. The couple left the city last month after 30 years, relocating to Maryland. 'I've always thought I could outrun any criminal in the past,' he said. 'I can't anymore. I'm a sitting duck.' The city also hasn't been immune to the furious left-wing anti-Israel protests in recent months. Furious pro-Palestine protestors climbed the White House fence and chanted 'f*** Joe Biden' as thousands descended on Washington DC to demonstrate against the US government's support for Israel back in November. Upwards of 100,000 people flocked to the nation's capital as a day of pro-Palestine protests erupted across the globe, resulting in several disturbing anti-Semitic incidents. Graffiti reading 'death to Israel' and 'glory to our martyrs' was sprayed on buildings near the Israeli Embassy, according to images shared by the embassy on X. Controversial chant, 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' rang out throughout the protests, while a Hezbollah flag was spotted flying in the masses showing support for the terrorist organization. The massive gathering is the latest demonstration against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which has so far killed for than 9,250 people according to the state's health ministry. Blood-red hand prints were slapped onto the side of the White House fence Anti-Semitic graffiti reading 'death to Israel' and 'Glory to our martyrs' was sprayed on buildings in DC ahead of the march Further pieces of graffiti seen in DC read 'f*** Israel' and 'Gaza is going to win' Up to 100,000 protesters gathered to demand a ceasefire and an end to US military aid being sent to Israel Pro-Palestine supporters filled to the streets of Washington D.C. to the brim, with further protests organized across the globe Protestors stretched a banner across the White House fence reportedly reading 'Stop attacks on Gaza', which led the Secret Service to tear the sign down in a move that sparked fury among the mob. Chants of 'Allahu akbar' were hard as the protest marched through the city, as red hand prints were later seen pressed onto walls near the presidential residence. Before reaching the White House, a huge crowd of protestors filled the streets of DC on a route that stretched past numerous landmarks near the Capitol. Images after the protestors moved through showed a number of historical statues, including desecrating the statue of American Revolutionary War hero General Marquis de Lafayette with graffiti and Palestinian flags. 'Biden, we will remember in November,' read one of the signs on the sculpture. Other notable statues that caught the ire of protestors included Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Jackson. Iconic Gus the Groper fish is dead, despite suggestions that it was another fish of the same species which was illegally speared, a local dive expert insists. There was uproar when a fish, believed to be locals' favourite so-called 'labrador of the sea', was killed at Oak Park, near Cronulla, south of Sydney, on December 30. The fisherman proudly showed off his catch in a bloodied wetsuit - but a documentary filmmaker who knows Gus came forward last week to insist the speared fish wasn't Gus at all, but a lookalike. David Ireland, 76, who first befriended a beloved giant fish nicknamed Gus in the 1980s, claimed Gus was really much larger than the speared fish. He also said Gus had a tell-tale scar near his tail where he was previously speared years earlier, but had survived. However, diving expert Peter Letts hotly disputed this, telling Daily Mail Australia that Mr Ireland is likely recalling an 'earlier Gus' that had lived in the same rockpool, and had been superseded by a 'second Gus' when it died. Gus the groper, dead in the hands of the spear fisherman who proudly posed in his bloodied wetsuit, only to be abused by locals as he walked with the beloved creature up the beach Dive expert Peter Letts revealed an amazing fact about Gus which is true of all Eastern blue gropers - that they start off life as females before undergoing 'protogynous hermaphroditism' Dive master Peter Letts (above with his daughter Rachel Fallon) has a love of the sea and hopes to use Gus's sad demise to galvanise anti-spearing laws of the beloved marine giants Gus's rock pool is currently empty of a blue male fish, which typically dominate an underwater territory. The fish live for about 40 years, and Mr Letts believed the 'Gus' with the tail scar had died and been replaced with the one who has just been caught and killed. Mr Letts who runs Abyss Diving in Sydney's southern suburbs and holds regular diving classes at Oak Park said divers familiar with the more recent Gus, including Tenille Piek who has a tattoo of the fish on her arm, know he is gone. The local swimming group dubbed the Jellybeans has even written a song about Gus, lamenting the 'cruel and cowardly action' about the fish 'betrayed by a man with a spear'. 'Tragically, Gus met his untimely demise on 30th December 2023, at the hands of a spear fisherman,' he has written in a heartfelt tribute to Gus, 'the amiable blue groper who accompanied me on countless dives at Oak Park, Cronulla'. The tribute is also Mr Letts' effort since Gus's death to step up conservation of gropers in Australian waters and protection of them from spear fishing, which incurs only small fines. The spear fisherman captured spearing Gus and removing him from Oak Park was fined just $800, despite there being a maximum penalty of $21,000 and six months in jail. Mr Letts - who has earned 28 diving, underwater photography and navigation qualifications since chucking in his corporate career in 2000 - has led the storm of protest that followed. Peter Letts, above, teaching scuba diving, wrote a heartfelt tribute to Gus, 'the amiable blue groper who accompanied me on countless dives at Oak Park, Cronulla' Gus , like all Eastern blue gropers, transformed from a female fish into a dominant male via a phenomenon, known as protogynous hermaphroditism, triggered by the death of a male Police charged the spear fisherman (above, taking Gus from the water) with a mere $800 in fines, but public fury at his actions and the small penalty continues Apart from nominating the area be renamed 'Gus Reserve' he has tagged numerous politicians to encourage them to clear up the confusion over 'the boundaries between spear and no spear areas. 'By doing so, we can proactively prevent any potential harm, such as an uninformed spear fisherman inadvertently targeting a scuba diver.' Meanwhile, Mr Letts revealed another blue groper - which are all male - will eventually move into Gus's old grotto once the currently rough seas have subsided. And like Gus, that fish will have started off life as a female. He explained that groper are territorial and while more than one female fish, which are a green to reddish brown colour can occupy the same area, only one male occupies an area. He said it was entirely natural that another male groper should move in after Gus's demise. Mr Letts said gropers like Gus, while as adult males have transformed into a dazzling cobalt blue with thick lips and peg-shaped teeth, they all start off life as females. 'As they mature, some transform remarkably, switching from female to male. This phenomenon, known as protogynous hermaphroditism, is a common trait among wrasses,' he wrote on his Gus the Groper blog. 'The protogynous hermaphroditism, the transformation of the dominant female into a male, stands as one of the most intriguing aspects of the Blue Gropers life cycle. 'This rare characteristic is typically triggered by the death of the dominant male in a group, prompting the largest female to undergo a sex change and take up the role of the groups leader. 'Vibrant Eastern Blue Gropers captivate divers with their mesmerizing hues and friendly demeanour.' He wanted to spread 'the poignant tale of Gus, the adored Eastern Blue Groper, whose unfortunate fate has become a rallying cry for marine conservation efforts across Australia.' A Jewish MP has attacked Penny Wong and described her as 'one of the worst Foreign Ministers we've ever had' amid revelations she will not visit the Israeli towns targeted by Hamas during her diplomatic trip to the Middle East. Senator Wong is Australia's most trusted politician according to polling conducted at the end of 2023, and was also considered the most effective minister in the Albanese cabinet. Ms Wong is travelling to Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as the United Arab Emirates this week and will meet with Israeli families of hostages and survivors of the October 7 attacks. She will also meet with Palestinians impacted by Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. But the minister will not visit the sites of the Hamas massacres as other politicians from around the world have done in recent months. David Southwick, the Jewish deputy leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, asked on X 'what kind of message does that send to the world?' Senator Wong is travelling to Israel , Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as well as the United Arab Emirates, this week and will meet with Israeli families of hostages and survivors of the October 7 attacks 'Penny Wong must be one of the worst Foreign Ministers we've ever had. Why go to Israel if you aren't willing to tour the southern Israeli towns where the October 7 massacres occurred?' Senator Wong is also facing backlash from the Australian Jewish Association and president David Adler. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Dr Adler said: 'Frankly, this is an insult to Israel, to the victims of the terrorism including those still hostage and to the Australian Jewish community. 'It would have been preferable for FM Wong not to go than to behave like this.' 'The Hamas terror attack and subsequent war has been the dominant international issue for the last three months. The refusal of our foreign minister to visit the place where it began and gain a better first-hand understanding is a clear dereliction of duty.' Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler also said he and his community were 'disappointed' by the decision. 'A visit to Ground Zero of the worst anti-Semitic attack since the Holocaust would have been an important show of solidarity with Israel and Jewish Australians,' he said. Ms Wong was directly asked why she wasn't going to the site of the massacre on Monday. She responded: 'I will be meeting with survivors of that attack, as well as families of hostages, and that will be important.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also faced questions about the decision on RN Breakfast, but refused to be drawn on the matter. 'Well Penny Wong's itinerary is a matter for her,' he said. 'What I don't do is have a precise itinerary of all my ministers. But Penny Wong will be meeting with survivors and families of victims from the October 7 terror attack in Jerusalem. She'll also be meeting with communities who've been impacted by settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. 'The Foreign Minister is travelling to the Middle East because quite clearly what's occurring after the Hamas attack on innocent civilians in Israel and then the devastation that we've seen in Gaza is something that is of concern to the global community.' Sunday marked 100 days since terror group Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took another 240 hostage. Israel has since bombarded Gaza with air strikes which local authorities say have killed more than 23,000 people and displaced 1.9 million - 85 per cent of the strip's population. Senator Wong's trip comes just days after Australia supported the US and UK's bombing of Houthi rebel controlled territory in Yemen following the Iran-backed group's attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. David Southwick, the Jewish deputy leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, asked on X 'what kind of message does that send to the world?' Sunday marked 100 days since terror group Hamas killed 1200 Israelis and took another 240 hostage The rebels have launched assaults in the trade route in response to Israel's strikes on Gaza. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected a suggestion that Australia's support for the joint action against the Houthis had been inadequate. 'We're making an appropriate contribution as Australia always does,' he told ABC's RN. 'We always play our role and it is appropriate that we have people there in Bahrain, we had people before the Houthi attacks. READ MORE: Jewish minister subjected to horrendous abuse Advertisement 'Since then we've increased the number of personnel that are involved in that operation.' Senator Wong will meet with her regional counterparts to discuss preventing the spread of conflict and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 'Israel must respect international humanitarian law and conduct military operations lawfully. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected,' she said. 'I will express our profound concern that there are increasingly few safe places for Gazans. 'I will reiterate our call for safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access so that food, water, fuel, medicine and essential assistance to reach people in desperate need, and so civilians can get to safety. 'Australia wants to see steps towards a sustainable ceasefire.' But Senator Wong said a ceasefire could never be 'one-sided'. 'It is our view that Gaza must no longer be used as a platform for terrorism and that Hamas must lay down its arms,' she said. 'We are committed to working with partners toward a just and enduring peace in the form of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders.' The government said the visit to Israel - the first by a foreign minister since 2016 - built on Senator Wong's extensive diplomatic efforts since the crisis began. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for recruits with 'severe intellectual' disabilities as it tries to hit woke DEI targets. The agency is hunting people with psychiatric issues and other mental and physical conditions in its latest diversity drive. The FAA, which includes jobs such as air traffic controllers, are keen to employ those with hearing and vision impairments, missing limbs, partial and complete paralysis. Such a broad recruitment is all part of what the FAA term its 'Diversity and Inclusion' hiring plan. John P. Benison, the Assistant Administrator, Office of Civil Rights is charged with implementing the FAA's DEI plan An air traffic controller is seen at Los Angeles International Airport (file photo) The FAA, overseen by Secretary Pete Buttigieg's Department of Transportation, is responsible for regulating civil aviation and currently employs around 47,000 people, while John P. Benison is charged with implementing the agency's DEI plan. Benison, whose official title is as Assistant Administrator, Office of Civil Rights, 'is responsible for assuring equal opportunity, and diversity precepts within the FAA' with his officer overseeing all 'civil rights, equal opportunity, and diversity matters.' The FAA states on its website how individuals with 'severe' mental and physical disabilities represent an under-represented segment of the federal workforce. The agency 'actively supports diversity through various associations, programs, coalitions, and initiatives, emphasizing the importance of its diverse workforce.' 'Diversity is integral to achieving FAA's mission of ensuring safe and efficient travel across our nation and beyond,' the FAA states. The FAA, overseen by Secretary Pete Buttigieg's Department of Transportation, is responsible for regulating civil aviation and currently employs around 47,000 people However, there has been renewed attention on the FAA and the airline industry as a whole following an incident earlier this month when a plug door on a Boeing 737 Max 9 malfunctioned during an Alaska Airlines flight. The FAA responded by grounding all 737 MAX 9 planes, conducting extensive inspections, and increasing oversight of Boeing's production line. Following the shocking incident, some public figures including Elon Musk suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives may be responsible for compromising safety in the airline industry. 'It will take an airplane crashing and killing hundreds of people for them to change this crazy policy of DIE,' Musk wrote on his X platform on Tuesday, rearranging the abbreviation for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Elon Musk has become an outspoken critic of DEI policies Following the incident, some public figures including Elon Musk suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives may be responsible for compromising safety in the airline industry The FAA says that it thoroughly seeks and vets qualified candidates from various sources for a range of positions. The agency employs tens of thousands of people in diverse roles, with rigorous qualifications varying by position. 'Because diversity is so critical, FAA actively supports and engages in a variety of associations, programs, coalitions and initiatives to support and accommodate employees from diverse communities and backgrounds. Our people are our strength, and we take great care in investing in and valuing them as such,' the FAA states. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, a group advocating for health care protection, expressed the belief that both the aviation and health care industries share a responsibility for safety. But he cautioned against lowering standards for entry into these fields, asserting that people with disabilities who can successfully perform tasks should not face discrimination. An air traffic controller ensures the safe and efficient movement of aircraft to arrival gates and departure gates, seen here at LAX airport 'The aviation industry has a responsibility for traveler safety just as the health care industry has a responsibility for patient safety. These responsibilities outweigh other factors when considering applicants to work in those fields. People with disabilities who can successfully complete the task should never face discrimination,' Goldfarb told Fox News. The FAA's website outlines its 'On-the-Spot hiring process,' allowing some managers to hire disabled individuals and veterans, provided the necessary documentation is submitted. 'The FAA employs tens of thousands of people for a wide range of positions, from administrative roles to oversight and execution of critical safety functions. Like many large employers, the agency proactively seeks qualified candidates from as many sources as possible, all of whom must meet rigorous qualifications that of course will vary by position,' the FAA said. A solicitor who was accused of helping Supermax inmate Bassam Hamzy allegedly run a drug ring from his prison cell has died destitute in a Sydney nursing home. Martin Churchill had been diagnosed with cancer while in prison awaiting trial and was living off Centrelink payments before his death late last month. The 67-year-old is understood to have made poor financial investments in Russia, leaving him penniless, and arrangements for his funeral had been delayed. He had been on an experimental course of medication since his original cancer treatment stopped working several months ago and was taking heavy painkillers. Described by associates as 'smart and eccentric', Churchill maintained his innocence to the end, occasionally railing against the NSW Police Force and NSW Director of Public Prosecutions. Solicitor Martin Churchill (above), who was accused of helping Supermax inmate Bassam Hamzy allegedly run a drug ring from his prison cell, has died destitute in a Sydney nursing home Churchill was arrested in July 2019 and accused of abusing his lawyer-client relationship with Hamzy in alleged coded three-way phone calls to Australia's most secure jail. The High Risk Management Correctional Centre, known as Supermax, is located in the Goulburn prison complex 200km south-west of Sydney and houses some of the state's most dangerous inmates. Police alleged Churchill and Hamzy used phrases such as 'legal fees' to mean an ounce of methylamphetamine and 'paying the barrister' to mean handing over drugs to a supplier. Churchill was charged with taking part in the commercial supply of a prohibited drug and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime. Churchill was arrested in July 2019 and accused of abusing his lawyer-client relationship with Bassam Hamzy (above) in coded three-way phone calls to Australia's most secure jail. He was further charged with hindering the apprehension of a person who had committed a serious offence and stalk/intimidate with the intent of causing fear of physical harm. The drug charges related to 452.8g of meth allegedly supplied between October 2017 and February 2018. When Churchill first faced Newtown Local Court he represented himself and did not apply for bail. Magistrate Glenn Bartley advised him to hire a lawyer. Hamzy was charged with commercial supply of a prohibited drug, hindering the apprehension of a person who had committed a serious offence and dealing with the proceeds of crime. He has maintained his prison phone conversations with Churchill were legal discussions in which he referred to legitimate business and personal interests. The High Risk Management Correctional Centre, known as Supermax, is located 200km south-west of Sydney and houses the state's most dangerous inmates. A Supermax cell is pictured Churchill and Hamzy both pleaded not guilty and were set to face a jury together in August 2021 but their trial was delayed by factors including Covid-19. Their trial was put back again in January 2022 when lawyers acting for Churchill said 20 pages of his hand-written instructions were illegible. The hearing was ready to go ahead in the District Court in May 2022 despite Churchill having been in hospital suffering a series of illnesses. Churchill was granted a permanent stay of proceedings in August that year after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, in which cancerous plasma cells build up in bone marrow. Three of the charges were the subject of stay orders, while the stalking charge was dropped. Having spent three years on remand Churchill was released from prison and spent his final days as a patient in an aged care facility in Sydney's south-eastern suburbs. Churchill told friends in October the chemotherapy that had kept him alive for the past 18 months had stopped working. He died on December 29. Described by associates as 'smart and eccentric', Churchill maintained his innocence to the end, railing against the NSW Police Force and NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Churchill had worked in the legal system since 1976, first for the federal and NSW attorney-general's departments, before establishing his own firm, Churchill Lawyers. He was a keen follower of sports, a fan of popular music from the 1960s and 1970s, and a student of military history and international politics. A onetime professional associate said Churchill had lost money on failed property investments in Russia, a country whose language he spoke and he had visited. Churchill had once represented Sydney drug importer and big wave surfer Shayne Hatfield who was found dead in his cell at Parklea prison last Friday. Hatfield was released from jail in December 2022 after serving 18 years over a $30million cocaine smuggling operation using baggage handlers at Sydney Airport. Police believe the 59-year-old, who had been refused bail late last year after being charged with assaulting his girlfriend, took his own life. Hamzy is set to face trial in the District Court in April. Disturbing surveillance footage shows the moment a pair of vehicles fatally ran down a woman during a hit-and-run in New York City. Lourdes Camilo, 53, was waiting to cross an intersection in the Bronx when she was hit by the first vehicle, a white Jeep, around 7:10 pm, the NYPD said. She was then thrust into the air and into a second Jeep, this one traveling in the opposite direction 'at a considerable rate of speed', the clip shows. The woman, said to be a mom of four, is then seen lying lifeless on the street. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The first car sped off after the moment of impact - leaving Camilo to die in the street. The second, driven by a 53-year-old male, stayed behind. Scroll down for video: Disturbing surveillance footage shows the moment a pair of vehicles fatally ran down Lourdes Camilo, a 53-year-old mother of four seen here in gray, during a hit-and-run in the South Bronx Camilo is seen waiting to cross the intersection of Melrose Avenue and 157th Street before she being hit by the first vehicle, a white Jeep. She was then thrust into the air into the path of a second SUV, before being left lifeless in the street. Cops said she lived just a few blocks away The search for the driver of the white Grand Cherokee, as of Sunday evening, remains ongoing, cops confirmed. The victim's mom, one of several relatives who arrived on the scene before Camilo could be taken away, expressed her and her family's anguish to The Daily News. 'The whole family felt a lot about her,' the senior told the paper, in an interview translated from Spanish. 'She called everyone her friend.' The woman, asking not to be named, added : 'She was very special, always with a smile even if she had a problem.' Luis Morales, Camilo's 80-year-old neighbor, painted a similar picture, describing how the late Starbucks manager was always boisterous when he saw her around the building. 'She was a very nice girl,' Morales said, as multiple people presumed to be the victim's family were left inconsolable in the streets. 'Every time I saw her, 'Good morning, sir. How are you? Have a good day,'' he recollected. 'Good sense of humor. Very lively. Very polite.' He added how he was stunned to hear how she died, saying that she was always 'very careful' when crossing the street 'I can't believe it,' he told the publication. Camilo, said to be a manager at a local Starbucks, was pronounced dead at the scene. Relatives arrived before her body could be taken away A woman assumed to be a relative is seen being restrained at the scene. Cops said Tuesday that the driver of the first car remains at large The driver of the second vehicle, not pictured, stayed behind, but is so far not being charged. He cooperated with cops at the hectic scene The victim's mom, not pictured, was one of many to express the anguish over the insicent to The Daily News. 'The whole family felt a lot about her,' the senior told the paper, in an interview translated from Spanish. 'She called everyone her friend' Luis Morales, Camilo's 80-year-old neighbor, painted a similar picture, describing how the late Starbucks manager was always boisterous when he saw her around the building. Pictured: A single shoe lays on the sidewalk in the incident's aftermath He also detailed the moment Camilo's family found out about the fatal incident, revealing he could he could hear their anguish from next-door. 'I heard the crying. Banging on the walls, yelling,' he said, revealing Camilo had four kids and worked as a Starbucks manager in Manhattan. The driver of the second vehicle, meanwhile, was photographed by the News, but as of Sunday is not being charged. He cooperated with cops at a hectic scene Saturday night, where many presumed to be Camilo's family were seen being restrained by cops as the victim laid covered in the street. The area was subsequently cordoned off, as many were overcome with grief. As a search continues for the at-large Grand Cherokee, cops have yet to mention whether they have been able to pull a license plate. As a search continues for the at-large Grand Cherokee, cops have yet to mention whether they have been able to pull a license plate So far, there have been no arrests and as of Sunday, officers' investigation remained ongoing As is the case with all hit and run cases, a suspect will be charged when apprehended. DailyMail.com has reached out to the NYPD for comment. So far, there have been no arrests and officers' investigation remains ongoing. As is the case with all hit and run cases, a suspect will be charged when apprehended. DailyMail.com has reached out to the NYPD for comment. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeared to defend accusations of having an alleged secret lover co-prosecutor as they oversee the Georgia case against former President Donald Trump. Willis was accused in a stunning court filing by one of Trump's co-defendants of having an affair with Nathan Wade, who was paid more than $600,000 as a special prosecutor assisting her office. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has filed a formal complaint of misconduct against Willis, while House Republicans have kicked off an investigation into Wade. The former president pointed to the allegations Tuesday and said it meant the Georgia prosecutor was 'totally compromised' and that the racketeering case against Trump and 18 codefendants 'has to be dropped.' In an impassioned 35-minute speech at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta Sunday, she did not directly refer to - and did not deny - the accusations but suggested that criticism of her was racist and sexist. 'You cannot expect black women to be perfect and save the world. We need to be allowed to stumble,' she said. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appeared to defend accusations of having an alleged secret lover co-prosecutor as they oversee the Georgia case against former President Donald Trump "You cannot expect Black women to be perfect and save the world," Willis said. "We need to be allowed to stumble. We need grace." "We are all flawed, sinners, unworthy, imperfect, damaged...But we are qualified upon His calling," she continued before concluding her remarks. pic.twitter.com/B9NcE14BdV Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) January 14, 2024 Without naming Wade, she clearly appeared to be referring to him in her speech, adding that this 'someone' had 'impeccable credentials' and years of expertise. 'They are going to be mad when I call them out on this nonsense,' Willis told the congregation. 'First thing they say, 'Oh, she's going to play the race card.' But isn't it them playing the race card when they think I need someone in some other jurisdiction in some other state to tell me how to do a job I've been doing almost 30 years?' Willis thanked leaders of the historically black church in Atlanta who 'didnt care what they said about me' and told her 'the invite was still good' to speak. 'I hope for y'all this week I dont look like what I've been through,' she said. She repeatedly referred to herself as 'imperfect' and 'flawed,' noting that the only perfect person was Jesus. 'Today, what he has brought you is his very flawed, hardheaded and imperfect servant,' she said. Willis said her father, who she said met and spent time with Dr. Martin Luther King, told her that he saw the civil rights leader at low moments, saddened because people were cruel and unsupportive. Her father told her that King 'was not a perfect man, but he was a great man, willing to answer God's call.' In an impassioned 35-minute speech at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta Sunday, she did not directly refer to - and did not deny - the accusations but suggested that criticism of her was racist and sexist Former President Donald Trump said following arguments at a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., that Fulton County, Georgia DA Fani Willis was 'totally compromised,' following allegations she had a 'romantic' affair with a private lawyer acting as a paid special prosecutor A lawyer representing Michael Roman made the bombshell allegations against Willis and Nathan Wade (pictured center) in a filing and asked that charges be dismissed Without naming Wade, Willis clearly appeared to be referring to him in her speech, adding that this 'someone' had 'impeccable credentials' and years of expertise At a low point in the past week, she said, she 'penned a letter to my heavenly Father.' She framed much of her speech at the church as a conversation with God, describing herself over and over again as flawed, imperfect and hard-headed. 'You did not tell me as a woman of color, it would not matter what I did. My motive, my talent, my ability and my character would be constantly attacked,' she said. She appeared to choke up briefly at times and talked about the loneliness and stress of her job, saying she has come to think it is 'not normal if I don't have two death threats a week' and that she's regularly called racial slurs. Willis revealed that on Christmas night, she got an emergency call saying police had surrounded her house because a man had called 911 saying he had shot a woman there. She said she experienced 'pure, unimaginable fear,' believing her older daughter was dead in her home until the incident was revealed to be 'a cruel hoax.' Willis said she hired three special prosecutors for the election case: a white man, a white woman and a Black man. They are paid the same hourly rate and no one has questioned the qualifications of the two white lawyers, she said. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis waits for a worship service to begin at the Big Bethel AME Church, where she was invited as a guest speaker Sunday She framed much of her speech at the church as a conversation with God, describing herself over and over again as flawed, imperfect and hard-headed While never mentioning Wade by name, she called him a 'superstar, a great friend and a great lawyer.' She cited his accomplishments and past professional experience and said, 'I'm just asking, God, is it that some will never see a Black man as qualified, no matter his achievements?' The pair are accused of having traveled together to Napa Valley and the Caribbean Islands. Trump blasted the bombshell revelations about an alleged 'romantic' relationship between Willis and Wade, a private lawyer serving on her team. 'She was out of her mind,' Trump fumed about Willis, who was already one of his regular targets during her grand jury probe and since his arrest last summer. 'Now it turns out that that case is totally compromised. In fact, they say she's in far more criminal liability than any of the people she's looking at,' he claimed. 'So, I think that when you look at what happened with, they pay a lawyer with absolutely no experience $700,000 who happens your lover or boyfriend and then they go on trips and vacations together very expensive vacations together. And the reason they paid him so much because he was after me,' he continued. It comes after Willis was accused in a stunning court filing by one of Trump's co-defendants of having an affair with Nathan Wade, who was paid more than $600,000 as a special prosecutor assisting her office He said legal analysts he spoke to told him the case had to be dropped, although it wasn't clear if he meant the case against former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, who raised it in the bombshell filing, or against Trump and other associates accused of conspiring to overturn the election results in the state. 'Very good people were very badly hurt by that case. It's a shame. Very good people. People that did nothing wrong. They did nothing different than what Democrats have been doing for years and years and years, whether it's slates or anything else that you're talking about. But they were very hurt. And it turns out that she profited tremendously in that case, it's illegal. What she did is illegal. So we'll let the state handle that but what a sad situation,' he said. The bombshell allegations are included in a filing by Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official who is accused of taking part in the 'fake electors' scheme as one of 18 people charged in the state along with Trump. Trump's comments came as it was revealed through invoices that Roman had two past meetings with the Biden White House counsel's office. He has made similar attacks against other prosecutors lining up against him in his four criminal trials and civil cases, calling Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was on hand at the appeals court Tuesday, 'deranged' and calling New York AG Letitia James a 'lunatic.' Trump was also hyping the allegations in a fundraising pitch to his supporters. 'The Atlanta prosecutor behind my MUGSHOT has now been EXPOSED for 'impropriety' in the case,' according to the appeal. The filing doesn't provide documentary proof of the allegations. It states that 'sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney have confirmed they had an ongoing, personal relationship.' Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) confers with lead prosecutors, Donald Wakeford (left) and Nathan Wade, during a hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Friday, July 1, 2022 The Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to attorney Nathan Wade requesting documents related to his work on the Trump indictment in Georgia, noting that he had been paid more than $650,000 - at a rate of $250 an hour - to work on the investigation and prosecution of Trump and other federal officials, according to a new court filing. Wade was hired as an anti-corruption special prosecutor to investigate Trumps alleged election interference. Wade had never previously handled a felony trial, according to the stunning new filing by Roman, one of the former president's co-defendants in the 'fake electors scheme.' The committee noted federal funds may have been used to pay Wade, granting them jurisdiction to investigate. It highlighted the 'enormous legal fees' Wade had billed the DA's office for, in one instance, on November 5, 2021, charging for 24 hours of legal work in one day, claiming to have worked all day and night on the prosecution. The court document released last Monday alleged that Willis and Wade had been in a romantic relationship that predates her hiring him on the case. While not proven, Willis hiring her boyfriend despite him having little expertise to lead on the prosecution and both of them financially benefitting from the arrangement could prove to be a conflict of interest. Roman is accused of taking part in the fake electors scheme, and is one of 18 people charged in George alongside Trump. The filing said Wade was not qualified to serve as a court-appointed defense lawyer in the Trump case because needs to have tried 'at least two criminal trials of similar offenses,' per a 2022 document from the Fulton County Superior Court. Earlier this week DailyMail.com reported Wade had two meetings at the Biden White House ahead of her prosecution of Trump. Among the documents reviewed by DailyMail.com, were Wades invoices to the DA. Shockingly, they including one bill for an interview with DC/White House for eight hours on November 18 2022 and another for eight hours including conference with White House Counsel on May 23 2022. The legal papers also claim that Willis was having an an ongoing, personal relationship with Wade citing sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney but doesn't provide documentary proof, Roman claims the pair were in a relationship before Willis hired Wade, and that they traveled together to Napa Valley, Florida, and even on a Caribbean cruise. The Judiciary Committee opened an investigation into the Fulton County DA in August, probing whether she improperly used federal funds for her state-level prosecution or coordinated with Bidens Justice Department. Special prosecutor Nathan Wade leaves the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis at the Fulton County Government building on August 23, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is accused by a Trump co-defendant of having a personal relationship with Willis Among the documents reviewed by DailyMail.com, were Wades invoices to the DA. Shockingly, they including one bill for an interview with DC /White House for eight hours on November 18 2022 and another for eight hours including conference with White House Counsel on May 23 2022. Willis has previously denied coordinating with Special Counsel Jack Smiths office, or that her probe was politically motivated. The filing makes reference to a sealed divorce filing for the married special prosecutor, but then goes on to make the claim based on other information. It states that 'information obtained outside of court filings indicates that the district attorney and special prosecutor have traveled personally together to such places as Napa Valley, Florida and the Caribbean and the special prosecutor has purchased tickets for both of them to travel on both the Norwegian and Royal Carbibean cruise lines. 'Traveling together to such places as Washington, D.C. or New York City might make sense for work purposes in light of other pending litigation, but what work purpose could only be served by travel to this traditional vacation destinations?' Roman was charged this summer with alleged crimes including taking part in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit forgery, and conspiracy to file false documents, all in connection with a scheme to submit fake Republican electors who would cast votes for Trump in place of electors to reflect Joe Biden's certified victory in the state. Trump has been charged with 91 criminal offenses in four separate criminal cases, one being the election interference case in Fulton County, Ga., where was booked and arrested and had his famous mugshot. A Manhattan grand jury has also charged Trump with falsifying business records and Smith, appointed special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has charged Trump over his handling of classified documents and separately over his attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. The letter requested all communications between Wade and the Fulton County DA's office and special counsel Jack Smith, the White House Counsel's office, office of the president, Department of Justice and the January 6 Committee last Congress. It also requested all invoices, credit card statements and reimbursement requests to the Fulton County DA's office relating to the Trump investigation and all contracts and financial arrangements with the DA by January 26. Britain will send 20,000 service personnel to one of Nato's largest military exercises since the Cold War to practice repelling an invasion by Vladimir Putin's forces. The troops will be joined by one of the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers, eight warships, as well as the RAF's F-35 lightning attack aircraft, which will practice flying in imitated conflict scenarios. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will announce the deployment of Army, Navy and RAF members to the 31-nation drill across Europe during a speech in London on Monday. He will say the contribution to the Steadfast Defender exercise will provide 'vital reassurance against the Putin menace' as he warns the West stands at a 'crossroads'. The war games come after ministers announced a further 2.5billion support package to Ukraine and the RAF airstrikes, with the US, on the Houthis in Yemen. Britain will send 20,000 service personnel to one of Nato 's largest military exercises since the Cold War Grant Shapps will set out his vision for how the UK will deter threats, as allies remain concerned about the threat posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) Mr Shapps will set out his vision for how the UK will deter threats, as allies remain concerned about the threat posed by Mr Putin as his war approaches its second year. In the Lancaster House speech, Mr Shapps is expected to say: 'We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation whenever the call comes. 'Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being redrawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine's lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. 'We stand at a crossroads.' Some 16,000 troops with tanks, artillery and helicopters will be deployed from the British Army across eastern Europe starting next month as part of the exercise. Some 16,000 troops with tanks, artillery and helicopters will be deployed from the British Army across eastern Europe starting next month as part of the exercise Defence sources said that the exercise will prepare for the invasion of a member state by any aggressor The Royal Navy will deploy more than 2,000 sailors across eight warships and submarines, while more than 400 Royal Marines Commandos will be sent to the Arctic Circle. The RAF will use F-35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft. Defence sources said that the exercise will prepare for the invasion of a member state by any aggressor, with the main threats being considered to be from Russia and from terrorism. Labour backed the commitment of UK forces to Nato, but said Mr Shapps's speech was 'little more than PR spin'. 'Grant Shapps is reheating old announcements from other people,' a party spokesman said. 'The PM confirmed 20,000 UK troops will exercise in Europe three months ago, while Nato released details of Steadfast Defender four months ago.' With ten inches of snow, gusts of up to 55mph and temperatures as low as -20C, the conditions in Iowa over the weekend were neatly summarised by the National Weather Service as 'life-threatening'. And yet one man has been celebrating the blizzard. For ahead of today's Iowa caucus where Republican party members will vote for their presidential nominee in the first contest of the 2024 election Donald Trump declared that his supporters are more likely than his rivals' to brave the weather and vote. 'Our people are more committed than anybody else, so maybe it's actually a good thing for us,' he said. If the polls are to be believed, the former president has every reason to be positive. In the final pre-election survey, published on Saturday, Trump was predicted to win with an impressive 48 per cent of the vote. The real story in Iowa is who will come second. The runner-up in the Iowa caucus is set to be 51-year-old former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley Nikki Haley initially supported other candidates for the 2016 Republican nomination, condemning Trump for his refusal to disavow the Ku Klux Klan and insisting she was 'not a fan' of him, before belatedly endorsing him Because what Republicans and Democrats alike want to know is who has any hope even a smidgen of defeating Trump for the nomination and avoiding the bleak prospect of a November run-off between 81-year-old Joe Biden and a man facing 91 criminal charges. Until now, many considered Florida governor Ron DeSantis to be the most likely challenger a macho, anti-woke figure forged in The Donald's image. But according to recent polling, DeSantis will come third with just 16 per cent of the vote. Instead, the runner-up in the Iowa caucus is set to be 51-year-old former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Yet most people in Britain have never heard of 'America's Iron Lady', a staunch conservative in five-inch heels. If Haley does receive her predicted 20 per cent vote share and beats DeSantis in a state as pro-Trump as Iowa, it will establish the mother of two who was born in South Carolina to Sikh immigrant parents as the ex-president's main rival. She's positioned herself as a traditional Republican who will restore political civility and competence both to her party and to a deeply polarised America, after the chaos of the Trump years. So what exactly does she stand for? Domestically, she has softened her party's opposition to abortion a crucial area where Republicans are vulnerable to losing women's votes. She's often equally at odds with fellow Right-wingers on foreign policy, supporting military commitments such as increased aid to Ukraine. She argues that the US needs to confront dictators like Vladimir Putin not, as Trump seems to believe, pander to them. 'We cannot have four years of chaos, vendettas and drama,' she has said. South Carolina governor Nikki Haley argues that the US needs to confront dictators like Vladimir Putin And so while she may be conservative on social policy and spending, Haley is also a pragmatist which might just convince wavering Democrats to jump ship and support her campaign instead of the increasingly doddery Biden. Indeed, polls have shown that Haley would beat the incumbent by as much as ten points in a general election. No one would be more appalled by this than Trump himself. It was he who pushed Haley into the limelight and who now feels, as he does with everyone who dares cross him, betrayed. Their relationship has been bumpy to say the least. She initially supported other candidates for the 2016 Republican nomination, condemning Trump for his refusal to disavow the Ku Klux Klan and insisting she was 'not a fan' of him, before belatedly endorsing him. Trump reportedly considered her as his secretary of state but she wasn't interested. Instead, in 2017 she became US Ambassador to the UN. While others slavishly followed him, she did her political reputation no harm by taking positions at odds with his. Notably, she fought hard to impose new sanctions on Russia and on the Assad regime in Syria. Her hawkish approach certainly echoes that of Lady Thatcher and, like her British predecessor, Haley is certainly self-made in a world of political dynasties. Nimarata Nikki Randhawa grew up in rural South Carolina to Punjabi parents, where several racist landlords refused to rent them a home. Haley has said she and her family were 'not white enough to be white, not black enough to be black'. When the family's fashion and homeware business took off, Haley who earned an accounting degree became the company's chief financial officer. She converted to Christianity in 1997, a year after her marriage to Michael Haley, an officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard. The couple have a daughter and a son Rena, a 25-year-old nurse and Nalin, a student at the University of Pennsylvania. If the polls are to be believed, the former president has every reason to be positive After winning a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives at her first attempt in 2004 (the same year she became president of the National Association of Women Business Owners), she was elected the state's first female and first non-white governor in 2011, aged 38. Haley credited Hillary Clinton's call for more women in public life for inspiring her to run for office. Moderate Republicans would relish the irony if, after all these years of Democrats virtue-signalling and breast-beating over how Hillary Clinton was 'robbed' of the presidency, the first woman in the White House came from their party instead. After the Iowa caucus, the New Hampshire primary on January 23 will further reveal just how close this race really is. DeSantis told reporters last week he wouldn't be visiting New Hampshire at all, instead flying from Iowa directly to South Carolina Haley's home state where the third contest takes place and where Haley still trails behind Trump. Even if polling is correct and Haley beats DeSantis in Iowa, there will be no let-up from the Republican Right who between Trump and DeSantis are committed to freezing this moderate upstart out of the picture. Her supporters, meanwhile, are adamant she will stick to her principles and fight to the end. The lady, it appears, is not for turning. Samsung, SK to construct 16 new fabs, generate 3 mil. jobs by 2047 By Ko Dong-hwan Korea will build the world's biggest semiconductor cluster in Gyeonggi Province by 2047 as Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and other chip companies plan to invest a total of 622 trillion won ($471 billion) to build 16 new fabs, creating more than 3 million jobs, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Monday. By expanding the existing mega cluster with 19 production fabs and two research fabs across adjoining cities in the province, the new mega chip cluster spanning 2,102 square meters will produce 7.7 million wafers each month starting in 2030. The ministry unveiled the plan to bolster the nation's chip industry by providing support for relevant infrastructure and fostering experts in the field. Emphasizing that every country with a sophisticated semiconductor industry is actively seeking global dominance, the focus is on establishing public-private chip clusters. Inside the new cluster, Samsung Electronics is set to construct six new fabs at a national industrial complex in Yongin, investing 360 trillion won. Additionally, the company plans to establish three fabs in Pyeongtaek with an investment of 120 trillion won and three research fabs at an R&D center in Giheung District at a cost of 20 trillion won. Meanwhile, SK hynix will spend 122 trillion won to build four fabs at another industrial complex in Yongin. In this joint effort by the industry ministry, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the private chip giants, the new cluster is designed to provide a conducive environment for the production of cutting-edge memory chips, such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) and system semiconductors measuring 2 nanometers or less in size. The industry ministry said that with the new cluster, the country aims to capture 10 percent of the global system semiconductor market and enhance self-sufficiency in the supply chain of key materials to 50 percent by 2030, up from the current 30 percent. The ministry said it will make sure the new mega cluster will be supplied with enough electricity and water for operation and benefit from new tax exemptions for certain key chip technologies. Pangyo, where fabless firms are now concentrated, will be the hub of low-powered, high-performance AI chips. Suwon will be a central testbed for compound semiconductors, while Pyeongtaek will see a new semiconductor R&D center open at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's new campus to be completed by 2029. "Nuclear power plants in the country will provide stable power supplies to the new chip cluster," President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a townhall meeting announcing the government's plans at Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Science Campus in Suwon. "We are already witnessing overseas investment firms flocking in to explore potential business opportunities associated with the emerging chip cluster. This trend represents a continuation of last year's record-breaking influx of foreign investments into the country." In tandem with the establishment of the new cluster, the government plans to streamline the national chip research infrastructure currently dispersed across Suwon, Daejeon, and Pohang through an online service named MoaFab. Additionally, the authorities aim to cultivate local talent dedicated to the industry and facilitate the entry of foreign experts into the country by adjusting visa regulations. The construction of new fabs inside the mega cluster will create 70,000 jobs as well as 40,000 new positions at companies supplying parts and materials. Taking into account additional job-creation effects from the cluster, the ministry said the project will generate employment opportunities for 3.46 million people. "We will make efforts to see outbound shipments of semiconductors, the country's No. 1 export, reach $120 billion this year," Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun said. "The new mega cluster's success will further spread to other parts of the nation and become the world's leading chip hub." Referring to semiconductors as the "backbone of the country's economy" and recognizing their pivotal role in key technologies for AI, digital, communication, quantum, and bio industries, Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho emphasized that the new cluster will "position the country to surpass others in the industry where ultra-precision technology is crucial." A 16-year-old Georgia girl has gone missing wearing just her pajama bottoms, a sweatshirt and no shoes following a suspected 'psychotic episode'. Fayetteville Police near Atlanta are searching for Hydi Cain who disappeared last Sunday morning. She is 5ft 1in, 130 pounds and has blonde hair. A missing poster described the teenager as missing following 'a psychotic episode' and said that she was in 'grave danger'. 16-year-old Hydi Cain vanished last Sunday wearing just pajama pants and a sweatshirt but no shoes On Saturday, information posted by the City of Fayetteville Department of Public Safety suggested that Hydi may have since dyed her hair black since disappearing. Over the last few days, Hydi's mother, Sidney Fyffe has been putting up missing posters around town in a bid to find her missing daughters. 'Being a parent of an almost adult is the hardest thing I have ever done. They think they know what is out there. But they don't. Police said Hydi Cain left her home early in the morning on January 7 - she is described as 51 and 130 pounds with blonde hair A missing poster described said the teen disappeared following 'a psychotic episode' and that she was in 'grave danger' 'Y'all please help me bring my daughter home safe,' Fyffe wrote in a heartfelt plea online. 'Police are involved, but there is still no word on her whereabouts, and her mom and little sister are worried sick,' Fyffe said. 'I'm so sorry to read this! I got to know Hydi while working with the youth group at church. She's such a sweet girl!! I'm praying she is found safe,' one wellwisher wrote. 'Praying she's found safely. Hopefully just a meanager acting tough, as they often do. Hang in there. Will keep praying,' added another. A GoFundMe page has been set up by Hydi's mother to help with expenses related to the teen's search. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has defended his family's role in the secret government surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. Kennedy's comments came on the eve of the MLK Jr holiday, on a campaign stop in Atlanta. He defended his father Robert F Kennedy and JFK for permitting the eavesdropping - calling it a necessary step amid the political tensions of the era. The FBI began wiretapping King's home in Atlanta on November 8, 1963 - with then-AG Robert Kennedy's written approval. It remained in place until April of 1965, while another in his office stayed until June of 1966. Some contended the probe's premise was to prove that King was a communist threat, but unsealed documents revealed it was the March on Washington a few months earlier that ruffled the Kennedy's Administration's feathers. The 260000- strong display - and King's accompanying 'I have a dream' speech - caused the FBI to brand the civil rights leader as 'demagogic', and 'the most dangerous Negro of the future in this nation'. They went on to bill the probe an in-depth look into King's communist links, before simply spying on him instead. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his family's role in the secret government surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday - hours before Americans were set to ring in the federal holiday started in the late civil rights leader's honor The FBI began wiretapping King's home in Atlanta on November 8, 1963 - with then-AG Robert Kennedy's written approval. Some contended the probe's premise was to prove King was a communist threat, but unsealed documents revealed it was carried out with other motives in mind Speaking to Politico, the longshot presidential candidate argued that his dad and uncle permitted the eavesdropping due to the early '60s' political climate - and thus should be looked at with some leniency. 'They were betting not only the civil rights movement but their own careers,' said Kennedy, 69. 'They knew that Hoover was out to ruin King,' he continued, referring to then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who, after JFK's death a few weeks after the wiretap was carried out, started directly providing Lyndon B. Johnson the information gleaned. 'There was good reason for them doing that at the time,' the said, 'because J. Edgar Hoover was out to destroy Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement and Hoover said to them that Martin Luther King's chief was a communist. 'My father gave permission to Hoover to wiretap them so he could prove that his suspicions about King were either right or wrong,' the long-shot presidential candidate continued, citing how King had Communists in his inner circle. At the time, King's closest and most influential advisor' was New York attorney and businessman Stanley D. Levison, a man who Hoover and other noted was a 'secret member' of the Communist Party Kennedy Jr in turn argued that the Kennedy administration had a legitimate reason to go along with Hoover's determination to surveil King, after the notoriously ruthless bureau boss branded King a 'radical' and potential communist. In reality, though, both Hoover and the FBI knew the teachings King preached held no roots in communist - thanks to a thorough investigation of communist influence in King's civil rights movement a few months earlier, that came up empty. Still, hours before Americans were set to ring in the federal holiday started in the late civil rights leader's honor, Kennedy defended his high-powered relatives - telling the publication: 'I think, politically, they had to do it.' it was the March on Washington a few months earlier that ruffled the Kennedy's Administration's feathers The 260000- strong display - where King delivered his iconic 'I have a dream' speech - caused the FBI to brand King 'demagogic', and 'the most dangerous Negro of the future in this nation' The brothers went on to bill the probe an in-depth look into King's communist links, before spying on him for more than two years instead While proactive, the comments come somewhat in tune with the self-professed centrist's at-times controversial statements delivered to the media. A prominent anti-vaxxer, he launched a presidential bid in April as a Democrat, but in October announced he would run as an independent instead - an uphill climb that will seem him need to get access on each state's general election ballot. However, with his positions on vaccinations and increasingly more conservative views on immigration, Kennedy has been able to slowly peel voters away from both traditional parties. In recent weeks - ahead of the all-important Republican caucuses - he was polling at around 13 percent, but is still well behind frontrunners like Donald Trump, and original rival Joe Biden. As more important election markers loom, he has attempted to reach out to other demographics that typically lean toward the Democratic Party, and appeared in Atlanta Sunday with Angela Stanton-King, a former congress candidate who spent two years in prison for conspiracy and was later pardoned by Donald Trump. The super PAC supporting Kennedy also recently took a massive step toward putting him on the ballot in several key battleground states, by hiring several signature-gathering vendors to begin circulating petitions to submit on his behalf. While proactive, the comments come somewhat in tune with the self-professed centrist's at-times controversial statements delivered to the media A prominent anti-vaxxer, he launched a presidential bid in April as a Democrat, but in October announced he would run as an independent instead. His positions on vaccinations and increasingly conservative views on immigration have been able to slowly peel voters away from both parties As more important election markers loom, he has attempted to reach out to other demographics that typically lean toward the Democratic Party, including Black voters Kennedy's campaign committee has not hired paid signature gatherers, instead working to build a volunteer apparatus to execute their petition effort, a spokesperson for Kennedy's campaign recently said. 'Right now, we're relying on our volunteers and feel we have a big enough base to get the petitions we need in each state,' said rep Stefanie Spear. 'If we do need paid petitioners, we'll absolutely engage in contracts.' The number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot in each state is different, with Kennedy so far only qualifying in Utah, where just 1,000 verified signatures were required to be submitted. He has yet to qualify in neither Georgia - the state where King lived - nor Tennessee, where the storied preacher was killed less than two years after feds pulled the probe after only finding details about King's personal life. Following the assassination, a national day of mourning was later declared by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson following Dr King's death. It is not yet known how his comments about the late icon - who was killed April 4, 1968, in Tennessee - will be construed by the greater public He further insisted that his uncle would have fired Hoover in a second term if he had he himself not been assassinated in the fall of 1963, with his dad killed five years later From 1971 onwards Martin Luther King JR Day has been observed to remember him. But it wasn't until 2000 that all 50 states took part in the national holiday, the last three being Arizona, Utah and New Hampshire. It is not yet known how his comments about the late icon and his family will be construed by the greater public. Kennedy on Sunday further insisted that his uncle would have fired Hoover in a second term - if he had he himself not been assassinated in the fall of 1963. Ray Hadley has launched into an extraordinary tirade against the Woolworths CEO after the supermarket ditched Australia Day merchandise. The 2GB host slammed Bradford Banducci for making a 'brain dead' decision after the supermarket announced last week it would not sell specific Australia Day items. In his scathing takedown, Hadley called out Mr Banducci by using a sexual euphemism to describe his treatment of farmers while making 'record profits'. 'Worry about your staff, your customers and your supplies and stay out of everything else,' he said on Monday. 'You're a supermarket, you sell bread, fruit, frozen food and veggies but apparently not Australia Day memorabilia.' Hadley's outburst came after a Woolworths venue was graffitied with pro-Australia day vandals leaving an expletive message on the storefront. Radio host for 2GB Ray Hadley slammed Woolworths for deciding not to sell Australia Day merchandise, claiming the supermarket's CEO needs to stay out of 'woke nonsense' Hadley added the retail giant is not a form of government and should not involve itself in Aussie lives. The 2GB host said he agreed with Opposition Peter Dutton who urged Aussies to boycott Woolworths after its shock Australia Day product announcement. 'I'll keep shopping at Coles, while this CEO carries on like a raving lunatic and wants to stick his head in on a range of issues that have nothing to do with selling articles in a supermarket,' Hadley said. 'Worry about pilfering, worry about paying your staff the right money, worry about making sure the farmers get bang for their buck instead of stealing off them and inflating the price while they're getting bugger all.' 'Worry about that, instead of this woke nonsense. 'Who made you king, coach, captain and sole-selector of whether Australia Day is relevant? P*** off back to South Africa and leave us alone.' It comes after a Brisbane Woolworths Metro in Teneriffe, was closed on Monday morning after vandals spray-painted a pro-Australia day message on its facade. Vandals spray-painted the message: '5 days 26 Jan Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Woolies f*** u' on the front of Woolworths Metro store in Teneriffe, Brisbane (pictured) The offensive graffiti also urged Aussies to boycott the supermarket giant after it announced it would not be selling Australia Day merchandise Police were called to the store at about 5am following reports of vandalism and found '5 days 26 Jan Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Woolies f*** u,' on the store's windows. The words 'Boycott Woolies' were also spray-painted on the supermarket's entrance doors. Three Queensland Fire and Emergency Services were also attended the scene after the vandals set off a flare under the store's door, triggering the fire alarm. The store has since reopened to the public, with police launching an investigation into the vandalism. Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia no one was hurt as the vandalism occurred before the store opened. 'Thankfully no team members or customers were injured as this occurred before the store opened,' a Woolworths spokesperson said. 'We're grateful to the police and fire brigade who attended. There's no reason for vandalism and we'll continue to liaise with Queensland Police.' Woolworths announced last week it would no longer sell specific Australia Day merchandise due to a 'gradual decline in demand' for the products. Police attended the scene, along with three fire crews from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services after vandals also set off a flare under the supermarket's doors The supermarket giant, which also owns Big W stores, confirmed in a statement that items related to January 26 celebrations will not be stocked on shelves. 'There has been a gradual decline in demand for Australia Day merchandise from our stores over recent years,' Woolworths said. 'At the same time there's been broader discussion about 26 January and what it means to different parts of the community. 'We know many people like to use this day as a time to get together and we offer a huge variety of products to help customers mark the day as they choose.' Aldi Australia also joined Woolworths in its decision not to stock any Australia Day merchandise this year. The popular retailer has confirmed with Daily Mail Australia that no stores will have any Australia Day Special Buys products on sale. The store has previously stocked a wide range of merchandise including Australian flags, floaties and other holiday gear ahead of the national holiday. Rishi Sunak is heading for a 1997-style election wipeout, a major poll warned last night. The survey of 14,000 voters found the Tories are on course to lose nearly 200 seats at this years General Election, giving Sir Keir Starmer a 120-seat majority. The projected result would be the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906, with an 11.5 per cent swing to Labour. At least 11 Cabinet ministers would lose seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Mr Hunt's constituency, South West Surrey, would be lost to the Liberal Democrats, the poll suggests. This would make him the first Chancellor to lose their seat at an election, with other Tory MPs including Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, also at risk. The survey of 14,000 voters found the Tories are on course to lose nearly 200 seats at this years General Election, giving Sir Keir Starmer a 120-seat majority Rishi Sunak is heading for a 1997-style election wipeout, a major poll warned last night At least 11 Cabinet ministers would lose seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt The YouGov study also suggests the Reform Party could hinder Tory fortunes. Although Reform is not forecast to win any seats, it could cost Mr Sunak 96 MPs the difference between a Labour landslide and a hung parliament. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage yesterday said he was seriously considering a return to frontline politics after a survey, by Survation, suggested he could well win a seat when Britain goes to the polls. According to The Telegraph, every Red Wall seat won from Labour by Boris Johnson in 2019 will be lost and the Scottish National Party is predicted to lose almost half of its seat to Labour - keeping only 25. The Tories will win 196 fewer seats than in 2019, which is more than Sir John Major lost in 1997. The YouGov pol will be looked at closely by Conservative MPs who believe that a change of leader might be the only way to avoid disaster at the general election. It was commissioned by the Conservative Britain Alliance and carried out by YouGov. The projected result would be the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906, with an 11.5 per cent swing to Labour If the poll is to be believed, the election result would be the biggest collapse in support of a governing party since 1906. Sir Keir Starmer would be looking at at least 10 years in government because no party with such a sizeable majority has lost the following election. Lord Frost, who writes for The Telegraph, said the polls findings were 'stunningly awful' for the party and that tactical voting and a decision by Nigel Farage to return to politics could leave the Tories facing an 'extinction event'. He said the only way to avoid defeat was ' to be as tough as it takes' on immigration and to 'reverse the debilitating increases in tax' among other things. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he would stand in the newly-formed constituency of Godalming and Ash at the next election. According to The Telegraph, Mr Hunt has a majority of 8,817 at present, but the poll predicts that the seat will go to the Liberal Democrats with 35 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile, Penny Mordaunt - the MP for Portsmouth North - is set to lose her seat to Labour, who are looking to attain 26 per cent of the vote. The Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, would expect to be in a safe seat having been the MP for Welwyn Hatfield since 2005. However, the YouGov poll predicts that he will lose to Labour who will pull in 40 per cent of the vote. MP Lee Anderson, who took his seat from Labour's Gloria De Piero in 2019, is expected to lose his seat to Labour this time around. He is expected to take just 23 per cent of the vote. It is predicted that Jacob Rees Mogg will cling on to his seat by just 1 per cent of the vote - 33 per cent in comparison to Labour's 32 per cent. But Liberal Dem voters could topple him if they lent their votes to Labour. David Cameron insisted yesterday the Government's Rwanda plan is 'essential' to stopping illegal migration following resurgent signs of mutiny from Tory MPs. After seeing off a rebellion before Christmas, Rishi Sunak faces another crucial week for his policy when it returns to the Commons tomorrow. The Foreign Secretary admitted the plan was 'unusual and unorthodox' but said the threat of deportation was necessary to deter Channel crossings. He predicted the latest legislation designed to get flights off the ground 'will be passed' by the Commons this week despite close to 60 Tory backbenchers demanding major changes to make it harder for migrants to avoid being sent to East Africa. Last night there were reports deputy chairman Lee Anderson was ready to back rebel amendments. Over the weekend, others suggested they may support Labour in voting the Bill down if alterations are not made. The first escorted migrants of the year are pictured on the English Channel Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron admitted the plan was 'unusual and unorthodox' but said the threat of deportation was necessary to deter Channel crossings As in-fighting continued among both wings of the Conservative Party over the Bill, Lord Cameron defended the principle of the flagship border policy. But he conceded he did not know if it would get through the House of Lords, where Left-wing peers and lawyers have already pledged to water it down. He told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'The only way you can stop the boats is by busting the model of the people smugglers, by making sure that if someone goes from point A in France to point B in Britain, they do not stay in Britain. 'Now, in an ideal world, you'd just send them straight back to France and that would be it and the whole trade would collapse. That is not available and that is why we're pursuing the policy with Rwanda.' He added: 'It may be unorthodox or unusual but unless we can get flights off, and get that system working, so people know, there is no point getting on that boat in France, because if you get on that boat in France, you're not going to be able to stay in the United Kingdom. 'Once we've done that, we'll be able to collapse this trade even more.' Asked if the Bill would get through Parliament's upper house, where he now sits having been brought back into the Cabinet by Mr Sunak last autumn, the former prime minister replied: 'I hope so. Sadly, I don't have a personal majority in the House of Lords, but I'll do everything I can to help get it through, because it's essential.' But many Tory MPs continue to raise the prospect of the Bill being defeated in the Commons. Yesterday ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, once a close ally of the PM, likened the legislation to a 'bucket riddled with holes' and warned that the average illegal Channel crossing is costing taxpayers 30million. Last night in another headache for No 10, it was reported Mr Anderson supports the attempts to make the law tougher by limiting legal challenges. He declined to comment last night but other sources told the Telegraph he is ready to vote for the amendments, in what would be a major boost for the rebels. Downing Street will continue talks with Tory MPs today ahead of the crucial third reading stage on Wednesday. But so far it has not given any indication it will strengthen the Bill despite Mr Sunak claiming he was open to 'bright ideas' as long as they do not undermine Britain's international obligations or prompt Rwanda itself to pull out of the deal. The leaders of three of the biggest groups on the Right are predicting No 10 will put pressure on MPs to 'withdraw their support' from the amendments and have urged them to 'stand firm'. If the Bill remains unamended and enough backbenchers go against the entire Bill, Mr Sunak's 29-vote majority in the Commons could be overturned and the legislation killed off. Former home secretary Suella Braverman has said she will vote against it unless it is strengthened. A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on January 14 Backbench Tory MP Tom Hunt told Times Radio yesterday: 'We've got a very good number of colleagues signing all four amendments. 'I think we now have over 50. It could end up being over 60. That's a clear demonstration of the strength of feeling in a large section of the parliamentary party about our desire for this Bill to work. But he maintained the Bill was 'vulnerable' in its current form. Asked if he would vote against the policy, he replied: 'I'll have to look at the Bill in its final form my focus is fully on those amendments and trying to get support from Government.' But if Mr Sunak does make the Bill tougher he faces the possibility of a revolt from the liberal One Nation wing of his party. Ex-justice secretary Robert Buckland told Times Radio: 'The Bill goes as far as it can perhaps a little bit further for my taste to work within the rule of law.' And he warned of attempts to stop court challenges: 'That just sets up more legal argument and will probably delay the implementation of this policy.' At dead of night on a beach near Calais, traffickers jam 70 fretful migrants on to a flimsy boat. The destination is England, but they have barely set off when the inevitable happens. The overloaded craft capsizes. In the chaos and panic, five are dragged under and succumb to the freezing waters, with others suffering acute hypothermia. Played out early yesterday, this was just another heartbreaking scene in the long-running small boats' saga. The traffickers won't care. They will have been paid in advance. But anyone with an ounce of compassion should take this latest tragedy as a call for action. Rishi Sunak has been trying to cut cross-Channel migration. Numbers were significantly down last year after a returns agreement with Albania and better co-ordination of Anglo-French policing. A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on January 13 Numbers were significantly down last year after a returns agreement with Albania and better co-ordination of Anglo-French policing (File Image) If migrants believe that despite braving the capricious waters of the Channel they won't be allowed to remain in Britain, the journey becomes far less attractive. So why, then, can't Conservatives unite behind their leader to get this legislation through? (File Image) But his flagship Rwanda Bill, under which asylum seekers coming here illegally would be sent to the African country for assessment, remains stuck in a parliamentary quagmire. This measure is a genuine attempt to break the traffickers' business model. If migrants believe that despite braving the capricious waters of the Channel they won't be allowed to remain in Britain, the journey becomes far less attractive. So why, then, can't Conservatives unite behind their leader to get this legislation through? Some on the Tory Left fear it's too harsh and could breach international law, while the self-declared Spartans say it's too soft, allowing too much scope for legal challenge. Both sides have been strutting around Westminster threatening to torpedo the Bill (which returns to the Commons tomorrow) if they don't get what they want. It's time for a grown-up debate. Yes, there are imperfections in the planned legislation, but they must put down the megaphones and come up with a solution they can all live with and one that will work. If they need an incentive, the Tory Spartans should consider what happened to their obsessively warlike namesakes in the ancient world. They were ultimately overrun by the barbarian hordes and their homeland sacked. If these hubristic MPs don't see sense and come together, something similar could soon happen to their party and their country. Both sides have been strutting around Westminster threatening to torpedo the Bill (which returns to the Commons tomorrow) if they don't get what they want (File Image) Keir's fifth column While Sir Keir Starmer was trying to appear statesmanlike by supporting UK involvement in air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, some of his backbenchers were doing their best to undermine him. At a rally in Parliament Square, Apsana Begum railed against the military action, which was in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. It was 'shameful', she said. 'An exercise in imperial power.' Other speakers were nakedly anti-Semitic, one even calling for massacres of Israeli citizens to be 'normalised'. So Sir Keir may believe Israel and the West have a right to defend themselves against terror attacks. But how many in his party are more in sympathy with the fundamentalist Houthis, whose slogan goes: 'Death to America. Death to Israel. Curse the Jews'? While Sir Keir Starmer was trying to appear statesmanlike by supporting UK involvement in air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, some of his backbenchers were doing their best to undermine him What's in a name? Many will understand the late Queen's furious reaction after Harry and Meghan claimed they had her blessing to name their daughter Lilibet. There is something uniquely intimate about family pet-names. Lilibet was how Queen Elizabeth pronounced her own name when a small child, and it stuck. However, it was only ever meant to be used by closest family and friends. Appropriating it so publicly and suggesting she had endorsed the idea will leave many readers disturbed and saddened. The woman whose legs were crushed by a ute in a horrific road rage incident after an argument with a male driver has a past as an Invasion Day protestor and friends from New Zealand's Mongrel Mob bikie gang. Video has emerged of the incident near Coolum Beach on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in which Tia-Loketi Harvey was left with broken legs. In an incident that occurred outside a 7-Eleven at 5.30pm on December 22, Ms Harvey claimed the driver grabbed her by the shoulders, flung her to the ground and then drove over her calves. The 26-year-old is now in a wheelchair, having been discharged from hospital to live at her mother's house. It is uncertain if she can participate in next week's January 26 protest march. Last year Ms Harvey proudly demonstrated among tens of thousands of people in Brisbane, dressed in an Aboriginal flag t-shirt, and a feathered cloak. She was chained to fellow protester Victoria Van Schie, who carried a sign saying 'Australia ... racist since 1788'. Ms Harvey has also displayed on her Facebook page a photo of her with nine other people, most of whom were wearing Mongrel Mob colours. Tia-Loketi Harvey is pictured with her mother and her son. She was hospitalised for two weeks following the incident Tia-Loketi Harvey (left) with fellow protester Victoria Van Schie at an Invasion Day protest last year in Brisbane, also known as Meanjin Tia- Loketi Harvey (above) inhospital with broken legs after being run over in a horrific road rage accident three days before Christmas The Mongrel Mob is NZ's largest motorcycle gang, and in the photo Ms Harvey is wearing one of the club T-shirts. Beside the photo is written a post, saying 'Love us Mongrel Mob Wahine Toa', the last two words meaning 'warrior woman' in Maori. In Australia, Ms Harvey has been listed multiple times to appear in Pine Rivers and Brisbane Magistrates Courts for traffic matters, bail and probations hearings, most recently in last November. Ms Harvey said the road rage incident that left her injured had begun as she was driving her blue Subaru carrying her nine-year-old son and his cousin, 15,. She slowed down to let another car merge into her lane but a ute pulled in quickly behind her and began flashing her lights at her, and gesturing for her to get out of the car. Ms Harvey, pictured third right at the back, with others dressed in the colours of the Mongrel Mob, NZ's largest bikie gang, alongside a post ion which she wrote 'Love us Mongrel Mob' Tia-Loketi had both of her legs crushed by the ute in the incident on December 22 She pulled over and got out of her car, then 'he's walked straight up to me, grabbed me by my two shoulders,' Ms Harvey told the Courier Mail. After she threw air fresheners from her car at the ute, the male driver returned to his car and drove off, running over Ms Harvey's calves in the process. 'I've just seen the light come towards me, and all of a sudden I was up against my door, my back was arching, the lights were coming at me and all I heard was the crunches of bones breaking,' she said. Ms Harvey claimed the man got out of his car for a second time and continued to abuse her while 'blood was squirting' out of her legs. She was rushed to hospital and had surgery the following day. Ms Harvey remained under care until January 8 when she was discharged. A wedding party dancing the night away in a 15th century Tuscan monastery were met with disaster when the floor collapsed beneath them, sending the bride, groom and their guests tumbling 13ft. Guests said it felt like an earthquake as the gaping hole opened up and they plunged into the room below, landing amid rubble and plaster in front of a fresco of the Last Supper. Newlyweds Paolo Mugnaini and Valeria Ybarra, both 26, spent their wedding night in hospital alongside many of their friends, with around 40 revellers reportedly needing medical treatment. One guest described the scene as 'apocalyptic' and said that a 'dense cloud of smoke' billowed as the floor gave way before people could be heard screaming out in pain. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene at the historic Convento di Giaccherino wedding venue in Pistoia at around 8pm, and hospitals in the region were placed on high alert. Guests said it felt like an earthquake as the gaping hole opened up and they plunged into the room below, landing amid rubble and plaster in front of a fresco of the Last Supper. Pictured: The scene Newlyweds Paolo Mugnaini and Valeria Ybarra, both 26, (pictured together) spent their wedding night in hospital alongside many of their friends, with around 40 revellers reportedly needing medical treatment There were no fatalities in the disaster on Saturday night and many of those admitted to hospital were later discharged, while six were said to be in a serious condition with non-life threatening injuries. Most of the 200 guests at the couple's lavish wedding had left the venue when the collapse occurred. The majority of partygoers who remained are thought to have been young friends of Mr Mugnaini and Ms Ybarra, a student from Houston, Texas. The groom, a teacher from Florence, told La Repubblica: 'We found ourselves sucked down while we were dancing. It was panic. 'Then there was only dust and rubble, we couldn't see anything. Next to me there was a friend of mine who fainted and was bleeding a lot'. The couple, who were given beds next to each other in San Jacopo Hospital, added: 'We were very scared, our wedding night was spent in the emergency room.' One onlooker said it was 'heartbreaking' to see the couple in hospital with the bride's wedding dress hung up on what should have been a happy occasion. The pair were later discharged from hospital after health checks, broadcaster Rai reports. Carabinieri police Lt Col Ruben Ruggeri said: 'Luckily there was nobody underneath because a lot of very heavy material fell together with the people.' Tuscany's president Eugenio Giani said following the incident: 'It could have been a terrible tragedy. I wholeheartedly thank all the rescuers and medical personnel involved.' The cause of the collapse remains unknown but police have reportedly taken over the convent and are investigating. The families who own the convent described it as a 'tragic and unpredictable event', according to local news outlet ReportPistoia. They expressed their sorrow about the incident to the families involved and added that they will cooperate with authorities in the investigation into the incident. Parliament is spending more than 100,000 a year on pest control in a bid to keep at bay the 'super-mice' plaguing the corridors of power. Hundreds of mice have been spotted in the Palace of Westminster in the last year alone, and the Commons now employs a full-time pest controller to combat the problem. The super-mice evade traps and are immune to poisonous bait - and they are thought to have demonstrated the 'first-ever' case of resistance to the anticoagulant rodenticide, difethialone. Over the past three years, both Houses of Parliament have spent a combined total of almost 360,000 on pest control - equivalent to more than 119,000 a year. The Commons pest controller uses 'humane and ethical' methods focused on prevention. Over the past three years, both Houses of Parliament have spent a combined total of almost 360,000 on pest control (stock image) But the House also uses 'control methods' including baiting, breakback trapping and even hawk flying. Authorities blame Parliament's proximity to the River Thames and Westminster Underground station for making the estate particularly vulnerable to pests. The latest 'Rodent Control Strategy' says there has been behavioural resistance on the estate for around 20 years, making it 'difficult to find baits that the mice will eat'. But the use of anticoagulant poisons is also 'severely restricted by the high levels of resistance in the mouse population at the Palace of Westminster'. House authorities have previously asked the University of Reading to carry out DNA tests on mouse tails which indicated a 'very high incidence of resistance, not only to first generation anticoagulants, but also to difenacoum and bromadiolone'. It adds: 'We also suspect that we now have resistance to difethialone (if this is the case it is the first-ever case of resistance to difethialone in house mice) and have ceased using formulations containing this active ingredient. 'Unfortunately, because no previous cases have ever been identified we are not able to prove the difethialone resistance. 'However, Reading University are searching the DNA profiling data for additional unexpected mutations.' Last year, the Commons was given a low food hygiene rating after mouse droppings were found in 19 different places. Last year, the Commons was given a low food hygiene rating after mouse droppings were found in 19 different places (stock image) A Parliament spokesman said: 'Parliament is a safe place to work, with robust hygiene processes in place. 'We are committed to maintaining a humane and ethical pest control programme, focused on preventative measures and, where necessary, the use of various control methods. 'Value for money remains a key consideration and we will, as ever, continue to follow all legislative and regulatory obligations.' Staff in the Palace of Westminster have long had to contend with mice in their offices, forcing some workers to take matters into their own hands by sourcing traps. In 2014, Penny Mordaunt - now the Commons Leader - brought her own cat to Parliament to tackle the issue. She shared photos of her cat in her Commons office on Twitter, captioned: 'Great believer in credible deterrence, I'm applying the principle to the lower ministerial corridor mouse problem.' The two Navy SEALs missing off Somalia after one of them slipped while trying to climb a ladder were trying to board a ship smuggling Iranian weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, it has been revealed. The mission was part of a VBSS - visit, board, search and seizure - and are usually carried out by some of the military's best-trained, elite soldiers. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CBS News Sunday they're working on disrupting Iranian shipments of weapons to the Houthis but are not related to the American airstrikes targeting the militant group's facilities. Kirby said the search was 'still ongoing' but they hoped to get some new information on Sunday. The SEALs often work with military personnel from allied nations to stop groups like the Houthis from being able to smuggle weapons into the region. The first service member slipped off the ladder into the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, according to officials, and the second one dove back in to help them. The two Navy SEALs missing off the coast of Somalia after one of them slipped while trying to climb a ladder were attempting to board a ship that was smuggling Iranian weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen The SEALs often work with military personnel from allied nations to stop groups like the Houthis from being able to smuggle weapons into the region It is unclear if any other service personnel were on the mission, whether they were able to board the ship and if any weapons were found. The military is continuing to conduct a search-and-rescue mission in the gulf, which is known for it's warmer waters and powerful swells. Officials told the Washington Post there remain hopes to find the still-unidentified personnel alive. Yemen has become a staging ground for attacks by the rebels on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The US Navy has conducted regular interdiction missions, where they have intercepted weapons on ships that were bound for Houthi-controlled Yemen. They sometimes include boarding vessels to make sure they have the proper credentials and aren't transporting illegal goods. The mission was not related to Operation Prosperity Guardian, the ongoing U.S. and international mission to provide protection to commercial vessels in the Red Sea. It was also not in connection with the seizure of the oil tanker St. Nikolas by Iran, a third US official said. Two Navy SEALs are missing off the coast of Somalia after one of them slipped while trying to climb a ladder on board a ship The military personnel were on an interdiction mission, climbing up a vessel when one got knocked off by high waves in the rough sea on Saturday, according to US officials. Pictured Navy SEALs on a mission John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council, told CBS News Sunday that they're working on disrupting Iranian shipments of weapons to the Houthis but are not related to the American airstrikes targeting the militant group's facilities Besides the defense of ships from launched drones and missiles shot from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military has also come to the aid of commercial ships that have been the targets of piracy. In a statement Saturday, US Central Command said that search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors. The command said it would not release additional information on the Thursday night incident until the personnel recovery mission is complete. The sailors were forward-deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions. While not connected, the mission does coincide as the US has unleashed a new wave of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The blitz on Friday came a day after initial strikes against over 60 targets used by the Iranian-backed rebels to attack ships in waters near the Arabian Peninsula. The second round of bombing was much smaller in scale and targeted a Houthi radar facility, an official confirmed. It came after the Houthis fired at least one anti-ship missile earlier the same day. Biden had vowed to continue the bombardment if the Houthis refused to cease attacking vessels in the Red Sea. But in New York City protests erupted after demonstrators swarmed First Avenue near the United Nations Yemen Mission to condemn the attack. The US deployed a new round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, targeting a radar facility Shortly after protesters descended on the United Nations Yemen Mission in New York to condemn the strike The raid on the radar facility came after the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile in retaliation for the overnight strikes by US and British forces on Thursday The latest round of strikes were smaller in scale than the initial wave seen on Thursday. Protesters gathered to demand an end to all strikes. The official confirmed the latest strikes were conducted unilaterally by the US. However, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV station claimed that the US and the UK had been involved in the strikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. UK Ministry of Defence sources said any suggestions of UK involvement in the second round of strikes against the Houthis were inaccurate. A formal statement confirming the UK's non-involvement is expected later today. A source said: 'There was no UK participation in these strikes it was a unilateral action carried out by the US.' But Thursday's blitz, a response to attacks on cargo ships by Houthis in the Red Sea, was a cooperative effort between the US, UK and other allied nations. The assault struck more than 60 targets, killing five people and wounding six more, a spokesman for the Houthi military told CNN. But US officials determined the additional location, a radar site, still presented a threat to maritime traffic, one official said. President Joe Biden said on Friday that the American airstrikes against the Houthi in Yemen were a success, adding that he's delivered a message to Iran with them. 'I don't think there's any civilian casualties that's another reason why it's a success,' Biden told reporters traveling with him in Pennsylvania. The White House has said the airstrikes in Yemen, most of which is controlled by the Houthis, were in retaliation for months of attacks by the movement on Red Sea shipping that the rebels cat as a response to the ongoing war in Gaza. However their targets have become increasingly random and caused disruption to global shipping channels. When asked if he has a message for Iran, Biden said: 'I've already delivered the message to Iran.' The president also noted Tehran 'doesn't want a war with us,' but said he is willing to bomb the Houthi again if they keep striking at American troops. Over 100 Ethiopian students win Chinese scholarships Xinhua) 09:51, January 15, 2024 Ethiopian students display their certificate of scholarship and certificate of honor provided by the Chinese government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 12, 2024. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 143 Ethiopian university students have won scholarships provided by the Chinese government to help them pursue graduate and post-graduate studies across different academic fields in the country's largest Addis Ababa University (AAU). Speaking at the awards ceremony of the China-Ethiopia Friendship Scholarship on Friday at the AAU, the university's Interim President Samuel Kifle said the Chinese government and different universities in China have had "strong and meaningful collaboration with the AAU, which helped us to train our faculties, to train our students." He said the collaboration between Chinese and Ethiopian academic institutions is reflected in the robust Sino-Ethiopia ties. Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan for his part called on the scholarship recipients to help contribute to Ethiopia's socioeconomic development. Noting that the AAU and its graduates have over the years played an important role in fostering China-Ethiopia ties, the ambassador underscored the need to further strengthen the AAU's role as a "bridge" between the two countries. Mulugeta Ayele, one of the scholarship recipients, said the opportunity will help him and his fellow students to further their studies and, eventually, contribute to Ethiopia's development. The scholarship awards ceremony also featured an awards ceremony for 22 Ethiopian students who had won the "Chinese Bridge" language proficiency competition. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) By Lee Min-hyung MOJAVE, California A super-spacious driving test center for Hyundai Motor and Kia stands as a backbone facility solidifying their brand power in the United States. Both automakers ensure their vehicles meet rigorous safety standards by launching them only after successfully undergoing testing at this facility. The California Proving Ground (CPG) is situated in the isolated desert, covering a sizable land area of 17.7 million square meters. The Korean carmakers set up the facility here in 2005 to put their vehicles through harsher off-road driving tests. Hyundai Motor and Kia are shifting their testing focus to electric vehicles (EVs) and SUVs, implementing a more rigorous set of driving tests specifically tailored for their eco-friendly vehicle lineup. When this reporter test-drove an Electrified GV70 SUV, there was no noticeable in-vehicle vibration, even during sudden acceleration. The vehicle exhibited strong and comfortable cornering, giving the driver a sense of luxury coupled with a sporty feel. In general, EVs equipped with high-energy-density batteries tend to be approximately 300 kilograms heavier than typical vehicles with internal combustion engines. The critical aspect of testing most EVs revolves around assessing their ability to withstand the additional weight pressure on their suspension, tires, and car body. The Mojave driving test center has expanded its harsher test programs targeting EVs and most eco-friendly vehicles in line with a rapid shift in the global auto paradigm, said Kang Hee-jin, a senior researcher at the Hyundai America Technical Center. According to Hyundai Motor Group, the Mojave Desert is the optimal place for testing EVs in the harshest conditions, as the average temperature hovers around 39 degrees Celsius and its surface temperature rises to 54 degrees in the peak summer season which falls in July and August. The automakers are prioritizing the testing of their electric vehicles' heat management and cooling systems, particularly under the extreme and scorching weather conditions of the desert. The facility is also equipped with a 10.3-kilometer-long oval track on which the carmakers test their vehicles at speeds up to 200 kilometers per hour. Engineers inspect every single detail, such as driving safety and road friction sound, while driving each vehicle around 48,280 kilometers. Last year alone, engineers and technicians here conducted a 10,000-kilometer drive test for Hyundai Motor Groups EV lineup for 10 weeks, not just in the desert, but in various U.S. states, such as Minnesota and Oregon, in a show of strong willingness to manufacture safety-first EVs in the world's largest economy. The efforts are generating results, as shown by their steep sales growth here. According to the carmaker, the combined vehicle sales for Hyundai Motor and Kia in the U.S. topped 1.65 million in 2023, a record high. The strong sales growth enabled Hyundai Motor Group to rise to become the fourth-largest carmaker in the country last year. Waithe is best known for playing Denise in the Netflix comedy Master of None The crime was found by Waithe's staffer, who found the house door unlocked TV star actress Lena Waithe, 39, was out of town when the break-in occurred Actress and TV writer Lena Waithe lost $200,000 worth of jewelry to brazen burglars who broke in through a window at her West Hollywood mansion. The 39-year-old comedian and writer was out of town when a group of thieves smashed a window and slipped inside, according to TMZ. Law enforcement sources told the outlet the robbers snatched $200,000 worth of jewelry during the brazen break-in. The crime was discovered by a member of Waithe's staff, who arrived at the house the next day and found the front door unlocked. The actress purchased her six-bedroom, eight-bathroom Studio City home for $6.4 million in 2021. Actress and comedian Lena Waithe lost $200,000 of jewelry to brazen thieves who smashed through a window in her West Hollywood mansion while she was out of town The 39-year-old is best known as Denise in Netflix series Master of None and as creator of The Chi, a drama based on her own upbringing on Chicago's South Side Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the crime was discovered by a member of Waithe's staff, who found the front door unlocked the following day The sprawling mansion is just shy of 7,000 square feet and features an outdoor kitchen, backyard sauna and in-ground pool. Waithe is best known as Denise from Netflix comedy Master of None and creator of The Chi, a drama series influenced by her upbringing in Chicago, Illinois. She knew as a child that she wanted to write for television and was encouraged to do so by her single mother and grandmother, Waithe told Vogue in 2015. After moving to Los Angeles, she secured a job as an assistant to the executive producer of Girlfriends, a sitcom centering on a friend group of Black women. Waithe later became a writer for the Fox television series Bones, a writer for the Nickelodeon sitcom How to Rock, and a producer on the film Dear White People. She was named as one of Varsity's '10 Comedians to Watch' in 2018. In August 2015, Showtime commissioned a pilot for The Chi, written by Waithe and produced by rapper Common. Waithe wanted the series to mirror her upbringing on Chicago's South Side. It centers on a young Black man's coming-of-age story in the titular city. Waithe knew from a young age that she wanted to write for television and wrote and produced for several shows before Showtime commissioned a pilot for The Chi in August 2015 She was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in both 2021 and 2022 The same year, the comedian was cast in Master of None after meeting creator and lead actor Aziz Ansari. Ansari and co-creator Alan Yang rewrote the script to make Waithe's character, Denise, more like herself. 'All of us actors play heightened versions of ourselves,' the actress later told Vogue. In 2017, Waithe and Ansari won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, making Waithe the first African-American woman to win an Emmy in that category. The episode, Waithe explained in her acceptance speech, was based on her coming-out experience as a lesbian. She thanked the audience for 'embracing a little Indian boy from South Carolina and a little queer Black girl from the South Side of Chicago.' The 39-year-old was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in both 2021 and 2022. One of the architects of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has launched an extraordinary attack on former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Professor Megan Davis took to social media to accuse Mr Turnbull, who was a prominent supporter of the Voice, of 'punching down' on Indigenous Australians. She was responding to an article the former prime minister wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald about what the republican movement can learn from the failed Voice referendum. 'Same old elitism of 1999, same old tired republican lines while punching down on the blacks,' Prof Davis wrote, referring to the year of the failed republic referendum which Mr Turnbull led. In last weekend's article, he wrote that 'so as the dust settles from the defeat of the Voice, republicans should not be disheartened. Professor Megan Davis (pictured) - one of the architects of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament - has launched an extraordinary attack on former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull Prof Davis slammed Malcolm Turnbull in a message (pictured) posted to Twitter Key architect of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament reveals the surprising reason she thinks many Aussies voted NO Advertisement 'There are lessons to be learned from the Voice, but they do include giving up on constitutional reform.' Mr Turnbull said it was 'easy for the Voice to be represented as dividing Australia, as giving rights to some not available to all ... 'The Voice campaign presented a blank canvas on which its opponents could paint whatever apocalypse they liked.' He added that 'the cause of the republic is simply this - We are Australians, we believe every office under our constitution should be open to any Australian citizen, our head of state should be one of us, not the king or queen of another country.' Prof Davis said she found his article 'problematic cos his analysis of the Voice loss is superficial & ignores entirely the major driver (after bipartisanship). 'If you ignore that huge glaring problem (in fairness most media and political elites do ignore it), it is dead in the water now.' Sydney radio host Ben Fordham was astonished by her comments and spoke about them on his 2GB show. 'Well I don't know where he was punching down on Indigenous Australians, but it sounds like there's no love lost between Professor Megan Davis and the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull,' he said on Monday. Fordham also pointed to how the Anthony Albanese had distanced himself from the Voice in the wake of the referendum. 'That came about on Christmas Day on 2GB when Suzie Ellerman was talking to the Prime Minister at Reverend Bill Crews' Uniting Church ... 'I'm paraphrasing here, but the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "Look, it's not a loss for me, it's a loss for Indigenous people. Malcolm Turnbull (pictured with wife Lucy) has been accused of being an 'elitist' by Professor Megan Davis Prof Davis' tweet (pictured) said an article Mr Turnbull wrote last weekend was 'superficial' '"I'm not Indigenous, so it doesn't affect me as much as it affects them."' The radio host said many of his listeners were shocked by Mr Albanese's response, saying 'Hang on, you did spend more than a year making this the biggest issue, the only issue in the country and now you seem to be walking away.' Fordham then added 'And what's happening now for Indigenous Australians, well who knows. The whole thing seems to have dropped off the radar.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Professor Davis and Mr Turnbull for comment. Devastated relatives of a doctor killed during a brutal home invasion have revealed he chased the intruders to protect his housemates before he was fatally stabbed. Dr Ash Gordon, 33, woke to a gang of thugs breaking into his Sargent St home, in Doncaster in Melbourne's east, during the early hours of Saturday morning. He chased them out his house and pursued them in his car to Elidon St, about 500metres away, where both he and the intruders exited their vehicles and a fight erupted. Speaking to reporters outside Dr Gordon's home on Monday, his sister Natalie said he was stabbed several times during the altercation - injuries that would ultimately cost him his life. 'We are really struggling,' Natalie said, choking back tears. '..To lose him so tragically. 'He was the absolute apple of our family's eye. Every single one of us were so proud of him and everything that he had achieved in his life.' 'Mum and dad are just muddling their way through the days at this point in time. His girlfriend is heartbroken.' Dr Gordon's father was seen with a stethoscope draped around his neck as the family collected his belongings. Dr Ash Gordon's housemate Tristen Standing (left) comforted the dead man's sister Natalie Gordon (left) as she spoke to reporters on Monday, alongside her sister Tammy Gordon (right) and George Charalambous (centre) Natalie Gordon (left) becomes emotional as she details her brother's heroic final act Housemate and close friend Tristen Standing said Dr Gordon was a 'brave man' who 'didn't think twice' about chasing the intruders out of the house. 'He was just a protector,' he said. 'He looked after his people. He didn't think about himself.' Frightened neighbours called police after hearing the commotion and Dr Gordon's body was discovered a short time later. His attackers remain on the run and no arrests have been made. Dr Gordon's girlfriend has told police his attackers stole a few items from the house, including laptops and shoes. The alarming incident comes amid a spate of recent robberies in the area, including the theft of a neighbour's car just days ago. Natalie said her brother, the youngest of five children, was the favourite of the family as they grew up on a farm in Hazel Park in Gippslands, 187km east of Melbourne. Ash Gordon (above) was killed during a home invasion in the early hours of Saturday morning Tammy Gordon was seen packing her brother's belongings into a car on Monday Family said they were working to bring 'Ash home' back to Gippsland Pictured left to right: Hayden Cook (Natalie's partner), Todd Standing (Ash's friend and Tristen's brother), Tristen Standing (Ash's housemate and friend) and Natalie Gordon (Ash's sister) He studied medicine at university before opening his Richmond-based cosmetic clinic Redefine Aesthetics, which specialises in skin health, wellness and anti-ageing. Natalie described her younger sibling as a very 'patient and loving' person who 'poured his heart and soul' into his work as a doctor. 'He was my best, best, little big brother. He was such a cheeky, light-hearted fun person,' Natalie said. 'He gave his all to everyone - in his family, and in his job - and put everyone ahead of himself. 'He just wanted to provide the best doctor care that he could provide, because he felt that you need a best point of call for your first doctor - and he was that.' Dr Gordon's family and friends gathered at his two-storey unit on Monday to begin the daunting process of packing his belongings. The group were seen carrying boxes and bundles of clothes from the house and piling them into the back of a ute. Dr Gordon's father was seen with a stethoscope draped around his neck as he worked to pack away his son's belongings Rubbing away tears, Natalie said the family were working to 'bring Ash home' by taking his things home to Gippsland. As the family come to terms with the tragedy, they have urged anyone with information about the incident to contact to police. Natalie had a sterner message for her brother's killers. 'Hand yourself in,' she said. 'It is an absolute disgrace to mankind to do something to someone so, so wonderful. 'The world is a worse place now because he has been taken not only from us but the wider community.' Any witnesses or anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers. A shopper has slammed Officeworks after the stationery giant delivered her 38 items in 23 different cardboard boxes. A West Australian mum posted pictures of her online order to social media, asking if anyone knew why the company needed so much packaging. She shared a picture of all of the boxes heaped on her kitchen table. In another photo, a single packet of highlighter pens could be seen by itself in a big, otherwise empty box. An Aussie mum purchased 38 items for her children's booklist and was appalled when the store delivered them in 23 boxes In one of her photos, a single packet of highlighter pens could be seen by itself in a big box Other online shoppers were quick to say the experience had happened to them too, with one saying they had received a small packet of pencils in a medium-sized box. 'Mate, dont get me started,' they wrote. 'The box to contents [ratio] is always off these days.' Some online shoppers said the multiple boxes could be the result of items originating from different warehouses. However, the woman confirmed all 38 items arrived from the same store and had the same delivery stickers. Others thought it was the result of retailers using artificial intelligence, leaving machines to pack orders. However, an Officeworks spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the delivery was due to a technical fault at their Perth Customer Fulfilment Centre. 'We can confirm this was isolated [to the Perth centre]. We are working with our supply chain teams to ensure minimal materials are used when packing orders,' they said. 'We are sorry to hear of this customers recent online delivery experience. At Officeworks, we want everyone to have an enjoyable shopping experience with us whether it be shopping in store or online and we are disappointed that on this occasion, this did not occur. 'Additionally, at Officeworks, we take our environmental impact very seriously. We have been working towards more sustainable packaging solutions for our products for several years, and this commitment continues to be a strong focus area across our business.' Officeworks said it was due to a technical fault at their Perth Customer Fulfilment Centre According to the latest data from Australia's 2022 National Waste Report, Australia has around 75.8m tonnes of waste Officeworks isn't the only retailer to come under fire over excessive packaging and waste. A Sydney mum slammed Kmart after her delivery of one bath bomb arrived in a big box with plastic air pockets to cushion it. Other shoppers have named Amazon as a culprit for sending large boxes for one or two small items. According to the latest data from Australia's 2022 National Waste Report, Australia has around 75.8m tonnes of waste. Accumulate Australia states the average Aussie throws away 130kg of plastic each year, which is the equivalent to 20,000 plastic bags, 7000 plastic water bottles or the weight of three bar fridges. Disappointingly, only 12.4 per cent of all waste is recycled. This is the sickening moment an anti-Semite spray painted a swastika on the oldest Holocaust memorial in the US. Police in Philadelphia were called to the Horwitz Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza on Sunday following the shocking graffiti overnight. It comes amid a wave of anti-Semitism, which has spiked 360 percent in the US since Hamas's terror attack on Israel on October 7 - 100 days ago. The terror group marked the occasion by releasing a horrifying video warning the families of the hostages 'tomorrow we will inform you of your fate.' Local and federal authorities are investigating after an anti-Semitic attack on the oldest Holocaust memorial in the United States, as someone was caught on camera spray-painting a swastika Eszter Kutas, director of the Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, said the incident happened overnight and they covered it in the morning on Sunday. 'A single individual approached the site with spray paint in his hand and very quickly put a two-by-two swastika on our site,' Kutas said. Police have yet to make an arrest but say they are looking for a man wearing a black mask, dark-colored jacket with a stripe across the chest and down the arms. Kutas said this is not the first time this has happened in the wake of October 7. 'We've seen a drastic rise of anti-Semitic incidents in our communities. It's been on the rise for several years but in particular since Hamas's attack on Israel.' 'The Jewish people have been victims of antisemitism for thousands of years now and we cannot stay silent,' she added. Police in Philadelphia were called to the Horwitz Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza at around 2 p.m. Eszter Kutas, director of the Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, said the incident happened overnight after she looked at security footage Dedicated in 1964, the Horwitz Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza is arguably the first public remembrance of the horrific killings of six million Jews by Nazi Germany According to the ADL, the anti-Semitic hate wave includes 628 incidents at synagogues and Jewish community centers with about two-thirds of all incidents related to Israel's war on Hamas. They say a total of a shocking 34 anti-Semitic incidents per day in the last 100 days, with 2023 likely to set records for anti-Semitic acts. In addition, the average Jewish school is now spending $315,943 a year on security, up $100,000 from the time before October 7, Axios reported. 'The American Jewish community is facing a threat level that's now unprecedented in modern history,' ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. 'It's shocking that we've recorded more antisemitic acts in three months than we usually would in an entire year.' It comes as there is no sign the war between Hamas and Israel will slow down - with the terrorists unwilling to make a deal to let hostages go free. Hamas released a chilling video of Israeli hostages including 26-year-old Noa Argamani on Sunday to mark the 100th day since the attack. According to the ADL, the anti-Semitic hate wave includes 628 incidents at synagogues and Jewish community centers with about two-thirds of all incidents related to Israel's war on Hamas Palestinian militants drive back to the Gaza Strip with the body of an Israeli soldier on Saturday, October 7, 2023 Some 1,100 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in massacres of kibbutzim and the Nova Music Festival near Re'im. Appearing for the first time since she was kidnapped on October 7, Ms Argamani from Beersheba, southern Israel, confirmed her identity and said: 'Stop this madness and return us to our families.' Argamani was among those enjoying the 'peace festival' in the desert when gunmen breached the site and opened fire. She was joined by Tai Tversky, 38, and Yossi Sharabi, 53, also held hostage since Hamas' bloody incursion into Israel last October. '[Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin] Netanyahu, please stop the war. Bring us home,' said Mr Tversky, of Tel Aviv. 'For this to happen, the war must stop,' says Mr Sharabi. 'Tomorrow we will inform you of their fate,' reads a cold message overlaid onto the video. There is no information to indicate when or where the videos were filmed. Past video releases from Hamas appear to show hostages speaking under duress from inside Gaza. Israeli captive Mia Schem, released as part of a deal in November, was seen in a video praising the people and the food she received as a hostage. After her release, she said she was left to starve and lived in fear of rape. Noa Argamani's kidnapping made headlines last year when she was pictured screaming on the back of a motorcycle as Hamas gunmen abducted her from southern Israel and took her into Gaza. The world watched in horror as video emerged of Noa Argamani, 26, sitting on the back of a motorbike as she screamed 'Don't kill me' to the men surrounding her Noa Argamani, who was taken from the Nova peace festival near Re'im on October 7 January 14 marks 100 days since Hamas' shock invasion into southern Israel, storming across the border in cars, vans and by motorized paraglider at daybreak. 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, before footage emerged online of her screaming 'don't kill me' as she was taken to Gaza on the back of a motorbike. As many as 240 hostages were taken on October 7 to be used as leverage in prisoner swaps with Israel, which holds many Palestinians - civilians and suspected terrorists - in prisons. A week-long ceasefire was organised in November after weeks of retaliatory bombing by Israel on communities in Gaza as the army paved the way for a wider ground invasion. Critics, including international charities and the UN, warned that the bombing was devastating civilian communities in one of the world's most densely-packed enclaves. A siege of Gaza City, cutting water, aid, power, medical supplies and fuel to the beleaguered Strip risked a serious humanitarian crisis, the UN warned in October. And 24-hour evacuation orders were met with outcry from humanitarian aid groups, warning such an unprecedented migration of people was 'impossible'. Mounting pressure eventually saw Israel agree to a temporary ceasefire to last from November 24 until November 30 - later extended until November 31. A total of 110 hostages were released during that timeframe, mostly as part of a Qatar-mediated deal between Hamas and Israel, some released as part of a separate deal with Thailand and two as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 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.' The return of hostages from Gaza has revealed the dire conditions hostages were exposed to within Gaza. Some gave chilling accounts of rape, physical beatings and psychological torture, drawing horrified reactions from family members and Israeli citizens who put more pressure on the government to safely ensure the return of the remaining captives. The sustained fighting has also seen IDF soldiers mistakenly kill surrendering hostages carrying white flags while operating in Gaza. And returning hostages warned some were being held in tunnels under the Strip - as Israel revealed plans to pump them with water to flush out Hamas. As the conflict reached its 100th day, protestors in Tel Aviv were seen calling for the safe return of the remaining hostages, demanding a ceasefire and more prisoner swaps. Video shared previously showed some of the emotional clashes between the families of hostages and members of Netanyahu's war cabinet. Families worry the far-right government's policies enacted during wartime, such as new provisions for the death penalty, could adversely affected their loved ones held in Gaza. And the White House said on Sunday it was the 'right time' for Israel to scale back the war in Gaza. 'There is a realization there is no military way to get them out so that increases the pressure on the [Israeli] government to respond and seek a deal,' Dr Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor of Defence Studies at King's College London, told MailOnline. 'There is a realization that this kind of operational tempo is not sustainable. 'It's not sustainable in terms of the casualties that are being generated. The amount of casualties among Palestinian civilians is completely unprecedented, I think, in modern warfare because ultimately [the IDF] can't leave. They're just there.' More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military campaign in October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Around 40 per cent of the Gazan population are children. Despite the challenges facing Israel operating within the Palestinian enclave, the IDF has reaffirmed its commitment to safely returning the hostages through 'increased military pressure'. Army chief Herzi Halevi said in a statement on Saturday: 'We do not forget and we will not forget, and we will continue to remind even those who try to deny it. We are fighting for our right to live here in safety.' 'Tomorrow [Sunday, January 14] we will mark a hundred days since the beginning of the war. A hundred days in which the hostages are still held in Gaza by the cruel Hamas terrorists,' he added. 'We are operating by all means, most of them covertly, in order to return them and we will continue to do so until we return them all.' Palestinians celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, October 7, 2023 Palestinians transport a captured Israeli civilian, center, from Kibbutz Kfar Azza into the Gaza Strip on Saturday, October 7, 2023 The escalating crisis in Yemen has also put pressure on warring factions to find a permanent solution to the conflict as it enters its fourth month. Hamas-allied Houthi rebels have been attacking trade vessels in and around the Red Sea since October 19. The Red Sea separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, leading to the Suez Canal through which 12 per cent of the world's trade passes. In light of the attacks, a number of major shipping operators announced plans to reroute or cancel operations altogether. The number of containers passing through the Red Sea fell by more than half in December, down to 200,000 from 500,000 only a month prior. Pledging to protect global trade, and fearing the attacks would force up global prices of essential items, a coalition of the US, the UK and a number of allies conducted airstrikes on 60 Houthi targets in the early hours of Friday morning. The attacks were followed by subsequent US attacks late Friday and on Saturday afternoon. The Houthis vowed revenge for the attacks and shared footage of their soldiers conducting military drills in mock Jewish residential areas on January 13. Aerial footage shared by the rebels showed Houthi troops training around a makeshift compound consisting of several houses marked with the Star of David. Men wielding Kalashnikov-style assault rifles were seen advancing on the site, storming tents and shooting at a portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They then appeared to practice taking hostages, seen using assault rifles to usher cowering actors dressed as Orthodox Jews out of the tents. The troops are seen from above to drive away from the compound before blowing the site up entirely in an apparently controlled demolition. Britain has not attacked since Friday, despite Houthi media claiming otherwise, but has vowed to step in again to defend international trade and security if needed. The escalating situation has sparked fears the war between Israel and Gaza could develop into a regional conflict, with Hamas and the Houthis both separately receiving funding from Iran, staunchly at odds with Israel. THURSDAY: An unverified image appeared to show the result and British and US airstrikes in Yemen The training areas are seen from above emblazoned with the Star of David A soldier is seen shooting at a portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu The actors were paraded out of the camp before being driven away from the site The Houthis, embroiled in a bloody civil war with the internationally-recognised Yemeni government since 2014, have been accused of several violations of international law - beyond the targeting non-combatant merchant vessels in the Red Sea - including using child soldiers, expected to make up a third of all fighters in Yemen. Human Rights Watch published a report in 2018 detailing how Houthi soldiers would take hostages, arbitrarily detain people and use torture methods to extort money from relatives. The UN also reported in 2018 the Houthis were diverting food aid from distribution areas intended for civilians affected by the humanitarian crisis. And in 2019, there were allegations the Houthis supported the restoration of slavery in Yemen with the families of leaders holding some 1,800 citizens as slaves and servants in their personal residences. Advertisement Horrifying drone footage shows scorching lava from Iceland's volcanic eruption engulfing homes as it surrounds the fishing village of Grindavik. The eruption began just before 8am local time on Sunday. Around midday, a second fissure over 3,000ft wide and growing split open. The molten rock streamed towards homes in the northernmost tip of the village, which sits around 25 miles from county's capital, Reykjavik. It breached barriers of earth and rock meant to prevent the magma from reaching Grindavik, where several buildings were set ablaze. 'According to the first images from the Coast Guard's surveillance flight, a crack has opened on both sides of the defenses that have begun to be built north of Grindavik,' the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement. Lava flows from a volcano as houses burn in Grindavik, Iceland, January 14, 2024, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video Lava flows from a volcano as houses burn in Grindavik, Iceland, January 14, 2024 The molten rock streamed towards homes in the northernmost tip of the village, which sits around 25 miles from county's capital, Reykjavik Lava crept towards the fishing town of Grindavik Sunday, swallowing three houses A plume of smoke, illuminated by lava spewing from a volcano near the town of Grindavik, is seen from a distance over the country's capital of Reykjavik Lava bursts from the ground in Iceland near the town of Grindavik, January 14 Homes in the small village were seen burning next to the ever-growing wash of molten lava Lava explosions and billowing smoke were spotted near homes and buildings Explosions are seen beyond buildings in the town of Grindavik, January 14 The eruption began just before 8am local time Sunday. Around midday, a second fissure several thousand feet wide split open The January 14 eruption (pictured) began north of Grindavik, prompting an evacuation of nearly all 4,000 residents The lava from this morning's eruption was seen creeping towards homes in the northernmost part of the town Billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen in this Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management , January 14 VIDEO: A volcano erupts north of the Icelandic fishing village of Grindavik, just hours after local residents were evacuated, as seen in images filmed from an Icelandic Coastguard helicopter. This is Iceland's fifth volcanic eruption in almost three years. The most recent pic.twitter.com/WYyZuiW5v8 AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 15, 2024 The lava flows prompted an evacuation for the second time and rendered the fate of farm animals uncertain. Video taken from an Icelandic Coastguard helicopter shows huge pools of molten rock and a wall of flames rising into the night sky. Viir Reynisson, chief supervisor of the Office of the National Commissioner of the Police, told local media that 'no one is going into Grindavikuntil we are absolutely sure that it will be OK.' Flights to and from the country were not affected as of Sunday, and Iceland Air confirmed that the operations of Keflavik Airport were not impacted. But devastating lava flows razed at least three homes in Grindavik, according to local media, with the potential for more destruction looming ahead. Lovisa Mjoll Gumundsdottir, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said: 'It cannot be ruled out that more cracks will open. 'The GPS data showed us that there is increased magma inflow into the tunnel and with that there is a possibility of more fissures opening up.' Police chief Viir Reynisson, citing the Icelandic Met Office, warned that 'there is no end to magma inflow into the tunnel, and as a result we need to be prepared and focus our actions on the real danger, a large crack opening in Grindavik, major gas pollution from this and then the possible opening of new eruptions.' Seismic activity had intensified overnight and residents of Grindavik were evacuated, Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported Billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen in this Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management , January 14, 2024, handout image during an volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland A helicopter flies near lava explosions and smoke near residential buildings in the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik Thick clouds of smoke billowed over the landscape during the eruption Lava explosions and rising smoke are seen near a house in Iceland after a volcanic eruption near the town of Grindavik, in the Reykjanes peninsula Smoke rises following a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula Lava is seen engulfing a house in Grindavik, Iceland over the weekend Emergency personnel use diggers to build a protective wall to stop the flow of lava Heavy construction equipment work on a protective wall near the town of Grindavik after a volcanic eruption, in the Reykjanes peninsula, southwestern Iceland, January 14 Seismic activity intensified overnight and several thousand residents of Grindavik were evacuated, while 200 elected to stay behind despite the warnings Aerial images show flowing lava drawing near homes in the southwestern Icelandic town The fishing village lost power at around 5am following a period of heightened seismic activity Residents of Grindavik were evacuated around 3am local time as seismic activity continued to intensify. The country's national public-service broadcasting service reported that around 200 of the town's 4,000 residents elected to stay, despite the warnings. The Public Safety Department of the National Police reported that 200 earthquakes were recorded overnight, with Grindavik losing power at around 5am. But by Sunday night, eruption in the fissure had largely subsided. 'It seems to us that it has almost stopped, the lava flow by these houses,' said Bovar Sveinsson, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions, shuttered after reopening just one week prior. On Sunday, the spa extended its closure through January 16. However, its website noted that the eruption site was 'a safe distance' away. Authorities urged locals to steer clear of the eruption site and stay out of Grindavik until they could fully evaluate the area Lovisa Mjoll Gumundsdottir, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, cautioned against the possibility of more fissures opening Eruption in the fissure largely subsided after the lava flow destroyed three homes Sunday Iceland Air, the country's national carrier, announced that the operation of the country's major airport would not be affected READ MORE: Scientists reveal just how bad the eruption could get as bubbling lava and smoke are spewed into the sky at Reykjanes peninsula after weeks of activity Advertisement Police begged locals to steer clear of the eruption site. 'We ask people not to go to the eruption on foot,' local police said. 'It is extremely cold outside and the walk is long and the ground is unstable in terms of cracks and other things. 'In addition, all responders are busy and do not have the manpower to pick up people who leave on foot.' They noted that the area around the volcano was dangerous due to fissures, gas and other hazards. Iceland's prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, urged residents to band together and uplift one another. 'Today is a black day for Grindavik and today is a black day for all of Iceland, but the sun will rise again,' she said. 'Together we will deal with this shock and whatever may come. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.' Speaking to local media, Jakobsdottir admitted that the lava was frighteningly close to the town. Aerial view of the lava field near Grindavik on December 22, 2023 People watch as the night sky is illuminated by the eruption of a volcano near the fishing town on December 18, 2023 A man adjusts his camera near Keflavik, Iceland, during Sunday's eruption The sun can be seen through dark plumes of smoke rising from the volcano The evacuation, she insisted, was called at the right time. 'Of course, we have all eyes on this area to ensure the safety of the residents. However, it is quite clear that this is a huge burden for the townspeople. Naturally, the pressure is starting to take its toll on people,' she continued. 'As the situation is now, we are seeing that the lava is flowing towards Grindavik. The ramparts, however, may be useful even if the southern part of the fissure extends into them. We are monitoring the situation from minute to minute.' The country's president issued his own statement. 'We are still reminded of the power of the forces of nature,' President Guni Thorlacius Johannesson said. 'And still we hope for the best, as we do everything in our power to ensure people's lives. '[We are trying] to protect structures to the best of our ability. Members of a rescue team watch a volcanic eruption north of the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik Iceland's president, Guni Thorlacius Johannesson, said in a statement posted to social media: 'We are still reminded of the power of the forces of nature' A police car blocks the access to the road that leads to Grindavik on January 14, 2024 A massive plume of gas was seen rising from the site of Sunday's eruption 'Together we Icelanders think warmly of [residents of Grindavik], and everyone who takes care of public protection and operations on the scene. Now we are all tested.' Iceland is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe. The January 14 eruption is Iceland's fifth in two years, the previous one occurring on December 18, 2023 in the same region southwest of Reykjavik. That eruption started in the Svartsengi volcanic system and came after Grindavik's 4,000 inhabitants completely evacuated. The fishing town was ultimately spared as the lava flowed in a different direction. While volcanic eruptions aren't uncommon in Iceland, volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula were dormant for 800 years until 2021. Lying between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, two of the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions. The residents of Grindavik were forced to evacuate overnight following a series of earthquakes The first eruption on January 14 was understood to have taken place around 7.50am Lava flowed towards the sleepy fishing village, coasting past heaps of dirt and rock that were meant to hinder it Lava was seen just 500 meters away from Grindavik before crossing into the town The December eruption began around 2.4 miles from the town of Grindavik at the Sundhjuka crater, on the Reykjanes peninsula. Thrill-seekers were criticised for venturing towards, not away, from the eruption that forced thousands to flee their homes. 'It's just something from a movie!' Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the United States, said at the time. A group of boys named told local media in December that they usually headed towards eruptions in Reykjanes. 'We are trying to see the eruption. Unfortunately, we didn't get any closer. It's a hobby that we've had for four years, attending every single eruption, and we'll continue to do so.' For local residents, the emotions were mixed. The Reykjanesbraut, a key Icelandic highway in the area, was lit up with white headlights from cars travelling towards, not away from, the crater (left) while cars were parked nearby (right) in December The Ministry of the Environment was forced to issue repeated warnings to those thinking about getting close to the volcano last month A group watches as smoke billows into the sky from the volcano explosion in December 'The town involved might end up under the lava,' said Ael Kermarec, a French tour guide living in Iceland. 'It's amazing to see but, there's kind of a bittersweet feeling at the moment.' The Ministry of the Environment issued repeated warnings to those thinking about getting close to the volcano. 'Think about someone other than yourself and follow the guidelines of the public safety. Please,' one spokesman said. Police urged people to stay out of first responders' way and leave roads as accessible as possible. The majority of Republican caucusgoers in Iowa have said Donald Trump being convicted of a crime will not affect their support for the former president. The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll was conducted in Iowa last week, ahead of the meeting Monday where Republicans will pick their nominee. Trump, despite the bevy of cases against him, has surfaced as a frontrunner, with most polls forecasting he will take roughly 50 percent of the vote. Of the 705 polled, some 61 percent said it doesn't matter to them if he is convicted of any crime prior to the general election. The results come as voters in the battleground state will commence balloting Monday evening, kicking off the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. A startling majority of likely Republican caucusgoers have stated that a Donald Trump conviction will not affect their support for the aspiring two-term president, according to the latest NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll of prospective Iowa voter Donald Trump is pictured in his mugshot from last summer during the Fulton County investigation Recent polls have pegged the former president as a pronounced frontrunner, with rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis - and especially Vivek Ramaswamy - needing to peel off a substantial amount of supporters if they hope to have a chance against the former president Meanwhile, recent polls pegged Trump as a sure-thing, with Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy needing to peel off support from him. Much of the focus Monday in the Midwest will be who places second - as both Haley and DeSantis trail in polls but aim for a boost into subsequent states. Another important - and perhaps even deciding - factor is turnout, coupled with worries that Trump's supporters will stay home given his comfortable lead. As a result, Trump has warned against complacency at recent rallies - showing that a victory for a man whose legal woes are testing the GOP's willingness to raise him as their candidate is still not a sure thing. He told several hundred supporters gathered in Sioux Center earlier this month: 'Ten days from now, the people of this state are going to cast the most important vote of your entire lives. 'Bad things happen when you sit back.' The recent NBC poll likely provides some alleviation to those worries, despite it having little to do with the prospect of voter turnout in Iowa. That said, it could provide a precedent in the other swing and red states still to come, where identical caucuses will be held in the coming months. The unrest before the caucus shows how all gloves are off amongst candidates, seen here the CNN Republican presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday On Sunday, at an event at Simpson College in Indianola, Trump was photographed proudly raising a fist - while donning a 'Trump Caucus Captain' cap to encourage prospective voters The recent NBC poll likely provides some alleviation to those worries, despite it having little to do with the prospect of voter turnout in Iowa Meanwhile, Trump is facing an eye-watering 91 criminal indictments and ongoing civil fraud trial in his home state of New York, but has still hit the campaign trail hard in Iowa. He began with a pair commit-to-caucus events this past weekend, one in the far northwest corner of the state and one in north-central Mason City. He then maneuver toward central Iowa to cities like Newton, before heading to Clinton in the state's far east. On Sunday, at an event at Simpson College in Indianola, he was photographed proudly raising a fist while donning a 'Trump Caucus Captain' cap to further encourage voters. He told a captivated crowd: 'Together we're going to make history but you have show up and you have to follow these instructions', before a video played showing instructions on how to caucus and when to show up. His closing pitch continued: 'These caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory over all of the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, crooks, freaks, creeps and other quite nice people. 'The Washington swamp has done everything in its power to take away your voice. 'Tomorrow is your time to turn on them and to say and speak your mind and to vote.' Trump Sunday told a captivated crowd: 'Together we're going to make history but you have show up and you have to follow these instructions', before a video played showing instructions on how to caucus and when to show up Other interesting findings gleaned from the Iowa poll included the detail that nearly half of Haley's Iowa backers said they would vote for Biden over Trump if the former South Carolina Governor does not secure the Republican nod, and that 36 percent of prospective DeSantis voters expressed doubts about the former president's chances against Biden come November Other interesting findings gleaned from the Iowa poll included the detail that nearly half of Haley's Iowa backers said they would vote for Biden over Trump if the former South Carolina Governor does not secure the Republican nod. Meanwhile, 56 percent of Haley's supports said a Trump conviction would not make a difference to their vote come November, while 41 percent answered that it it would make them less likely to back Trump. In contrast, an eye-watering 70 percent of likely DeSantis voters said it wouldn't matter if Trump were convicted - compared to 26 percent who said it will make them less likely to support the ex-commander-in-chief. Also surprising was the fact that 36 percent of prospective DeSantis voters expressed doubts about the former president's chances against Biden. Haley's supporters, meanwhile, were much more split - with 42 percent contending Trump could win against Biden, and 54 perhaps saying his legal challenges will make it nearly impossible. Perhaps most astounding , though, was another statistic concerning Trump's locked-in supporters - 35 percent of whom said a conviction would make them more likely to support their favored candidate. Voters, meanwhile, are set to flock to the first formal test from voters Monday morning, braving frigid temperatures not forecast to rise above minus 2 degrees all day, in the process. Trump supporters braved temperatures in the negative teens Sunday morning to see the ex-president and 2024 hopeful speak at a campaign rally in Indianola, Iowa, ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses, the first time voters will have a say in the 2024 presidential race Earlier this week, four political analysts interviewed by Reuters said Trump needs a more convincing victory closer to the 30 point-plus margin suggested by the polls to blunt others' momentum, with one strategist telling the paper that Trump needs to win by at least 15 to 20 percentage points or risk a loss. 'That's a bare minimum for Trump. Anything below that shows - and will get blown up as - vulnerability,' strategist Doug Heye said. Chris LaCivita, co-manager of the Trump campaign, said he was confident that the 'intensity' of the former president's base would translate into a big win despite the cold gripping the Midwestern state. That very well may prove to be Trump's biggest obstacle, as temperatures - With wind-chill factored in - will feel closer to 35 degrees below zero, a level of cold considered extreme to even the most iron bodied of Midwesterners. 'If someone is extremely lucky, they might get to zero,' said National Weather Service meteorologist Allan Curtis, a for the referring to the best-case scenario in terms of warmth. He went on to add: 'No matter how you look at it, it's going to be a bitter one.' A US fighter jet blasted a Houthi cruise missile out of the sky over the Red Sea before it was able to hit its target, the USS Laboon, on Sunday in the latest escalation of violence in the region following a series of drone strikes from Western forces. The United States military and its allies began airstrikes on Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. Sunday's missile launch was the first response from the terror group since the US-led coalition began its recent offensive. On Saturday, US drones hit a Houthi radar facility. The Houthis had targeted the corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy shipments to the Suez Canal over the Israel-Hamas war. The Shiite rebel group allied with Iran, which seized Yemen's capital in 2014, are yet to acknowledge the missile attack. Rebels were seen posing with machine guns and rocket launchers in photos released Sunday. Fighters were also photographed earlier in the weekend conducting drills and recording themselves in terrain made to resemble Jewish settlements. It wasn't immediately clear whether the US would retaliate for the latest attack, though Joe Biden said he 'will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.' A US fighter jet shot down anti-ship cruise missile fired toward the American destroyer USS Laboon (pictured) by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea Sunday, their first response to a series of drone strikes fired by the Americans in recent days The Houthis have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war, attacks that threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration A Shiite rebel group allied with Iran that seized Yemen's capital in 2014, the Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the attack The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, Central Command said. The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis. 'An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,' Central Command said. 'There were no injuries or damage reported.' The first day of US-led strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas. The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the infrastructure damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others. But two officials told the New York Times on Sunday they still have about 75 percent of their ability to fire missiles and drones at ships transiting the Red Sea. This is despite the US and its allies claiming to have damaged or destroyed about 90 percent of the targets struck. Houthi fighters and tribesmen stage a rally against the U.S. and the U.K. strikes on Houthi-run military sites near Sanaa, Yemen Houthi fighters and tribal supporters hold up their firearms during a protest US forces followed up with a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site. Shipping through the Red Sea has slowed over the attacks. The Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for 72 hours after the initial airstrikes. For their part, the Houthis alleged without providing evidence that the U.S. struck a site near Hodeida on Sunday around the same time of the cruise missile fire. The Americans and the United Kingdom did not acknowledge conducting any strike - suggesting the blast may have been from a misfiring Houthi missile. Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israels offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade. Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to calm tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes threatened to ignite one. Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate detente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement British and American forces launched strikes on Houthi military sites earlier this week The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more. The American military did not specifically say the fire targeted the Laboon, following a pattern by the U.S. since the Houthi attacks began. However, U.S. sailors have received combat ribbons for their actions in the Red Sea- something handed out only to those who face active hostilities with an enemy force. Houthi troops have been pictured conducting drills in terrain resembling Jewish houses following a number of US and coalition airstrikes over the last two days. Photos shared by the Houthi Media Centre on Saturday showed soldiers armed with Kalashnikov-style assault rifles operating in mock residential areas featuring the Star of David in Yemen. Aerial footage dated January 11 also showed drone operators practicing while stood on American flags. And the exercises saw missiles and tanks tested near the northern Yemen-Saudi Arabia border at Al-Baqaa area. The photos were released after the Houthi leadership promised revenge for strikes conducted by allies in response to rebel attacks on trade vessels in recent weeks. A joint exercise between Britain, the US and allies in the early hours of Friday morning was followed by subsequent attacks late Friday and this afternoon. The Houthi militia threatened a 'strong and effective response' after the United States carried out its strike in Yemen on Saturday, further stoking tensions. Houthi soldiers take part in military drills in mock residential areas on January 11, 2024 The training areas are seen from above emblazoned with the Star of David The Houthis Media Centre also shared images of militants operating drones on US flags Image appeared to show a tank firing during training drills in Yemen on January 11 The Houthis' ballistic missiles are Iranian-made and have a range of up to 2000 kilometres A fresh airstrike hit the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeida Saturday following two nights of attacks on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A military source allied with the rebels told AFP 'the site from which a Houthi rocket was launched on the outskirts of Hodeida was hit', adding that it was not clear whether the strike came from the sea or the air. It comes after British and American forces launched strikes on Houthi military sites on Thursday night into Friday morning after the militants carried out several attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. After bombarding the rebel-held areas of Yemen early on Friday, the US also launched a new round of strikes last night. The strikes have added to concerns about the escalation of the conflict that has spread through the region since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and Israel went to war, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza, have carried out a growing number of missile and drone attacks on what they deem Israeli-linked shipping in the key Red Sea international trade route. An unverified image appeared to show the result and British and US airstrikes in Yemen Satellite pictures show shelters in Hodeida, Yemen, in January 2023 (top) and yesterday (bottom) following the airstrikes 'We have emphasized to everyone that [the Houthi] operations are to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and that we cannot stand idly by in the face of the aggression and siege,' Houthi chief negotiator and spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam told Al Jazeera in December. It comes as there is no sign the war between Hamas and Israel will slow down - with the terrorists unwilling to make a deal to let hostages go free. Hamas released a chilling video of Israeli hostages including 26-year-old Noa Argamani on Sunday to mark the 100th day since the attack. January 14 marks 100 days since Hamas' shock invasion into southern Israel, storming across the border in cars, vans and by motorized paraglider at daybreak. As many as 240 hostages were taken on October 7 to be used as leverage in prisoner swaps with Israel, which holds many Palestinians - civilians and suspected terrorists - in prisons. A week-long ceasefire was organized in November after weeks of retaliatory bombing by Israel on communities in Gaza as the army paved the way for a wider ground invasion. Critics, including international charities and the UN, warned that the bombing was devastating civilian communities in one of the world's most densely-packed enclaves. A siege of Gaza City, cutting water, aid, power, medical supplies and fuel to the beleaguered Strip risked a serious humanitarian crisis, the UN warned in October. And 24-hour evacuation orders were met with outcry from humanitarian aid groups, warning such an unprecedented migration of people was 'impossible'. Mounting pressure eventually saw Israel agree to a temporary ceasefire to last from November 24 until November 30 - later extended until November 31. A total of 110 hostages were released during that timeframe, mostly as part of a Qatar-mediated deal between Hamas and Israel, some released as part of a separate deal with Thailand and two as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 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.' The return of hostages from Gaza has revealed the dire conditions hostages were exposed to within Gaza. Some gave chilling accounts of rape, physical beatings and psychological torture, drawing horrified reactions from family members and Israeli citizens who put more pressure on the government to safely ensure the return of the remaining captives. The sustained fighting has also seen IDF soldiers mistakenly kill surrendering hostages carrying white flags while operating in Gaza. And returning hostages warned some were being held in tunnels under the Strip - as Israel revealed plans to pump them with water to flush out Hamas. Families worry the far-right government's policies enacted during wartime, such as new provisions for the death penalty, could adversely affected their loved ones held in Gaza. And the White House said on Sunday it was the 'right time' for Israel to scale back the war in Gaza. 'There is a realization there is no military way to get them out so that increases the pressure on the [Israeli] government to respond and seek a deal,' Dr Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor of Defence Studies at King's College London, told MailOnline. 'There is a realization that this kind of operational tempo is not sustainable. 'It's not sustainable in terms of the casualties that are being generated. The amount of casualties among Palestinian civilians is completely unprecedented, I think, in modern warfare because ultimately [the IDF] can't leave. They're just there.' More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military campaign in October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Around 40 per cent of the Gazan population are children. Despite the challenges facing Israel operating within the Palestinian enclave, the IDF has reaffirmed its commitment to safely returning the hostages through 'increased military pressure'. The attacks by the Houthi rebels, while in solidarity with Gaza, have caused problems for shipping routes. Around 12 percent of global trade normally passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea entrance between southwest Yemen and Djibouti. But since mid-November the rebel attacks have affected trade flows when supply strains are already putting upward pressure on inflation globally. The Houthi outfit emerged in the 1990s but gained international attention in 2014 during a rebellion against Yemen's government, sparking the ongoing civil war. Yemen's government subsequently stepped down, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Houthi forces continue to clash with a Saudi-led coalition and allies in the United States and a number of European powers. The Houthis continue to receive millions in aid from Iran each year, which also provides aid and training to Hamas in Gaza and as much as $700million a year to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Houthis have been accused of several violations of international law - beyond targeting non-combatant merchant vessels in the Red Sea - including using child soldiers, expected to make up a third of all fighters in Yemen. Human Rights Watch published a report in 2018 detailing how Houthi soldiers would take hostages, arbitrarily detain people and use torture methods to extort money from relatives. The UN also reported in 2018 the Houthis were diverting food aid from distribution areas intended for civilians affected by the humanitarian crisis. And in 2019, Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat alleged that modern slavery had been restored by the Houthis in Yemen, based on 'local reports'. A 12-year-old girl has been allegedly raped by a 21-year-old man on an Adelaide train. The Aldinga Beach man appeared before Christies Beach Magistrates Court via video-link on Monday to request his identity be suppressed. Police allege the rape occurred on the Seaford train line between Christie Downs and Park Holme stations at about 5pm on Thursday, January 11. The man is yet to enter pleas to charges of indecent assault, engage in sexual intercourse with a person without consent and have sexual intercourse with a person under 14 years, The Advertiser reports. The court heard that facial recognition technology captured the man allegedly followed his young victim off the train at Marion station, in Adelaide's south. Despite being in 'severe shock' the alleged victim gave a clear account of what had happened on the train, which was caught on CCTV, the court was told. Facial recognition technology captured the man allegedly following his young victim off the train at Marion station (pictured), an Adelaide court heard on Monday A prosecutor told the court that clothing that matched what the man had been wearing at the time of the alleged incident had been found at his home. Officers found a bag and clothing that matched what the alleged attacker wore when he was arrested at his home, the court heard. The prosecutor said she was confident the clothing, CCTV footage and electronic evidence from the man's MetroCARD linked him to the alleged rape. The court heard the man used his MetroCARD to catch another train after the alleged incident. Andrew Williams, for the defendant, argued facial recognition technology was 'not evidence' and that somebody would need to identify his client. Despite being in 'severe shock' the alleged victim gave a clear account of what had happened on the train, which was caught on CCTV, an Adelaide court was told on Monday (stock image) 'If it's CCTV somebody has to identify him from that,' he told the magistrate. Mr Williams asked the court to suppress his client's identity who he said intended to apply for home detention bail. Magistrate Briony Kennewell agreed to suppress the man's identity for a week. Her ruling will be reviewed next week when the man, from Adelaide's south, returns to court to continue his application for release on bail. He will then return to court in August for a charge determination. Girls were 'left at the mercy' of paedophile grooming gangs for years in Rochdale after police and council bosses failed to act on 'compelling evidence', a damning report has found. The review into how police and social workers did not respond to large-scale child sexual exploitation by gangs of mainly Asian men between 2004 and 2012 was published this morning and pointed the finger at failures within Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Rochdale Council. The report revealed that many abusers continue to walk free and it identified 96 men who are still deemed a potential risk to children. However, the true number of those involved in the abuse is believed to be much higher. It also vindicated whistleblowers who had raised concerns about grooming gangs in the town, with former case worker Sara Rowbotham declaring 'shame on you' at retired police officers who refused to take part in the review. Following its publication detective-turned-campaigner Maggie Oliver said despite dozens of people being jailed, grooming is 'categorically' still happening in Rochdale. The report included details about how: The aborted foetus of a 13-year-old girl was taken by police without her consent to be tested for DNA, before being left forgotten in a freezer at a police station while the girl herself continued to be abused by men; Victims who gave evidence against their abusers were not protected from harassment and threats, with some having their homes targeted and guns pulled on them; Police took no action against a 'pimp' who impregnated a 15-year-old girl who later gave birth to his child; One child was even arrested and bailed to live with a man who had already been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences, before later being named as a co-conspirator in the trial of her abusers in a case the report called 'deplorable'. Rochdale child abusers Jahn Shahid Ghani (left) and Mohammed Ghani (right) were both jailed last year Insar Hussain (left) and Ali Kazmi (right) were also both jailed last year for raping children in Rochdale Grooming gang members Abdul Qayyum (left) and Abdul Aziz (right) were jailed in 2012 for abusing children The report considered claims by Maggie Oliver, former Detective Constable involved with the first large-scale investigation into grooming in Rochdale, Operation Span, launched in 2010. Pictured: Ms Oliver at her home in Cheshire It also revealed that in one shocking case GMP secretly took the aborted foetus of a 13-year-old rape victim and performed a DNA test on it without telling the girl or her parents. The report found that the foetus was left in a freezer at a police station after the DNA was found not to be a match to possible suspects, and was only found during a 'routine property review' later. In the meantime, the girl was exploited by grooming gangs for years and was even at risk of being taken to Pakistan by them. Conclusions of the Rochdale grooming gang review The emerging threat of child sexual exploitation was not addressed between 2004 and 2007. In 2007, GMP and Rochdale Council declined to investigate how a group of Asian men had been exploiting 11 children for sex and dealing class A drugs despite concern by the Crisis Intervention Team, in a 'serious failure to protect these children'. Just one detective was appointed to begin a small-scale police investigation in 2007, which did not investigate how organised crime groups were involved. No charges or convictions resulted. The first investigation in 2008 and 2009 - launched after a girl arrested for smashing up a takeaway revealed she had been raped and sexually assaulted 'was complex and needed to be resourced accordingly, but additional resources were not provided'. Although the investigation 'identified widespread sexual exploitation of many vulnerable children by at least 30 adult perpetrators', none were charged. A second girl who spoke to the 2008/2009 investigation team complained of sexual assault but 'insufficient effort was put into identifying the man who raped her'. Had her complaints been 'pursued with the rigour required it may have strengthened the evidence to proceed with the prosecution', the review said. Operation Span, the second investigation into the 2008/9 accusations, which saw nine men convicted and jailed in May 2012, was described as 'relatively limited'. Authorities committed a 'deplorable' failure to protect a girl known as 'Amber'. She was designated a victim of child sexual abuse but the crimes were not formally recorded by GMP and the perpetrators 'were potentially left to continue their abuse of other children. Instead, Amber was later named as a 'co-conspirator' in a trial of men accused of abusing other children. The review said: 'No consideration was given to how the decision would affect Amber personally or what the repercussions of the decision might be for her family. This failure to protect a vulnerable victim as deplorable.' Lessons were not learned after the death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia from drugs in 2003 after claiming she had been sexually abused, or the resulting Operation Augusta, a probe into child sexual exploitation in South Manchester which ended in 2005. Just two of almost 100 suspects were jailed despite an investigation into Victoria's death revealing 57 victims of grooming gangs, some aged just 12. Advertisement The girl in question, named in the 173-page document as Child 44, was even threatened by a man with a gun before the trial of the men who abused her - although she was left furious when the man who got her pregnant was not charged with raping her. The Guardian reports that the child even bumped into her rapist in the supermarket after he was released early following his conviction conspiracy and sexual trafficking after no one told her he had been freed. The review found that she, as well as another victim, were harassed and targeted by men after giving evidence against their abusers with terrifying incidents that saw them chased through the streets and their homes trashed. The damning dossier also claims that no action was taken against a 'pimp' who got a 15-year-old girl pregnant, while another child claimed she was kept locked in cages and made to act like a dog or baby, with again, no action being taken against the men allegedly involved. The report is the third of four written by child protection specialist Malcolm Newsam CBE and former senior police officer Gary Ridgway and saw apologies this morning from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Police and Rochdale Council. The report has led to apologies from Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester who called it 'detailed and distressing', as well as from the police and council. The authors previously led a review of Operation Augusta, an investigation into grooming gangs in South Manchester, which was published in 2020, and the review into child safeguarding practices in Oldham, published in 2022. It followed criticism of failings within Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester Police aired in BBC documentary, Betrayed Girls. The report considered claims by Sara Rowbotham, co-ordinator of a young people's Crisis Intervention Team, and Maggie Oliver, former Detective Constable involved with the first large-scale investigation into grooming in Rochdale, Operation Span, launched in 2010. It found that the pair of 'lone voices' had flagged clear evidence of 'prolific serial rape of countless children in Rochdale' but that this was not acted upon, with the children's unwillingness to make a formal complaint repeatedly used as an excuse for not investigating. Mr Newsam, lead author, said: 'GMP and Rochdale Council failed to prioritise the protection of children who were being sexually exploited by a significant number of men within the Rochdale area. 'This review was initiated following the serious allegations made by both Maggie Oliver and Sara Rowbotham and we have found through this review their allegations to be substantiated. 'Both GMP and Rochdale Council failed to respond appropriately to these concerns. 'Successive police operations were launched over this period, but these were insufficiently resourced to match the scale of the widespread organised exploitation. 'Consequently, children were left at risk and many of their abusers to this day have not been apprehended.' Mr Newsam and Mr Ridgway said: 'CSE continued to be treated as a low priority and under-resourced by GMP.' By October 2012, a review group chaired by GMP identified 127 potential victims whose cases had not been acted on a figure which later grew to 260 potential victims. After Operation Span, three more investigations - Operation Routh, Operation Doublet and Operation Lytton - saw 30 men convicted, many of whom received lengthy sentences. Files held by officials for 111 children revealed 'a significant probability that 74 of these children were being sexually exploited at that time, and in 48 of those cases, there were serious failures to protect the child', the report revealed. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, called the report 'a detailed and distressing account of how many young people were so seriously failed'. Pictured: Mr Burnham at the funeral of Everton chairman Bill Kenwright on December 18 last year A report into Rochdale's grooming gangs has said officials committed a 'serious failure to protect children'. Pictured: A view of Whitworth Road in Rochdale, where one gang used a flat to abuse girls A fourth review is still to take place by Mr Newsam and Mr Ridgway, which is to 'consider current practice across Greater Manchester to address the risk of child sexual exploitation' and recent police investigations. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham called the report 'a detailed and distressing account of how many young people were so seriously failed'. He added: 'That said, it fulfils the purpose of why I set up this review in the first place. READ MORE HERE: Revealed: Ringleader of Rochdale grooming gang WON'T be deported to Pakistan because of loophole that let him RENOUNCE citizenship of his native country just five days before key hearing Advertisement 'It is only by facing up fully and unflinchingly to what happened that we can be sure of bringing the whole system culture change needed when it comes to protecting children from abuse.' He apologised to the victims and said: 'We are sorry that you were so badly failed by the system that should have protected them. 'I have asked Greater Manchester Police and Rochdale Council to ensure that every possible action is taken to follow up any leads arising from this report and to pursue any potential perpetrators.' A series of initiatives have taken place around Rochdale since 2012, including better engagement with potential victims and a scheme encouraging hotel owners and taxi firms to report concerns. Last year, an Ofsted report regarding Rochdale Council - including the Complex Safeguarding Hub - was published and confirmed that 'children at risk receive an effective response'. Rochdale Council leader Councillor Neil Emmott said the authority is 'deeply sorry' for the 'very serious failures that affected the lives of children in our borough' and how officials 'failed to take the necessary action'. And Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: 'It remains to be a matter of profound regret that victims of child sexual exploitation in Rochdale in the early 2000s were failed by Greater Manchester Police to them, I apologise. 'I also recognise the plight of Maggie Oliver and Sara Rowbotham - who advocated for victims and survivors when no one else did, and ultimately enabled the review and publication of this report.' He added: 'Since nine men were convicted following Operation Span in 2012, there have been a further 135 arrests, 432 charges, and 32 convictions (for child sex grooming).' Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of a child sex grooming gang, was jailed for 22 years in 2016 Ms Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012 to publicly reveal the extent of the police failings about child sexual exploitation, said she remained 'angry' that 'not one senior officer or official has ever been held individually responsible for these failures, lies and cover ups'. READ MORE HERE: 'Police ignored victims of Rochdale child sex grooming gang because they were from COUNCIL ESTATES': Shocking report reveals failings allowed abuse to continue Advertisement She said the report 'confirms the truth of what I have been saying for over 12 years'. Drawing a parallel with the ongoing Horizon scandal at the Post Office, she added: 'There are so many parallels between that case and this: 'ordinary' people being criminalised and silenced, institutional cover ups and corruption in an effort to protect the brand whatever the cost to affected individuals, refusal to acknowledge any wrongdoing.' She added: 'I am also not assured that lessons have been learned. I can absolutely, categorically say that through our work today at The Maggie Oliver Foundation (a support group she founded), we see on a daily basis that victims and survivors of sexual offences are still routinely treated badly or even inhumanely, still not believed, still judged, still dismissed when they report these horrendous crimes.' The report's publication comes a year after an independent review into child sexual exploitation in neighbouring Oldham found the ringleader of a notorious grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, later jailed for 22 years, was able to continue working as a welfare rights officer by Oldham Council with police failing to tell his employers even after his arrest. It is not the first official report into child sex exploitation in Rochdale - a report in 2013 found that hundreds of young girls were allowed to fall into the hands of Asian grooming gangs because police and social workers may have been scared of seeming racist. They refused to believe that race was an issue even though dozens of young, white girls were being specifically targeted and groomed for sex by older Pakistani men. Children in the town of Rochdale were let down by all 17 agencies that were meant to protect them, the report said. Police dismissed accusations of political correctness, saying the girls were targeted because they were vulnerable, not because they were white - but a review into the scandal said there was a 'colour-blind' approach by police and social workers that was 'potentially dangerous'. By Lee Min-hyung Toyota Motor Korea is seeking to achieve stronger sales growth this year with a reinforced hybrid-driven strategy, the company said Monday. The Korean subsidiary of the Japanese carmaker is on course for a rebound here after setting a symbolic sales level of more than 20,000 in 2023, for the first time in four years since 2019. The company is seeking to extend its winning streak this year again by reinforcing its hybrid-focused sales strategy. According to data from the company, sales for Toyota-branded vehicles came in at 8,595 last year, up 36 percent from the previous year. Lexus, a luxury brand of Toyota, achieved a bigger sales growth with 13,561, up 79 percent during the same period. Toyota Motor Korea said its Lexus ES300h was its key sales driver last year. Sales of the flagship hybrid model reached 7,839, the third-best-selling overseas vehicle here after Mercedes-Benz E250 and the BMW 520. The Lexus model is one of the firms major luxury sedans drawing stable popularity. The vehicle has gained a particularly strong reaction here on the growing popularity of hybrid vehicles amid sluggish sales for electric vehicles (EV). Toyota Motor Korea shared its strategy of continuously taking advantage of the booming hybrid industry at this transition period, ahead of the arrival of the all-electric era. Hybrid vehicles are considered a reasonable alternative to EVs, which are priced mostly higher than hybrids. Given the current resource circumstances, infrastructure and maintenance situations, the most effective powertrain that can contribute to carbon neutrality for now is hybrid-driven, an official from Toyota Motor Korea said. We will maintain the strategy throughout this year, and place our management focus on driving stable and solid growth in the Korean market. Kim Jong Un successfully test-fired his first hypersonic IRBM missile over the weekend, Pyongyang said, days after vowing to annihilate South Korea. The launch of the new ballistic missile - tipped with a hypersonic manoeuvrable warhead - is North Korea's latest breakthrough in its pursuit of advanced weaponry to threaten South Korean and US targets. The launch, Pyongyang's first known weapons test this year and its first ever test of a solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), was detected by Seoul's military Sunday afternoon. A short report in the official Korean Central News Agency said that the solid-fuel IRMB was 'loaded with a hypersonic manoeuvrable controlled warhead'. The test was meant to verify 'the gliding and manoeuvring characteristics' of the warhead and the 'reliability of newly developed multi-stage high-thrust solid-fuel engines', KCNA said. Kim Jong Un successfully test-fired his first hypersonic IRBM missile over the weekend (pictured), Pyongyang s aid, days after vowing to annihilate South Korea Kim (seen in a photograph released by North Korea on January 10) last week branded Seoul his 'principal enemy' and warned he would not hesitate to annihilate South Korea, as he toured major weapons factories KCNA said that Sunday's launch 'never affected the security of any neighbouring country and had nothing to do with the regional situation'. But it came just days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the country's tense maritime border with South Korea, which prompted counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some South Korean border islands. It also comes after Kim last week branded Seoul his 'principal enemy' and warned he would not hesitate to annihilate South Korea, as he toured major weapons factories. 'The historic time has come at last when we should define as a state most hostile toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea the entity called the Republic of Korea,' Kim was reported as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency during the tour last week. Kim, urging factory workers to modernise and 'produce more weapons', said he had 'no intention of avoiding a war' and warned he would have no hesitation in 'annihilating' South Korea, KCNA added. Seoul's defence ministry condemned Sunday's launch, saying it would carry out an 'overwhelming response' if North Korea conducted 'a direct provocation' against the South. 'This behaviour by North Korea is a clear provocation that violates UN Security Council resolutions banning the use of ballistic missile technology, and we issue a stern warning and strongly urge it to stop immediately,' it added in a statement. Solid-fuel missiles are easier to hide and quicker to fire, and hypersonic missiles typically allow the user to manoeuvre them in flight to better hit targets. Both technologies have long been on Kim's list of objectives. A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, January 14 'North Korea appears to be pursuing the development of hypersonic missiles and IRBMs using solid-fuel rocket boosters at the same time,' said Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. 'Mid- to long-range hypersonic missiles will be particularly useful in striking Guam while evading the US missile defence system,' he added. North Korea's last missile test was of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on December 18. KCNA released a single photograph of the missile launch with its Monday report, which did not mention Kim being present to oversee the test. US-based analyst Ankit Panda told specialist site NK News that the image suggested the missile featured a so-called manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV). Pyongyang is trying to develop weapons with enhanced precision and the ability to 'better penetrate' missile defences, he said. Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, after Kim enshrined last year the country's permanent status as a nuclear power into the constitution and test-fired several advanced ICBMs. Traditional allies Russia and North Korea have meanwhile boosted ties recently, with Kim making a rare overseas trip to see President Vladimir Putin in Russia's far east in September. Top Russian officials, including Moscow's defence and foreign ministers, also visited North Korea last year, with the flurry of trips both ways fanning concern among Kyiv's allies over the possibility of a potential arms deal. On Monday, a North Korean government delegation headed by Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived in Moscow for an official visit, KCNA reported. Residents are seen moving through the Toei Subway Higashi-Nakano Station during a security drill for the evacuation of residents and others to underground stations after a J-Alert is issued, in Tokyo on January 15 The White House said this month it has evidence that Russia had fired at Ukraine additional ballistic missiles provided by North Korea. It accused the North of sending both missiles and launchers to Russia in what it called a 'significant and concerning escalation' of its support for Putin's war effort. Last year, Pyongyang successfully put a reconnaissance satellite into orbit, after receiving what South Korea claimed was Russian assistance in exchange for arms shipments for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Despite its difficult economic situation, Pyongyang conducted a record-breaking series of weapons tests in 2023, including its first solid-fuel ICBM - which experts called a major technological breakthrough. Man, 47, charged of using insider intel to bet on Australian of The Year A man has been charged with using insider information to place bets on the winners of five Australian of the Year awards. Christopher Shannon, 47, from Collaroy on Sydney's northern beaches, has been charged with six counts of using inside information for betting purposes. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege Shannon used information from a government employee to place a series of winning bets between 2017 and 2021. He is alleged to have pocketed $7,542 from $1,767 worth of bets. Christopher Shannon, 47, from Collaroy on Sydney's northern beaches, has been charged with six counts of using inside information for betting purposes The 2023 winner was body image activist Taryn Brumfitt (pictured with Anthony Albanese) The AFP launched Operation Maridun in February 2021 after the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) provided them with information on 'betting irregularities' in the 2021 Australian of the Year awards. Shannon is scheduled to appear in Sydney's Downing Centre Court on Tuesday. The maximum penalty is two years behind bars. The winners of the Australian of the Year award between 2017 and 2021 were Professor Alan Mackay (2017), Professor Michelle Simmons (2018), Dr Richard Harris and Dr Craig Challen (2019), Dr James Muecke (2020) and Grace Tame (2021). The 2023 winner was body image activist Taryn Brumfitt. The AFP allege Shannon used information from a government employee to place a series of winning bets between 2017 and 2021 (pictured is 2017 winner Grace Tame) AFP Commander Stephen Nutt said use of insider information undermined the integrity of betting events and disadvantaged those who played by the rules. 'Detecting and disrupting major financial crime based on inside information is a key priority of the AFP and its partner agencies,' he said. 'The misuse of official or privileged information also erodes public trust in our institutions.' Operation Maridun remains an open investigation. An easyJet flight has skidded off the runway after landing in bad weather after flying from Gatwick to Iceland. The terrifying incident saw the plane veer off the taxiway and skid onto a verge in Keflavik, Iceland. Passengers were able to disembark the plane, but the airliner was taken out of service as an investigation into the incident was launched. EasyJet blamed bad weather for the plane skidding off the runway. The airline said: 'We can confirm that flight EZY8843 from London Gatwick to Keflavik on 14 January went off the taxiway when taxying to its stand at low speed. All passengers disembarked normally.' The terrifying incident saw the plane veer off the taxiway and skid onto a verge in Keflavik, Iceland. EasyJet blamed bad weather for the incident (file image of an easyJet Airbus A320-214) 'We did all possible to minimise the delay for passengers due to return to the UK and arranged for a replacement aircraft to operate the flight back to London Gatwick,' a spokesperson for easyJet added. 'We would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.' EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: EasyJet flight narrowly missed rogue weather balloon by as little as 20ft while travelling at more than 500mph packed with hundreds of passengers some 38,000ft in the air Advertisement This comes after an easyJet passenger airliner carrying 179 people came within just 178ft (54 metres) of another flight two weeks ago as it tried to land in Bordeaux after a controller 'forgot' a plane was already on the runway, a report has concluded. The Airbus A320, travelling from London Gatwick, was preparing to land at the Bordeaux-Merignac airport on New Year's Eve last year when an error by air traffic control saw it authorised to land as another aircraft was preparing to take off. A French investigative body has deemed the encounter a 'serious accident' which they pinned on ATC forgetting the smaller DR400 was on the runway while clearing the 123ft A320, weighing up to 172 tonnes, to land on the same strip. It came as 'the shift manager... had reduced the number of controllers to three' from six on the day of the near-accident, an investigative report by BEA has concluded. Only seven seconds after telling the easyJet flight it was clear to land, a controller instructed them to abort the approach, the plane now just 40 metres (131ft) above the ground. The report cited several contributing factors allowing the near-disaster to unfold, including a 'significant decrease in staffing levels' which left one controller running four stations at the same time 'potentially leading to the oversight'. Image shared by the BEA shows the airliner descending with the DR400 still on the tarmac The investigation concluded the 'awareness and proactive action' of the DR400 pilot, intercepting communications and warning ATC, prevented the mistake from becoming a potentially devastating accident. A shocking photo included in the BEA report showed the approach of the huge A320 airliner with the DR400 still on the runway. EasyJet told MailOnline at the time: 'We are aware of the report regarding the ATC error which confirms that our pilots followed procedures at all times. 'The safety of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority and we will always co-operate with safety investigations.' A British tourist has tragically lost her life in a drowning incident in Costa Rica. Eyewitnesses reported the woman, 76, was enjoying a swim in the sea at Montezuma beach, Puntarenas, when a powerful wave washed over her and dragged her further from shore. Onlookers immediately alerted the authorities who launched a search and rescue operation. She was eventually rescued by fishermen who had responded to the distress call, hauling her aboard and transporting her to shore. Paramedics attempted to revive her, to no avail, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Eyewitnesses reported the woman, 76, was enjoying a swim in the sea at Montezuma beach, Puntarenas, when a powerful wave washed over her and dragged her further from shore Paramedic Julio Benavides told local outlet Diario Extra: 'We received a report of a water accident, specifically in Montezuma. 'Upon arrival, we attended to a woman around 75 years old lying on the beach. U 'Upon assessment, she exhibited no vital signs, and, unfortunately, we had to declare her deceased due to submersion.' In 2024, the Costa Rican Red Cross reports four recorded deaths attributed to aquatic accidents. Both the charity and the Fire Department emphasise the importance of caution when visiting beaches, rivers, lakes, and lagoons. Reyner Sandoval from the Fire Department cautioned: 'We want to remind all bathers to inquire about potential dangers when they visit rivers, beaches, or any aquatic environments. 'Seek information from locals, pay attention to warning signs, and be vigilant of rip currents.' The deceased tourist's body has been transferred to the Judicial Morgue for an autopsy. An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Costa Rica.' A survivor of one of the Channel's worst migrant boat tragedies has described how he battled to stay alive in freezing waters after the packed dinghy he was on capsized with 78 people on board - killing five. The group of Syrians and Iraqis - including babies and children - ran into difficulties off the coast of northern France after attempting the crossing in pitch darkness in the early hours of Sunday. The boat, which was carrying at least ten young children including a one month old baby, tried to launch from a beach at the resort of Wimereux, some 20 miles around the coast from Calais, when it overturned at 1.45am. A 29-year-old Sudanese man who was part of the botched crossing attempt said he saw people disappear under the dark and freezing waters. 'Just a few metres into the sea and the water was up to our chest,' he told French newspaper La Voix Du Nord. 'People managed to grab the boat and climb in. Others didn't.' Some 72 people were rescued from the freezing sea by French officials, with 20 suffering from advanced hypothermia including two young children and a pregnant woman who needed urgent care. Separately, three boats carrying 124 migrants were brought in to Dover on Saturday followed by another 139 on Sunday, according to official data. These were the first successful crossings in 2024 and followed a 27-day hiatus - the longest since 2018. Over the weekend, French rescued 220 people and returned them to France. Survivors of the migrant boat tragedy were taken by coach to a reception centre in Calais. They included parents with young children The group had tried to launch a boat from a beach in the resort town of Wimereux A group of police watches on as migrants are brought to an accommodation centre A still photo of survivors of the shipwreck arriving at the Calais reception centre Migrants wear foil blankets to keep them warm inside Wimereux village hall Your browser does not support iframes. The French maritime authorities launched a major rescue operation after spotting the migrants in difficulty just off the beach. A tugboat patrolling the coast went to the rescue and found several unconscious people in the water. 'They got into trouble at around 2am [local time],' said a French emergency services source. 'A boat launched at Wimereux, but it was overloaded with more than 70 people, and some of those who wanted to travel in the boat ended up in the sea.' Sunday's tragedy - the first reported migrant deaths in the Channel this year - led to fresh calls for decisive action on the small boats crisis. READ MORE - David Cameron says the Rwanda plan is 'essential' to stopping the boats as fears of Tory mutiny grow Advertisement Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the 'heart-breaking' deaths shows that 'we've got to stop this illegal trade in human beings'. The former prime minister claimed the latest tragedy showed an urgency for Rishi Sunak's Rwanda policy which is returning to the Commons for crunch votes this week. 'You can only think about what an appalling end it would be, and the cold waters of the Channel in the middle of the night. 'It breaks my heart to hear about it,' Lord Cameron told BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg. Four bodies were found at the scene by rescuers while a fifth was found washed up on the beach a few hundred metres away by a walker later that morning. While the dead are yet to be formally identified they are believed to have come from Syria and Iraq. Only one had identity documents on their person which showed they were born in 1996. Emergency services resuscitated a sixth victim in cardiac arrest at the scene but the young adult remains in a critical condition in intensive care. A French navy helicopter and several rescue vessels as well as more than 50 firefighters were involved in the search and rescue operation. Dozens of people were pulled from the cold water but the overnight rescue effort was complicated as the waters were too shallow for the French navy's boats that came to help, the local prefecture said. Emergency vehicles in Wimereux, northern France, following Sunday's tragedy in the Channel The boat, which was carrying at least ten young children including a one month old baby, attempted to launch in darkness from a beach at the resort of Wimereux (pictured) Some 72 people were rescued from the freezing sea with 20 suffering from advanced hypothermia. Pictured is the beach at Wimereux In a separate incident, the first migrants to cross the English Channel to the UK in 2024 were brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel on Saturday, January 13 Imogen Hardman from the refugee charity Care4Calais who met with some of the survivors from the boat - including two teenage boys aged 16 and 17 from Syria - told Channel 4 that they had been left 'traumatised' by their terrifying ordeal. READ MORE - Robert Jenrick warns that every successful Channel boat crossing costs British public 30m Advertisement 'They were extremely traumatised, they were still soaked through and incredibly shaken up. They spoke with confusion and reiterated many times how cold they were and that water was. 'The water that those people was low as 8 degrees which is really very cold and you have such a have a small amount of time to survive in that.' The group is believed to have been among several others who had tried to take advantage of lighter winds over the weekend after weeks of bad weather despite the cold temperatures. Mathilde Potel, commissioner for the police department at the French northern borders, said: 'But we can clearly see that the situation was not more favourable. The people died on the beach.' The deadly attempted crossing is thought to have been organised by people smugglers triggering a criminal enquiry. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the 'heart-breaking' deaths shows that 'we've got to stop this illegal trade in human beings' Authorities have launched an investigation into aggravated manslaughter and aiding illegal entry or stay, the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor's office revealed. A Home Office spokesman said: 'We can confirm there has been an incident in the Channel involving a small boat in French waters. 'Our thoughts are with all those involved. French authorities are leading the response and investigation.' Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the Channel deaths 'must be a wake up call to take decisive action' - including the provision of safe routes for those fleeing war. An ultra-rare penguin with an all-white plumage caused by a genetic condition has been spotted in the Chilean Antarctica. The female penguin of the Gentoo species, which typically have mostly black and only few white feathers, was sighted at the Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Base earlier this month. The rare white animal was filmed by Hugo Alejandro Harros Guerra, a photographer, who said he is one of 14 people living in the middle of a colony of Gentoo penguins. 'Every day, there is something different to see. Every day, Antarctica and this beautiful place surprise us with something different,' he said and added that the sighting was 'extraordinary'. The penguins' unusual white colour is likely brought about by a form of leucistic pigmentation, meaning its feathers are missing the black colour penguins are normally associated with. The white female penguin (pictured) of the Gentoo species, which typically have mostly black and only few white feathers, was spotted at the Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Base earlier this month The penguins' unusual white colour is likely brought about by a form of leucistic pigmentation, meaning its feathers are missing the black colour penguins are normally associated with Unfortunately, the penguins' white colour can make it easier for predators to hunt her, as the typical black and white colouring of the feathers is crucial for penguins while diving for fish Leucistic pigmentation - which involves a loss of feather colour - is sometimes brought about by trauma, but is more commonly genetic. The condition differs to albinism because when the bird is suffering from leucism its eyes and beak are normal in colour. Dr Lucas Kruger, a researcher in the scientific department of the Chilean Antarctic Institute, told local newspaper Ladera Sur: 'Leucism is a genetic variation that can occur in some individuals, which affects the production of coloration in the skin, feather or hair. 'Here the cells are unable to produce some pigments. 'This occurs naturally and in many cases affects less than one per cent of a population.' Unfortunately, the penguins' white colour can make it easier for predators to hunt her, as the typical black and white colouring of the feathers is crucial for penguins while diving for fish. 'That is why cases of leucism are also very rare, because, in addition to being rare genes that are rarely seen, they are also animals that are very exposed, in the case of penguins, to being eaten more easily by a predator,' veterinarian Diego Penaloze told the Animal Reader. In the recently filmed footage, the white penguin can be seen walking among hundreds of penguins as she is clearly sticking out to her white coat. In one clip, the female penguin was looking directly at Mr Harros Guerra as he filmed her in Antarctica on January 4. This is not the first time a Gentoo penguin with leucism has been sighted in this colony, as Juliana Vianna, biologist and specialist in vertebrate genetics, pointed out. It could be the same one or a relative of the one pictured above The white penguin sticks out among the other normal-coloured ones. She could be the same penguin that has been sighted in the colony for eight years The Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Base lies in Antarctic mainland's Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay and is the home of a colony of Gentoo penguins (some pictured) Leucism differs to albinism because when the bird is suffering from leucism its eyes and beak are normal in colour (like the penguins beak pictured above) This is not the first time a Gentoo penguin with leucism has been sighted in this colony, as Juliana Vianna, biologist and specialist in vertebrate genetics, pointed out. A rare white penguin has been seen within the colony for about eight years - this could be one and the same as the recent sighting or relative. Ms Vianna told Ladera Sur: 'This is super interesting since genetic studies have identified that there is practically no genetic differentiation in the vast majority of penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula. 'The only species in which we have seen great genetic differentiation has been the gentoo, which shows the permanence of its individuals in the same colony.' A visitor claimed to have seen a white penguin he dubbed Isabel during a trip to the base in 2020. The white female penguin (pictured above) was looking directly at Mr Harros Guerra as he filmed her in Antarctica on January 4 The rare white animal was filmed by Hugo Alejandro Harros Guerra (pictured), a photographer, who said he is one of 14 people living in the middle of a colony of Gentoo penguins In the recently filmed footage, the white penguin is among hundreds of penguins at the base The black marks on the white penguin seems to be wet dirt. Footage shows speckles of dirt flying up as the penguin walks around the base The Gabriel Gonzalez Videla Base lies in Antarctic mainland's Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay and was named after the Chilean President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla, who became the first head of state of any nation to visit Antarctica in the 1940s. The base is now considered inactive, but is used as a museum for tourists visiting during the summer months. Gentoo penguins are often seen around the base and it is considered their home. The species is listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, mainly due to the significant decline of the population on the sub-Antarctic islands on which they live. Jailed Austrian incest monster Josef Fritzl could soon be released after an expert ruled that he is no longer a danger to the public, it has emerged. Depraved Fritzl, 88, was jailed for life in 2009 after admitting he had kept his daughter Elisabeth locked in the cellar as his sex slave for 24 years. His daughter disappeared in 1984 at the age of 18, and would not reappear until April 26, 2008, when she was discovered. During her ordeal under the family home in Amstetten in the state of Lower Austria, Fritzl fathered seven children with her in a case that shocked Austria and the world. Local media have reported that he seems confused, regularly talks to the television, thinks he is a pop star and speaks of visits from relatives that never happened. He changed his name to Mayrhoff after his teeth were kicked out by other inmates at Garsten Abbey, a former monastery converted into a secure psychiatric unit. Jailed Austrian incest monster Josef Fritzl (pictured in 2009) could soon be released after an expert ruled that he is no longer a danger to the public, it has emerged Fritzl repeatedly raped his daughter Elisabeth (pictured), fathering seven incestuous children with her during her captivity The abuse, which began with him rendering Elisabeth unconscious with a rag soaked in ether, culminated in the birth of seven children - three of which remained in captivity with their mother. One died at the hands of Fritzl, a matter of days after being born. His disposed of the body in an incinerator. The other three were brought up Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie. He was arrested in 2008 on suspicion of rape, false imprisonment and manslaughter by negligence after taking Kerstin, Elisabeth's eldest daughter, to the hospital. In March 2009, he pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to live imprisonment. Under the terms of his sentence, Fritzl will be eligible for parole this year. And that seems likely now after a new psychiatric report into the state of his mind says that the cellar monster is no longer dangerous. The report says he can barely walk and needs a walking frame to get around after a number of falls while behind bars. They say he could not pose a serious threat to either his old or new victims. If Fritzl's wish is granted, he would most likely released into a nursing home to live out the rest of his days in comfort. Depraved Fritzl, 88, was jailed for life in 2009 after admitting he had kept his daughter Elisabeth locked in a cellar (pictured) as his sex slave for 24 years During her ordeal under the family home in Amstetten in the state of Lower Austria, Fritzl fathered seven children with her in a case that shocked Austria and the world Heidi Kastner, one of Austria's leading forensic psychiatric experts from Linz University, has reportedly spent a year preparing her new study of Fritzl. She concluded that the country's most notorious prisoner no longer poses any danger, and that there is no longer any risk of him carrying out any criminal activity. She believes he could be transferred through the normal prison system at the Krems-Stein jail, as part of a first step towards being released. At the very least, it is understood that Kastner feels there is no reason to hold him in a facility housing the most dangerous offenders, on account of his age and frailty. However, due to his poor condition, Kleine Zeitung reports that due to his poor health, there are questions over whether moving him to a new prison is sensible. It is more likely, the newspaper reports, that he will be transferred to a nursing home. 'I am already in the process of obtaining a conditional discharge for him,' Fritzl's lawyer Astrid Wagner told Austria's Kronen Zeitung. 'If the application is approved - which I assume will be the case - I would like to ensure that he gets a place in a home for frail people.' Josef Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years Pictured: Scene outside the house where Elisabeth was raped and held prisoner Three of the seven children were brought up by Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie (pictured together), while three lived in the basement. The other died at birth. Fritzl, who changed his name to Mayrhoff six years ago, is reportedly suffering from dementia. Pictured: Fritzl at Sankt Poelten Prison Kleine Zeitung also reports that while its have been noted he often makes incoherent remarks, he has also spoken about having an unknown son. This, the newspaper reports, could have some grounding in reality. It reports that a man from Austria contacted Fritzl a few months ago and said that he was his father. The report says Frtizl had an affair with the man's mother, which would coincide with the date of the unknown son's birth. Zeitung said a DNA test could be undertaken to establish the truth of the matter. Rishi Sunak scrambled to cool Tory panic today as a shock poll showed the party heading for a 1997-style election wipeout. The PM insisted he has a 'plan' after a huge survey of 14,000 voters found the Conservatives are on course to lose nearly 200 seats at this year's General Election. An interactive map based on the YouGov research underlines how Keir Starmer could paint the country red, racking up a 120-seat majority. It would be the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps are among the big beasts who are projected to be ousted from the Commons in the rout. But speaking on a visit to Essex this morning, Mr Sunak stressed that the only poll that counts is the election. 'The choice at that election is clear, it's stick with our plan that is working, it's delivering change for people, ensuring they can have the peace of mind that there is a brighter future for their children and we can have renewed pride in our country.. 'Stick with the plan that is delivering change, making a difference, or go back to square one.' Isaac Levido, the Conservatives' election guru, also tried to calm Tory jitters over the poll in a meeting with backbench MPs in Parliament tonight. He told a gathering of the party's 1922 Committee the research had the 'same statistical limitations as any other', telling MPs: 'You know your constituencies better than me, better than any media commentators and certainly better than any public pollster.' Mr Levido also suggested there was an ulterior motive behind the timing of the release of the poll results at the start of a week when Mr Sunak faces fresh Tory civil war over his emergency Rwanda legislation. 'The people who organised this poll and analysed and timed the release of it seem to be intent on undermining this Government and our party, and therefore the re-election prospects of every single one of you in this room,' Mr Levido told the meeting. 'They seem to be throwing in the towel, and are more interested in what happens after the election rather than fighting it - making the pathway narrower and steeper 'Let me be clear. Divided parties fail. It's time to get serious - I am fighting to win this election, and I wouldnt be here if I didnt believe it was possible. We all need to be be fighting to win this election. 'People do not want Starmer. They are looking for reasons to vote for us. We must not give them any more reasons not to.' Tory MPs left the presentation in Parliament this evening in a funereal procession looking morose and downcast as they filed back to the Commons chamber for a vote. None stopped to talk to the throng of reporters outside and the few who answered questions gave single-word answers. Your browser does not support iframes. An interactive map based on the YouGov research underlines how Keir Starmer could paint the country red, racking up a 120-seat majority. It estimates who would have won new constituencies had they been in place in 2019. This image shows the Red Wall that was won by Boris Johnson returning to Labour YouGov calculated the figures from the huge sample using the Multi-Level Regression and Poststratification (MRP) method, which maps characteristics of specific constituencies Rishi Sunak (left) is heading for a 1997-style election wipeout at the hands of Keir Starmer (right), a major poll warned last night Isaac Levido, the Conservatives' election guru, tried to calm Tory jitters over the poll in a meeting with backbench MPs in Parliament In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the world had been going through 'unprecedented times with things like Covid and this war in Europe costing a lot of money'. 'Look, the reason I think we can turn it around is because at least people know we have got a plan and we are working to it. There isn't a plan under Labour,' he said. YouGov calculated the figures from the huge sample using the Multi-Level Regression and Poststratification (MRP) method, which maps characteristics of specific constituencies. It is regarded as having accurately reflected the 2017 and 2019 general election results. The situation for the next election is complicated by constituency boundaries being redrawn, meaning many MPs are moving seats or contesting new areas. The results, initially reported by to The Telegraph, suggests every Red Wall seat won from Labour by Boris Johnson in 2019 would be lost if the election was held now. The Tories would secure 196 fewer seats than in 2019, which is more than Sir John Major lost in 1997. At least 11 Cabinet ministers would be stripped of their seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Mr Hunt's constituency, South West Surrey, would be lost to the Liberal Democrats, the poll suggests. This would make him the first Chancellor to lose their seat at an election, with other Tory MPs including Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, also at risk. Although Reform is not forecast to win any seats, it would rack up significant vote shares in key seats. YouGov stressed that it was not clear how many constituencies there were where the insurgents' presence could be decisive. Mr Farage has said he is 'seriously considering' a return to frontline politics after a separate survey by Survation suggested he could well win a seat when Britain goes to the polls. Currently the Brexit architect is in Iowa, where he is supporting old ally Donald Trump in the Republican primary. There is also grim news for the Scottish National Party, which is estimated to lose almost half of its MPs to Labour and keep only 25. The YouGov poll will be scrutinised closely by Conservative MPs who believe a change of leader might be the only way to avoid disaster at the General Election. It was commissioned by the Conservative Britain Alliance and carried out by YouGov. If the poll is to be believed, the election result would be the biggest collapse in support of a governing party since 1906. Sir Keir would be looking at at least ten years in government because no party with such a sizeable majority has lost the following election. Lord Frost, who writes for The Telegraph, said the poll's findings were 'stunningly awful' for the party and that tactical voting and a decision by Nigel Farage to return to politics could leave the Tories facing an 'extinction event'. He said the only way to avoid defeat was ' to be as tough as it takes' on immigration and to 'reverse the debilitating increases in tax' among other things. Mr Hunt has said he will stand in the newly-formed constituency of Godalming and Ash at the next election. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who along with Jeremy Hunt is among the Cabinet big beasts at risk of losing their seats, insisted that the Government can still 'turn it around' The survey of 14,000 voters found the Tories are on course to lose nearly 200 seats at this year's General Election, giving Keir Starmer a 120-seat majority At least 11 Cabinet ministers would lose seats, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt According to The Telegraph, Mr Hunt has a majority of 8,817 at present, but the poll predicts that the seat will go to the Liberal Democrats with 35 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile, Penny Mordaunt - the MP for Portsmouth North - is set to lose her seat to Labour, who are looking to attain 26 per cent of the vote. Mr Shapps, would expect to be in a safe seat having been the MP for Welwyn Hatfield since 2005. However, the YouGov poll predicts that he will lose to Labour who will pull in 40 per cent of the vote. MP Lee Anderson, who took his seat from Labour's Gloria De Piero in 2019, is expected to lose his seat to Labour this time around. He is expected to take just 23 per cent of the vote. It is predicted that Jacob Rees Mogg will cling on to his seat by just 1 per cent of the vote - 33 per cent in comparison to Labour's 32 per cent. But Liberal Dem voters could topple him if they lent their votes to Labour. Rishi Sunak is set to be grilled by MPs today over strikes on Houthis to protect Red Sea shipping. The PM will make a statement to the Commons this afternoon after authorising UK forces to take part in the raids on Yemen. However, the government has no intention of holding a vote on the action, despite protests from left-wingers. In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain, the US and allies had needed to send a 'clear message' that attacks being launched from Yemen must not continue. He insisted the UK could participate in more strikes if international shipping continues to be disrupted. Rishi Sunak will make a statement to the Commons this afternoon after authorising UK forces to take part in the raids on Yemen A before and after image of a radar station near Sanaa International Airport targeted in US and UK strikes In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain, the US and allies had needed to send a 'clear message' that attacks being launched from Yemen must not continue The joint action took place in the early hours of Friday morning after weeks of Houthi attacks on merchant trade ships in the region. The US carried out more military operations over the weekend, with the militia threatening retaliation. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron sent a blunt message yesterday that the UK is 'prepared to back our words with actions'. He also highlighted the 'malign' influence in the region of the terrorists' paymasters Iran, saying that Britain and her allies 'know what they are doing'. The peer insisted that the PM carefully considered the impact of military action, and rejected criticism from Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the US and UK risked turning the Red Sea into a 'sea of blood'. 'We don't agree with what President Erdogan has said. If you look at the action we have taken, it is actually backed by a very wide coalition of countries,' the former premier said. He added: 'He is an important Nato ally but in this case we don't agree. We see this as completely separate from the Israel-Gaza conflict.' Keir Starmer backed the Yemen strikes on Friday, but has faced pressure from his left wing for refusing to demand a Commons vote. Yesterday he denied ditching a flagship promise on getting Parliamentary consent before UK military action. Sir Keir made the commitment as he pitched to left-wingers during Labour's leadership contest four years ago. At the time the candidate said he would pass a law enshrining three principles, that there must be a 'lawful case', a 'viable objective' and 'the consent of the Commons'. In a New Year interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Labour leader said he had only meant that a parliamentary vote would be needed if the UK was putting 'boots on the ground'. Sir Keir also admitted that he might not pass a law to enforce the principles if he could find another way of implementing them. Mr Shapps said the UK will 'consider' whether it 'has to take further action' to repel Houthi attacks on international cargo ships in the Red Sea. Keir Starmer yesterday denied ditching another flagship promise on getting Commons consent before UK military action He told Sky News the actions of the Iran-backed militant group in Yemen was 'completely unacceptable' and described it as 'almost like thuggery', with ships from more than 50 nations targeted along the vital global shipping route. He said the purpose of the air strikes with the US last week was 'not to go into Yemen or anything like that', but to 'send a very clear, I hope unambiguous message' for the Houthis to stop their assaults. The Cabinet minister continued: 'We will now watch and monitor the situation very carefully. 'As we've said not just to the Houthis but to their Iranian masters, in a sense, because they are really proxies for Tehran this cannot go on. 'International shipping freedom of navigation is just a given and always has been for many, many years. We cannot have that situation where they are trying to harass it and we will keep a very close eye. 'If we have to take further action, that is something that we will consider.' Check the list of postcodes below on whether you can claim 25 heating bonus Around 10,000 households are set to receive a 25 payment towards their heating bills as the first Cold Weather Payments of 2024 are issued. As a bitter Arctic freeze engulfs Britain, with some communities bracing for heavy snow and -10C (14F) temperatures, payments have been triggered in a total of 19 postcode areas. The payments - issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - will be made for the seven-day period from January 12, and are paid in within 14 working days. If the average temperature where you live hits zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days and you claim particular benefits from the DWP, you will get a payment. Although the majority of the UK is set to be gripped by freezing temperatures this week, other areas are likely to receive Cold Weather Payments in the coming days. Check out our full list of UK postcodes and eligibility criteria below to find out if you can claim the first of 2024 Cold Weather Payments: Map reveals the 19 postcode areas that have triggered the first Cold Weather Payments of 2024 from The Department of Work and Pensions The coldest temperature this morning was -10.1C (13.8F) while many other areas were sub-zero A car struggles through the snow on the A939 Cockbridge to Tomintoul road as snow hits the Highlands of Scotland on Sunday Commuters are seen crossing London Bridge in central London on Blue Monday - dubbed the most depressing day of the year Postcode areas that will receive a Cold Weather Payment for the period 12 January - 18 January 2024: CA10 Cliburn, Cumbria CA11 Catterlen, Cumbria CA12 Keswick, Cumbria CA16 Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria CA17 Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria LA8 Kendal, Cumbria LA9 Kendal, Cumbria LA10 Sedbergh, Cumbria LA21 Coniston, Cumbria LA22 Lakes, Cumbria LA23 Windermere, Cumbria CA9 Alston, Cumbria DH8 Burnhope, County Durham NE19 Elsdon, Northumberland NE47 Allendale, Northumberland NE48 Bellingham, Northumberland NE49 Haltwhistle, Northumberland DG14 Dumfries border (parts in England) TD9 Scottish Borders (parts in England) Snow hits Scarborough in North Yorkshire today as pedestrians battle the icy conditions Cold Weather Payment: Are you eligible to claim? You'll get a payment if the average temperature in your area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days. READ MORE: Rural communities in Britain face being cut off by snow and ice while drivers are warned they could be left stranded by harsh winter conditions Advertisement Between 1 November 2023 and 31 March 2024, you'll get 25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather. You may get Cold Weather Payments if you're getting certain benefits or Support for Mortgage Interest, such as: Pension Credit Income support Income-based jobseeker's allowance Income-related employment and support allowance Universal Credit You can find out more about eligibility on the government's website. If you're eligible, you'll get these payments automatically. You do not need to apply, but you may need to tell Jobcentre Plus if you have a baby or if a child under 5 comes to live with you. If you live in Scotland, you cannot get Cold Weather Payments, but you might get an annual Winter Heating Payment instead. You'll get this payment regardless of weather conditions in your area. A Met Office graphic showing the chances of snow on Sunday and Monday from last Friday Thick frost in Glen Nevis near Fort William after temperatures plummeted to -6 across the Highlands of Scotland on January 11 Just under 600,000 Cold Weather Payments were issued during a spell of freezing temperatures in the first two weeks of December last year. In total, more than 5.5 million payments were made by the Government during the winter of 2023,. The latest payments have been made in areas which are covered by three weather stations: Shap in Cumbria, Redesdale in Northumberland and Eskdalemuir, which is based in the Scottish borders. It will be the third payment this winter triggered by the Shap weather station, and the second payment for the other two areas. In total, there will be around 10,000 people eligible for the payments in these three areas, with an estimated 6,000 of these in receipt of Pension Credit. If eligible, there are up to seven types of payments that can be claimed alongside the Cold Weather Payment during periods of sub-zero temperatures in the UK, including the child winter heating payment and housing support. Israeli tanks and aircraft hit targets in southern and central Gaza on Sunday and there were fierce gun battles in some areas as the war reached 100 days since the Oct. 7 attack led by gunmen from the Islamist Hamas movement. Communications and internet services were down for the third day running, complicating the work of emergency and ambulance crews trying to help people in areas hit by fighting. The clashes were concentrated in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Hamas said its fighters hit an Israeli tank, as well as in Al-Bureij and Al Maghazi in central Gaza, where the military said several fighters were killed. Hamas' armed wing spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said on Sunday the fate of many Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7 has become unknown. In his first televised appearance for several weeks, marking the 100th day since the outbreak of the war, he said many of the hostages "may have been killed", blaming their fate on Israel. Hamas showed it retained rocketry capacity, launching a fresh salvo on Sunday at Ashdod, an Israeli town 40 km (25 miles) away. There was no word of any casualties. Abu Ubaida said the group had been told by "several parties in the resistance fronts that they will expand their strikes on the Israeli enemy in the coming days." The Israeli military said it destroyed several silos used by Hamas to fire missiles at Israel. Over the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said 125 people had been killed and 265 wounded, bringing the total number confirmed to have been killed since the start of the war to almost 24,000, with more than 60,000 wounded. Israel's military said it has killed around 9,000 Palestinian fighters, and lost 189 soldiers, in the Gaza war so far. Speaking through video link to a conference in Istanbul, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh praised the Oct. 7 attack by the group's fighters who rampaged through Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip, killing more than 1,200 people and seizing around 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. "We are not seekers of wars. We are seekers of freedom," he said, saying the attack was, in part, a response to the blockade Israel and neighbouring Egypt placed on the Gaza Strip after Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The Iranian-backed group is sworn to Israel's destruction. New phase of war The Israeli military says it has shifted to a new phase of the war, focused on the southern end of the territory, where almost 2 million people are now sheltering in tents and other temporary accommodation, after the initial phase centred on clearing the northern end including Gaza City. In the northern Gaza Strip, health officials said an Israeli air strike killed a local journalist, raising the number of journalists killed in the Israeli offensive to more than 100, according to the Gaza government media office. In a statement on Dec. 16, in response to the death of a journalist in Gaza, the Israeli army said it "has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off calls for a ceasefire, saying Israel will keep going until it achieves complete victory over Hamas and recovers the 132 remaining hostages. The military says, though, the next phase of the war will see months of more targeted operations against the movement's leaders and positions. On Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where there has been a constant, low-level exchange of fire between troops and fighters from the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, the military said it killed four armed militants trying to cross the border. It said several anti-tank missiles were fired into northern Israel, one of which hit a house in Kfar Yuval village. Medical officials said a 76-year-old woman and her son were killed. The son was in the village's security squad, the military said. In Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Nana, a 17-year-old high school student displaced from northern Gaza, said 100 days of war "turned our life upside down." "We demand the occupation not only to end the war but also compensation for the psychological damage of displacement and the hardships endured," she said. The war in Gaza has also stoked violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including boys aged 14, 16 and 17, in three separate incidents in the West Bank. The Israeli military said two Palestinians in a car rammed through one of its checkpoints near Hebron and opened fire on pursuing troops. They were killed by return fire, the military said. Asked about a 14-year-old boy killed near Jericho, it said soldiers had shot at Palestinians who threw explosives at them. Palestinian health officials said two boys aged 16 and 17 were killed near Ramallah in the West Bank. The Israeli military said troops shot two Palestinians throwing a bomb at an army base. (Reuters) Rishi Sunak is facing an uphill struggle to hold the Tories together amid a growing revolt over his Rwanda deportation flights law. Ahead of two crunch days of votes in the Commons starting tomorrow, more than 50 Tory MPs have publicly backed right-wing amendments to the Rwanda Bill. Rebel sources claims their number includes Lee Anderson, the Conservative Party deputy chairman - whose vote would carry heavy symbolic weight and heap huge pressure on the PM. At the same time Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, seen as a future Tory leadership frontrunner. has privately warned the PM that the law, as it stands is not tough enough and needs strengthening. However, Tory moderates have waned again that any moves by the party Right to make the legislation more restrictive would be opposed. Mr Sunak said he is 'talking to all my colleagues' when asked about the prospect of a rebellion. 'I know everyone is frustrated - I'm frustrated about the situation - and they want to see an end to the legal merry-go-round,' he told Broadcasters on a visit to Essex. Rebel sources claims their number includes Lee Anderson, the Conservative Party deputy chairman - whose vote would carry heavy symbolic weight and heap huge pressure on the PM. They are pictured together earlier this month. At the same time Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, seen as a future Tory leadership frontrunner. has privately warned the PM that the law, as it stands is not tough enough and needs strengthening. Mr Sunak said he is 'talking to all my colleagues' when asked about the prospect of a rebellion. 'I'm confident that the Bill we have got is the toughest that anyone has ever seen and it will resolve this issue once and for all.' The Tory leader said he was 'determined to get this new legislation onto the statute book so we can get our Rwanda scheme up and running'. He said 'good progress' had been made on his pledge to stop the boats before adding: 'In order to finish the job, we do need a deterrent like Rwanda and that is why I'm trying to do everything I can to get this Bill - which by the way is the toughest piece of migration legislation that Parliament has ever seen - on to the statute books.' It came as ministers scrambled to cool Tory panic today after a shock poll showed Rishi Sunak is heading for a 1997-style election wipeout. A huge survey of 14,000 voters found the Conservatives are on course to lose nearly 200 seats at this year's general election - with Keir Starmer racking up a 120-seat majority. That would represent the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906, with an 11.5 per cent swing to Labour. And the YouGov research adds credence to growing alarm about the impact of Reform UK on the result. The Nigel Farage-backed party is projected to contribute to the Labour landslide by taking enough votes to cost 96 Tories their constituencies - but not enough to secure a single MP of its own. Ms Badenoch, the Business Secretary, is understood to have called for asylum seekers to be prevented from lodging individual legal appeals against their removals to Kigali. As first reported by The Times, she warned Liam Booth-Smith, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, of the consequences of failing to block individual legal challenges last month. YouGov calculated the figures from the huge sample using the Multi-Level Regression and Poststratification (MRP) method, which maps characteristics of specific constituencies More than 50 Tory MPs have publicly backed right-wing amendments to the Rwanda Bill, which will return to the Commons on Tuesday. The right-wing amendments gaining support among backbenchers were tabled by Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, and veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash. They are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers' rights to appeal against flights to Kigali. The severity of the small boat crossings which the policy is seeking to tackle was reinforced on Sunday when five more people died trying to cross the Channel from France. Mr Anderson has not commented publicly but rebel sources said they had been told he will back the amendments brought by Sir Bill and Mr Jenrick if they are selected. But any attempt by the Prime Minister to placate them would be met by opposition from Tory moderates. The amendments are unlikely to pass as they will not get Labour support but the real test will come at the third reading when rebels may vote against the Bill entirely. Three leaders of groups on the Tory right, Mark Francois, Sir John Hayes and Danny Kruger, have said they would oppose the bill if Mr Sunak does not bow to their demands. The former home secretary and rival to Mr Sunak, Suella Braverman, has said she will this time vote against the Bill if there are 'no improvements', having previously abstained. If rebels were successful, blocking the Prime Minister's flagship Bill would trigger fresh chaos - something that may make opponents toe the line to let it pass. Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has said he would not back the Bill if the changes are made. He told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: 'I'm going to consider the position very carefully to see what I do at third reading. 'I can say this, if any of the amendments that are promoted by some other colleagues pass then there's no way I can vote for this Bill at third reading. 'I think already we are pushing the edges of comity - that is that mutual respect between Parliament and the courts - very, very aggressively indeed.' Mr Sunak has argued that moving a further 'inch' on the Bill would risk the Rwandans quitting the deal. A country estate has seen an influx of visitors to where movie Saltburn including its infamous bathroom scene was shot - only to leave disappointed that many of the rooms are off limits. Hundreds of people have rushed to the British countryside to take in the real 'Saltburn Mansion' featured in the film starring Barry Keoghan, alongside Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E Grant and Carey Mulligan. Much of writer and director Emerald Ferrell's Golden Globes-nominated hit was set at Drayton House in Northamptonshire - while the cast would often spend time at a nearby pub, the Snooty Fox. Yet film fans now visiting the manor have been let down to discover some of the most eye-catching rooms are not open to the public. Out of bounds is the bathroom which features in a key and controversial scene, when Keoghan's Oliver spies on Elordi's character Felix Catton having a bath, before enjoying himself in the empty tub as the water drains away. Visitors have been flocking to the site of the real-life 'Saltburn mansion' in Northamptonshire Drayton House, near Lowick, was used as the setting for Emerald Fennell's controversial film Out of bounds to visitors is the bathroom where one of the most notorious scenes was shot The movie stars Oscar-nominated actor Barry Keoghan Other settings include rooms featured in the full-frontal final scene showing Keoghan's character Oliver Quick gyrating naked through the mansion to the sound of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's hit single Murder On The Dancefloor. Saltburn was released in UK cinemas in November before becoming available just before Christmas on Amazon Prime, where it has become one of the site's most-streamed movies. Its success has also helped propel Murder On The Dancefloor, first issued in 2001, back up to number two in the singles charts. Now enthusiasts are descended on Drayton House and the nearby town of Lowick. The stately home is owned by the Sackville family and not generally open to the public. But select groups of locals have been offered tours - while many more fans have come to the area to approach the grounds and admire the views. Among those managing to get inside was Maddie Bowness, 21, who worked at the Snooty Fox and met Fennell when cast and crew would stop in. She visited the mansion with her friends Jasmine Murray, 24, and 26-year-old Sally-Anne Harrison. Visitors flocking to the real-life 'Saltburn Mansion' have included 24-year-old Jasmine Murray, who said she 'loved' the film she has watched twice and would 'definitely go back' Many more people have been coming to the location near Lowick in Northamptonshire to enjoy views of the stately home and the surrounding grounds Drayton House is owned by the Sackville family and is not generally open to the public, although some locals were offered a tour after filming ended Maddie, an art student from Lowick, said: 'I grew up in the village and it is amazing how much traffic the film has brought to the area. 'At the time of filming, a few of my friends were cast as extras and they had such a fun time. 'I was working in the village pub at the time and met a lot of the crew and some of the cast. 'Everyone in the village had positive things to say about it.' She was part of a group of 30 locals allowed to visit after filming finished - though not every setting inside was open for them to inspect. She said: 'It was so cool to see - we didnt see the bedrooms or the bathroom where that scene happened. 'But we got to see the big stately rooms with all the paintings - it was very grand and historically it is a beautiful building.' Jasmine, a senior dispenser at Specsavers and from Raunds in Northamptonshire, has watched the film twice - saying she 'loved' it and wasn't left feeling 'traumatised' as others have suggested they were. Keoghan plays Oliver Quick, a student who inveigles his way into a posh family's life Australian actor Jacob Elordi plays Felix Catton, whose family live in the mansion The movie features scenes of decadent parties filmed at real-life Drayton House Fans are visiting the grounds where outdoor scenes starring Keoghan were also shot The movie's final scene shows Keoghan's character gyrating naked through the mansion's rooms to the soundtrack of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's hit Murder On The Dancefloor READ MORE Barry Keoghan says his shocking role in Saltburn has helped people to stop perceiving him as just a 'little freak child-man' Advertisement She said: 'We looked into the filming locations that were local to us. 'We only live a 15-to-20-minute drive from the estate. We didnt realise it was there. 'It was a lovely walk - really scenic. It is a really nice escape from being in built-up areas - I would definitely go back.' In contrast Sally-Anne, a project manager from Oundle in Northamptonshire, wasn't impressed by the movie after being urged to watch it by her daughters. She said: 'I wasnt a fan at all, if I am honest. 'My children made me watch it with them - it is a well-made film but not for me. 'The scenes didnt bother me at all but I thought the storyline was really predictable.' Yet she did enjoy visiting the setting with her family. Among those grateful for the new visitors is Steven Hyare, landlord of the nearby Snooty Fox pub where cast and crew would also come in while working on the movie The Northamptonshire town of Lowick has been plenty more incomers She said: 'We only live around five miles from the estate and the girls were very excited to go to visit. 'It was a lot busier than we thought but the weather was nice and you can see the mansion as you walk through the grounds.' Steven Hyare, the Snooty Fox's assistant landlord, has welcomed the new popularity of the area - despite some locals having complained about the influx. He said: 'Weve been bombarded with people - its been brilliant for business, but were always a busy pub and now were crazily busy.' An Icelandic volcano has spewed lava within 500m of homes in the town of Grindavik, just weeks after residents were allowed to return to their homes following a major eruption. Video footage shows an eruption took place at 7.57am local time on Sunday, with magma, smoke and ash spurting high into the sky above the town of Grindavik, 25 miles away from Iceland's capital Reykjavik. So, is it safe to travel to Iceland following the volcanic eruption in Grindavik? Are flights still going to Iceland? Read on below for everything you need to know about the latest travel advice to the country. The January 14 eruption (pictured) began north of the fishing town of Grindavik, and photos appear to show lava slowly flowing towards the town itself Is it safe to travel to Iceland? The latest advice on the government website urges travellers to check local media for the most up-to-date information and follow the advice given by local authorities. Current advice from the government reads: 'A volcanic eruption started on the Reykjanes peninsula in south-west Iceland on 14 January, north of the town of Grindavik. All roads to Grindavik are closed and you should stay away from the area. It adds: 'Reykjavik and the rest of Iceland have not been impacted. You should monitor local media for updates and follow the authorities' advice.' In the interest of safety, the government has also urged Brits to check alerts and advice from the Icelandic Met Office, Safe Travel Iceland and updates from Iceland's national police commissioner on Facebook and X. Have flights to Iceland been cancelled? While Keflavik International Airport is operating as normal, anyone travelling to the area affected by the volcanic eruption should continually check for latest updates on the situation. Iceland Air, the country's national carrier, said today: 'Our schedule and the operation of Keflavik airport are not affected.' Per Isavia, the operator of airports across Iceland, flights to and from Keflavik are generally running without a hitch at the moment. Local tourism hotspot, the Blue Lagoon hotel, however was evacuated last night, after reopening just a week ago. A spokesman for the lagoon said: All guests with bookings during this temporary closure period will be contacted. Guests wishing to modify or cancel their bookings are kindly directed to use the My Booking portal. What should I do if my flight gets cancelled? If your flight is cancelled, you have a number of different options. People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano in Grindavik on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula on December 18 2023 General view of the lava field near the evacuated town of Grindavik, in Iceland, December 22, 2023 You are legally entitled to a full refund, which includes other flights from the airline that you won't use in the same booking, such as onward or return flights. You are also entitled to a replacement flight to get you to your destination. If your cancelled flight delays you by two hours or more, you have the legal right to be helped with costs. If the replacement flight offered to you has delayed you by two hours or more, and you were given less than two weeks' notice, you are legally entitled to compensation. A Royal Marines French horn player left deafened by mumps is suing the Ministry of Defence, claiming her condition could have been prevented had she been given the MMR vaccine. Corporal Linsey Matthews, 40, was struck down by mumps in October 2014 while training for deployment to Sierra Leone, causing dizziness, facial swelling and hearing loss in her left ear. Two years later, Cpl Matthews was restricted from serving in any operational area due to her deafness and now has 'no hearing in her left ear', is plagued by ringing in her ears and balance issues, and is due to leave the forces this year. Cpl Matthews, of Latch Park, Edinburgh, is now suing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for more than 200,000 damages, claiming medical officers should have taken more stringent steps to ensure she was fully covered by two doses of the MMR vaccine, which guards against measles, mumps and rubella. But the MoD is denying all liability, insisting it carried out comprehensive checks and that medical records have in fact revealed that Cpl Matthews received mumps vaccinations in 2002 and 2005. French horn player and vocalist Corporal Linsey Matthews, 40, was struck down by mumps in October 2014 while training for deployment to Sierra Leone No date has yet been fixed for the full hearing of her claim, but her case recently reached London's High Court in a pre-trial face-off between her lawyers and the MoD over the scale of her compensation claim and the effects of her condition on her future career. What is mumps and can it cause hearing loss? The viral infection causes swelling in the cheeks and under the ears, giving those who have mumps a 'hamster face'. Symptoms include: headache joint pain feeling sick dry mouth mild abdominal pain feeling tired loss of appetite a high temperature Mumps used to be common in children in the UK until the MMR vaccine was introduced as a single dose in 1988 followed by a two-dose programme in 1996. Can mumps cause hearing loss? There are some common complications that can develop following mumps, such as pancreatitis. But hearing loss is rare, with about 1 in 25 cases experiencing temporary deafness. Permanent loss of hearing occurs in around 1 in 20,000 cases. Source: NHS Advertisement Mumps can cause temporary hearing problems in around one-in-25 cases, with rare incidents of permanent hearing loss occurring in one-in-20,000 cases, according to the NHS website. Cpl Matthews went to the Royal Marines School of Music on her enlistment in 2002 and has since been a professional musician within the forces, playing at high profile concerts including at the Royal Albert Hall. But her barrister, Paul Kilcoyne, claimed military authorities 'failed to screen for mumps and to administer the vaccine', although MoD lawyers strongly dispute any fault. Cpl Matthews planned to carry on as a royal marine beyond 2024, said her barrister, and could even have stayed on until the age of 55. 'The question is what is this musician going to do, given that she now has some deafness?' he said. In court documents, Mr Kilcoyne claimed there was 'no evidence' that the MoD vaccinated Cpl Matthews for MMR after she joined up, adding: 'Upon enlistment on September 2 2002, she was not offered full MMR immunisation or a single dose for mumps.' And in her subsequent time in the Royal Marines, there was no initiative to check that she had received the right level of cover or to provide vaccination. This alleged failure breached regulations to stringently check personnel immunisation records and provide the right level of cover, the barrister argued. Mr Kilcoyne added: 'The claimant developed mumps in 2014 as a result of the negligence of the defendant, its servants or agents failing at the time of the claimant's enlistment in 2002 to make appropriate checks to confirm whether or not the claimant had received MMR1 and MMR2 vaccinations*(and) failing to administer the MMR1 and MMR2 vaccinations at the time of enlistment or thereafter. 'The documentary evidence at the time of enlistment was unreliable. At its best, there was anecdotal evidence through a letter attached to the file that there had been a single MMR dose on 27th May 1988.' Cpl Matthews, of Latch Park, Edinburgh , is suing the Ministry of Defence for more than 200,000 damages, claiming medical officers should have taken more stringent steps to ensure she was fully covered by two doses of the MMR vaccine Cpl Matthews' partial deafness has drastically affected her musical career, revealed Mr Kilcoyne, causing her problems hearing other horn players even with her listening aids. 'Her role as a vocalist is severely compromised and she has been left with poor balance,' he added. 'The hearing loss is problematic and causes difficulty in her playing in the band. She has developed tinnitus. She currently uses a hearing aid system. 'The injury has affected her long-term military career and she is handicapped on the open labour market.' However, defence lawyers say Cpl Matthews' medical records indicate that she was given the MMR vaccine when aged five, while later records also suggest she received further mumps vaccinations in 2002 and 2005. On top of that, they say military authorities were not required to screen for MMR immunisation back in 2002 - but only for rubella - and that medical officials in Cpl Matthews' case followed 'standard practice' at the time. 'It is denied that the defendant had any obligation to check whether or not the claimant had received either one or two doses of the MMR vaccine,' argued MOD barrister, Daniel Laking, in its defence to the claim. 'The policies in place at the time mandated only a check for rubella vaccination. 'Further and/or alternatively, it is averred that the defendant did make appropriate checks to confirm that the claimant had had an MMR vaccine as it obtained information which confirmed the claimant had received it on May 1988. The defendant had no reason to doubt that information. 'For the avoidance of doubt, it is averred that one dose of the MMR vaccine was deemed sufficient in 2002, consistent with the policies in place at the time and standard practice.' The MoD says Cpl Matthews must also prove that she contracted mumps while on service, and that this in fact caused her deafness. The case will return to court for a full trial of the claim at a later date. Nearly 130 people are prosecuted every day for failing to pay their TV licence with many still being found guilty despite having crippling medical conditions. Of the 47,622 people hauled into court by the BBC in the year to June 2022, 44,106 were convicted and handed fines up to 1,000 - making it the most common crime in the country, excluding motoring offences. The poorest people in Britain struggling to pay the 159 TV licence make up the vast majority of cases with a legal charity fearing 'we may see the same level of miscarriages of justice as took place in the Post Office prosecutions'. Former CPS chief Lord Ken Macdonald said all criminal cases should be brought by the Crown Prosecution Service and warned there was a conflict of interest in the BBC launching its own legal action. While the Taxpayers' Alliance wants the licence fee scrapped and replaced with a general tax for a slimmed down BBC. The findings have been unearthed in a Talk TV investigation, with tens of thousands of cases - 70 per cent of which contained women - being heard in closed-door hearings under the much-criticised Single Justice Procedure. Have YOU been prosecuted despite being ill? email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk A Talk TV investigation elderly people in their 80s and 90s and those with dementia and cancer among those being prosecuted for not paying their TV licence The poorest people in Britain struggling to pay the 159 TV licence make up the vast majority of cases with a legal charity fearing 'we may see the same level of miscarriages of justice as took place in the Post Office prosecutions' The controversial system - where cases are decided by a single magistrate - was introduced in 2015 to speed up court hearings for low-level offences but critics say it does not hold the same transparency as open courts. Ministry of Justice figures show that there were 47,622 prosecutions and 44,106 convictions for failing to pay the television licence in the year to the end of June 2022. Talk TV obtained legal papers to reveal how seriously ill people were still prosecuted despite writing statements to the courts to defend themselves. One said: 'I'm currently seriously ill with 'very severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction' and have been referred to the transplant team. 'I'm struggling emotionally with what my future might look like or if I will actually have a future. My husband lost his job and his income has dropped about 600 a month.' Another said: 'I am the main carer for my wife and children who all have mental health issues. I am being treated for cancer myself so I have a lot to deal with at the moment.' Lord Macdonald says there is a conflict of interest in the BBC launching its own legal action. He said: 'The interest of the BBC in this matter, of course, is ensuring that people pay their licence fee and that's a corporate interest which shouldn't necessarily be wrapped up with a prosecutorial interest and indeed shouldn't be. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer's (pictured) said in December threatening to send people to jail for not paying the TV licence was 'morally indefensible' The Taxpayers' Alliance has called for the licence fee to scrapped and replaced with a general tax for a slimmed down BBC. Pictured: The BBC headquarters at New Broadcasting House 'I think all criminal prosecutions should be brought by the independent prosecutor - The Crown Prosecution Service. We saw what happened in the Post Office.' The legal charity Appeal warned MPs about what it saw as similar risks facing TV Licensing in 2020, telling the Justice Select Committee: 'We may see the same level of miscarriages of justice as took place in the Post Office prosecutions.' Speaking to Jeremy Kyle and Rosie Wright on Talk Today, Joe Ventre, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: 'What we would like to see at the Taxpayers' Alliance is a complete reform of the system that jettisons the licence fee altogether. 'So in essence, what we'd like to see is a really slimmed down BBC... funded by general taxation. 'Whether you support it or not, the licence fee model is quickly running out of steam.' In December the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said prosecuting people for not paying their TV licence was 'morally indefensible' as she announced a 10.50 rise in the annual fee. Writing exclusively in the Daily Mail, she put the corporation on notice with a pledge that a review into its funding model will 'specifically look at the issue of criminal prosecution of the licence fee'. In a statement, a TV Licensing spokesperson told MailOnline: 'TV Licensing's primary aim is to help people stay licensed and avoid prosecution which is always a last resort. 'We are doing all we can to help people and offer a range of concessions and payment schemes which support people who fall into financial difficulty. 'If it is necessary to consider prosecution we apply evidential and public interest tests. If a case proceeds to prosecution we will review any mitigating information provided to us, and have the power to withdraw the prosecution if appropriate at any time before the case is determined.' Have YOU been prosecuted despite being ill? email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk Watch Talk Today, Monday to Friday from 6am - 9:30am, on Freeview 237, Sky 522 and Virgin Media 606. Also available on DAB, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus, YouTube, talk.tv and TalkTV iOS and Android apps . Queen Elizabeth II's fury over Meghan and Harry's claim that she had given her blessing to their daughter being named Lilibet will have caused her 'distress' in her final years, a royal expert told MailOnline today. A new book quotes an aide to the monarch who said she was as angry as Id ever seen her after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly stated they would not have used her private family nickname if she had not been supportive. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline today that he believes author and historian Robert Hardman has finally shed light on what the Queen really thought about the use of her nickname Lilibet by the Sussexes. Mr Fitzwilliams said that it was despicable for Harry and Meghan to co-opt the name in this way if they had failed to get Her Majestys proper blessing first. Robert Hardman is one of our most authoritative of historians. He quotes a member of the Queens staff saying she was as angry as Ive ever seen her at the way in which Harry and Meghan handled this, he said. Lilibet was the charming and deeply personal childhood nickname which was only used by the Queens close family and her intimates. For the Sussexes to co-opt it in this way and then say it was with her blessing, was despicable if what the aide says is true. It was outrageous behaviour. It meant bringing distress to her last years'. Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, was born in the US in 2021. A row broke out over whether the Queen was asked before they used her childhood nickname One member of Her Majesty's staff told Robert Hardman the late monarch was 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly stated they would not have used her private family nickname for their daughter had she not been 'supportive' A spokesman for the Sussexes insisted they would not have used the name had the Queen not been 'supportive' and they used a British law firm to warn the Press that to say otherwise were false and defamatory He added: Their infamous interview on Oprah, in March of that year, had already made that clear. Their attacks on the royal family after they stepped down as senior working members of it, for monetary gain, was therefore totally in character. Mr Hardman's new book, Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, reignites the row over the naming of Lilibet, who was born at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, on June 4 2021. READ MORE: 'For William, this was the lowest of the low': Prince of Wales was left furious over Harry's 'blatant attack' against Kate The Duke of Sussex hit out at the Royal Family in his Netflix documentary in December 2022 Advertisement At the time the couple ordered their aggressive firm of lawyers, Schillings, to write to news broadcasters and publishers most notably the BBC saying claims she was not asked for permission were false and defamatory and should not be repeated. But when the Sussexes attempted to co-opt Buckingham Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed. The illuminating revelation comes in the latest instalment of a fascinating new biography by Mr Hardman, which is being serialised exclusively in the Mail. It has already revealed a remarkable memo detailing the late Queens last moments, now contained in the Royal Archives, in which her private secretary recorded that she had slipped away peacefully but not before completing her last box of paperwork and leaving two sealed letters in it, one addressed to her son and heir. Speaking to members of the Royal Family, friends and Palace staff both past and present, Hardmans insights into Harrys relations with family members are captivating. In 2021, his and Meghans decision to call their new daughter Lilibet, who was born in California and has only once briefly been to the UK, raised eyebrows. Lilibet was the affectionate childhood nickname of the late Queen, said to have come about because as a child Princess Elizabeth could never pronounce her name properly. It was only ever used by her parents, King George VI, the Queen Mother and her sister Princess Margaret, as well as her husband, Prince Philip, and a handful of close friends. At the time, the BBC reported it had been told by a Palace source that the Queen was not asked by the duke and duchess if they could use the name. Other sources told media, including the Mail, that while the Queen was called by her grandson and his wife, she felt she wasnt in a position to say no. But the Sussexes spokesman insisted the couple would not have used the name had the Queen not been supportive. The first picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet was released in a Christmas card on December 23, 2021 They said at the time: The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called. During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name. Strongly worded legal letters were then sent out. Hardman writes that some of the late monarchs household were particularly interested that amid a wealth of private family information and criticism of staff members, Harry mysteriously omitted the entire incident from his memoir. The author says: One privately recalled that Elizabeth II had been as angry as Id ever seen her in 2021 after the Sussexes announced that she had given them her blessing to call their baby daughter Lilibet. The couple subsequently fired off warnings of legal action against anyone who dared to suggest otherwise, as the BBC had done. However, when the Sussexes tried to co-opt the Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed. Once again, it was a case of recollections may vary the late Queens reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview as far as Her Majesty was concerned. Those noisy threats of legal action duly evaporated and the libel actions against the BBC never materialised. With his kilt proving his proud Scottish ancestry, the diminutive Lieutenant-Colonel 'Mad Mitch' Mitchell was the hero of the 'last battle of the British Empire'. Following Britain's air strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last week, some on social media have recalled the fearless soldier's exploits. The 5ft6in Second World War veteran and hero of campaigns in Korea, Borneo and Cyprus, was called back in to action in July 1967, when British rule in what is now Yemen came under serious challenge. He led a unit of just 15 members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to suppress an Arab nationalist rebellion in the city of Aden's Crater district. In a surprise nighttime raid, Mitchell's men quashed the uprising without the loss of a single British life, whilst two Arab snipers were killed. The no-nonsense Lieutenant, who went on to warn the rebels that they would 'get their head blown off' if they started trouble again, then ruled the district for five months, before British troops pulled out of Yemen altogether. With his kilt proving his proud Scottish ancestry, the diminutive Lieutenant-Colonel 'Mad Mitch' Mitchell was the hero of the 'last battle of the British Empire'. Above: The commanding officer of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in his ceremonial attire in 1967 The 5ft6in Second World War veteran and hero of campaigns in Korea, Borneo and Cyprus, was called back in to action in July 1967, when British rule in what is now Yemen came under serious challenge. Above: Soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders searching locals during the Aden Emergency Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell with men of the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders But on his return to the UK, the controversial officer received scant recognition for his exploits, getting only a 'mention in dispatches' as others were awarded prestigious medals for the same campaign. Mitchell, who resigned his commission a few months later when it emerged the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were to be disbanded, went on to found the anti-land mine charity the Halo Trust. The organisation became high profile thanks to the interest of Princess Diana and, more recently, Prince Harry, who became its patron in 2013. The city of Aden and its surrounding areas, which had been part of the British Empire since 1839, had been given a degree of self-government in 1962. But, from 1963, it became the subject to insurgency from Arab nationalist groups in what became known as the Aden Emergency. In the summer of 1967, the Argylls had been due to assume responsibility for Aden's Crater district. But, before they arrived, members of the local police force mutinied and seized control of the district and killed members of the Northumberland Fusiliers. For two weeks, they ambushed British patrols and caused consternation among politicians and the Army's top brass, so Mitchell was sent in to restore order. Afterwards, he sent his pipers were sent to rooftops to play Scotland The Brave and The Barren Rocks Of Aden. His band of 15 men were part of the Argylls' 110-strong B Company. After the night raid, the men smashed their way into Aden's Chartered Bank and set up an observation post on the roof. Colonel Mitchell told the Daily Mail after order was restored: 'This is the moment we have been waiting for... I have been given permission for the first time here to use all my weaponry, including the 76millimetre guns on the Saladins.' Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell is seen driving a Jeep in Aden following his nighttime raid The two-week uprising in the Crater district of Aden was suppressed under Colonel Mitchell's leadership And, speaking to a news camera in Aden, he said with characteristic bluntness: 'We are a very mean lot. 'We were very fair, you know, but if anyone starts any trouble they will just their head blown off.' Colonel Mitchell later wrote that, whilst he had been ordered to 'play it cool', he had decided on a 'display of good old fashioned British grit'. However, back in Britain, military officials and Harold Wilson's Labour government were anxious to display a new image for the country, and Colonel Mitchell's exploits ran counter to that. When honours for service in Aden were handed out in January 1968 - after the People's Republic of South Yemen had been formed Colonel Mitchell was largely overlooked. This was despite the fact that ten Military Crosses and eight Military Medals were among the gongs given to his comrades. Later in 1968, with reports circling about the disbanding of the Argylls, Colonel Mitchell resigned his commission. His supporters were outspoken in their praise of him. One said: 'The Colonel is the greatest man I've ever known. I suppose he felt he could no longer go on being led down by those Whitehall wallahs.' He went on to win a Conservative seat in Parliament at the 1970 election, but served for just four years before standing down. Later in 1968, with reports circling about the disbanding of the Argylls, Colonel Mitchell resigned his commission Colonel Mitchell is seen with his wife and daughter in 1969, after he had left the Army to stand as an MP Lieutenant Colonel Colin Campbell, of the 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland and Highlanders The Daily Mail's report of the mission led by Colonel Mitchell to retake the Crater district of Aden In 1989, he co-founded the Halo Trust. Working from a spare room in his flat in central London, Mitchell devoted himself to building up the charity as it worked to clear land mines in countries including Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola and Afghanistan. Mitchell had been inspired to set up the Halo Trust after witnessing the horror of land mines when visiting Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s. After his death in 1996 following a short illness, his son Angus paid tribute to his campaign. He said: 'He had probably seen more of war than any member of his generation. 'He was always a maverick figure and in his final years he chose to do the dirtiest and most dangerous job left on earth - clearing up the lethal debris of war. 'It became an obsession with him and it is something the British can be proud of.' Australia's world-first crackdown on vaping could drive more people to smoke tobacco or use black market vapes, a Health Department analysis has warned. New legislation introduced from January 1 bans the sale of nicotine vapes in specialised retailers and convenience stores. Now, Australians will need to seek a prescription from their GP to buy a vape from a chemist. However, this is estimated to require almost one million GP appointments for 450,000 Australians, at a time when the medical industry is suffering from a lack of doctors and bulk billing services. Australia's world-first crackdown on vaping could drive more people to smoke tobacco or use black market vapes, a Health Department analysis has warned EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: Four words prove just how easy it is to get around Anthony Albanese's vape crackdown Advertisement The report also warns that it's possible there could also be shortages of medical vape suppliers to fill the void. 'If access to nicotine-containing vapes were to be significantly restricted there is a risk that Australians addicted to nicotine may seek alternative products to meet cravings, such as tobacco,' the report said. 'Fears that extra regulation may incentivise growth in the black market for nicotine vapes must also be acknowledged. 'This is a legitimate risk as tighter regulation will often raise the risk of black-market sales.' Health minister Mark Butler last week warned businesses still selling illegal vapes that they're going to have to find another way to make money - but refused to explain just how he was going to stop the booming illegal trade. Daily Mail Australia proved the trade in the now illegal vapes continues openly across Australia despite his import ban on disposable vapes coming into force. Along busy King Street in the Sydney suburb of Newtown at least 20 independent and chain stores are selling illegal nicotine vapes, illicit cigarettes and other devices. New legislation enforced from January 1 outlawed the sale of nicotine vapes specialised retailers and convenience stores Buying a vape is as easy as buying a can of drink or a newspaper and in many cases requires no ID checks with the average vape costing about $25. 'Government is not going to stand by and let this happen,' Mr Butler told Daily Mail Australia, saying they would never regulate the devices like tobacco or alcohol. 'I've said to businesses that are making money out of this trade, you're going to have to find another way to make money,' he warned. 'Vape shops are deliberately setting up down the road from schools its an industry targeting their product to kids.' However, despite the tough talk, he refused to detail how they would stop the trade in vapes, which has seen a surge in nicotine addiction across Australia, particularly among teenagers and young adults. It has been illegal to vape or smoke cigarettes in Australia without a prescription since 2021 HOW THE NEW BAN ON DISPOSABLE VAPES WORKS From January 1, a nationwide ban on the importation of disposable vapes came into force Retailers are permitted to sell existing inventory imported before January 1, as long as it is nicotine-free Further measures, including a ban on the personal importation of vapes, will start in March To coincide with the changes to importation rules, a new access scheme will be set up to allow doctors and nurses to prescribe therapeutic vapes where appropriate The government has said vapers will not be the target of future enforcement action. Instead, the focus will be on vendors and importers. Advertisement Selling nicotine vapes has been illegal since 2021 under laws introduced by the previous Morrison government, but many retailers have brazenly continued to sell them illegally, with some falsely labelling them as being nicotine free. In an attempt to fix the loopholes in the previous legislation and crackdown on the supply of vapes at convenience stores, Mr Butler introduced a nationwide ban on the importation of disposable vapes on January 1. Retailers can sell existing inventory imported before January 1, as long as it is nicotine-free. 'These are the vapes that are targeted specifically to get children hooked on nicotine,' Mr Butler said. 'And unlike the former government we arent making a distinction and the border between non-nicotine and nicotine vapes.' The governments crackdown on vapes is only beginning, with further measures, including a ban on the importation of all other vapes, including refillable products, will be banned from 1 March 2024. To coincide with the changes to the importation rules, a new access scheme has been set up to allow doctors and nurses to prescribe therapeutic vapes for quitting smoking or to manage nicotine dependence. 'Once the legislation passes the Parliament later this year the only legal way to buy vapes will be therapeutically through a pharmacy,' Mr Butler said. But former federal police officer, Rohan Pike, said it would be extremely hard for the Australian Border Force (ABF) to enforce the import ban on disposable vapes and says a black market will continue to thrive. 'While there is a demand for it, there will be a black market, as there already is now,' he told Nine. 'The unfortunate part about that is it's so unregulated. People are consuming these things and really leaving their health in the hands of organised criminals.' No ID checks were required when Daily Mail Australia purchased illegal vape products A nationwide ban on the import and sale of disposable vapes came into effect on January 1 Director of the Legalise Vaping Australia lobby group, Brian Marlow, said the import ban had only allowed retailers to charge their customers more for vapes because of the increased risks they were taking to import and sell them. He said crime gangs who import the vapes from China to sell to retailers have also been able to increase their profit margins. 'Over 90 per cent of the vapes sold in Australia are black market,' he said. 'With over one million vapers in Australia you're looking at a multi-billion dollar industry that the federal government has no real plan to legalise. 'We're the only country in the world with an issue this bad. Mr Marlow said marketing restrictions, product standards, licences for retailers, and heavy fines for selling to minors would help clean up the black market. 'Australia should be following the lead of New Zealand, the UK and the rest of the world when it comes to vaping laws,' he said. 'Allow the sale of high quality vapes and regulate them in the same way we regulate other adult-only products like alcohol. 'Doing this will allow adults to access safer products that won't have sky high nicotine levels like what you see in dodgy Chinese disposables. 'It will also crush the rampant vaping black market the government has created.' Mr Butler hit back at the suggestion: 'The only groups who want to regulate and sell vaping products are those who profit once kids get hooked on nicotine Big Tobacco and tobacco retailers.' Teen was attacked by youths in Melbourne park A 16-year-old girl who was stabbed in the neck with a boxcutter has revealed the terrifying moment she thought she was going to die. Kiara Williams was on her way home from a gathering in Greensborough, in Melbourne's northeast, when she was viciously attacked at random by teenagers who remain at large. She was stabbed in the neck and arm before being left to bleed out at Greensborough War Memorial Park on a Saturday night last October. 'In the back of my mind, I was like, am I dying right now? And that was scary,' the teenager told 9News. 'Everything just went black, my ears were ringing.' Ms Williams didn't realise she had been stabbed until one of the people she was with pointed out the gushing wound on her neck. Her terrified mother raced to the park to find her only child semi-conscious. Kiara Williams, 16, says her scars are a 'constant reminder' of the night she almost died Ms Williams was rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital to undergo treatment and has miraculously made a full recovery. She now struggles to complete everyday tasks like go to the shops or catch the bus. The teen says her scars serve as a 'constant reminder' of the night she almost died. 'This has completely messed up my mental health,' she said. 'I just have to keep an eye out everywhere. So whatever I'm doing, wherever I am, I'm so cautious of my surroundings now.' She said her traumatised mother still 'doesn't know how to cope'. Ms Williams has shared her story in the hopes it will prevent a similar incident from happening to another teenager. She says everyone deserves to live without the fear of being stabbed. 'If you are planning on using a weapon, you're planning to use it to either kill someone or severely hurt someone, genuinely it's embarrassing,' she said. 'It shows how much of a low life you are and that you're looking for the attention.' Kiara Williams, 16, was on her way home from a gathering in Greensborough, in Melbourne 's northeast, when she was viciously attacked by two youths She was stabbed in the neck and arm before being left to bleed out at Greensborough War Memorial Park (pictured) on a Saturday night last October It comes as gang-related offending among young people in Victoria is on the rise, with hospitalisations for knife attacks having risen above pre-pandemic levels. Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Shane Patton told a parliamentary inquiry last November that youth gangs would become a focus for the state police force. He told MPs that police were considering a ban on machetes. 'We've certainly been talking with government about that, and a young person can't be carrying a machete around in public,' Commissioner Patton said. 'Knife crime is a significant issue for us.' In children between the ages of 10 and 14, there was a 192 per cent increase in the number of alleged aggravated burglaries from 85 to 249 incidents since 2019. In the same time period, there was a 131 per cent increase in alleged aggravated burglaries committed by teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17. The project for a new road tunnel under the River Thames costing up to 10billion has become Britain's biggest ever planning application, totalling 359,000 pages. The Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) is proposed to feature a 14.3-mile new trunk road including a 2.6-mile tunnel running east of the Dartford Crossing. The route aims to relieve congestion on the orbital M25 which it will connect to near South Ockenden in Essex, while it will also join the M2 near Rochester in Kent. But the planning application documents would stretch 66 miles if they were laid out end-to-end - nearly five times as long as the road itself, reported The Times. And campaigners say it has become 'symbolic of what is wrong with our planning system', with 267million spent by National Highways just on the application. A final decision on the route, which has been in the planning stages since 2009, will be made within the next six months - but it will not open until 2031 at the earliest. The southern tunnel entrance of the new Lower Thames Crossing linking Kent with Essex The northern tunnel entrance of the Lower Thames Crossing which is in the planning stages The recommendation by planning inspectors on the project, which would include Britain's longest road tunnel, is set to be given to the Government by March 20. Transport Secretary Mark Harper will then have three months to decide whether a development consent order should be granted. Sam Richards, the founder of Britain Remade, a campaign group to promote economic growth, told The Times: 'There is an unquestionable need for the crossing to cut congestion at the Dartford Crossing and improve air quality. 'But the size of the application is insane. It's symbolic of what is wrong with our planning system. 'From an application that is taller than eight double decker buses to having to go through multiple rounds of consultation over many years, currently it's simply far too difficult and takes far too long to get anything built in Britain.' The overall spend on the project has already hit 800million, with the application now containing 2,383 separate documents. This is a higher total than that of London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5, which itself led to calls for planning reforms when it was approved in 2001. Seven years later the 2008 Planning Act was brought in, but critics claim this is already out of date and urgent changes are needed. A Britain Remade spokesman added: 'The Lower Thames Crossing's 359,000 page planning application is symbolic of everything wrong with our planning system: it's far too hard to build in Britain. 'Delays and endless bureaucracy mean we can't build the homes, transport links or clean energy projects the country needs.' This shows shows the proposed Thong Lane bridge linking Gravesend and Thong in Kent Chalk Park is a planned park in Kent with views over the Thames estuary as part of the project Hole Farm will be a new woodland at the northern end of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing An artist's impression of the repaired Two Forts Way foot and cycle path in Thurrock, Essex The Department for Transport declined to comment today, but sources confirmed to MailOnline that the inspectors' examination into the LTC concluded on December 20 and Mr Harper will receive the recommendations by March 20. READ MORE Expert reveals what essential items you should keep in your car to avoid getting stranded in wintry weather conditions Advertisement National Highways previously said in plans unveiled in 2018 that the LTC will be a three-lane dual carriageway, resulting in a 90 per cent increase in capacity for traffic crossing the Thames east of London. This was an upgrade on previous proposals for two lanes in some sections, which would have resulted in a rise of up to 70 per cent in capacity. The scheme's budget has also been spiralling, with the National Audit Office saying in November 2022 that the cost had been revised up from 8.2billion to 9billion. But the UK economy has suffered high inflation since then, and campaigners now say the budget could be even higher at about 10billion or even more. However, Highways England say the current most likely cost of the project is estimated to be 8.3billion, which was published in its application for development consent in October 2022. In 2018 the budget was pushed up to a range of 5.3billion to 6.8billion in 2018 due to more detailed design work and ground investigations. An estimate before that had put the range at 4.4billion to 6.2billion. The LTC would be the first new crossing of the river east of London since Dartford's Queen Elizabeth II Bridge opened in 1991. The only existing route for motorists is the Dartford Crossing, which consists of the bridge and two tunnels. It is used for 50million journeys annually and is often the scene of frustration for motorists stuck in traffic jams for several hours following accidents. The Lower Thames Crossing route according to an official map released by National Highways Another map issued by National Highways intended for walkers, cyclists and horse riders The new crossing is expected to reduce traffic at Dartford by 22 per cent, but there are fears that traffic using the new crossing will blight communities with pollution on approach roads. READ MORE Fresh wave of train strikes: More travel chaos expected as union Aslef announce workers will walk out from the end of January and enforce an overtime ban in long-running pay row Advertisement In June 2022, National Highways said more than a million trees will be planted as part of the scheme. A community woodland and two public parks are among the 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of 'landscape-scale' forest creation planned. Plans include planting more than one million extra trees - but campaigners at the Woodland Trust have criticised the project's impact on 'irreplaceable' ancient woodland, wildlife and increased carbon emissions. National Highways insists the new route will connect residents to jobs, boost the economy and create new public parks and woodland habitat. In December 2020, reports suggested the LTC will contribute more than five million tonnes of carbon emissions. Figures from a Freedom of Information request showed construction of the project will emit an estimated two million tonnes of carbon dioxide. And the operational emissions cost of the project is expected to total 3.2 milliontonnes of CO2 over a 60-year appraisal period. Mark Bottomley, Lower Thames Crossing development director at National Highways, told MailOnline: 'The Lower Thames Crossing will provide a vital new transport route to help grow the UK economy and improve the journeys of millions of people every year by tackling congestion on the Dartford Crossing. 'We understand that for many the new road is needed urgently and the length of time which goes into the planning can be frustrating. One of the many documents that makes up 359,000 pages worth of planning applications 'However it is vital that a project of the size and complexity of the Lower Thames Crossing goes through a rigorous, democratic planning process that makes sure we take every opportunity to maximise the benefits and reduce the impact on local communities and the environment.' He added that the planning process and a 'comprehensive programme of consultation and engagement' has ensured the views of local communities and stakeholders were incorporated into the design. Mr Bottomley said this had resulted in improvements such as placing 80 per cent of the road below ground level, replanning works to take thousands of lorries off the roads during construction and amending plans to enable the Thames Freeport to be developed. He continued: 'The detailed examination of the project finished in December, and the governments team of independent planning experts are currently writing their recommendation so the government can make a decision this summer.' 'The total number of documents quoted in The Times is the sum of our original planning application, which was 63,000 pages long, and all of the documents submitted during the planning examination. 'Much of the difference in the total pages between the original planning application of 63,000 pages and the 359,000 quoted is accounted for by redrafts of the original planning application documents, which were resubmitted at different deadlines during the planning examination. 'These redrafts and submissions are necessary to document the changes we have made to our proposals in negotiations with stakeholders or where we have agreed to changes with the Examining Authority during the planning application process. 'Where we have made changes to documents we submitted both a clean version and a tracked version which trebles the page count of that document. 'As an example - if a document was 500 pages in our original planning application and that was amended to make a change, it was then resubmitted with a clean version and a tracked version, so the page count for that document was then 1,500 pages (when including the original doc and the amended version). 'This redraft and resubmission process accounts for a significant proportion of the page count.' China's foreign ministry and its embassies around the world condemned foreign governments that congratulated Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its president-elect Lai Ching-te after an election on Saturday. After the DPP's presidential candidate Lai won the vote, several ministers and politicians in countries that share warm, if in most cases unofficial, ties with the self-ruled island sent congratulatory messages to Lai and the DPP. This drew swift responses from Chinese embassies, highlighting Beijing's sensitivity to other countries appearing to give legitimacy to a candidate and political party it views as "secessionist forces" hoping to turn Taiwan which it claims as its own into an independent sovereign nation. The Chinese foreign ministry on Sunday described a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, which congratulated Lai and said Washington looked forward to further its unofficial relationship with Taiwan, as "sending a seriously incorrect signal" to "Taiwan independence separatist forces". "China has always firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, and resolutely opposes the United States interfering in Taiwan affairs in any form and under any pretext," the foreign ministry said in a statement published on its website. The Chinese embassy on Saturday condemned what it called the "incorrect actions" of British Foreign Minister David Cameron after he said, in a statement congratulating Lai and his party, that the elections were a "testament to Taiwan's vibrant democracy." "We urge the United Kingdom to acknowledge the position that Taiwan is a province of China, cautiously handle Taiwan-related matters in accordance with the one-China principle, stop any remarks that interfere in China's internal affairs," the embassy said in a statement published on its official WeChat account. The Chinese embassy in Japan went as far as lodging solemn representations, a form of official diplomatic protest, after Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa congratulated Lai on his victory. Kamikawa called the self-ruled island "an extremely crucial partner and an important friend" but in the same statement she also stated that the working relationship with Taipei was on a "non-governmental basis". "We solemnly urge the Japanese side to ... refrain from disrupting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and China-Japan relations," The Chinese embassy said. China questions Taiwan's democracy Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, fears that Lai could declare the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan, which Lai has said he will not do. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, speaking at a press conference in Cairo after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, gave a warning on Sunday to anyone in the international community that violates the one-China principle, which states Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. "(Such a violation) will inevitably be hit with the joint resistance of all Chinese people and the international community," Wang said. The Chinese embassy in France said that a statement from the French foreign ministry on Sunday was a "provocation" against the Chinese government because it congratulated a separatist politician and political party in Lai and the DPP. This was despite the fact that France, unlike several other countries, did not name Lai or his party in its statement, congratulating instead "all voters and candidates" who participated in the election. "The 'Taiwan independence' candidate winning, and some so-called 'congratulations' cannot change the fundamental framework and development trend of cross-Strait relations," the embassy said. But the Chinese embassy also took issue with the statement's praise of Taiwanese democracy, accusing the DPP of corruption and repressing its political opponents. "With such a stained and unsavory track record, were it any western country, would it be championed as 'democracy'?" Even on the eve of the election, Chinese diplomats were already warning their host countries of the consequences of supporting Lai and the DPP. Xiao Qian, Chinese ambassador to Australia, published an article in The Australian on Friday where he warned his host country of unspecified dangers if it were to support "Taiwan independence forces" like the DPP. "If Australia is tied to the chariot of Taiwan separatist forces, the Australian people would be pushed over the edge of an abyss," he wrote. (Reuters) Prince William was left furious over Prince Harry's 'blatant attack' against Kate in his younger brother's Netflix documentary, a new book has revealed. The Duke of Sussex claimed in the programme that, for male members of the Royal Family, 'there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mould - as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with'. The clear inference that Harry was talking about his elder brother astonished friends of the family, according to the new biography 'Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story', by Robert Hardman, which is being serialised exclusively in the Mail. One was quoted as saying: 'On top of all the other breaches of trust, here was Harry making a blatant attack on Catherine. For William, this was the lowest of the low.' The book also reveals that opinions were divided as to whether his comments in December 2022 really were a calculated slight against the new Princess of Wales. The Duke of Sussex hit out at the Royal Family in his Netflix documentary in December 2022 Kate, William, Harry and Meghan in Windsor in September 2022 after the Queen's death There were also thoughts that this could have been a case of 'Harry shooting his mouth off' with another round of scattergun assertions and thoughtless allegations. Staff also say William hopes people will understand and respect the fact that he had kept his counsel over his brother's repeated attacks, particularly as regards Kate. It comes as the book also revealed Queen Elizabeth was infuriated by Harry and Meghan Markle's claim that she had given her blessing to their daughter being named Lilibet. One member of her staff says the monarch was 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly stated they would not have used her private family nickname if she had not been 'supportive'. The couple even ordered their aggressive firm of lawyers, Schillings, to write to news broadcasters and publishers most notably the BBC saying claims she was not asked for permission were false and defamatory and should not be repeated. But when the Sussexes attempted to 'co-opt' Buckingham Palace into 'propping up' their version of events, they were 'rebuffed'. The illuminating revelation comes in the latest instalment of a fascinating new biography Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, by Robert Hardman, which is being serialised exclusively in the Mail. It has already revealed a remarkable memo detailing the late Queen's last moments, now contained in the Royal Archives, in which her private secretary recorded that she had 'slipped away' peacefully but not before completing her last box of paperwork and leaving two sealed letters in it, one addressed to her son and heir. Charles, Harry and Anne on the day of the Queen's funeral in Windsor in September 2022 Harry and Meghan sit behind William and Kate at Westminster Abbey in London in March 2020 In today's instalment, Hardman explores the fallout as a result of the Sussexes' decision to acrimoniously quit royal duties and the continuing issues around Prince Andrew, including how: Prince William felt his brother's attacks on his wife, Kate particularly the suggestion that male members of the Royal Family simply marry women who 'fit the mould' was 'the lowest of the low'; The prince was also 'mortified' by Harry's 'casual betrayal' of fraternal secrets in his memoir, Spare; Neither King Charles nor William has read Spare, or ever will, but staff have informed them of 'the key points'; Charles was deeply hurt by Harry's actions but has learnt to 'compartmentalise' domestic trauma; He now feels 'exasperation' over the situation 'He has done what he can and now he is King, there are many more things to think about,' says a friend; However, he insists the door is always open to his younger son 'You'd always like your child back,' says a senior official. Speaking to members of the Royal Family, friends and palace staff both past and present, Hardman's insights into Harry's relations with family members are captivating. In 2021, his and Meghan's decision to call their new daughter Lilibet, who was born in California and has only once briefly been to the UK, raised eyebrows. Lilibet was the affectionate childhood nickname of the late Queen, said to have come about because as a child Princess Elizabeth could never pronounce her name properly. It was only ever used by her parents, King George VI, the Queen Mother and her sister Princess Margaret, as well as her husband, Prince Philip, and a handful of close friends. Harry and William in July 2021 at an unveiling of a statue of their mother at Kensington Palace William, Harry, Meghan and Charles speak together at Westminster Abbey in March 2019 At the time, the BBC reported it had been told by a palace source that the Queen was not asked by the duke and duchess if they could use the name. EXCLUSIVE READ MORE Prince Andrew could be 'far more damaging outside the loop' were he to be cast out of the royal fold Advertisement Other sources told media, including the Mail, that while the Queen was called by her grandson and his wife, she felt she wasn't in a position to say no. But the Sussexes' spokesman insisted the couple would not have used the name had the Queen not been 'supportive'. They said at the time: 'The duke spoke with his family in advance of the announcement in fact, his grandmother was the first family member he called. 'During that conversation, he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name.' Strongly worded legal letters were then sent out. Hardman writes that some of the late monarch's household were particularly 'interested' that amid a wealth of private family information and criticism of staff members, Harry mysteriously 'omitted' the entire incident from his memoir. The author says: 'One privately recalled that Elizabeth II had been 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' in 2021 after the Sussexes announced that she had given them her blessing to call their baby daughter 'Lilibet'. 'The couple subsequently fired off warnings of legal action against anyone who dared to suggest otherwise, as the BBC had done. However, when the Sussexes tried to co-opt the Palace into propping up their version of events, they were rebuffed. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their children Archie and Lilibet in December 2021 'Once again, it was a case of 'recollections may vary' the late Queen's reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview as far as Her Majesty was concerned. 'Those noisy threats of legal action duly evaporated and the libel actions against the BBC never materialised.' Of Harry's relationship with his father, Hardman quotes one friend: 'Of course the King is extremely sad about Harry and Meghan but there is a sense of exasperation, that he has done what he can and now he is King, there are many more things to think about. 'He has tried listening. Now he just says: 'I don't want to know what the problem is. I'm just getting on with my life'.' Elsewhere, Hardman commends Harry for showing respect at the end of the Coronation. He notes that as the congregation bowed to the King after the ceremony, the Duke of Sussex dropped his head 'for longer than most'. A British woman has been gored in the leg by a rampaging bull while walking along a paradise beach in Goa. Yvonne Morris, 79, was injured by the bull while walking along Benaulim beach in the state of Goa, India after it was chased by a dog. When Ms Morris turned around toward the sound of the barking dog, the agitated bull gored her in the thigh with its horn, according to local police. The Briton was thrown to the floor and suffered injuries to her leg and head during the attack on Thursday, January 11. Locals called an ambulance and the 79-year-old was carried away on a stretcher. She was taken to South Goa District Hospital. A British woman has been gored in the leg by a rampaging bull while walking along a paradise beach in Goa. The animals are used in bull fights as well as bull-taming events (like the one pictured above) READ MORE: Terrifying moment rampaging bull tramples little boy as his big brother tries to kick it away before locals lob bricks at the animal and drive it off Advertisement Ms Morris was scheduled to return to the UK on February 7, according to local police constable Sandesh Gadkar, who recorded her statement at the hospital. The bull also reportedly tried to attack a lifeguard who ran to Ms Morris to help her. Police are working to identify the owner of the bull, who is believed to have released the animal before it turned up on Benaulim beach. Although Ms Morris's statement has been recorded, no case has been registered. Police said Morris was shifted to a private hospital in Margao, about 20 minutes from Benaulim, later in the evening. Tourists have said the stray dog problem likely led to the attack and urged authorities to do more to ensure the safety of the public, according to local news reports. Another British tourist, who wished to stay anonymous, told local outlet O Heraldo: 'We regularly see the bulls being walked on the beach. Usually they seem very calm and the boys take good care of them.' She added: 'The incident with the lady is really sad. I'm very surprised the bull was allowed to run free. 'We all assumed it had broken free as the dogs started barking and chasing it. There are so many beach dogs that obviously spooked the bull.' Friends are paying tribute to the 'superb' pilot who died alongside three passengers in a hot air balloon crash in the Arizona desert. Cornelius van der Walt has been hailed as an 'adventurer' and 'good man' by loved ones on social media, who have identified him as the pilot in the Sunday morning crash that left four dead - including a 28-year-old nurse - and one seriously injured. One said van der Walt had 'mad skills in so many ways' and that those who knew him will remember him as 'one h**l of a good man'. Others thanked him for the impact he had on their lives and offered their condolences to his family. Police said the hot air balloon crashed into the desert around five miles north of the city of Eloy at around 7.50am. Thirteen people - eight skydivers, four passengers and a pilot - had been in the balloon, according to Mayor Micah Powell. Preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows that the balloon crashed following an 'unspecified problem' with its envelope. Hot air balloon pilot Cornelius van der Walt (pictured) has been hailed as an 'adventurer' and 'good man' by loved ones on social media. His friends have identified him as the pilot in the Sunday morning crash that left four dead and one seriously injured Katie Bartrom, 28, was identified by her mother as one of the four people killed in Sunday morning's hot air balloon crash in the Arizona desert Police said the hot air balloon crashed into the desert around five miles north of the city of Eloy at around 7.50am on Sunday. An NTSB spokesperson said preliminary information shows the balloon crashed following a problem with its envelope The skydivers on board planned to leap from the balloon and land in Eloy Municipal Airport, according to Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney Van der Walt was a 'character, an adventurer, a friend', his friend Phil Brandt wrote of the 'tragic' incident in an emotional Facebook post. 'Today, 4 people lost their lives, including my friend,' he wrote, sharing how van der Walt was one of 'very few balloon pilots [to] take up skydivers'. Brandt, seemingly a fellow balloon pilot, added: 'I'm so sorry that this one flight will likely be what the public will remember you for. 'Just know that so many others, including myself, know that you were one hell of a good man and a superb pilot.' Bob Romaneschi, owner of Snohomish Balloon Rides in Washington, said the pilot 'took skydiving and ballooning very serious'. The pair reportedly met in 2018 when they collaborated on a stunt to celebrate National Aviation Day. 'Today we learned he took his last Balloon flight, and it did not end well. The tragedy took his, and the lives of at least three others. One person is still in critical condition,' Romaneschi wrote. Friends are paying tribute to the 'superb' pilot Cornelius van der Walt, who died alongside three passengers in a hot air balloon crash in the Arizona desert on Sunday morning He encouraged others not to speculate on 'what might've happened' and asked that everyone 'take some time and not pass judgment', saying: 'Let those who can digest their investigations and their findings report back to us.' He also thanked van der Walt for making him part of the project six years ago, saying the experience was 'incredible', and issued his condolences to all the victims. 'RIP Cornelius. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and those who perished with you,' he concluded. Friend Jose Salinas also paid tribute to the pilot, writing: 'Rip bro. One of the coolest and humble men I've ever met. God bless u and the family.' The heartfelt messages for van der Walt are flooding in just hours after the family of Katie Bartrom, 28, revealed she was among those who died in the crash. Bartrom's mother told ABC Arizona that the young woman, a registered nurse who loved skydiving and adventure. The aircraft hit the ground by the intersection of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road, in a rural area by the Eloy Municipal Airport According to a witness, the balloon was 'shapeless' and 'deflated' before it came crashing down Thirteen people had been in the balloon - eight skydivers, four passengers and a pilot - according to Eloy Mayor Micah Powell The aircraft plummeted to the ground around five miles north of the city of Eloy in Pinal County. Katie Bartrom was among the four dead, her mother revealed The 28-year-old (pictured here during an unrelated skydiving trip) was the first victim to be publicly named Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney told reporters the balloon came from outside the city and the skydivers intended to touch down at the Eloy Municipal Airport, just down the road from the scene of the accident. 'The incident appeared to occur very quickly,' he added, calling it 'an absolute tragedy' for the community. A witness who saw the last 10 seconds of the balloon's descent described it as shapeless, deflated and coming straight down, Eloy Mayor Micah Powell said. The eight skydivers leaped from the aircraft before the incident, leaving five people on board. Gwaltney added: 'What we know at this point is the skydivers were able to exit the balloon without incident and completed their planned skydiving event, and then shortly thereafter something catastrophic happened with the balloon causing it to crash to the ground.' One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other three died at a hospital. Another passenger remains in critical condition at a Phoenix-area trauma center. 'Out of respect for their privacy, the names of the victims are being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin,' the Eloy Police Department said in a press release. 'The Eloy Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those involved in this heartbreaking incident.' The skydivers jumped from the aircraft before the accident to complete their 'planned skydiving event,' Gwaltney said Four passengers and a pilot were on board at the time of the accident Federal agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration arrived on scene to investigate Flyover video from FOX 10 Phoenix shows the balloon crumpled in the dirt near the intersection of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road. Trucks arrived on scene to tow the gondola away, hoisting it by crane onto a trailer. Investigators could be seen walking across the face of the mangled balloon and folding it up before carrying it away. Federal agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to look into the incident. An NTSB spokesperson said preliminary information shows that the balloon crashed following an 'unspecified problem' with its envelope. Ukraine said on Monday that it downed two Russian military command aircraft over the Sea of Asov, saying it had carried out a 'successful' mission against Moscow's forces. Officials said the country's air force took out an A-50 radar-detection plane worth 260 million, as well as an IL-22 aerial command plane, as they flew over the Sea of Azov on Sunday. The Sea of Azov lies between Russia and Ukraine, but Moscow controls its entire coast after seizing large swathes of southeastern Ukraine during its invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014. 'Minus an enemy long-range radar detection aircraft, A-50, and the aerial command centre Il-22!' the air force said. 'The special operation in the Azov region was successful,' it said on social media. A top Ukrainian commander shared a video of the A-50 slowly coming down to earth, with a caption that read: 'This is exactly what the last flight into the zone of no return looked like' The A-50 (pictured) is worth around 260 million The IL-22 (pictured) is used as a aerial command aircraft by the Russian military Ukraine's commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, said Kyiv had 'destroyed' the planes. 'I am grateful to the Air Force for the excellently planned and conducted operation in Azov region!' he said on Telegram. He later shared a video of the A-50 slowly coming down to earth, with a caption that read: 'This is exactly what the last flight into the zone of no return looked like.' He also shared images of the badly damaged tail of the Il-22 scarred by shrapnel, seemingly confirming the stricken aircraft had landed despite the Ukraine strike. The picture did not show the rest of the aircraft amid reports there had been casualties among the crew. 'Warriors of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed an enemy long-range radar detection aircraft A-50 and an enemy air control centre Il-22,' said the Zaluzhnyi Telegram channel. Russian Telegram channel FighterBomber said of the Il-22 picture: 'To say that the Il-22 crew are true heroes is to say nothing.' A senior Ukrainian politician and the deputy head of the country's parliamentary national security committee, Yuri Mysyagin, said on Monday: 'At about 21:00 [on Sunday], Ukrainian units fired at two aircraft of the Russian Air Force, namely an A-50 AWACS aircraft and an IL-22, located over the Sea of Azov. 'The A-50 was shot down, and the IL-22 was shot down, but was in the air and trying to get to the nearest airfield, but disappeared from the radar, after the descent began, in the Kerch area.' Moscow did not comment on the claims, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters he had 'no information' about the incident and that further questions should be directed to the defence ministry. 'This is for Dnipro! Burn in hell, you inhumans! PS No details yet,' wrote Ukrainian Air Force Commander General Mykola Oleshchuk (pictured) A mortar platoon soldier with an 82mm mortar performs a combat mission as Ukrainian soldiers hold their positions in the snow-covered Serebryan Forest in Ukraine Ukraine's Azov National Guard Brigade has returned to the front and has engaged in combat in the ongoing war with Russia Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 The Il-22M command and control plane limped back to Anapa, a small Russian town on the Black Sea, on fire after being hit, with a number of casualties, Ukrainian media reported. The 260 million A-50 AWACS aircraft disappeared soon after going on patrol over the Kyrylivka area of Zaporizhzhia at 9:10 pm local time. The A-50 is one of a diminishing number of sophisticated AWACS reconnaissance planes, while the Il-22M likely had on board at least one senior war commander. Russian Telegram channel Colonelcassad admitted there had been casualties on the aircraft. Ukraine initially claimed to have downed the planes in the vicinity of the strategically important 3 billion Putin-built Crimean Bridge. Ukraine said on Monday that it downed two Russian military command aircraft over the Sea of Asov (pictured) The Sea of Azov lies between Russia and Ukraine, but Moscow controls its entire coast Reports say the planes have been flying the same routes for months. RBK-Ukraine cited a source in the Ukrainian armed forces claiming the downing of the A-50, and the likely severe damage to the Il-22M, which recently went through a 3 million modernisation and refit. 'This is for Dnipro! Burn in hell, you inhumans! PS No details yet,' wrote Ukrainian Air Force Commander General Mykola Oleshchuk. Russian Military Informant channel stated: 'The damaged Il-22 reached the [Anapa] airfield and landed, as evidenced by leaked intercepted conversations on an open frequency, but with the A-50, apparently, everything is much sadder. 'If the loss of the aircraft is confirmed, it will be a huge setback for domestic aviation since there are only a few such AWACS aircraft in service and are constantly in short supply at the front.' Russia is believed to have a total of eight A-50 type aircraft, but requires them across its vast border areas. Commanders have been careful not to use the intelligence-gathering planes too close to the active war zone. A Russian Il-22 was shot down during a Wagner mercenary mutiny in June 2023. Grant Shapps today sent a warning shot that Britain and its allies must increase defence spending amid the threats posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. In a speech in central London, the Defence Secretary said this year was an 'inflection point' for the West in boosting military expenditure. Mr Shapps told fellow NATO members it was 'essential' they raise their defence spending to meet the alliance's target of at least two per cent of GDP. He also warned those in Britain who might question the 'steep' cost, as he stressed the UK 'cannot afford to reverse the gains' made in boosting military budgets. It came as the Defence Secretary used his speech to confirm Britain will send 20,000 troops to one of NATO's largest military exercises since the Cold War. Grant Shapps sent a warning shot that Britain and its allies must increase defence spending amid the threats posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea HMS Queen Elizabeth and the UK Carrier Strike Group joined ships from other NATO allies during 'Steadfast Defender' in 2021 Mr Shapps said Britain's contribution to this year's 'Steadfast Defender' exercise would provide 'vital reassurance' against the 'menace' posed by Russia's Vladimir Putin Mr Shapps announced the deployment of Army, Navy and RAF members to the 31-nation drill across Europe. He said Britain's contribution to the 'Steadfast Defender' exercise would provide 'vital reassurance' against the 'menace' posed by Russia's Vladimir Putin. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week visited Ukraine to announce a further 2.5billion support package to Kyiv. His trip came just hours after he authorised RAF airstrikes, together with the US, on the Houthis in Yemen. In his speech at Lancaster House this morning, Mr Shapps set out a bleak assessment of global security in 2024 - a year in which many global nations, including Britain and the US, will hold elections. He warned the West was 'at a crossroads' as the 'peace dividend' enjoyed since the end of the Cold War comes to an end. 'We are in a new era and we must be prepared to deter our enemies, prepared to lead our allies and prepared to defend our nation whenever the call comes,' Mr Shapps said. 'Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being redrawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine's lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. 'We stand at a crossroads.' Mr Shapps outlined the threats posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as he urged fellow NATO members to boost defence spending. 'Today, for the first time, the Government is spending more than 50billion a year on defence - in cash terms, more than ever before,' he said. 'We've made the critical decision to set out our aspiration to reach 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence. 'And, as we stabilise and grow this economy, we'll continue to strive to reach that as soon as possible. 'But now is the time for all allied and democratic nations across the world to do the same thing and ensure their defence spending is growing too. 'Because, as discussed, the era of the peace dividend is over.' 'In five years' time we could be looking at multiple theatres involving Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. 'Ask yourselves looking at today's conflicts across the world - is it more likely that the number grows, or reduces? 'I suspect we all know the answer it's likely to grow. So, 2024 must mark an inflection point.' In a speech in central London, the Defence Secretary said this year was an 'inflection point' for the West in boosting military expenditure Mr Shapps also hit out at domestic critics of boosted defence spending as he warned Britain cannot 'shrink into ourselves and ignore what's happening beyond our shores'. 'I passionately believe these unpatriotic, Britain-belittling doom-mongers are simply wrong,' he added, in an attack on some of those on the political Left. 'Their way would lead us sailing blindly into an age of autocracy.' As he answered questions after his speech, Mr Shapps reiterated his warning to NATO allies that is was 'essential' they meet the two per cent defence spending target. 'I think I'm right in saying, last time we checked, only seven NATO countries actually spend two per cent and above,' he said. 'We are comfortably above, of course we want others to share that burden. I' think it's absolutely critical and that's what I'm saying - in a more contested world where the threats are greater - this is an inflection moment to actually ask members of NATO to look at their budgets and to come forward with the funds which bring them up to the level that NATO is committed to spending. 'It is really important - the whole purpose of this speech today is to ensure the whole of NATO does indeed share that burden.' Some 16,000 troops with tanks, artillery and helicopters will be deployed from the British Army across eastern Europe starting next month as part of 'Exercise Steadfast Defender 24'. The Royal Navy will deploy more than 2,000 sailors across eight warships and submarines, while more than 400 Royal Marines Commandos will be sent to the Arctic Circle. The RAF will use F-35B Lightning attack aircraft and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft. Defence sources said the exercise will prepare for the invasion of a member state by any aggressor, with the main threats being considered to be from Russia and from terrorism. Labour backed the commitment of UK forces to NATO, but said Mr Shapps's speech was 'little more than PR spin'. 'Grant Shapps is reheating old announcements from other people,' a party spokesman said. 'The PM confirmed 20,000 UK troops will exercise in Europe three months ago, while NATO released details of Steadfast Defender four months ago.' Flag was replaced with Danish flag in tribute to Queen Mary The Tasmanian Parliament has been accused of having a 'lack of respect' for Indigenous Australians after removing the Aboriginal flag and replacing it with the flag of Denmark. The red-and-white flag was flown in tribute to Hobart-born Queen Mary who was proclaimed the Queen of Denmark alongside King Frederik X on Sunday. Critics of the move were quick to point out that while the Aboriginal flag had been removed, the Australian and Tasmanian flags had remained flying. 'Anyone want to take a wild guess which flag was taken down for this tokenistic nod to a European monarchy certainly wasn't either of the Union Jacks,' one woman posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. 'Shameful choice by both the Liberal Speaker and Labor President.' The Tasmanian Parliament has been accused of having a 'lack of respect' after the Aboriginal flag was replaced with the Danish flag (pictured) The flag was temporarily flown in tribute to Queen Mary, who was born in Princess Alexandria Hospital in Hobart, being crowned over the weekend (pictured) READ MORE: Karl Stefanovic mocks Danish tradition during Queen Mary's coronation Advertisement Others were quick to weigh in on the flag debate. 'What's shameful about it? Only so many flagpoles,' one wrote. 'Incredibly disrespectful and totally unnecessary!' another disagreed. A third quoted from the Australian National Flag protocols. 'After the Australian National Flag, the order of precedence of flags is: national flag of other nations, state and territory flags, other Australian flags prescribed by the Flags Act 1953, ensigns and pennants,' the person said. 'Educate yourselves.' Mark Shelton, the Speaker of the House of Assembly Mark Shelton and Craig Farrell, Legislative Council confirmed the parliament had been following protocol. 'There are three flag poles at Parliament House typically flying the Australian, Tasmanian and Aboriginal flags,' they said in a joint statement. 'The Danish flag was flown today and the order of flags flown was in accordance with the flag protocols and order of precedence provided by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.' However, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre campaigner Nala Mansell said the removal of the flag showed a lack of respect for Aboriginal Australians. 'When an Aboriginal flag is flown, it's recognition the land that building stands on is Aboriginal land,' Ms Mansell told Mercury. 'It's an acknowledgment of the true owners of this land.' Ms Mansell questioned why a flag that symbolises 60,000 years of history would be intentionally replaced with one 'representing a modern day marriage'. Critics were quick to point out the Aboriginal flag had been removed while Australian and Tasmanian flags had remained Queen Mary was a vision in white as she waved to fans on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen alongside her husband King Frederik X on Sunday (pictured) Tasmanian Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff has written to Mr Shelton and Mr Farrell asking the flag be flown alongside the Tasmanian flag at all times. 'The House recognised lutruwita/Tasmania is still, and will always be, Aboriginal land In light of this, the House expressed a will that the Aboriginal flag be flown over Parliament House whenever the Tasmanian state flag is raised,' she wrote. 'We understand the desire to mark the proclamation of Mary Donaldson as Queen of Denmark. This should not, however, take precedence over our duty to pay our ongoing formal respect to Tasmanian Aboriginal people and their pre-existing, and enduring relationship with this island.' Queen Mary was a vision in white as she waved to fans on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen alongside her husband King Frederik X just moments after his mother Queen Margrethe II abdicated the throne on Sunday. Mary Donaldson grew up in Taroona, a beachside suburb on the picturesque coastline south of Hobart, and is the youngest of four children to Scottish parents. A teenage girl who died from a heroin injection, an aborted foetus taken by police without the mother's knowledge and another child made to act like a dog in a cage are just some of the horror stories brought about by Rochdale's grooming gangs. Dozens of young girls were targeted, abused and raped by gangs of mainly Asian men between 2004 and 2012 in the Greater Manchester town, with police and council bosses failing to investigate credible evidence. A new report published today revealed the plight faced by the girls who were the subject of this abuse and the struggle they faced to be believed, as well as the harassment when they gave evidence against their abusers. The damning dossier, which has identified 96 men who are still deemed a potential risk to children, has sparked calls from whistleblowers that there is 'categorically' still grooming taking place in the town. It is not the first official report into child sex exploitation in Rochdale - a report in 2013 found that hundreds of young girls were allowed to fall into the hands of Asian grooming gangs because police and social workers may have been scared of seeming racist. They refused to believe that race was an issue even though dozens of young, white girls were being specifically targeted and groomed for sex by older Pakistani men. Whistleblower Sara Rowbotham appeared on the verge of tears as she greeted her vindication after years of being 'scapegoated'. The former sexual health worker who was played by Maxine Peake in the BBC drama about the scandal, Three Girls was later appointed MBE for services to young people after an online petition attracted more than 300,000 signatures. 'How many more times will it take a drama or documentary and the ensuing public outcry to call people and organisations to account?' she asked. 'We were blamed, and they said it was my fault.' Today's report makes for distressing reading, revealing the heartbreaking stories of just some of the victims of the depraved gangs of men, many of whom are yet to be brought to justice for their crimes. It also emerged today that: A pair of 'lone voices' had flagged clear evidence of 'prolific serial rape of countless children in Rochdale' which wasn't acted upon Many abusers continue to walk free, with 96 men identified as a potential risk to children; Abuse is 'categorically' still happening in Rochdale, a detective-turned-campaigner said; Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham apologised for the 'detailed and distressing' Victoria Agoglia (pictured), 15, died of a heroin overdose after being injected with the drug by an older man Shabir Ahmed, a ringleader of a Rochdale child sex grooming gang who forced his victims to call him 'Daddy', was jailed for a total of 41 years for multiple rapes and sexual offences against children Among the cases touched upon on in the report is the tragic death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia, who passed away after taking a heroin overdose in 2003. In a letter sent to police, the girl revealed how she was sleeping with 'people older' than her and ' half of them I don't even know their names. I am a slag.' She went on: 'I think it I did it just to impress the boys and they treated me like ****. All the things I lost for drugs. Boys, my family, I lost all of that.' Vulnerable Victoria, who ran away from her terraced home 21 times in the space of two months in the lead-up to her death, had been raped and was known by her carers to be used for sex by older men in exchange for cash, alcohol and hard drugs. In September 2003 she visited the home of a 50-year-old Asian man - Mohammed Yaqoob - who injected her with heroin. She died in hospital five days later. He was later jailed for three and half years for injecting her with a noxious substance after being cleared of manslaughter. Maggie Oliver, a former detective who resigned from Greater Manchester Police to go public with her views on grooming gangs, revealed the letter Victoria wrote was included in a police report which was never acted on. Ms Oliver wrote the report, which even started with a picture of Victoria and her letter in a bid to highlight her case, after launching Operation Augusta in 2004 which set out to investigate the Rochdale child abuse ring. But shockingly the investigation was quietly shelved by police bosses while Ms Oliver was on a three-month break. It wasn't until eight years later that the beasts behind the operation which saw girls plied with alcohol and drugs before being used as sex slaves came to justice. Ms Rowbotham said she and her team had been accused of not referring abused children to police, which the report said was a 'gross misrepresentation'. 'Children were being raped every day,' she said. 'Both the police and Rochdale children services told me and kept telling me, it was nothing to do with them. 'Everything being done now, should have been done then. All it would have taken is the right people actually giving a damn.' Ms Rowbotham said her team were told to 'draw a line under' their concerns after the original Rochdale grooming gang was jailed in 2012. 'That's disgusting,' she said. 'We couldn't believe no-one wanted to protect the young people or track down or prosecute the perpetrators. This made me ill.' Slamming the former or current public servants who refused to respond to the report authors' request to explain their actions, she said: 'Shame on you.' 'Clearly it was easier to discredit, diminish and dismiss the fact that children were being manipulated, poisoned and raped,' she added. After losing her job she became a Labour councillor in Rochdale. Grooming gang members Abdul Qayyum (left) and Abdul Aziz (right) were jailed in 2012 for abusing children A report into Rochdale's grooming gangs has said officials committed a 'serious failure to protect children'. Pictured: A view of Whitworth Road in Rochdale, where one gang used a flat to abuse girls Whistleblower Sara Rowbotham, pictured here in a BBC documentary, greeted her vindication after years of being 'scapegoated'. The former sexual health worker who was played by Maxine Peake in the BBC drama about the scandal, Three Girls was later appointed MBE for services to young people after an online petition attracted more than 300,000 signatures Maxine Peake, left, as Sara Rowbotham and Lesley Sharp, right, as Maggie Oliver in the BBC drama about the scandal, Three Girls While the new report focused on events taking place from a year after Victoria's death, it concluded that lessons were not learned from her death or the resulting Operation Augusta, in which just two of almost 100 suspects were jailed. READ MORE HERE: Is this the most harrowing drama ever shown on the BBC? Horrified viewers are forced to switch off Rochdale child abuse series Three Girls - while others say it should be screened in SCHOOLS Advertisement That was despite an investigation into her death revealing 57 victims of grooming gangs, some as young as 12 years old. One case highlighted by the report is that of Child 44, a teenage girl who had an abortion after being abused at the age of 13 in 2009. It was revealed that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) secretly took the foetus and performed a DNA test on it to try and link it to possible suspects. However, when no matches came up, it was left in a freezer at Rochdale police station and was only found when it was uncovered in a 'routine property review'. The girl who had the abortion would only find out in 2011 that it had been taken by the police, with the moment she found out emotionally being reenacted in the BBC drama 'Three Girls'. She told the authors of the 173-page report that police had 'robbed' her of her unborn child and said it was 'disgusting' police had done so without her consent. In the meantime she had continued to be abused by a grooming gang and at one point was even at risk of being taken to Pakistan by them. A trial involving the men who abused her eventually took place in 2012, but the girl would find out in the lead-up to this that the man who got her pregnant was not to be charged with her rape. He was instead jailed for eight years for conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation, allowing him to be released four years into his sentence, reports the Guardian. The heartbreaking stories of some of the victims of the Rochdale grooming gangs were portrayed in BBC drama 'Three Girls'. Pictured: A promotional photo for the programme Rochdale child abusers Jahn Shahid Ghani (left) and Mohammed Ghani (right) were both jailed last year Insar Hussain (left) and Ali Kazmi (right) were also both jailed last year for raping children in Rochdale The report considered claims by Maggie Oliver, former Detective Constable involved with the first large-scale investigation into grooming in Rochdale, Operation Span, launched in 2010. Pictured: Ms Oliver at her home in Cheshire Things got worse for Child 44, as she reported being threatened by a man with a gun before the trial and being harassed and abused on the street by supporters of the men who raped and abused her. READ MORE HERE: Revealed: Ringleader of Rochdale grooming gang WON'T be deported to Pakistan because of loophole that let him RENOUNCE citizenship of his native country just five days before key hearing Advertisement The girl, who even bumped into her abuser in a supermarket after he was released from prison without her being informed, said police told her to just 'lock your door' when she asked for help about the harassment. Another girl who also gave evidence against her abusers reported that her house was 'trashed, with slag and grass written across the wall', while her shed was burned down and chickens killed in a campaign of harassment. The damning dossier also claims that no action was taken against a 'pimp' who got a 15-year-old girl pregnant, while another child claimed she was kept locked in cages and made to act like a dog or baby, with again, no action being taken against the men allegedly involved. The report is the third of four written by child protection specialist Malcolm Newsam CBE and former senior police officer Gary Ridgway and saw apologies this morning from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Police and Rochdale Council. The authors previously led a review of Operation Augusta, an investigation into grooming gangs in South Manchester, which was published in 2020, and the review into child safeguarding practices in Oldham, published in 2022. It followed criticism of failings within Rochdale Council and Greater Manchester Police aired in BBC documentary, Betrayed Girls. The report considered claims by Sara Rowbotham, co-ordinator of a young people's Crisis Intervention Team, and Maggie Oliver, former Detective Constable involved with the first large-scale investigation into grooming in Rochdale, Operation Span, launched in 2010. It found that the pair of 'lone voices' had flagged clear evidence of 'prolific serial rape of countless children in Rochdale' but that this was not acted upon, with the children's unwillingness to make a formal complaint repeatedly used as an excuse for not investigating. Mr Newsam, lead author, said: 'GMP and Rochdale Council failed to prioritise the protection of children who were being sexually exploited by a significant number of men within the Rochdale area. 'This review was initiated following the serious allegations made by both Maggie Oliver and Sara Rowbotham and we have found through this review their allegations to be substantiated. 'Both GMP and Rochdale Council failed to respond appropriately to these concerns. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, called the report 'a detailed and distressing account of how many young people were so seriously failed'. Pictured: Mr Burnham at the funeral of Everton chairman Bill Kenwright on December 18 last year 'Successive police operations were launched over this period, but these were insufficiently resourced to match the scale of the widespread organised exploitation. Conclusions of the Rochdale grooming gang review The emerging threat of child sexual exploitation was not addressed between 2004 and 2007. In 2007, GMP and Rochdale Council declined to investigate how a group of Asian men had been exploiting 11 children for sex and dealing class A drugs despite concern by the Crisis Intervention Team, in a 'serious failure to protect these children'. Just one detective was appointed to begin a small-scale police investigation in 2007, which did not investigate how organised crime groups were involved. No charges or convictions resulted. The first investigation in 2008 and 2009 - launched after a girl arrested for smashing up a takeaway revealed she had been raped and sexually assaulted 'was complex and needed to be resourced accordingly, but additional resources were not provided'. Although the investigation 'identified widespread sexual exploitation of many vulnerable children by at least 30 adult perpetrators', none were charged. A second girl who spoke to the 2008/2009 investigation team complained of sexual assault but 'insufficient effort was put into identifying the man who raped her'. Had her complaints been 'pursued with the rigour required it may have strengthened the evidence to proceed with the prosecution', the review said. Operation Span, the second investigation into the 2008/9 accusations, which saw nine men convicted and jailed in May 2012, was described as 'relatively limited'. Authorities committed a 'deplorable' failure to protect a girl known as 'Amber'. She was designated a victim of child sexual abuse but the crimes were not formally recorded by GMP and the perpetrators 'were potentially left to continue their abuse of other children. Instead, Amber was later named as a 'co-conspirator' in a trial of men accused of abusing other children. The review said: 'No consideration was given to how the decision would affect Amber personally or what the repercussions of the decision might be for her family. This failure to protect a vulnerable victim as deplorable.' Lessons were not learned after the death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia from drugs in 2003 after claiming she had been sexually abused, or the resulting Operation Augusta, a probe into child sexual exploitation in South Manchester which ended in 2005. Just two of almost 100 suspects were jailed despite an investigation into Victoria's death revealing 57 victims of grooming gangs, some aged just 12. Advertisement 'Consequently, children were left at risk and many of their abusers to this day have not been apprehended.' Mr Newsam and Mr Ridgway said: 'CSE continued to be treated as a low priority and under-resourced by GMP.' By October 2012, a review group chaired by GMP identified 127 potential victims whose cases had not been acted on a figure which later grew to 260 potential victims. After Operation Span, three more investigations - Operation Routh, Operation Doublet and Operation Lytton - saw 30 men convicted, many of whom received lengthy sentences. Files held by officials for 111 children revealed 'a significant probability that 74 of these children were being sexually exploited at that time, and in 48 of those cases, there were serious failures to protect the child', the report revealed. A fourth review is still to take place by Mr Newsam and Mr Ridgway, which is to 'consider current practice across Greater Manchester to address the risk of child sexual exploitation' and recent police investigations. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham called the report 'a detailed and distressing account of how many young people were so seriously failed'. He added: 'That said, it fulfils the purpose of why I set up this review in the first place. 'It is only by facing up fully and unflinchingly to what happened that we can be sure of bringing the whole system culture change needed when it comes to protecting children from abuse.' He apologised to the victims and said: 'We are sorry that you were so badly failed by the system that should have protected them. 'I have asked Greater Manchester Police and Rochdale Council to ensure that every possible action is taken to follow up any leads arising from this report and to pursue any potential perpetrators.' A series of initiatives have taken place around Rochdale since 2012, including better engagement with potential victims and a scheme encouraging hotel owners and taxi firms to report concerns. Last year, an Ofsted report regarding Rochdale Council - including the Complex Safeguarding Hub - was published and confirmed that 'children at risk receive an effective response'. Rochdale Council leader Councillor Neil Emmott said the authority is 'deeply sorry' for the 'very serious failures that affected the lives of children in our borough' and how officials 'failed to take the necessary action'. And Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: 'It remains to be a matter of profound regret that victims of child sexual exploitation in Rochdale in the early 2000s were failed by Greater Manchester Police to them, I apologise. 'I also recognise the plight of Maggie Oliver and Sara Rowbotham - who advocated for victims and survivors when no one else did, and ultimately enabled the review and publication of this report.' He added: 'Since nine men were convicted following Operation Span in 2012, there have been a further 135 arrests, 432 charges, and 32 convictions (for child sex grooming).' Ms Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012 to publicly reveal the extent of the police failings about child sexual exploitation, said she remained 'angry' that 'not one senior officer or official has ever been held individually responsible for these failures, lies and cover ups'. She said the report 'confirms the truth of what I have been saying for over 12 years'. Drawing a parallel with the ongoing Horizon scandal at the Post Office, she added: 'There are so many parallels between that case and this: 'ordinary' people being criminalised and silenced, institutional cover ups and corruption in an effort to protect the brand whatever the cost to affected individuals, refusal to acknowledge any wrongdoing.' READ MORE HERE: 'Police ignored victims of Rochdale child sex grooming gang because they were from COUNCIL ESTATES': Shocking report reveals failings allowed abuse to continue Advertisement She added: 'I am also not assured that lessons have been learned. I can absolutely, categorically say that through our work today at The Maggie Oliver Foundation (a support group she founded), we see on a daily basis that victims and survivors of sexual offences are still routinely treated badly or even inhumanely, still not believed, still judged, still dismissed when they report these horrendous crimes.' Ms Oliver said her two-decade battle to expose the truth 'has almost ruined my life'. She claimed Chief Constable Watson's remarks had been prepared by a PR department which 'pretends that these are failures of the past'. But she insisted: 'The failures that happened then are still happening now.' Mrs Oliver, who now runs a charity bearing her name supporting survivors of child abuse, added: 'I would like to say today that things are a million times better. 'But if I went to every one of the victims and survivors that approach the Maggie Oliver Foundation every day to say 'Are things different?' they would tell you 'No they are not'. ''There are still far too many victims who are not being heard, who are being criminalised, who are being intimidated, who are being silenced when they dare to raise their head above the parapet. 'Victims are being let down on a daily basis.' She called for more resources to be put into investigating and prosecuting grooming gangs across the UK as well as tougher sentences. As recently as three weeks ago she was approached by a serving GMP officer working in the dedicated unit set up to help grooming victims who 'in despair' at the lack of support available, she claimed. Ms Oliver highlighted comments to the review team by an unnamed former detective chief superintendent about her 'painful' experiences trying to push colleagues at GMP into focusing on victims of sexual offences. Describing how she felt like she was 'hitting a very big brick wall', the ex-officer said there was 'this attitude that our victims are lying, particularly around sexual offences'. 'And I don't understand where it comes from because nobody automatically assumes if you're reporting a burglary, you're lying. 'But if a woman is reporting a rape, there is this assumption that they're not telling the truth for whatever reason. And I couldn't get past it.' The report's publication comes a year after an independent review into child sexual exploitation in neighbouring Oldham found the ringleader of a notorious grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, later jailed for 22 years, was able to continue working as a welfare rights officer by Oldham Council with police failing to tell his employers even after his arrest. Their convictions sparked a heated debate over the predominantly Pakistani make-up of the gang and whether political correctness had played a part in the reluctance to tackle grooming in Rochdale and other towns and cities across the North of England. At the time, Martin Narey, former chief executive of children's charity Barnardo's, pointed to 'very troubling evidence that Asians are overwhelmingly represented in prosecutions for such offences.' He highlighted how by contrast their victims were largely white girls. Ann Cryer, a former Labour MP for Keighley, West Yorkshire, claimed police and prosecutors had been 'petrified of being called racist and so reverted to the default of political correctness'. Only Ahmed who was later jailed for a further 22 years for 30 child rapes after a separate trial remains behind bars. Children in the town of Rochdale were let down by all 17 agencies that were meant to protect them, the report said. Police dismissed accusations of political correctness, saying the girls were targeted because they were vulnerable, not because they were white - but a review into the scandal said there was a 'colour-blind' approach by police and social workers that was 'potentially dangerous'. Germany is preparing for Vladimir Putin's forces to attack NATO in 2025, according to leaked secret plans. Secret documents from the German Ministry of Defence reveal a step-by-step doomsday guide on how Russia will escalate the conflict in Ukraine to an all-out war in just 18 months. The leaked plans, published by German newspaper Bild, reveal in detail the path to a Third World War with Putin using Belarus as a launching pad for an invasion - as he did in February 2022 for his war in Ukraine. The release of the terrifying documents come just days after Sweden's civil defence minister warned that his country could soon face the prospect of war and urged citizens to join voluntary defence organisations in preparation for a Russian attack. And Germany's defence leaders are also taking the threat from Moscow seriously, with the Bundeswehr preparing for a hybrid Russian attack on NATO's eastern flank by the summer of 2025. The secret 'Alliance Defence 2025' document details how Russia will mobilise another 200,000 soldiers in Russia before launching a spring offensive against Ukrainian forces in Spring this year. By June, amid dwindling Western support and weaponry, Russia would achieve success on the battlefield and make significant advances through Ukraine, according to the leaked documents. Germany is preparing for Vladimir Putin 's forces to attack NATO in 2025, according to leaked secret plans Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline take part in a medical training in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on January 14 Russian and Belarusian tanks attend joint exercise on 21 February 2022 in Belarus - a day before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to leaked plans, Russia could use Belarus as a launching pad again - but this time to attack NATO allies Taking advantage of this success, Putin would in July launch cyber attacks in the Baltics at the same time as inciting violence in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by claiming that ethnic Russian minorities are being targeted. This tactic has already been used by Putin's cronies to justify their attack on Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Clashes would occur in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as a result of Russia's interference and Putin would use this as an excuse to launch a large-scale exercise with 50,000 Russian troops sent to Belarus and western Russia by September. A month later, Putin would go one step further and move troops and medium-range missiles to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which is nestled in between Poland and Lithuania. At the same time, Putin and his cronies would continue their sabre-rattling and claim that NATO is preparing to attack Russia and a threat to their national security. But Putin's main aim will be to attack a narrow strip of land known as the Suwalki Gap. Poland and Lithuania have fought for control of the area, but today it is part of Poland and is the only land border between mainland Europe and the Baltic States. Even a small attack on the area - sandwiched between Poland, Lithuania and Kaliningrad - could cause huge problems for NATO and potentially spiral into a Third World War. Fears of a Baltic invasion have risen since the Ukraine war began, and if Putin were to attempt it then blocking the Suwalki Gap would likely be his first move, as detailed in the leaked secret documents. Though thousands of NATO troops, including UK soldiers, are currently deployed to the Baltics, they are only intended as a 'tripwire' force. Their role is to hold up any invading force until the main NATO army can arrive. By December this year, Moscow would dispel fake propaganda about a border conflict and 'riots with numerous deaths' in the Suwalki Gap, according to the documents. But Putin's main aim will be to attack a narrow strip of land known as the Suwalki Gap. Poland and Lithuania have fought for control of the area, but today it is part of Poland and is the only land border between mainland Europe and the Baltic States Russian and Belarusian rocket launchers attend joint exercise on 17 February 2022 in Belarus - a day before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to leaked plans, Russia could use Belarus as a launching pad again - but this time to attack NATO allies A Ukrainian serviceman of 2 battalion 92nd brigade fires a 120-mm mortar towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position near Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on January 12 NATO troops during an exercise in Poland in May 2023 And taking advantage of the chaos that will ensue if President Joe Biden is defeated in the presidential elections with the US left without a leader for a few weeks, Putin would begin his attack on NATO soil. Shortly afterwards, during an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council, Moscow accuses the West of preparing to attack Russia according to the documents. READ MORE: Ukraine downs two Russian military command and reconnaissance planes in huge blow for Putin Advertisement According to the doomsday scenario, NATO would convene a special meeting in January 2025 at which Poland and the Baltic states report an increasing Russian threat and plead for help. But Russia would take advantage of the choas and by March 2025, the Kremlin would move even more troops towards the Baltics and Belarus. By the end of the month, Putin would have accumulated 70,000 soldiers as part of two tank divisions, mechanised infantry division and a division headquarters. Two months later, in May 2025, NATO would reconvene again to discuss the mounting Russian threat to its security and decide on 'measures for credible deterrence' in an effort to stop any Russian attack on the Suwalki Gap from the direction of Belarus and Kaliningrad. On an undisclosed date named 'Day X', NATO would deploy 300,000 soldiers - including 30,000 from Germany - to its eastern flank to defend against an impending Russian attack, according to the leaked documents. It's unclear from the documents if Russian would be deterred by the deployment of NATO forces as the scenario ends 30 days after Day X. A German Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Bild they did not want to comment on the specific NATO defence scenario but said: 'Basically, I can tell you that considering different scenarios, even if they are extremely unlikely, is part of everyday military business, especially in training.' The release of the terrifying documents comes as the Estonian Prime Minister warned Europe has between three and five years to prepare for Russia to return as a serious military threat on NATO's eastern flank. Kaja Kallas told The Times: 'Our intelligence estimates it to be three to five years, and that very much depends on how we manage our unity and keep our posture regarding Ukraine. 'Because what Russia wants is a pause, and this pause is to gather its resources and strength. Weakness provokes aggressors, so weakness provokes Russia.' The warning comes just days after Sweden's civil defence minister warned his country could soon face the prospect of war. In a rousing speech that took note of his country's hotly anticipated accession to NATO this year and ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, Carl-Oskar Bohlin called on ordinary citizens to ask themselves 'who are you if war comes?'. Speaking at Sweden's annual 'Folk och Forsvar' (Society and Defence) conference in Salen a week ago, the minister said: 'It is human to want to view life as you wish it was, rather than as it actually is. 'For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immovable constant is conveniently close at hand. But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time,' Bohlin said. Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin speaks during the Society and Defence National Conference in Salen, Sweden, 07 January 2023 Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called 'Cold Response 2022', gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine Within a day of his speech, Sweden's mental health helplines were flooded with calls from youths scared by the prospect of war. Children's rights organisation Bris said its phone operators reported a huge uptick in the number of callers worried about war coming to Sweden. It comes as Britain's Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced today that the UK will send 20,000 armed forces personnel to one of NATO's largest exercises since the Cold War. The deployment, which Shapps characterised as the UK's biggest to NATO in four decades, is aimed at 'providing vital reassurance' over the 'menace' posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine, Shapps said. The British personnel - from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Army - will deploy across Europe and beyond for the military alliance's latest 'Exercise Steadfast Defender', alongside personnel from 31 other member countries and Sweden, which is a candidate to join the transatlantic alliance. 'Today's NATO is bigger than ever but the challenges are bigger too,' Shapps said in a wide-ranging speech in London, in which he warned 'the international rules-based order' was facing rising dangers. 'And that's why the UK has committed... the totality of our air, land and maritime assets to NATO', he went on. 'In 2024 I am determined to do even more and that's why I can announce today the UK will send in some 20,000 personnel to lead one of NATO's largest deployments since the end of the Cold War.' The UK contingent will include fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, the navy's most advanced warships and submarines, and a full range of army capabilities, including special operations forces. London will send a so-called Carrier Strike Group - which features its flagship aircraft carrier and F-35B fighter jets and helicopters - to the exercises in the North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea. Meanwhile some 16,000 soldiers will be deployed across eastern Europe from next month to June, taking with them tanks, artillery, helicopters and parachutes. Shapps used his most high-profile speech since being appointed to the post in August to argue that the post-Cold War 'peace dividend' has ended and Western allies must face down foes including China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. 'It's been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism,' he said, adding that NATO's adversaries 'are more connected with each other' than ever and Western allies 'stand at a crossroads'. 'Our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being redrawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine's lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core.' Shapps also addressed the joint UK-US strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen last week. The Huthis have repeatedly attacked shipping in the Red Sea in recent months, in protest at the war in Gaza. The UK minister said the strikes were intended 'as a single action'. But asked if further military action was planned, he replied: 'I can't predict the future for you.' 'We will not put up with a major waterway... being closed on a permanent basis' to international shipping, Shapps added. Are you a victim of a similar scam? If so, get in touch frankie.elliott@mailonline.co.uk A former university lecturer has spoken of his heartbreak after he was 'scammed' out of 100,000 by criminals pretending to be his bank's fraud department. Paul Henderson, from Glen Parva, Leicestershire, received three separate phone calls from what he thought was The Co-operative bank fraud department on Wednesday, December 13. The 84-year-old did not have any reservations when he received a call from the criminals in disguise, as he had requested a new visa card two weeks prior because the one attached to his account was used for a 30 fraudulent transactions. Mr Henderson became suspicious when the caller kept asking for answers to security messages during the seven-minute call, before realising his banking details were being changed when he read out a security code to them. On Monday, December 18, he phoned the Co-op bank to inform them that he had his laptop cleaned and was given new login details by the bank. But when he checked his account, around 100,000 of his life savings had been taken. Paul Henderson, from Glen Parva, Leicestershire, received three separate phone calls from what he thought was The Co-operative bank fraud department on Wednesday, December 13 The former university lecturer said: 'I noticed it was an out-of-area number and I usually don't answer those, so I just let it ring, but after the third time, I'd had enough, so I answered because I just wanted to get rid of them. 'They claimed that they were the Co-operative Bank fraud department. The caller claimed that two transactions were made from my account, one for 50 and one for 30 and they asked if I'd authorised them - which I had not. EXCLUSIVE READ MORE: How criminals are hacking your children's social media using just three seconds of their voice and turning it into a terrifying AI scam to trick parents Advertisement 'At one point he asked what school I had gone to and this is when I got a little suspicious because he asked for my first school, and my memorable security word was my last school. 'I said an answer which the caller claimed was wrong and then he asked another security question and in hindsight, Co-op would never do that. It went on for about seven minutes and right at the end, he said he was sending a security code to my phone, and that's when I fell for it. 'I read back the code that had been sent by text, and I later realised that while the person was talking to me they were changing my bank account details.' Paul said that he did not realise initially that he had been scammed but at 5.50 pm on the same evening of the call, he received a text from Co-op stating that some of his security details had been changed. The pensioner also tried to access his account but it had been blocked by the bank. At the time, he was unaware of how much money had been taken. He said: 'When I contacted Co-op they told me that perhaps my computer wasn't cleaned properly, but I'd taken it to a trusted person that I'd dealt with for more than 30 years. I have no idea how they got access because the Co-Op said that they have measures in place to prevent these things but that hasn't happened in this case. 'Since then the whole thing has been static and my account has been blocked again.' According to Paul, Co-op Bank has opened an investigation into the incident and he has since provided the company with a crime reference number. Paul believes that the scammers were able to obtain the money through his phone, which he said he did not get cleaned. Paul believes that the scammers were able to obtain the money through his phone, which he said he did not get cleaned (file image) He said: 'I've been around for a long time, I'm quite computer savvy, and I know all about scammers, but if I thought it was a trick I wouldn't have fallen for it. I'd just advise anyone with an accessible bank account with a large amount of money to put it somewhere else like an account that you have to give notice before taking out money. 'I feel demoralised and I don't want anyone to go through what I've been through. I don't live an extravagant lifestyle but I was leaving this money behind for my children.' Paul said that Co-op Bank was able to retrieve some of the money that had been stolen, and the bank would reimburse him the rest. He said: 'Although I am very unhappy about being scammed in the first place, it looks as though everything will sort itself out in the end.' A spokesperson from Co-op Bank said: 'We are seeing fraudsters becoming more sophisticated in their approach to scams, even going so far as to impersonate members of staff, and are asking our customers to remain vigilant and never trust anyone that makes an unsolicited call. 'Protecting our customer from fraud is of the utmost importance and we are pleased that in this case, we were able to act quickly to prevent further transactions on Mr Henderson's account and fully refund the amount lost.' Abbott said they will stop sending migrants when Biden 'secures the border' Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has begged his Texas counterpart Greg Abbott to stop busing migrants to Chicago as inclement weather is set to hit the Windy City this week. The Democrat's request comes as new census numbers show Chicago has 4,468 more recently-arrived asylum seekers than previously thought, bringing the total number to 34,562. 'While action is pending at the federal level, I plead with you for mercy for the thousands of people who are powerless to speak for themselves,' Pritzker wrote in a letter to the Republican send on Friday and seen by the Chicago Sun-Times. 'Please, while winter is threatening vulnerable peoples lives, suspend your transports and do not send more people to our state.' Pritzker added that Abbott's 'callousness' in flying or busing migrants to Chicago during the weather conditions was 'now life-threatening to every one of the arrivals' as temperatures are expected to plunge. Illinois'; democratic governor J.B. Pritzker has begged his Texas counterpart Greg Abbott to stop busing migrants to Chicago Governor Abbott's office replied by saying he will stop sending migrants to Chicago when the president 'secures the border' The city has received 34,562 migrants since Abbott began sending asylum seekers who cross the US-Mexico border to northern sanctuary cities Governor Abbott's office replied by saying he will stop sending migrants to Chicago when the president 'secures the border,' and claimed bus drivers were taking extra precautions due to the weather. The Republican's spokesman Andrew Mahaleris told the Sun-Times: 'Instead of complaining about migrants sent from Texas, where we are also preparing to experience severe winter weather across the state, Governor Pritzker should call on his party leader to finally do his job and secure the border something he continues refusing to do. 'Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue transporting migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis.' Wind chills in Chicago reached minus 17 degrees over the weekend. Hundreds of migrant families were placed in one of the 27 temporary shelters the city set out for them, with roughly 200 staying in warming buses at the city's landing zone. The city has received 34,562 migrants since Abbott began sending asylum seekers who cross the US-Mexico border to northern sanctuary cities, including over 4,000 who have arrived via plane. Migrants have been arriving in the Democrat-led cities on buses funded by the Republican governors of Texas and Florida Migrants are seen at landing zone in the West Loop, on Friday, January 5, 2024, in Chicago Migrants walk after receiving food outside the migrant landing zone during a winter storm on January 12, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois Chicago is scrambling to house hundreds of asylum-seekers who are still sheltering on sidewalks, at police stations and at the citys busiest airport as the cold weather sets in and with winter just around the corner. Other Democratic-led cities are grappling with similar influxes, including Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, which has received more than 120,000 asylum-seekers. Illinois announced last month that it would funnel an additional $160 million to help resettle migrants who arrive in Chicago, including $65 million to help the city build and operate two temporary shelters to avoid people sleeping out in the cold. The state announced it would give an additional $4 million that will go toward feeding asylum-seekers in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Chicago 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 at a warehouse with no heating housing thousands of other migrants on December 18. The mayors of Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York have been pressing for more federal aid to deal with the surge. Migrants have been arriving in the Democrat-led cities on buses funded by the Republican governors of Texas and Florida. Critics initially waved off the effort as a political stunt, but more than a year later, the cities are struggling to cope with the influx and their resources are dwindling. The situation is even more pressing in New York than in Chicago. New York has received more than 140,000 asylum seekers over the past year, and about half of them are staying in shelters run by the city, which is legally required to provide emergency housing to homeless people. New York Mayor Eric Adams has called the citys migrant influx a crisis and has begun to warn that shelters are so full that migrants will soon be forced onto the street despite the cold weather. Denmark's King Frederik X acceded to the throne on Sunday, ushering in a new era after his mother Queen Margrethe abdicated, with more than 100,000 Danes turning out for the unprecedented event. After a final horse-drawn carriage procession through the streets of Copenhagen, the hugely popular 83-year-old queen signed a declaration of abdication at Christiansborg Palace, ending her 52-year reign and automatically making her son monarch. She then left the Council of State, also attended by the government, the new king, his wife and their 18-year-old eldest son, the new Crown Prince Christian. Margrethe left the room with tears in her eyes, saying: "God bless the king." In front of a sea of Danes braving the winter chill and waving red-and-white flags, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then proclaimed 55-year-old Frederik the new king on the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, the seat of parliament and government. Frederik, clad in his gala admiral's uniform with gold epaulettes and blue sash, blinked back tears and smiled as he waved to the crowd, estimated at more than 100,000 people by media outlets. Like his mother, Frederik is hugely popular, enjoying the support of more than 80 percent of Danes. "My mother succeeded like few others in becoming one with her country," he told the crowd. "My hope is to become a unifying king for the future... It's a responsibility I assume with respect, pride and a lot of happiness," he said, repeatedly placing his hand on his heart as the crowd cheered. "I think he's going to be a great king. I'm looking forward to seeing how he's going to do it and see him show more of himself," Rene Jensen, a Copenhagen resident fitted out for the day in a red velvet robe and crown, told AFP. Frederik was then joined on the balcony by his Australian-born wife Mary, wearing a white dress with her dark hair swept back in a bun, and their four teenaged children. Mary is the first commoner to become queen in Denmark. The crowd erupted in loud cheers as the new king and queen kissed on the balcony. The royal standard was then raised at the couple's residence at the Amalienborg Palace. 'Soul of the nation' In line with Danish tradition, no foreign dignitaries or royals were invited on Sunday, and there was no coronation or throne. Britain's King Charles congratulated Frederik and Mary on their accession in a message posted on the Danish court's Instagram account, while Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf thanked Queen Margrethe, whom he referred to as "cousin Daisy", for their "good cooperation" over the years. US President Joe Biden paid tribute to his Queen Margrethe's "incredible example of selfless, principled service". This is only the second time a Danish sovereign has stepped down -- the last was Erik III, almost nine centuries ago in 1146. Portraits and banners around the capital thanked the queen for her years of service, with cheeky signs in the metro declaring "Thanks for the Ride, Margrethe". Others read "Long Live the King". Margrethe chose to abdicate exactly 52 years to the day after she took over from her father, Frederik IX. The queen stunned Danes when she announced her abdication in her annual televised New Year's Eve address, after having repeatedly insisted she would follow tradition and reign until her death. Even her own family was only informed three days prior. She attributed her decision to health issues after undergoing major back surgery last year. Aske Julius, a 27-year-old Copenhagen resident, called Margrethe "the embodiment of Denmark... the soul of the nation." "More than half of the Danish population has never known anything else but the queen," he said. Margrethe will retain her title of queen. 'Different' monarch Experts say her decision to pass the baton now will give Frederik time to flourish in his role as monarch. He is expected to bring his own, more informal style to the monarchy, which dates back to the 10th-century Viking era. "He feels like one of us ... He tries to be a lot like normal people," onlooker Berit Nissen told AFP on Sunday. "They raised their children like normal families do," she said, referring to the couple's decision to send their kids mainly to state schools. While his mother is known for her love of the arts and is an accomplished writer and artist, Frederik is an avid sportsman who champions environmental causes. In Denmark, the monarch's role is largely ceremonial, but the sovereign does sign legislation, formally presides over the forming of a government and meets with the cabinet regularly. (Yobhap) The father of a New York City police officer who was the first to die from a Ground Zero-related illness has been killed in a SUV crash. Joseph Zadroga, of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, was standing next to his car in the parking lot of a hospital in Galloway on Saturday afternoon when an elderly SUV driver struck him, pinning him underneath the vehicle. Responding officers attempted life-saving measures on the 76-year-old before transporting him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The retired North Arlington, NJ police chief became a vocal advocate for families of 9/11 first responders following the death of his son Detective James Zadroga. Det Zadroga died in 2006, aged 34, of a respiratory ailment his family believed was linked to the time he spent at Ground Zero. His namesake James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 provides federal health benefits to first responders who fell ill after the attacks in 2001. Retired North Arlington, NJ police chief Joseph Zadroga (pictured in 2010 campaigning for the James Zadroga Act) was killed Saturday after being struck by a SUV in a hospital parking lot Chief Zadroga became a vocal advocate for families of 9/11 first responders following the death of his son Detective James Zadroga (pictured right at Ground Zero) in 2006 Det Zadroga, 34, died in 2006 of a respiratory ailment his family believed was linked to the time he spent at Ground Zero. The NYPD detective is pictured with his daughter Tyler Ann Linda and Joseph Zadroga (center top), parents of James Zadroga, are seen crying as NYPD officers carry their son's casket out of Queen of Peace Church in North Arlington, NJ on January 10, 2006 Chief Zadroga had been standing next to his car when James McNeal, 82, attempted to pull his Nissan SUV into a parking lot near him. The driver accelerated and struck Chief Zadroga with his SUV, pinning him underneath, according to a Galloway police statement on Sunday. He was taken into the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police said they are still investigating the crash. No immediate charges were announced. News of Chief Zadroga's death quickly reverberated among Sept. 11 survivors and advocates. 'To the 9/11 Community. We just learned Joe Zadroga passed away. Joe was the father of Det James Zadroga NYPS the hero our legislation is named after,' John Feal, another prominent advocate, wrote in a post on Facebook. 'While we do not have all the details and will not speculate, we will wait for all the details. We do send our condolences and we mourn with the Zadroga family.' The Detectives' Endowment Association (DEA) offered its 'deepest condolences' to the family of Chief Zadroga. 'Joseph was the father of fallen 9/11 hero Detective James Zadroga,' the DEA wrote. 'His advocacy helped ensure the Detective James Zadroga Act assisting countless first responders in need.' Chief Zadroga (pictured in 2014 at a rally in NYC to extend the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act for a further 25 years) had been standing next to his car when James McNeal, 82, attempted to pull his Nissan SUV into a parking lot near him. The driver accelerated and struck Chief Zadroga with his SUV, pinning him underneath Joseph Zadroga, father of deceased 9/11 responder James Zadroga, holds his granddaughter Tyler Ann alongside his wife Linda at a press conference in 2007 calling for 9/11 health funding News of Chief Zadroga's death quickly reverberated among Sept. 11 survivors and advocates, with tributes to the 'great man' flooding in County Commissioner Steve Tanelli also paid tribute to Chief Zadroga, issuing 'thoughts and prayers' to his family and friends. 'Chief Zadroga served the North Arlington community for 27 years,' Tanelli said. 'After his son James died of respiratory illness developed after responding to lower Manhattan on 9/11 and the days that followed, Chief Zadroga became a fierce advocate for first responders who suffered illness after the 9/11 attacks. 'He has been credited with spearheading the Zadroga Act for 9/11 families which helped deliver much-needed funds to the families of first responders.' The commissioner added: 'May he rest in peace.' Frank Conti, President of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association Inc, said: 'The members of the Port Authority PBA are saddened by the passing of Retired North Arlington Police Chief Joseph Zadroga, a champion of all first responders suffering with 9/11 World Trade Center illnesses. 'Chief Zadroga's love for his son, Fallen NYPD Detective James Zadroga, became an embrace for all who suffer. We have lost a great man and friend.' Detective James Zadroga (pictured with his daughter Tyler Ann) died from a rare lung disease in January 2006. The non-smoker, who had no known history of asthma or other respiratory conditions, spent 450 hours participating in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. oseph Zadroga points to the police badge of his deceased son during a news conference about illnesses of 9/11 responders on November 10, 2010 Det Zadroga, a father who served with the NYPD, died from a rare lung disease in January 2006. The non-smoker, who had no known history of asthma or other respiratory conditions, spent 450 hours participating in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. Recalling the day he died, his father Chief Zadroga, previously said: 'I went up to his room one morning to check on him and he was dead on the floor. He was so young.' In 2014, it was revealed that more police officers had died from so-called Ground Zero illness contracted during the rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center than were killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Ground Zero illness is a catch-all term used to describe the cancers, respiratory problems and other diseases that researchers say effect thousands of people who worked at Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The government slowly began to recognize Ground Zero illness after the death of Det Zadroga. In 2011, then-President Barack Obama signed the James Zadroga Act into law, creating a $4.2billion program to provide medical services and compensation for first responders exposed to the toxins during the terrorist attacks. A man was Tasered during an intense confrontation with police when he was caught drinking what police 'guessed' was alcohol in public. Joshua Ford, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of possessing an open container of liquor in a public place, after he was caught with a can near Theatre Lane in Canberra on August 2. However, magistrate Robert Cook dismissed the charge on Monday after the prosecution couldn't prove the can, which was inside a stubby holder, actually contained alcohol. 'It's a good guess ... but you've got to have more than that,' Mr Cook said. Bodycam footage from shows Mr Ford struggle when confronted by three officers who then Tasered him until he laid still on the ground. Joshua Ford (above) was Tasered twice by Canberra police after officers believed he was drinking alcohol in public During the confrontation on August 2, officers forced Mr Ford to the ground and Tasered him (above) As officers approached Mr Ford shortly after midnight, the one wearing the bodycam asked: 'Do you wanna put the drink down, mate?' Mr Ford responded: 'How come?' The officer quickly shot back: 'Because you are drinking in public, and you've just made a c**k of yourself calling out to us.' Another police officer moved to take the can from Mr Ford and told him 'you can't drink in public'. 'Don't touch me, brah,' Mr Ford said. Immediately, the officer wearing the bodycam grabbed Mr Ford's arm and told him he was under arrest. The three officers began to force Mr Ford to the ground as he struggled to free himself. The group Mr Ford was with yelled at police as he continued to squirm on the ground until the officer wearing the bodycam pulled out his Taser. The charge against Mr Ford (above) was dropped after the magistrate found the prosecution couldn't prove alcohol was in Mr Ford's can 'Taser, Taser!,' he yelled before shooting the device at Mr Ford. He then told Mr Ford: 'Stop resisting and get on your back.' Mr Ford yelled 'f**king cops' before being Tasered a second time. The footage ended with Mr Ford crying on the ground as officers handcuffed him. ACT Police claimed Mr Ford was with a 'hostile crowd' and acted 'aggressively'. The officers' actions will be subject to an independent review. A Palestinian man killed one woman and injured up to 18 other people in a stabbing and car-ramming attack in the central Israeli city of Raanana today, Israeli media said. 'A wounded woman who arrived in a critical condition after having been hit by a vehicle has died of her injuries despite our efforts to save her,' said a statement from Meir hospital, near Raanana. An official police statement said two suspects were detained and the incident is now being investigated. The suspected attackers, named as Muhammad Zaidat, 44, and Ahmed Zaidat, 24, are both believed to be Palestinians from the West Bank city of Hebron. Police told Israeli media the pair, who are related, fatally stabbed one victim before stealing a car. and swapping vehicles several times before crashing. Harrowing images showed a heavily damaged white saloon car smashed into a lamppost mere feet from a bus stop with evident bloodstains smeared across the brickwork. Detritus littered the pavement and street nearby as forensic investigators descended on the scene. Israeli security officials respond to a suspected ramming attack in Raanana, Israel January 15, 2024 The scene of a damaged car at a bus station following a suspected ramming attack in Raanana, Israel, January 15, 2024 People work next to a vehicle following a suspected ramming attack in Raanana, Israel January 15, 2024 Israeli emergency and security personnel stand next to a damaged car following a suspected ramming attack in the central town of Raanana, on January 15, 2024. Israeli emergency and security personnel stand next to a damaged car following a suspected ramming attack in the central town of Raanana, on January 15, 2024 The incident came amid heightened security tensions over Israel's war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza. In addition to the fatal stabbing victim, another 66-year-old man was reportedly stabbed. Meanwhile, a 34-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy were left in serious condition with head injuries, as a result of the ramming on Ahuza Street, the main street of the city. Seven of those injured were children, according to The Jerusalem Post. Fortunately, Dr Ron Brunett of the Schneider Pediatric Centre said the minors were in a mild condition with no life threatening injuries. Central District Commander Avi Bitton told The Times of Israel the suspects were Palestinians who had been working in the city's industrial zone recently. Both were in Israel illegally, he said. 'This was a very grave terror attack,' Bitton said, adding the 'terrorists' took control of two cars and carried out attacks at three locations in the city. He says the first was apprehended very quickly and the second a few minutes later. Investigators are not ruling out other suspects, and are now conducting a search of the wider area to avert any further attacks, Bitton concluded. Meanwhile, paramedic Viola Hachmon who attended the scene of the ramming on Ahuza street told The Jerusalem Post: 'This is a very difficult event with many injured. 'To my knowledge, everyone has already been evacuated to various hospitals, including those in critical condition.' Paramedic Eli Raymond added: 'We arrived at the scene with large forces and began performing an initial triage and providing medical treatment to about eight wounded people with different degrees of injury.' 'Following an unusual incident currently in Ra'anana, police forces are on the scene, and the circumstances of the incident are being investigated,' Israel Police said in a statement. 'The public is asked to be vigilant and obey the police officer's instructions.' Dozens of police and medics were seen on the scene at the cordoned-off street hours after the attack, and heavily armed security forces carried out searches nearby. One eyewitness, Eden Alfi, told reporters: 'I was sure that it was a car accident... After that, I saw the terrorist. I saw him stabbing a man around 60 years old. The man fell and the terrorist ran away.' A man works next to a vehicle following a suspected ramming attack in Raanana, Israel January 15, 2024 Israeli police forensics personnel inspect a damaged car following a suspected ramming attack in the central town of Raanana, on January 15, 2024 A member of the Israeli Border Police stands at the site of a suspected ramming attack in Raanana, Israel January 15, 2024 A member of the Israeli Border Police jumps at the site of a suspected ramming attack in Raanana, Israel January 15, 2024 National Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai initially praised the rapid and professional police response, but gave no more details. He later added in a statement: 'Following swift action by the Kfar Saba police, we understood that there were two terrorists involved and two separate scenes. 'Once we grasped the magnitude of the incident, we deployed forces immediately. 'Iltimately, thanks to determined action, a very quick pursuit, and the lockdown of the areas, we managed to apprehend the second terrorist. 'Both terrorists are residents of Hebron, family members who entered the area illegally.' Israeli police warned citizens to remain indoors while they continued their wider search to prevent any further attacks. Schools in the area were locked down and parents were instructed to keep their children inside until further notice. Monday night's Iowa caucuses mark the first time voters will get a say in the presidential election this year. The Iowa caucuses have been the first primary contest since the Democratic caucus of 1972, and has always been a source of drama. Thousands will brave the life-threatening cold to head to 1,657 precincts across the freezing, snow-covered state to choose who they want to be the GOP nominee for president. The winner gains crucial momentum and up to 40 delegates for the convention as the candidates head on to votes in bigger states. Former President Trump, 77, goes into the vote with a 28-point lead in polls over the rest of the field, with Nikki Haley in second and Ron DeSantis in third. But the caucus' history of chaos, upsets, and voting glitches means multiple surprise outcomes are still possible. DailyMail.com's comprehensive guide reveals everything you need to know about the caucus - including how it works, when it begins and when we expect to hear the results. On Monday, thousands of Iowa voters will head to 1,657 precincts across the freezing, snow-covered state to choose who they want to be the GOP nominee for president How do the caucuses work and what do voters need to do? Iowa's Republican Party has released a list of 1,657 caucus sites, which are determined by a voters' address. Iowa's Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kauffman said Saturday that the party is doing everything it can to get voters registered for the caucuses indoors, as the lows are expected to get into the negative teens Monday night. Those eligible to caucus must vote in the state of Iowa and turn 18 by the date of the general election - November 5, 2024. Only registered Republicans can participate in the GOP caucuses, but voters are able to change their party registrations on caucus night. They must bring a photo ID and proof of residence. Once eligible caucusgoers are inside, they will elect a chair and a secretary to preside over that precinct. Each campaign is given time for a speech before voting starts. Candidates can come to caucus sites and make pitches for themselves - or dole out the duty to surrogates. In 2016, for example, former President Donald Trump - who is leading in the Iowa and the national polls for the 2024 GOP nomination - showed up to a caucus site outside of Des Moines in Clive, Iowa. Sen. Marco Rubio, former Sen. Rick Santorum and Dr. Ben Carson were also on hand to make a pitch for their campaigns, while surrogates represented former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and other candidates. After the speeches wrap up, it's time to vote. A tractor-trailer truck sits wrecked in the median of Interstate 380 on Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa Republicans use secret, paper ballots to cast votes on caucus nights. Votes for various candidates are seen at a caucus site in 2016 in West Des Moines, Iowa When do the caucuses begin, and when will the winner be announced? Like many recent elections in the U.S., there will be a dramatic wait for the result that could take less than an hour or potentially days. The Iowa Republican caucus will begin at 7pm local time (8pm ET). Attendees must be at their chosen local precinct by then to listen to speeches before casting their ballots. They will use secret paper ballots to write down their choice. Some may even raise their hands to show their support or stand in an area denoting who they have picked. Volunteers, or caucus captains, will enter the count into an online system, and the final tallies will be published on an Iowa Republican Party website. The Republicans - like the Democrats - are using an app to report results, but Kauffman assured reporters Saturday at the Iowa GOP's Des Moines headquarters that they had developed their own app and already successfully used it for two cycles. In 2020, the app the Iowa Democratic Party used malfunctioned - meaning the results of the Iowa caucuses were delayed and not made official until six days after the gatherings occurred. Results from the smaller precincts will be available after around 30 minutes, while the larger counts could take hours. We could know the winner on Monday night, especially if Trump is ahead by an insurmountable margin. It could be a very long evening if there are issues or it's a close contest, and there is a history in Iowa of delayed (or wrong) results. Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Amb Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are all holding events in Des Moines with supporters after caucusing concludes Monday night A campaign staff member for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley clears lawn signs following a campaign event in Ames, Iowa Ron DeSantis, wife Casey and their son Mason brave the snow to campaign in a snowy Urbandale, Iowa Problems in Iowa in 2020, 2016 and 2012 that could result in a long night In 2020, Pete Buttigieg won the Democratic caucus, but problems dominated the voting. There were widespread issues with the app used to tally votes and inconsistencies in the data received from the precincts. Buttigieg declared victory over Bernie Sanders that night, but who won the nail-biting contest has always been questioned. In 2016, the Iowa Democratic Party declared Hillary Clinton victorious over Sanders at 2.30 am. The Associated Press, the news outlet that usually declares the winner, didn't confirm the result until the next day. In 2012, the GOP called the wrong result. The party declared Mitt Romney the winner by eight votes on the night, but two weeks later, a recount determined that Rick Santorum had come out on top. A bungled result could significantly impact the race, as the declared winner will have momentum going into the Iowa primaries a week later. Republican caucusgoers are photographed taking part in the 2016 Iowa caucuses at a precinct in Clive, Iowa, located just outside of Des Moines. Eligible caucusgoers first elect a chair and a secretary to preside over the precinct before getting down to business Each campaign is given time at each caucus site to make a speech. Candidates or their surrogates are allowed to make the case. In 2016, businessman Donald Trump and his family appeared at a caucus site in Clive, Iowa asking caucusgoers for their support What is a caucus, and how is it different from a primary? A tradition dating back to Jimmy Carter The word 'caucus' is believed to have originated from a Native American term, an Algonquin reference to a gathering of tribal leaders. Instead of polling stations, the Midwestern state has caucus sites, including school gymnasiums, public libraries, or a family kitchen. People go to their local caucus site at a designated time in the evening, and a representative of each candidate addresses them. They then cast their votes, and the results at each site or precinct are counted. In the past, the small numbers of voters have led to ties being settled by a coin toss. The system differs from a primary in which polling stations are open all day, and voters can cast mail-in ballots. The local party runs it while the state runs primaries. The vast majority of states hold primaries. Will the brutal winter weather have an impact? Forecasters predict Monday will be the coldest caucus in history The caucus on Monday is likely to be the coldest in history. Temperatures will plunge below freezing, and wind chills will make it even colder. Candidates have had to cancel events because of the snow, wreaking havoc on their closing bids to Iowans. Voters must be at the precincts in person, so they will have to navigate the snow to arrive on time. Iowa voters are used to the conditions and take the responsibility of taking part in the caucus seriously. Experts predict it won't impact turnout much. There are 757,200 registered Republicans in the state and the record turnout was 187,000 in 2016, when Ted Cruz beat Trump. Earlier in the week, top Republican strategist Jimmy Centers (who isn't aligned to any of the candidates) told DailyMail.com a robust ground operation is key, and Trump's has been the best among the contenders. 'DeSantis has built a really strong organization, with caucus location captains for every site across the state,' said Centers, former communications director for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. 'In any other year, that would be the gold standard for a caucus organization. Former President Trump's team has the benefit of having worked the state for eight years, and built deep, meaningful relationships across the state.' Giovanni Gonzalez shovels his sidewalk in Sioux City, Iowa, during the snow on Friday Can anyone beat Trump in Iowa? He has an average of a 30-point lead in the polls The polls suggest no, but Iowa has produced many shock results. An average of recent polls shows Trump on 51 percent, ahead of Ron DeSantis on 19 percent, and Nikki Haley on 16 percent. That has been the case for many weeks. Observers of Iowa note that the electorate can move behind a candidate at a very late stage. The amount of time a candidate has spent in the state meeting voters in person should also not be underestimated, and Trump has visited less than his rivals. DeSantis has completed the 'full Grassley,' named after the state's senator Chuck Grassley, which means visiting all its 99 counties. A lot also depends on how well a campaign gets its voters out to caucus sites. Many people have other commitments on a cold January night, or a lack of childcare. However, Gentry Collins, a veteran Republican strategist who ran Mitt Romney's 2008 caucus campaign, said: 'For me, it looked like for a long time there was a narrow lane, but there was a lane, for a not-Trump candidate. 'But there isn't really a single alternative people can rally around.' An average of recent polls shows Trump on 51 percent, ahead of Ron DeSantis at 19 percent, and Nikki Haley at 16 percent. Trump has been dominating the race, while DeSantis and Haley have been battling it out for second place What does the Iowa winner get? How does it help in the nomination process At stake are 40 delegates Iowa sends to the Republican National Convention, who in turn help nominate the party's presidential candidate. The 40 delegates are awarded proportionally so the winner does not get a big advantage. In 2016 Ted Cruz won Iowa with 27.6 percent and was awarded eight delegates. Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, who finished second and third, both got seven. After the chaotic 1968 Democratic National Convention the party decided to spread out the nominating process. Iowa had a complex process and so it was allowed to go first in 1972. The Republican Party then also put Iowa first in 1976 and that has remained the case since, despite gripes from other states. Critics claim the Midwestern state is not representative of the rest of America and doesn't have enough people to justify its position at the start of the election calendar. A caucus attendee tallies votes at a Republican Party Caucus at Keokuk High School on February 1, 2016 in Keokuk, Iowa. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was ultimately successful the last time there was a contested Republican caucus Why is Iowa so important? The so-called 'Big Mo' for the winner The 40 delegates awarded by Iowa make up only 1.6 per cent of the total delegates that will be sent to the Republican National Convention by all the states to choose the presidential nominee. However, Iowa is viewed by candidates, donors, and political strategists as a testing ground because it gives the first actual result in the process. The winner gets momentum - what George H. W. Bush called the 'Big Mo' after he won Iowa in 1980. Donors who have been on the fence start giving money to the winner, while candidates who don't do well in Iowa are pressured to drop out. Nikki Haley was forced to cancel in-person events on Friday because of the snow, she is hoping recent momentum will give her a strong finish in Iowa Monday night Does Iowa predict the winner? The very mixed results of the caucus Iowa's reputation for predicting the ultimate occupant of the White House comes from the startling rise of little-known Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, who unexpectedly won the caucuses in 1976. The winner of Iowa has only gone on to be elected president on two other occasions - George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008. Recently the state's record is not very successful. Donald Trump lost Iowa to Ted Cruz in 2016 but went on to reach the White House. Neither Huckabee nor Santorum went on to clinch the Republican nomination. President Joe Biden came in fourth but went on to win the White House in 2020. The housemate of a privately-educated heir to a 230million pie fortune accused of murder was found 'stabbed 12 times in the neck' in the rented home they shared. Dylan Thomas, 23, has been charged with the fatal stabbing of his best friend William Bush, also 23, who he was at public school with. Mr Bush was found dead in a newly-built house, owned by Thomas's grandfather Sir Stanley Thomas, a Welsh tycoon behind a business empire including Peter's Pies. Mr Bush, a surveyor with a commercial property agent, had allegedly been stabbed in the neck 12 times. Locals heard screams on the morning of Christmas Eve. Detectives and forensic officers spent two weeks at the scene in Llandaff, Cardiff, where flowers were laid by shocked friends. Dylan Thomas, 23, (pictured) has been charged with the murder of his best friend William Bush, also 23, who he was at public school with Will Bush (pictured) was found dead in a newly-built house in Llandaff, Cardiff, on Christmas eve The body of Will, 23, was found at the pair's rented home (pictured) in Cardiff's Llandaff area on Christmas Eve Flowers have been laid outside the home where William Bush was found dead Locals said the pair were 'clean-living and wholesome' young men who were perfect neighbours. Thomas was a tenant of the property jointly owned by his grandparents and Wales rugby legend Gareth Edwards. The 425,000 property where they live was built by former Wales and British Lions scrum-half Terry Holmes. Computer programmer Thomas moved in with his black labrador two years ago and Will joined him a few months later. The pair became friends when they were both pupils at Christ College in Brecon. William Bush, 23, who was described as 'loyal, funny and caring' was found with injuries at an address in Chapel Street at about 11.30am on Sunday, December 24 Detectives and forensic officers spent two weeks at the scene in Llandaff, Cardiff, where flowers were laid by shocked friends. Will's heartbroken father David Bush is deputy head at the private school. Llandaff village was busy with last-minute Christmas shoppers when screams were heard coming from the house. It's believed a woman friend of the pair called in and found the horrifying scene. An assistant at the florist shop next door said: 'It looked like she had found the man with knife wounds and tried to save him. Her hands were covered in blood. 'The next thing there were police everywhere and I saw a man on the floor with two officers on top of him.' Thomas was due to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on January 2 but refused to enter the dock. He was remanded in custody in his absence. His great-grandfather, Sir Thomas Stanley Thomas, launched pie giant Peter's back in 1971. He died in 2015, aged 98, with his funeral being attended by Gareth Edwards and former Union and League star Jonathan Davies, now a TV pundit. Thomas is the sole director of three tech companies listed at the property just a two-minute walk from Llandaff Cathedral. Tributes have been paid to rugby-loving Will, who worked as a surveyor with a commercial property company. His devastated family said: 'Will was such a loyal, funny and caring son, brother and boyfriend.' Dylan Thomas, pictured with his mother, was educated at the private Christ College in Brecon Dylan Thomas, charged with murder, is the heir to a 230million pie industry fortune, including Peter's Pies Multi-millionaire Sir Stanley Thomas, 82, was knighted in 2006 for services to business Multi-millionaire Sir Stanley Thomas, 82, received a knighthood in 2006 for his services to business. Originally from Merthyr Tydfil, his father, also called Stanley Thomas, began selling meat pies in the Valleys in the 1950s. Sir Thomas and his brother Peter Thomas took over the running of the business, which was named Peter's Savoury Products, when their father retired in 1986. The company stayed in the family for years before being sold to Grand Metropolitan in 1988 for 75million. The family's commercial interest in the business ended there but it went on to change ownership a number of times and had a turnover of 57million last year. They also owned a fifth share of the TBI group, which owned Cardiff International and a number of other airports. In 2004, their sale of the group to Spanish company Albertis made the family more than 100million between them. Sir Stanley has also invested in his hometown's rugby club and has been involved with multiple charities. Inspectors at one McDonalds outlet in Kentucky found two 10-year-olds working in the kitchen at 2am Child labor violations hit a 20-year high with fast food restaurants accounting for more than three-quarters of cases Children as young as 10 are among a record number of minors illegally employed in fast food restaurants, with some of America's biggest brands among the worst offenders, according to reports. US bosses were discovered with nearly 6,000 children on their books last year, according to Department of Labor statistics, up from little over 1,000 in 2015, despite a collapse in the number of inspectors. Fast food restaurants were among the worst culprits, sometimes employing school-age children late at night in defiance of federal laws designed to protect their education dating back to the 1930s. In one case, a McDonalds franchise in Kentucky was found with two 10-year-olds in the kitchen at 2am, with the company racking up a total of 2,300 violations since 2013. In the Louisville case, despite the fine, officials claimed they were the children of a night manager and their work was not approved by franchisee management. 'These are serious violations of the law,' former Labor Department official and professor David Weil told the Washington Post. 'These laws are not simply arbitrary. They're built around the fact that, as a society, we want children first and foremost to get educated so that they can live a life where they have the skills and training to have good jobs.' Fast food restaurants account for more than three-quarters of child labor law violations Tyler Karpinsky (top) alleged he saw his school work deteriorate after taking a job as a 15-year-old at a Coughlin branch of McDonalds in Rutland, Vermont McDonald's officials told the Post child-labor violations do not reflect the experience of most teenagers working in 'age-appropriate roles and looking for meaningful jobs in their local communities.' Federal law prohibits 14 and 15-year-olds from working later than 7pm, and for more than three hours on school nights. Violation of those statutes accounted for nearly three-quarters of federal cases in food outlets between 2020 and the end of September. But older teens have far less protection with some facing an impossible struggle to balance their jobs with their school studies. Under-18s are banned from working more than four hours on a school night or past 10pm in California. But high school senior Sebastian Marek, 17, claims he worked six-hour days on school nights at McDonalds in East Los Angeles, eventually missing 26 days of school and arriving late on another 70 occasions. 'When I told the manager that I wanted to work less hours because I needed more time to sleep and study, she told me that it was my fault that I couldn't keep up with school and work,' he said. Matthew Tulaphorn, owner of the East LA franchise said all allegations of illegal child labor were 'unfounded'. 'We take our responsibility as a local employer in the East LA community seriously,' he added, according to the Post. 'Its important to us that all our employees have a safe and respectful work environment.' Nayely Hernandez, who worked at the same franchise as a 17-year-old, finished school a semester late after she was contracted to work eight hours a day on three school days with an 11.30pm finish on a school night. 'At some point I did start falling behind in class, as I only had a five-hour window to sleep,' she said. 'It does make me think that, because this was my first job, every job is like this.' Sebastian Marek, at his high school graduation last year, claims he worked six-hour days on school nights at McDonalds in East Los Angeles Analysis by the Post found that McDonalds was the worst offender nationwide, with 15 violations per 100 outlets since 2020. In May last year, two 10-year-olds were found working for no pay in the middle of the night at a Louisville McDonalds restaurant run by Bauer Food, with one of the two operating a deep fat fryer. A Bauer Food spokesperson said the 10-year-olds were the children of a night manager and their work was not approved by franchisee management or leadership, but the company was fined $39,711 in total. McDonald's said the number of violations are small set against its 14,000 US stores 800,000 employees. It said it takes 'every Department of Labor violation seriously', adding: 'We do not believe these complaints reflect the experience of the vast majority of teenage crew members, who are working at McDonalds restaurants in age-appropriate roles and looking for meaningful jobs in their local communities'. 'As independent small business owners, our 2,000 plus US franchisees are the exclusive employers of their restaurant teams,' it added. 'McDonalds provides ongoing training opportunities and resources such as recommended best practices around hiring, scheduling and restaurant safety to help franchisees ensure compliance with minor labor laws and provide enriching employment experiences to young people seeking them.' A near-record labor shortage is behind the surge in violations, experts believe, prompted in part by the 'Great Resignation' of the pandemic era. Despite the increase, 19 states are considering bills to relax child-labor laws. Florida is considering a bill that would axe all limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, allowing them to work overnight on school days. In May, Iowa extended the latest that 14 and 15-year-olds can work on from 7pm to 9pm on a school night, while allowing 14-year-olds to work in industrial laundries, roofing and demolition. The problem extends far beyond the fast food industry with the Department of Labor discovering 688 children working in hazardous conditions in 2022, a 26 percent rise over the previous year. Reid Maki, the director of Child Labor Issues at the National Consumers League, said there is a 'whole iceberg below' the Labor Department's numbers, with as many as 300,000 children working in agriculture, often 'back-breaking' 80-hour weeks while inhaling pesticides. 'The volume of unaccompanied minors coming across the border is a huge concern,' she told the Post. 'We're worried about the boys ending up in farm work. A lot of girls, too, but they're also vulnerable to being introduced to sex work.' McDonald's said the number of violations are small set against its 14,000 US stores 800,000 employees. It said its outlets are provided with enough advice 'to help franchisees ensure compliance with minor labor laws and provide enriching employment experiences to young people seeking them' Nineteen states are planning to roll back such protections as currently exist with Florida considering a bill that would axe all limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, allowing them to work overnight on school days Jessica Looman of the Labor Department admitted the agency's enforcement data does 'not provide a comprehensive picture of national child labor conditions and practices at any point in time,' and the true number of violations could be significantly higher. Analysts warned the franchise model operated by much of the fast food industry was encouraging child labor with franchisees facing steep licensing fees. Coughlin Inc., which operates many McDonald's franchises in New England, was $109,000 in 2022 for violations at nine stores in New Hampshire and Vermont. More than 140 under-16s were allowed to work illegally, and two were burned using manually operated deep-fat fryers and ovens. Tyler Karpinsky claims he saw his school work deteriorate after taking a job as a 15-year-old at a Coughlin branch of McDonalds in Rutland, Vermont, where he would be required to work longer than three hours on school nights. 'I thought it was normal,' he said. 'But I was scared that I wouldnt have a high enough GPA by the time I graduated.' Jessica Looman of the Labor Department admitted the agency's enforcement data does 'not provide a comprehensive picture of national child labor conditions and practices at any point in time,' and the true number of violations could be significantly higher The 176 branches of Slim Chickens fast food had the highest rate of child labor violations. according to the Post. One Colorado outlet was cited 30 times for illegally employing 14 and 15-year-olds. Slim Chickens said it had overhauled its recruitment practices, insisting 'we take these matters to heart'. Coughlin said it has introduced employment audits and retrained supervisors on child labor laws. But Starbucks which owns or licenses all of the 16,000 US stores that make it the country's second-largest fast food chain, has not been cited for child labor violations since 2013. 'The franchise model is a major factor in child labor violations because it incentivizes a race to the bottom in terms of labor standards,' said Nina Mast of the Economic Policy Institute. Michael Layman of the International Franchise Association said his group works closely with the Labor Department on 'compliance and education'. 'Industries from pet services to printing use the franchise model, and these businesses work every day to provide meaningful employment opportunities to develop employment skills within the confines of the law,' he insisted. A couple who targeted gym-goers' bank cards to fuel their lavish lifestyle, blowing cash on trips to Dubai and the Amalfi Coast, have been jailed. Ashley Singh, 39, and Sophie Bruyea, 20, targeted 18 victims as they worked their way through lockers at several gyms across London and the south-east in a year-long crime spree. The devious pair maxed out the stolen credit cards as they splashed out at designer stores, including Prada, and even bought a pedigree puppy. Were you a victim of Singh and Bruyea's crimes? eirian.prosser@dailymail.co.uk On social media Bruyea would flaunt their luxury life, sharing photos of themselves posing next to swimming pools, driving a luxury motor and standing in front of an aquarium at Burj Al Arab - dubbed Dubai's most iconic hotel. The glamorous couple, thought to be married, were finally caught on January 27 last year and were arrested at Gatwick Airport after returning from Paris with around 1,700 of designer goods. Their 18 victims suffered huge stress and financial loss as a result of their 'wicked' crimes, Croydon Crown Court heard. Ashley Singh, 39, and Sophie Bruyea, 20, have been jailed following a year-long spree stealing gym-goers bank accounts On social media Bruyea would flaunt their luxury life, sharing photos of themselves posing next to swimming pools , driving a luxury motor and standing in front of an aquarium at Burj Al Arab. Pictured: The glamorous couple pose for selfie Singh (pictured) was jailed for three years while Bruyea was sentenced to 20 months at a young offenders' institute, suspended for two years The couple even bought a pedigree puppy (pictured) using the stolen credit cards of their victims Some of the designer goods the couple bought with the credit cards of their victims The couple would visit the gyms and rifle through lockers where gymgoers bank cards and even SIM cards were stolen while the unassuming victims were exercising. They may have been able to empty accounts because the swiped sim cards gave them a way to request password resets on the stolen cards. In addition, many phones are now set up to pay cardless for items, meaning the sim may have allowed them to set up the system on a new handset. The judge described the impact their 'wide-ranging spree' had on their victims, many of them professionals, who no longer felt safe around strangers. There were 18 fraud reports in total, with 14 in the Metropolitan area, one from Sussex, one from Hertfordshire and two reports from Cambridgeshire. Singh and Bruyea, of Widmore Road, Bromley, south London, were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January 2022 and January 2023. Singh was jailed for three years while Bruyea was sentenced to 20 months at a young offenders' institute, suspended for two years. She was also sentenced to a rehabilitation programme and 120 hours unpaid work. The duo would regularly share their luxury lifestyle - funded by their victim's cash - on social media. On one occasion, the pair took a trip to Dubai's Aura Skypool. Access to the rooftop pool costs anywhere between 60 and 100 with a minimum spend of 214 per person on food and drink. The couple pose in a life, as Bruyea hangs a Christian Dior bag off her wrist, while Singh flashes his watch Singh and Bruyea, of Widmore Road, Bromley, south London, were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January 2022 and January 2023 The couple used the stolen cash to fund trips to Dubai and the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the court heard The fun-loving couple maxed out victims' credit cards, using the cash to fund lavish trips abroad and shopping trips to designer stores. Pictured: The couple pose at a bar in London overlooking the city Singh (right) was jailed for three years while Bruyea (left) was sentenced to 20 months at a young offenders' institute, suspended for two years A local police officer had investigated the couple (pictured) then referred them to experts in economic crime On social media Bruyea would flaunt their luxury life, sharing photos of them on holiday posing next to swimming pools The couple enjoy a steak meal with their designer bags displayed on the restaurant table Singh pictured with the pedigree puppy the couple bought with the stolen cash On social media Bruyea would share snaps of their holidays. Pictured: An album of the couple's trip to Dubai, showing them dining at a beach club and visiting designer stores Other photos show the couple dining out at an outdoor steak restaurant flaunting their designer bags on the table as they posed for a photo. In another image, Bruyea is seen posing in a black leather bikini on a sunny beach in Croatia, wearing Louis Vuitton sliders worth 525. In one shot posted to Facebook, the couple are seen kissing at an airport. Bruyea is seen holding onto a Louis Vuitton roll-on suit case, which can cost up to 2,570, with a Christian Dior tote bag, worth 2,500, draped over her hand. Singh, wearing a black cap, appears to have a Keepall Louis Vuitton bag across his body, worth 2,020, paired with a black t-shirt, also from the designer and thought to be worth around 700. Her partner, wearing a black cap, has another bag from the French designer across his body. On Bruyea's TikTok account she showed off her life being a 'dog mum' in her twenties, sharing videos of her two pedigree dogs, captioning the clip 'best gifts I've ever got was you two'. The dogs are seen sitting in designer bags, lying on Ralph Lauren pillows or snuggled up in Gucci scarfs. The puppies appear to be Pomeranians - classed as a Toy dog breed because of its size. They can cost anywhere between 750 to 2,000. Other videos showed the 20-year-old out at London's Sexy Fish restaurant - a celebrity hot spot where cocktails cost up to 23 per drink. The criminal couple pose on a night-out Bruyea poses on a beach wearing a black leather bikini paired with Louis Vuitton sandals Smiling, the couple pose at a pool party while on holiday. Both were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation between January 2022 and January 2023 The couple also appeared to have gone on a trip to Croatia, where they took jet skis out on the water Det Con Luis Da Silva, from the Met's economic crime team that investigated this case, said: 'We know Londoners are worried about theft. It's a horrible crime, and it causes a lot of stress, pain, and financial loss. 'That's why we take this crime seriously and a whole team of us were committed to catching Singh and Bruyea. 'You couldn't fail to be moved by the devastating impact their callous behaviour had on people, and we hope that by catching them this offers victims a little bit of solace. 'I would urge anyone who has had something stolen to get in touch, because we do want to drive down this crime and go after those who target the public. 'We will now look to forfeit the proceeds of their crimes to try and help compensate those who went through this.' The pair were first noticed by a lone police officer who had noticed a pattern and flagged it to experts in economic crime. Police officers based in Lewisham went on to trace the pair's phones, cars and faces on CCTV linking all the crimes together. A deadly artic cold is sweeping the nation this week, putting millions of Americans under wind chill warnings and creating slippery conditions on the roads causing traffic delays. The National Weather Service said wind chills are expected to push temperatures 30 degrees below zero from the Northern Rockies to northern Kansas and into Iowa on Monday. About 150 million Americans were under a wind chill warning or advisory for dangerous cold and wind, according to Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Forecasters said there is potential for major winter storm impacts across the Lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley as a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain fall before spreading into the Appalachians. The artic blast has caused massive travel delays. According to FlightAware, there have been a total of 5,335 flights within, into or out of the United States delayed and 2,164 cancelled as of 2:00 p.m. At least five people have died from weather related causes during the artic blast. On Sunday, a snowmobiler attempting to to cross U.S. Highway 40, southeast of Salt Lake City, was struck and killed by a semitrailer. DES MOINES, IOWA: Water is frozen coming out of a pipe during extreme cold weather on Caucus Day NASHVILLE, TENNESSE: Good Samaritans help a stranded driver move his vehicle on Monday FLORENCE, ALABAMA: A jeep crosses through the street during snowfall on Monday. Forecasters said there is potential for major winter storm impacts across the Lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley WASHINGTON, DC: A child plays with snow at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Monday. Snowfall is predicted to hit cities across the East Coast PELLA, IOWA: Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis campaign sign is stuck in the snow on Monday DENVER, COLORADO: Workers dig out vehicles covered in snow on Sunday. An artic blast is expected to continue to sweep the nation this week SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA: A snowplow clears roadways on Sunday PORTLAND, OREGON: A tree blocks the road after heavy winds hit the city. Over the weekend, at least two weather related deaths were reported in the state DALLAS, TEXAS: Flurries and lake-effect snow are falling in parts of North Texas. As temperatures plunge, the state's power grid operator is asking residents to conserve electricity BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Snow covers cars and the road on Sunday outside of Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York LONDON, KENTUCKY: Snow begins to fall on the road on Sunday. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 6 p.m. on Monday for Southern Kentucky On Saturday a man was found dead outside an Urbandale, Iowa convenience store and authorities suspect the extreme cold contributed, reported KCCI. Also on Saturday, during the high winds a tree fell on a home in Lake Oswego, Oregon and killed an elderly man inside, according to police. Also on Saturday, Portland Fire and Rescue reported one fatality after a tree fell onto an RV and knocking down powerlines that started a fire. On Friday, a man in Minnesota died his SUV went through the ice on Mille Lacs Lake, according to the Mille Lacs County Sheriffs Office. KPTV reported the Multnomah County Medical Examiner in Oregon is investigating two suspected hypothermia deaths as of Sunday due to the storm. Swirling snow and avalanche dangers prompted road closures Monday across parts of Utah and Colorado. Colorado officials closed a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 70 near Vail, the primary east-west highway through the state. In Grapevine, Texas police responded to a multi-vehicle crash involving at least eight cars, including a fire truck. One person was transported to the hospital with injuries. In Colbert County, Alabama, emergency management officials told drivers they should consider all roads in bridges in the county impassable as of 9:00 a.m. Snowfall is predicted to hit cities across the East Coast that are nearing 700 days without snow accumulation such as Washington D.C, Philadelphia and New York. AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz said, 'Unlike the flurries and snow squalls that drifted across the area on Sunday and mainly melted on roads, lower temperatures in place for the storm from Monday night to Tuesday will lead to slippery and snow-covered roads and sidewalks in many.' 'That mixed-precipitation zone is likely to stay to the south and east of Washington, DC, and Baltimore but may get close to Philadelphia and Manhattan.' A forecast of three to six inches of snow is predicted from north and west of Philadelphia, New York City and Boston. Baltimore cancelled the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade on Monday due to hazardous weather conditions, said mayor Brandon Scott. On Monday morning, there were major delays due to slick roads as snow continued to fall across the Interstate 95 corridor. A heavy lake effect snowfall is predicted for downwind of the Great Lakes through Wednesday, and large amounts of snow accumulations are forecast across northern Michigan, western and Upstate New York including Buffalo. 'Winter Storm Heather will tap into fresh arctic air as it tracks across the South and East early this week, resulting in a wintry mess of snow and ice that could create dangerous travel conditions in some areas,' said The Weather Channel. The Buffalo Bills renewed their call for shovelers at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Monday morning to help dig out from more than a foot and a half of snow that fell through a blustery weekend that delivered the snow amid wind gusts of 60 mph. In Rapid City, South Dakota a record low temperature of minus 23 degrees was reported at the Rapid City Regional Airport on Sunday. The previous record of minus 23 degrees was sent in 1979, according to the National Weather Service. According to WKRN, a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for all of Tennessee until 6 a.m. on Tuesday and a Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect until 6 p.m. on Monday for Southern Kentucky. NASHVILLE, TENNESSE: Snow falls over Nashville's historic Broadway strip on Sunday. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for all of Tennessee until 6 a.m. on Tuesday BUFFALO, NEW YORK: High winds, frigid wind chills and lake-effect snow are coming down in Buffalo, New York. A heavy lake effect snowfall is predicted through Wednesday BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Crews work on power lines in Buffalo, New York. Nearly 350,000 people in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest lost power over the weekend DALLAS, TEXAS: Snow falls in parts of North Texas. Officials hope to avoid a repeat of the deadly 2021 freeze TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA: Roadways covered with snow in Historic Downtown Truckee of California on Sunday BUFFALO, NEW YORK: People walk through the frigid wind chills and blowing lake-effect snow on Sunday ANKENY, IOWA: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis presidential campaign signs covered in snow in Iowa on Sunday A southward dip in the jet stream towards middle America is forecast to bring artic air that could cause record low temperatures and bring snow and ice to the south. As temperatures in Texas plunged, the state's power grid operator appealed to residents to voluntarily conserve electricity Monday morning due to the cold weather causing 'record breaking demand' for energy. A deadly freeze in 2021 left millions of Texans without power but state officials this week expressed confidence about the grids reliability as the cold front approached. Bloomberg reported during the tightest period on Monday, in Texas the average grid price of electricity rose to $1,072 a megawatt hour for supplies secured in the day-ahead market Sunday, up from about $79 a day earlier, according to Ercot data. Nearly 350,000 people in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest lost power over the weekend. More than 102,000 customers lost power across Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon. Across Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin, another 86,000 customers lost power. This is the heartwarming moment firefighters rescued a dog that was trapped in an icy pond in Utah. On Sunday afternoon, the pup, named Bob was unable to get out of the frigid waters after a 'polar plunge' into the Steed Pond in Clearfield, approximately 30miles from Salt Lake City. Once the rescue crew arrived, one of the firefighters named Logan Hadley put a dry suit on and was hooked up to a rope rig while the rest of the squad pulled him and the dog out. As the firefighter approached the water, the frightened dog swam over to him just before he scurried out of the water and ran to his owners. 'Please be safe with your pets and children as ice conditions are still not as safe as we'd like them to be,' North Davis Fire District said in a Facebook post. Logan Hadley, a firefighter with the North Davis Fire District rescued a dog named Bob out of the frozen Steed Pong in Clearfield, Utah on Sunday afternoon Hadley is seen crawling to the icy pond, dressed in a bright yellow dry suit, a black ski mask and black boots. He is attached to a rope rig that his crew members held on to The video begins as Hadley who is dressed in a bright yellow suit, a black ski mask and black boots starts to crawl next to a silver ladder in the snow. While he crawls toward the pond to rescue Bob, a bright red strap and silver rope is attached to him. The firefighter then turns around as a member of the "B" shift tells him: 'When you get closer start going feet first.' As he continues to crawl toward the trapped pup, Bob starts to bark and growl as his owners try to calm him down. The dog's owner says: 'It's okay buddy, he's gonna save you!' Hadley keeps crawling toward the large pond that is surrounded by snow and a solid sheet of ice. Bob continues to hold on to the edge of the icy layer as the firefighter approaches and begins to position his body to enter the colds water. 'His name is Bob. Bob, be good,' his owner says. The firefighter then crouches into the pond as a chunk of ice breaks off and her slowly approached the pet. The firefighter is seen just before he lowered himself into the freezing water as the dog held on to the side of the ice wall Bob the dog tried to bite Hadley when he was being rescued but both of them were eventually was set free safely As he tries to get his bearings, Bob quickly lets go of the ice wall and paddles over to Hadley. As the firefighter tries to embrace the dog, Bob begins to panic and tries to bite him. Through all of this, Hadley doesn't let go and keeps a hold on the startled dog's face and pulls the rest of his body up. A crew member says: 'Start pulling!' Within seconds the firefighter and the dog are pulled out of the water as the dog runs over to his owners and shakes off the ice and snow on his body. The firefights is then dragged back in on the rope rig as he slides across the snow on his stomach. 'Firefighter Hadley did a fantastic job today helping Bob. The rest of B shift who you cant see on camera are on the bank making sure Hadley and Bob remain safe,' the fire district wrote in the Facebook post. Hadley and Bob are seen escaping the frozen pond as the dog ran over to his owner and the firefighter is dragged in on the snow In November, Hadley (right), who is also an Advanced emergency medical technician, was crowned 'Firefighter of the Month' In November, Hadley, who is also an Advanced emergency medical technician, was crowned 'Firefighter of the Month.' 'Logan is a one of a kind guy, he's selfless, he's determined, he learns quickly, and then he teaches new firefighters that knowledge to help them develop as well,' the post said. Pet owners are encouraged to try and keep their dogs away from frozen bodies of water in the winter, or keep them close by. According to PETA, dogs should 'always' be kept on a secure leash or harness during walks and should never be allowed to roam free near open bodies of water. *If you need to speak to someone, you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org* *If you need to speak to someone, you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org* *If you need to speak to someone, you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org* A row over an allegedly fake review ended in tragedy over the weekend when an restaurant owner took her own life following a series of accusations, according to reports in Italy. Giovanna Pedretti, the owner of 'Le Vignole' pizzeria in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, had initially been praised for publicly responding to a critique of her establishment. According to reports, a reviewer complained about being sat next to a gay couple with their disabled child when visiting the eatery, to which Pedretti responded by writing the poster was no longer welcome at the family-run business. However, the review made further headlines when the 59-year-old married mother-of-one was accused of fabricating the incident by online trolls, including a pair of Italian celebrities who fuelled the attention in the whole affair. The dialogue around the review quickly warped, with the owner being accused of orchestrating a publicity stunt, and within 24-hours she was found dead on the banks of the Lambro river on Saturday. Giovanna Pedretti (pictured), the owner of a pizzeria in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, had initially been praised for publicly responding to a critique of her establishment. But on Sunday she was found dead in a river after people online accused her of faking the review for publicity Giovanna Pedretti, the owner of 'Le Vignole' pizzeria in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, is seen inside the eatery with her husband Nello Investigators have ordered an autopsy of her body with suicide suspected as the cause of death, according to reports in the Italian press. The alarm was first raised by Pedretti's family (she had a husband and a daughter) on Sunday when she didn't arrive for work at her restaurant. According to her friends, Pedretti - who had worked alongside her husband, Nello, for 30 years - was always a hard worker who never missed a day. Investigators believe she left home on Sunday morning, but disappeared. That was until her car was found near the banks of the river 20 miles from Milan, shortly before the discovery of her body, later that afternoon, by divers. Officers immediately closed the area off to the public and are understood to have spent several hours sifting through evidence at the site, working to rule out any other possible cause of death. Her body is said to have been a matter of feet away from the car in the river, while initial reports in Italy have said police found no suicide note at the scene. Officials have also seized her car, a beige Fiat Panda, and will have access to her phone and other devices to piece together her final hours. The furore around Pedretti and her restaurant began in the summer with a review posted on the pizzeria's Facebook page. 'They put me to eat next to some gay men, I didn't notice it immediately because they were composed, and a boy in a wheelchair who ate with difficulty,' the comment is reported to have said, adding: 'I'm sorry, but I didn't feel at ease.' Pictured: A screenshot of the review and Pedretti's response to it below Influencer and TV personality Selvaggia Lucarelli, along with her partner Lorenzo Biagiarell, (left and right) were particularly vocal in accusing Pedretti of faking the review In screenshots of the post, Pedretti is seen to have replied to the review, accusing the person behind it of being gratuitous and malicious. She wrote that 'our place is open to everyone and the requirements we ask of our guests are [understanding] and respect towards everyone. 'Your words of contempt towards guests who don't seem to have bothered you seem to me to be gratuitous and rather unpleasant malice.' She added that the person's 'annoyed look towards a boy in a wheelchair' did not go unnoticed in the restaurant, writing: 'We do not select our clients based on sexual orientation, much less disability. 'I kindly ask you not to come back to us unless you find within yourself the human requirements that were missing in your attitude.' According to L'Unione Sarda, an Italian regional daily newspaper, Pedretti later explained that the review was posted in the summer but later deleted. L'Unione Sarda reports that it was this fact that led to some suspecting that the restaurant owner had fabricated the incident. Influencer and TV personality Selvaggia Lucarelli, along with her partner Lorenzo Biagiarell, were particularly vocal in accusing Pedretti of faking the review. Lucarelli accused the owner of creating a 'gross photomontage' and of orchestrating a 'marketing operation passed off as heroic defence of gays and disabled people'. This theory began to circulate online, making it into newspapers and on to online news outlets, and Pedretti - who just a day earlier had been praised as a heroine - was vilified by trolls before her body was discovered on Sunday. News of her death sparked more anger online and in her local community. Reports have suggested that her family faced no economic hardship, and that the restaurant was often packed with customers, ruling money troubles out as a possible reason behind her apparent decision to take her own life. The success of her restaurant was also highlighted as a reason to suggest that she had no reason to fabricate such a review. A former deputy mayor of Sant'Angelo Lodigiano seconded this, saying she did not need to 'work more', and that her restaurant was 'always full'. 'I find it incredible to suggest that she could have invented that review,' the former deputy mayor told L'Unione Sarda. He also noted that around a decade ago, almost to the day on January 10, Pedretti's brother also took his own life. Lorenzo Biagiarelli, Selvaggia Lucarelli partner, posted to his Instagram following the news of Pedretti's tragic death. 'I am very sorry about the death of Mrs. Giovanna and my thoughts go to her family,' he wrote on the social media platform. Investigators have ordered an autopsy of Pedretti's body with suicide suspected as the cause of death, according to reports in the Italian press Lorenzo Biagiarelli, Selvaggia Lucarelli partner, posted to his Instagram following the news of Pedretti's tragic death. 'I am very sorry about the death of Mrs. Giovanna and my thoughts go to her family,' he wrote on the social media platform In his post, he also asked that people 'reflect on the consequences of the attempt to re-establish the truth, if we were to always fear this epilogue at this point we would have to close everything, newspapers and social media.' Pedretti, he continued, 'in these two days has received nothing but praise and declarations of esteem from the press, and only a few meagre and laborious attempts to re-establish the truth which, in any case, does not have and would never have had equal strength. 'The hateful messages you are writing to me, on the other hand, are of such violence and quantity that actually, even to a not too fragile person, they could make them think of an extreme gesture,' Biagiarelli added. 'In the meantime, I will continue to look for the truth in things.' If you need to speak to someone, you can call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org Pope Francis on Sunday defended a landmark decision approving blessings for same-sex couples, suggesting that those in the Catholic Church who have resisted it have jumped to "ugly conclusions" because they do not understand it. In a television interview, Francis made his first public comments since the Dec. 18 declaration sparked widespread debate in the Church, with bishops in some countries, particularly in Africa, refusing to let their priests implement it. "Sometimes decisions are not accepted, but in most cases when decisions are not accepted, it is because they are not understood," Francis said in response to a specific question about the December declaration. "The danger is that if I don't like something and I put it (the opposition) in my heart, I become a resistance and jump to ugly conclusions," he said during a link from his Vatican residence with the "Che Tempo Che Fa" program on Italy's Channel 9. "This is what happened with these latest decisions on blessings for all," he said, referring to the declaration known by its Latin title Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust). It was issued by the Vatican's doctrinal department and approved by him. Since the original declaration, the Vatican has been at pains to stress that the blessings did not amount to an approval of gay sex and should not be seen as anything remotely equivalent to the sacrament of marriage for heterosexual couples. But even a clarification earlier this month from the Vatican's doctrinal department did not sway bishops in Africa, where in some countries same-sex activity can lead to prison or even the death penalty. They issued a letter last week saying the December declaration had caused "unrest in the minds of many" and could not be applied because of the continent's cultural context. Some bishops in France told their priests they could bless gay individuals but not couples. The Church teaches that gay sex is sinful and disordered and people with same-sex attractions should try to be chaste and the pope appeared to be alluding to this is his response. "The Lord blesses everyone," Francis said. "But then people have to enter into a dialogue with the blessing of the Lord and see the path that the Lord proposes. We (the Church) have to take them by the hand and lead them along that path and not condemn them from the start." Since his election in 2013, Francis has tried to make the Church, with its 1.35 billion members, more welcoming to LGBT people, without changing moral doctrine. (Reuters) A North Carolina teacher has been arrested for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student. Brittany Calloway Hemric, 32, was suspended from Wilkes County High School after being charged with one felony count of taking indecent liberties with a pupil on January 1, 2021. Wilkes County Sheriffs Office said deputies received a report about the social studies teacher on January 4. They did not release the age of the pupil, who has since graduated and is male according to the Wilkes Journal Patriot. Calloway Hemric is a resident of Hamptonville, a rural community in the north of the state, and she had been working as a classroom teacher at the school since 2018. Wilkes County High School, which caters for grades nine to 12 - or ages 14 to 18 - confirmed she was suspended the day after the report was made to police. North Carolina teacher Brittany Calloway Hemric, 32, has been arrested for allegedly taking 'indecent liberties' with a student, Wilkes County Sheriff's Office said Calloway Hemric has worked as a classroom teacher at Wilkes County High School since August 2018, but the school suspended her on January 5 after the allegation surfaced 'Brittany Hemric was employed by Wilkes County Schools in August 2018. She was a classroom teacher at Wilkes Central High School,' a spokesperson said in a statement. 'Wilkes County Schools has worked closely with law enforcement in the investigation of the alleged conduct of the employee in question. 'That employee was suspended on January 5, 2024, pursuant to applicable North Carolina law. 'We will continue to assist law enforcement and other authorities in the investigation of this matter and will take further action as warranted by the results of this investigation and the disposition of the pending criminal charges.' Calloway Hemric, a Caucasian woman with brunette hair and brown eyes, appeared expressionless in her mugshot released by police. She was released on bail under a $10,000 bond ahead of a hearing at Wilkes District Court on March 20. The investigation remains active and ongoing. For more than a decade, the former mill town of Rochdale has been notorious for the scourge of gangs of men grooming underage girls for sex. Hundreds of vulnerable children as young as 13 faced being targeted by mainly Pakistani men, lured into abusive sexual relationships through being plied with drink and drugs, or flattered with gifts and attention. Despite a handful of successful, high-profile prosecutions, whistleblowers and campaigners have long accused police chiefs and council staff of failing to do their jobs and protect the victims. Their claims are vindicated by today's hard-hitting review which concludes that unknown numbers of paedophiles are still walking the streets of the Greater Manchester borough. Police launched their first investigation in 2007 after girls bravely reported abuse centred around takeaways, arresting suspects including Shabir Ahmed, known to the girls as 'Daddy'. Police launched their first investigation into grooming in Rochdale in 2007 However the Crown Prosecution Service recommended no action after branding the main accuser 'unreliable', a decision reversed two years later by senior prosecutor Nazir Afzal. His move was vindicated in 2012 when ringleader Ahmed then 59 and eight other men were jailed for a total of 77 years for raping and abusing up to 47 girls aged as young as 13. Their convictions sparked a heated debate over the predominantly Pakistani make-up of the gang and whether political correctness had played a part in the reluctance to tackle grooming in Rochdale and other towns and cities across the North of England. At the time, Martin Narey, former chief executive of children's charity Barnardo's, pointed to 'very troubling evidence that Asians are overwhelmingly represented in prosecutions for such offences.' He highlighted how by contrast their victims were largely white girls. Ann Cryer, a former Labour MP for Keighley, West Yorkshire, claimed police and prosecutors had been 'petrified of being called racist and so reverted to the default of political correctness'. Shabir Ahmed was jailed for 22 years for 30 child rapes at his second trial Only Ahmed who was later jailed for a further 22 years for 30 child rapes after a separate trial remains behind bars. Their high-profile convictions prompted another abuse survivor to come forward and tell detectives about her ordeal at the hands of a second gang when she was aged 14 and 15. That led to a second set of convictions, with another nine men given sentences of up to 25 years in 2016. The sentences were hailed as concrete evidence that after years of having their accounts of abuse ignored, the victims of Rochdale's grooming gangs were finally being listened to. Ex-detective Maggie Oliver resigned from Greater Manchester Police over its handling of child sexual exploitation cases However a BBC documentary in 2017 entitled The Betrayed Girls revealed a starkly different narrative. It featured whistleblowers Sara Rowbotham, who ran an NHS sexual health service in Rochdale known as the Crisis Intervention Team, and ex-detective Maggie Oliver, who resigned in disgust from Greater Manchester Police over its handling of child sexual exploitation cases. Ms Rowbotham told how her team had notified the force and Rochdale council's children's services of 'dozens' of grooming gang victims before 2008, only for nothing meaningful to be done. Meanwhile Mrs Oliver alleged that police had been aware of the problem blighting children's lives in 2004 but had failed to tackle the abusers. Both claimed that the reality was that multiple known abusers had been left free to prey on another generation of girls, with the grooming culture remaining embedded in dark corners of the town. However their decision to speak out was met with vilification and efforts to discredit them. Andy Burnham ordered a series of reports into what was done to protect grooming victims In 2017 Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham ordered a series of reports into what was done to protect grooming gang victims up until 2013. Today's review the first to focus on Rochdale is the third. Meanwhile GMP pledged to ramp up its efforts to bring more historic abusers to justice, launching Operation Lytton, with a 100-strong dedicated investigative team. Last October five men were given sentences totalling more than 70 years after being found guilty of abusing two girls in Rochdale between 2002 and 2006. Two further trials are in the pipeline involving a total of 34 defendants, with seven further live investigations into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale. Police chiefs have pledged that they are determined to 'learn lessons' from their predecessors' failures. But campaigners argue that far more needs to be done if they are to convince victims that they are doing any more than paying lip service in response to public outrage. 'It is only by shining a bright light into the dark, hidden corners of all of these scandals and cover-ups that we can find the real truth and so demand the changes so desperately needed to our so-called criminal justice system, which as the public know all too well is currently unfit for purpose,' Mrs Oliver said today. The 31-year-old mother-of-two who unsuccessfully sued the state of Texas to have an abortion spoke about the experience for the first time, calling it 'the hardest thing I've been through.' Kate Cox was told last year that the baby girl with whom she was pregnant at the time had trisomy 18, a genetic condition that causes severe developmental problems and, in most cases, means the baby will not make it through the first year of life. Kate and her husband Justin were told the outlook for their child was even bleaker. 'We asked, "How long we could have with our baby best-case scenario?" And she (the doctor) said she thought maybe a week If she survived the pregnancy and the birth, that it might be a week. 'I didn't want to watch her suffer. That would be very hard. She would have had to be placed directly on to hospice. There's no treatment that can be done,' Kate told CBS News. That led her to sue Texas, and initially win, for right have an abortion in the state. But the ruling was overturned and Cox went out of state for the procedure. Texas couple Kate Cox and Justin Cox spoke publicly about the ordeal they went through while trying to obtain an abortion after receiving a bleak diagnosis for the fetus Kate was carrying The couple were also concerned that attempting to carry the pregnancy to term could cause serious complications and potentially threaten their ability to have more children in the future. Texas is one of 14 states that has broadly banned abortion with some, very limited exceptions. The ban in Texas has been in effect since August 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wage. It stipulates that abortion is allowed only in the case of medical emergencies that involve a 'serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function.' However, the legal application of the exemption policy remains vague and many healthcare professionals are afraid to perform the procedure lest they face a fine of up to $100,000 and up to 99 years in prison. In December, Kate and Justin sued the state of Texas for a protective order for their doctor that would allow the medical procedure to move forward. A judge in Travis County ruled Cox could terminate the pregnancy, but the ruling was quickly followed by a threatening letter from Attorney General Ken Paxton that said her doctors could still be held liable for performing the abortion regardless of the court order. On December 11, the Texas Supreme Court struck down the lower court's ruling, stating doctors must use their 'reasonable medical judgment' to determine whether or not a patient qualifies for an abortion. In Cox's case, the court wrote they were sympathetic, but her doctor had not claimed she had a 'life-threatening physical condition' and therefore did not qualify for the medical exemption. Cox said the realization she would likely not be able to receive an abortion in her home state was 'crushing.' 'I wanted to be here, close to home,' she said. 'Its the hardest thing Ive been through. I wanted to come home, cry in my own pillow, hold my babies, be near my doctors, so I was really hopeful. 'I was shocked the state of Texas wanted me to continue a pregnancy where I would have to wait until a baby dies in my belly or dies at birth or lives for days and put my own health at risk and future pregnancy at risk,' she said. Attorney Molly Duane with the Center for Reproductive Rights said the results of Kate's case illustrate that there is effectively no exception to Texas' abortion law After a judge granted Kate the protective order she requested, Attorney General Ken Paxton (pictured) sent a threatening letter to medical professionals, saying they could still be liable for performing the procedure Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country and cases are percolating through the courts in an effort to establish its precise parameters Abortion-rights demonstrators protest outside the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse Friday, June, 24, 2022, in Houston as the state's abortion ban went into effect Several counties in Texas have gone so far as to make it illegal to transport someone through their territory for the purpose of obtaining an out-of-state abortion On the day that the state Supreme Court's order was issued, Cox's attorneys announced she would be leaving the state and going to New Mexico to get an abortion. Though the plan worked for Kate, several counties in Texas have gone so far as to make it illegal to transport someone through their territory for the purpose of obtaining an out-of-state abortion. Molly Duane, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, who was one of Cox's lawyers, said that the Supreme Court ruling illustrates that 'the exception in Texas doesn't exist at all.' However, despite the outcome of the Cox's suit, Duane argued that Kate's case did make a difference. 'She got the health care that she needed, she got an abortion, but in terms of the big picture she brought people along on this journey with her and she helped people understand the true human toll that abortion bans take on families,' she said. After sharing her story, Kate received hundreds of letters of support from around the state and country. Though her experience has been deeply painful, Cox said if given the opportunity, she would file the suit again because she hopes the law will be changed to work for people in situations similar to hers. The couple say they plan to try for another child soon, but will not forget the one they lost. 'Her name is Chloe,' said Kate. 'I gave her a name because shell always be my baby. Her middle name is my grandfathers name so she knew who to look for in heaven.' Donald Trump lavished praise on Nigel Farage after he spotted the ex-UKIP leader in the audience during his campaign rally in Iowa last night. The former US president hailed Mr Farage as a 'handsome guy' and said it was a 'great honour' that he had attended his speech in Indianola. The 77-year-old, who is bidding to be re-elected to the White House later this year, urged Mr Farage to 'stand up' and receive the applause of other Trump supporters. 'I'm just looking at this handsome guy. He's been a backer of mine from day one,' Mr Trump said. Mr Farage's trip to the US came as he confirmed he is mulling a return to Britain's political frontline ahead of the general election. The 59-year-old, now the honorary president of Reform UK, said he was considering 'getting back on the pitch' after a poll suggested - should he make an eighth bid to become an MP - he would comfortably win a seat in the House of Commons. Donald Trump lavished praise on Nigel Farage after he spotted the ex-UKIP leader in the audience during his campaign rally in Iowa The former US president hailed Mr Farage as a 'handsome guy' and said it was a 'great honour' that he had attended his speech in Indianola Mr Trump staged a campaign rally in Indianola ahead of the first voting in the 2024 US presidential campaign Mr Trump staged a campaign rally in Indianola ahead of today's first voting in the 2024 US presidential campaign. He is seeking to win the support of Iowans to become the Republican candidate for November's presidential election. As he spotted Mr Farage in the audience, he said: 'Is that Nigel Farage by the way? You stand up will you? 'I'm just looking at this handsome guy. He's been a backer of mine from day one.' Mr Trump then referred to Mr Farage's key role in Brexit - an issue he joked was 'very non-controversial' - adding: 'You've been right, they haven't implemented it too well. 'You've been right... we're big fans. Thank you Nigel, it's really an honour to have you here.' In a nod to Mr Farage's pin-stripe suit, the ex-president continued: 'Great, you look great - I love these suits, you really know how to dress over there. 'We don't know how to dress like they do. Thank you, great honour man.' Posting on X - formerly known as Twitter - after the rally, Mr Farage wrote: 'I have never wavered since 2016 in my belief that the world is safer with Trump. 'Nice to get a shoutout from the big man.' There is currently widespread speculation at Westminster as to whether Mr Farage will return to lead Reform UK - formerly known as The Brexit Party - ahead of the general election There is currently widespread speculation at Westminster as to whether Mr Farage will return to lead Reform UK - formerly known as The Brexit Party - ahead of the general election and turbocharge support for the right-wing party. Many Tory MPs are nervous that, should Mr Farage return, it would split the vote on the Right and hand a huge boost to Labour's chances of seizing power. A survey commissioned by Arron Banks, the former UKIP donor, has suggested Mr Farage would win 37 per cent of the vote in Clacton, Essex, should he stand to be the constituency's MP. The poll of 509 people, conducted by Survation last week, showed Mr Farage would beat the incumbent Tory MP Giles Watling by 10 percentage points. It put Labour third on 23 per cent and the Lib Dems fourth on six per cent, with eight per cent intending to vote for other candidates. Responding to its findings, Mr Farage told the Sunday Times: 'I have to say to you that this poll does make the balance of probabilities towards getting back on the pitch stronger. 'This poll does make me consider getting back on the pitch far more seriously than ever before.' Mr Farage has previously made seven unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the Commons. But Phillips has a long way to go in the polls, where he is currently trailing Biden He slammed Biden saying he is 'well past his prime' and would have 'no chance' of getting any other job Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman touted Dean Phillips as his top choice for president saying the centrist candidate would be 'outstanding' Billionaire Bill Ackman is donating $1 million to Biden's rival, Dean Phillips' run for president saying it would be a 'tragedy if our only choices are Trump and Biden.' In a lengthy post on X, Ackman said Biden is 'well past his prime' and added: 'If he were available in the market for other opportunities, he would have no chance of getting any job.' Ackman's donation to Phillips's presidential campaign comes as Biden struggles in the national polls. Ackman said: 'Biden is polling poorly against [Trump], and his numbers are only going to get worse as he ages, and he is not looking good as it is.' Instead, he touted the 54-year-old Minnesota Representative as his top choice, saying: 'Dean Phillips would be a truly outstanding President of the United States.' The self-described 'centrist', Ackman, said he will be wiring $1 million to the We Deserve Better super political action committee backing Phillips on Tuesday. The move is the latest crusade by Ackman, who led the ouster of Harvard President Claudine Gay over her inaction on anti-Semitism on campus and plagiarism allegations. Bill Ackman is the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management and recently known for pushing for the ouster of Harvard's president Ackman has endorsed Phillips's longshot-Democratic campaign and said he would be an 'outstanding' president The hedge fund manager only met Phillips two months ago, but said the donation was 'by far the largest investment I have ever made in someone running for office.' He claimed his 'spidey sense' for 'talented leaders' went off when he met Phillips. 'This is not a joke, I am totally serious,' Ackmam stated. Phillips is running on a centrist platform designed to appeal to Democrats and Republicans alike. He wants to close the borders and build housing in Mexico or applicants' home countries for asylum applicants to live in while they go through the legal process. Despite Ackman's endorsement, Phillips has a long way to go in the polls. Polling ahead of the New Hampshire primary found Biden had a lead of 69 percent with Phillips trailing on 7 percent. His campaign events failed to draw big crowds with one meet and greet event failing to have a single voter in attendance. But polls have shown voters are concerned about Biden's age, with one voter, Dale Coy, who now expects to back Phillips, telling Reuters: 'Biden's age is a real problem for me because 80-year-olds start having real mental energy problems.' Ackman said Biden's polling is 'only going to get worse as he ages, and he is not looking good as it is' Ackman claimed there is a 'reasonable chance' that 'Biden is forced to withdraw for health reasons.' He added: 'As Dean rises in the polls and Biden deteriorates, the Democratic party is going to have to choose a candidate that can beat the Republican nominee. 'If by then, as I expect, Dean is polling substantially better than Biden against Trump, I predict that the party will choose Dean Phillips over Biden. The party will have no choice.' Ackman made headlines over the past few months for his vocal criticism of Ivy League universities' handling of anti-Semitism on campus. He successfully campaigned for Harvard President Claudine Gay to resign and is now campaigning for an overhaul of the Harvard board. Ackman, who has donated about $50 million to Harvard, said he is endorsing Zoe Bedell, Logan Leslie, Julia Pollak, and Alec Williams in their campaign to join the board of overseers under the banner of 'Renew Harvard'. James Cleverly moved to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir today insisting it is anti-Semitic and 'encourages terrorism'. The Home Secretary said the Islamist group would be proscribed, pointing to the way it had 'praised and celebrated' the October 7 massacre by Hamas in Israel. Mr Cleverly said: 'Hizb ut-Tahrir is an anti-Semitic organisation that actively promotes and encourages terrorism, including praising and celebrating the appalling 7 October attacks. James Cleverly (pictured on a visit to Essex with Rishi Sunak today) has moved to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir insisting it is anti-Semitic and 'encourages terrorism' 'Proscribing this terrorist group will ensure that anyone who belongs to and invites supports for them will face consequences. It will curb Hizb ut-Tahrir's ability to operate as it currently does.' The government has tabled a draft order which, once approved, will come into force on January 19. Proscription means that it will be a criminal offence in Britain to belong to or promote the group, arrange its meetings, and carry its logo in public. Those breaching the rules could face up to 14 years in jail. The resources of a proscribed organisation can also be seized. Hizb ut-Tahrir was founded in the 1950s with the ultimate goal of establishing a Caliphate ruled under Islamic law. Although its headquarters are in Lebanon, the group is believed to operate in at least 32 countries including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. The group has been banned in many Arab nations, as well as in Germany and China. It has organised rallies which took place on the streets of London alongside pro-Palestinian marches in recent months, following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. A Hizb ut-Tahrir member could be seen shouting 'jihad' in a video from an October march, but the Metropolitan Police said no offences were identified. Conservative MP Bob Blackman last month called for leader of the UK arm of the group, Abdul Wahid, to be deported, claiming in the Commons that he should have his 'right to be in this country' cancelled. The announcement comes 100 days since Hamas's attacks, with more than 130 hostages still held in Gaza. Mr Cleverly said the group had 'praised and celebrated' the October 7 attacks. Pictured, a grieving man at the site of the Nova festival The UK Government has said it supports Israel's right to defend itself following Hamas's October 7 attacks but has urged it to show restraint and act in accordance with international rules. Former home secretary Suella Braverman joined thousands of people in central London 'in solidarity with Israel' on Sunday, chanting 'bring them home' with the crowd referring to the remaining hostages. Meanwhile, Lord Cameron denied saying Israel has broken international law in Gaza, as he insisted the UK is 'incredibly firm' with its ally. The Foreign Secretary also said it is 'nonsense' to suggest that Israel intends to commit genocide, as it faces a challenge from South Africa at the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its actions in Gaza. Rishi Sunak tried to calm the Tory civil war over immigration today as he suggested he was ready to overrule European judges to get Rwanda deportation flights off the ground. The Prime Minister said he was prepared to ignore Rule 39 orders from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg if they were applied to efforts to send Channel migrants to East Africa. He spoke ahead of two days in Parliament that will bring Tory internal rows over the plan to a head. A chunk of the Tory right has warned that the Rwanda Bill as drafted is not hardline enough and want more provisions brought in to nullify opposition. Dozens of MPs have rallied around amendments to the bill that would allow the government to ignore human rights laws, both foreign and domestic. But these are likely to be resisted by Tory moderates who outnumber them, setting up a fraught set of votes tomorrow and Wednesday. Mr Sunak's challenge in preventing another vicious bout of Conservative infighting appeared to be made harder tonight when two leading 'Red Wall' MPs publicly declared their support for rebel amendments. Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, who are both Tory deputy chairmen, said they would support proposed changes to the bill drafted by former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and veteran backbencher Sir Bill Cash. Mr Anderson, the Ashfield MP, posted on X - formerly known as Twitter - to confirm he had signed the amendments. 'The Rwanda Bill. I have signed the Cash & Jenrick amendments. I will vote for them,' Mr Anderson wrote. Mr Clarke-Smith posted: 'When I was elected in 2019 I promised my constituents we would take back control. 'I want this legislation to be as strong as possible and therefore I will be supporting the Jenrick/Cash amendments. 'These are arguments I have consistently made and will continue to make.' As the Conservative Party fights itself ahead of crunch votes starting tomorrow, the Prime Minister warned that any changes that toughen the bill up too much could leave it useless Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson publicly declared his support for rebel amendments to the PM's Rwanda Bill The Ashfield MP posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm he had signed proposed changes drafted by ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick and veteran backbencher Sir Bill Cash Brendan Clarke-Smith, another Tory deputy chairman, also said he would be supporting the amendments tabled by Mr Jenrick and Sir Bill At the same time Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, seen as a future Tory leadership frontrunner, has privately warned the PM that the law, as it stands is not tough enough and needs strengthening Mr Sunak said he is 'talking to all my colleagues' when asked about the prospect of a rebellion But Tory moderates also issued a warning tonight that they would hold firm to their position and oppose efforts to further toughen the bill. Ahead of a meeting of the One Nation group of Conservative MPs in Parliament, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said: 'I think in a nutshell, the Government would be best advised not to accept any of the amendments from my colleagues on the right, because the Bill then will cause a problem for us here. 'So we're hoping that common sense will prevail.' One Nation chairman Damian Green said: 'We've made our position clear that we, for all our reservations, we voted for the Bill at second reading. And we want the Government to carry it through unamended.' Speaking in Southend earlier today Mr Sunak told GB News: 'I've been very clear I won't let a foreign court stop us from getting flights off and this deterrent working. 'There's a clause in the bill that says very specifically, that it is for ministers to decide whether to comply with Rule 39 rulings as they're called. I would not have put that clause in the bill if I was not prepared to use it.' However he also warned the Tory right not to push their rebellion too far or risk the African nation pulling out of the multi-million-pound deal. The government in Kigali warned late last year that if the legislation was deemed illegal under international law it would pull out. Mr Sunak said he would listen to MPs who brought forward amendments that 'improve the effectiveness of the bill while making sure it is still legally compliant'. In a pointed message to his MPs he told GB News: 'We might have all the idea you want, but ultimately if that means Rwanda will stop participating in the scheme that is no good at all. Because a policy without anywhere to send people to is not a policy that is going to do anyone any good.' However, he also offered the rebels an olive branch, saying he would be prepared to over-rule rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Ahead of two crunch days of votes in the Commons starting tomorrow, more than 50 Tory MPs have publicly backed right-wing amendments to the Rwanda Bill. They include one tabled by Mr Jenrick that would make ignoring ECHR Rule 39 directives the default position. Mr Anderson voting in favour of rebel amendments would carry heavy symbolic weight and heap huge pressure on the PM. At the same time Cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch, seen as a future Tory leadership frontrunner, has privately warned the PM that the law, as it stands is not tough enough and needs strengthening. However, Tory moderates have waned again that any moves by the party Right to make the legislation more restrictive would be opposed. Mr Sunak said he is 'talking to all my colleagues' when asked about the prospect of a rebellion. 'I know everyone is frustrated - I'm frustrated about the situation - and they want to see an end to the legal merry-go-round,' he told broadcasters on a visit to Essex. 'I'm confident that the Bill we have got is the toughest that anyone has ever seen and it will resolve this issue once and for all.' The Tory leader said he was 'determined to get this new legislation onto the statute book so we can get our Rwanda scheme up and running'. He said 'good progress' had been made on his pledge to stop the boats before adding: 'In order to finish the job, we do need a deterrent like Rwanda and that is why I'm trying to do everything I can to get this Bill - which by the way is the toughest piece of migration legislation that Parliament has ever seen - on to the statute books.' It came as ministers scrambled to cool Tory panic today after a shock poll showed Rishi Sunak is heading for a 1997-style election wipeout. A huge survey of 14,000 voters found the Conservatives are on course to lose nearly 200 seats at this year's general election - with Keir Starmer racking up a 120-seat majority. That would represent the biggest collapse in support for a governing party since 1906, with an 11.5 per cent swing to Labour. And the YouGov research adds credence to growing alarm about the impact of Reform UK on the result. The Nigel Farage-backed party is projected to contribute to the Labour landslide by taking enough votes to cost 96 Tories their constituencies - but not enough to secure a single MP of its own. Ms Badenoch, the Business Secretary, is understood to have called for asylum seekers to be prevented from lodging individual legal appeals against their removals to Kigali. As first reported by The Times, she warned Liam Booth-Smith, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, of the consequences of failing to block individual legal challenges last month. YouGov calculated the figures from the huge sample using the Multi-Level Regression and Poststratification (MRP) method, which maps characteristics of specific constituencies More than 50 Tory MPs have publicly backed right-wing amendments to the Rwanda Bill, which will return to the Commons on Tuesday. The right-wing amendments gaining support among backbenchers were tabled by Mr Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, and Sir Bill. They are seeking to disapply international law from the Bill and curtail asylum seekers' rights to appeal against flights to Kigali. The severity of the small boat crossings which the policy is seeking to tackle was reinforced on Sunday when five more people died trying to cross the Channel from France. The amendments are unlikely to pass as they will not get Labour support but the real test will come at the third reading when rebels may vote against the Bill entirely. Three leaders of groups on the Tory right, Mark Francois, Sir John Hayes and Danny Kruger, have said they would oppose the bill if Mr Sunak does not bow to their demands. The former home secretary and rival to Mr Sunak, Suella Braverman, has said she will this time vote against the Bill if there are 'no improvements', having previously abstained. If rebels were successful, blocking the Prime Minister's flagship Bill would trigger fresh chaos - something that may make opponents toe the line to let it pass. Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland has said he would not back the Bill if the changes are made. He told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: 'I'm going to consider the position very carefully to see what I do at third reading. 'I can say this, if any of the amendments that are promoted by some other colleagues pass then there's no way I can vote for this Bill at third reading. 'I think already we are pushing the edges of comity - that is that mutual respect between Parliament and the courts - very, very aggressively indeed.' Mr Sunak has argued that moving a further 'inch' on the Bill would risk the Rwandans quitting the deal. Rice University is offering an 'Afrochemistry' class that promises to analyze science through a 'contemporary African-American lens'. Marketed as 'the study of black-life matter', a play on words merging science jargon with the Black Lives Matter movement, the course begins this semester. The course description on the university's website explains students will 'apply chemical tools and analysis to understand black life in the US' and 'implement African American sensibilities to analyze chemistry'. 'Diverse historical and contemporary scientists, intellectuals, and chemical discoveries will inform personal reflections and proposals for addressing inequities in chemistry and chemical education,' it read. Brooke Johnson, a Rice graduate with a PhD in chemistry from Princeton hired last August as part of the university's DEI department, will teach the class. A flyer advertising a preview for the class at the private university in Houston used a cartoon of a student with an afro hairstyle pondering questions the course would address Her university bio lists her as a 'preceptor' and post-doctoral fellow who was a former track athlete at Rice until her graduation in 2017. 'Dr Johnson is passionate about the intersection of science and social justice and using her unique experiences to teach, support and inspire diverse students,' it read. A flyer advertising a preview for the class at the private university in Houston used a cartoon of a student with an afro hairstyle pondering questions the course would address. They included 'what does it look like to do science on ones own terms?', 'what does justice look like in chemistry?' and 'how does our society shape the science we do?' The flyer explained the course would 'explore the intersection of racial justice and chemistry'. 'We will approach chemistry using a historical and contemporary African American lens in order to analyze science and its impact,' it read. 'In addition, we will be using chemical concepts to better understand Black life in the US. As we consider not only what science is being discovered, but also ask why, how and by whom, etc. 'This course will empower students to consider approaches to STEM that enhance community impact.' The class does not give any credits for a chemistry major, but does court towards an African and African-American studies minor. The description noted 'no prior knowledge of chemistry or African American studies is required' and there is no final exam. Brooke Johnson, a Rice graduate with a PhD in chemistry from Princeton hired last August as part of the university's DEI department, will teach the class Several commentators online, including at the Wall Street Journal, noted the course was the latest example of questionable classes blending science with identity politics popping up at American universities. What the class would actually teach in practice was not entirely clear from the description, particularly how much hard science it would involve. Academics discussed whether the course was likely to be geared towards scientific study or the discussion of racial politics in the field of chemistry, or a mix of both. Some were concerned the study of science would be diluted by identity politics, but others speculated it could be helpful to get black students studying chemistry. 'While the title of the course is a bit wince-inducing, I dont think the course will necessarily be a bad thing,' one wrote on an online forum. 'I can imagine there being a number of legitimate scientific issues that might especially impact African-Americans and their environments.' Another pointed out that as a first generation college student in a field with few black scientists, Dr Johnson was an ideal person to discuss how race affected what was studied in chemistry. 'Whose proposals get grants and funding, and what values are represented? Who is positioned to make these influential decisions? Is the possible impact on society considered in these decisions?' they explained. A tourist claims she was forced to sit under a bag dripping with murky brown liquid for her entire flight like 'Chinese water torture' - but the air hostess 'refused to move her seat or the wet luggage.' Sophie Shaw was heading to Los Angeles, California, US, to see friends this past December when she had the 'worst flying experience of her life' during the 90 minute or so flight. The 24-year-old says she noticed Southwest Airlines staff mopping up the overhead locker with paper towels, then after a 'couple of minutes' in the air she woke from a nap with a wet leg. Bizarre video shows an unknown liquid dripping from a gap in the locker and onto her soaked seat as she tries to avoid getting wet. Sophie says she alerted an air hostess who looked at her 'like she was a nuisance' and told her she couldn't be re-seated and the dripping luggage couldn't be moved as the flight was full. The bag can be seen here, coming out of an overhead storage locker The unidentified liquid can be seen dripping out in a video posted by passenger Sophie Shaw The clip pans over to show the soaked seat the Shaw was forced to sit in for the duration of the flight Shaw, 24, shown here, is a entrepreneur from San Francisco The business owner claims the liquid dripped onto her seat for the full one-and-a-half-hour flight and she was left to 'sit in a puddle' and felt 'extremely uncomfortable'. The 5ft 2in woman says she wouldn't have been able to move the luggage herself so would have expected the flight attendant to have helped more than just giving her some paper towels. She claims she complained to the help desk after getting off the plane and was given a $150 voucher as compensation - but she believes she deserves more. The full-time engineer posted the video on TikTok where it's been viewed more than 3.5 million times, with users surprised the passenger wasn't more angry at the time. Shaw, from San Francisco said: 'It was the worst experience on a plane I've ever had. 'Flight attendants were trying to deal with [the drip] before the flight took off and they put some paper towels in the locker, so I guess they'd tried to fix something but they couldn't. 'When the plane took off I started to nap and a couple of minutes later in my sleep I realized that my leg and the seat were completely soaked. 'I thought the lady next to me had spilt water on me but then I looked up and there was a big drip coming from the ceiling. Southwest Airlines has not responded to any queries regarding the video The reaction on social media has been savage 'I'm a really petite girl so I couldn't physically move the luggage by myself. That would have caused a huge scene. 'I pressed the button and told the flight attendant but I thought she looked at me as if I was a nuisance. She wasn't sympathetic whatsoever. 'I think it should have been her job to make a bigger deal out of it but she just said the flight was too full and she couldn't move the luggage. 'I tried to shove myself to one half of the seat to avoid the dripping but my pants were completely soaked and I was basically sitting in a puddle. 'The liquid could have been anything. It could have been a health hazard because I didn't know what it was. 'I had to suffer a disgusting unknown liquid making my pants wet and making me extremely uncomfortable. 'It was like Chinese water torture with it dripping down on me. 'It was really disgusting to sit through and I was feeling pretty grossed out the entire time so I literally just closed my eyes and listened to music to try and block it out. 'I think they should have offered to clean it up themselves at the bare minimum and rearranged the luggage to try and stop the drip.' Sophie's plane flew from San Jose International Airport to John Wayne Airport [both in California] at 7.10pm on December 13. The 24-year-old, who is founder of AI business Azuryne, says some turbulence made the drip land in different places so even her shoes got wet. She says she didn't see whose luggage it was when she got off the plane but she filed a complaint at the 'apologetic' help desk. They asked her to file an online claim which the company responded to within eight hours to offer her a $150 voucher. The engineer saw comments online that her compensation wasn't enough so she says she contacted them again but nothing else was offered. She believes she should get a full refund for the flight, which she says cost around $160, and the voucher but hasn't contacted the airline again since their second response. Her video has more than 100,000 likes and 1,200 comments. One commented: 'I would've said so loudly 'WHOSE BAG IS THIS !!!!' Another said: 'The scene I would make! Absolutely not. Y'all are either tossing that bag or I am!' A third added: 'Helllllllll nooooooooooooo. I'm non confrontational but I'd be confronting.' A fourth said: 'You're too nice.' Southwest Airlines were contacted repeatedly for comment. An OnlyFans porn star who was allegedly spying for Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko's KGB secret service has been arrested. Daria Ostapenko, 36, a vet by profession who was also an active OnlyFans model, has been detained in Poland where she is suspected of collaborating with Lukashenko's secret service for up to seven years. She is accused of posing as a pro-democracy opposition activist seeking to overthrow allegedly vote-rigging Lukashenko, while in fact informing the feared KGB on democracy campaigners who have fled abroad - including to Poland. Lukashenko is Vladimir Putin's closest ally, and the Minsk autocrat's basket-case economy and defence is entirely dependent on the Kremlin. Part of Ostapenko's cover was to work as a model, receiving money from subscribers for online pornography, it is alleged. Daria Ostapenko (pictured), 36, a vet by profession who was also an active OnlyFans model, has been detained in Poland where she is suspected of collaborating with Lukashenko's secret service for up to seven years Part of Ostapenko's cover was to work as a model, receiving money from subscribers for online pornography, it is alleged She is accused of posing as a pro-democracy opposition activist seeking to overthrow allegedly vote-rigging Lukashenko (pictured), while in fact informing the feared KGB on democracy campaigners who have fled abroad - including to Poland Earlier she had reportedly worked as a hardcore porn star with the nickname Rita Martin. As an alleged opposition activist with the Belarusian diaspora in Poland 'she talked about the need to act more decisively to overthrow the government in Belarus, namely by force', reported opposition news outlet Zerkalo. READ MORE: Fears as Belarus president signs law making it impossible for him to ever face criminal prosecution Advertisement 'She suggested collecting weapons, breaking into Belarus and setting up an explosion on the Belarusian border.' But after a drinking session she spoke about her actual role in Poland - reporting back to Lukashenko's feared KGB, which routinely tortures the dictator's enemies. 'Information about her was transferred to the Polish Internal Security Agency, and she was detained on the same day,' reported the news outlet. Sources say evidence of her links to the KGB was found on her smartphone. She is currently remanded in custody. Reports say the adult actress is charged under Poland's espionage laws which permit penalties of between five and 30 years in prison. 'Ostapenko's chosen profession made her extremely vulnerable to recruitment because Belarusian authorities could catch her breaking Belarus' extremely strict prostitution and pornography laws,' said Polish news outlet Onet. 'Sources report that Ostapenko may have started cooperating with the KGB as early as 2017.' Once she posed as an opposition activist at a polling station where dictator Lukashenko went to vote. As an alleged opposition activist with the Belarusian diaspora in Poland 'she talked about the need to act more decisively to overthrow the government in Belarus, namely by force', reported opposition news outlet Zerkalo Lukashenko is Vladimir Putin's closest ally, and the Minsk autocrat's basket-case economy and defence is entirely dependent on the Kremlin (pictured: Lukashenko and Putin) 'The [alleged] spy's career collapsed because of her own mistake,' reported the outlet. 'Ostapenko, while drunk, revealed to her friends that she was working for the Belarusian security services. 'On the same day, the Polish authorities arrested Ostapenko. On her phone, the Internal Security Agency found evidence of communication with Belarusian intelligence officers.' Lukashenko has been accused to have won the 2020 presidential election fraudulently. The real victor is seen as pro-Western Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, 41, who stood in the election after her husband Syarhei Tsikhanouski, 45, was jailed by Lukashenko and prevented from standing. She is now in exile. Many pro-democracy campaigners remain locked up. The Earth is heating up, as is conflict in the Middle East. The world economy and Ukraine's defense against Russia are sputtering along. Artificial intelligence could upend all our lives. The to-do list of global priorities has grown for this years edition of the World Economic Forums gabfest of business, political and other elites in the Alpine snows of Davos, Switzerland, which runs Tuesday through Friday. Over 60 heads of state and government, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be heading to town to hold both public appearances and closed-door talks. They'll be among more than 2,800 attendees, which also include academics, artists and international organization leaders. The gathering is mostly high-minded ambition think business innovation, aims for peace-making and security cooperation, or life-changing improvements in health care and a venue for decision-makers in an array of fields and industries to connect. It is also regularly panned by critics as an emblem of the yawning gap between rich and poor: Young Swiss Socialists staged a rally Sunday to blast the forum and brand attendees as the richest and most powerful, who are responsible for todays wars and crises. Davos is easily mocked. But in current times it is hard to get people together to talk in a room on shared global issues and the value of face-to-face conversations is very real, as the COVID-19 pandemic showed," Bronwen Maddox, director of the Chatham House think tank, said in an e-mail. Here's what to watch for: While Davos is generally big-picture, regional conflict can cast a long shadow like Ukraine's war did a year ago, prompting organizers to exclude any Russian delegation. This year, Israel's three-month war with Hamas in Gaza, and recently U.S. and British airstrikes on Houthi militants in Yemen who have fired missiles into Red Sea shipping lanes, are looming large. Herzog, the Israeli president, whose job is more ceremonial than is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's, will be on hand for a Davos session Thursday, and the prime ministers of Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon will also be attending. A humanitarian briefing on Gaza session gets a half-hour slot Tuesday. A testament to how technology has taken a large and growing slice of attention in Davos, this year the theme of Artificial Intelligence as a driving force for the economy and society will get about 30 separate sessions. The dizzying emergence of OpenAI's ChatGPT over a year ago and rivals since then have elevated the power, promise and portent of artificial intelligence into greater public view. OpenAI chief Sam Altman will be in Davos along with top executives from Microsoft, which helped bankroll his company's rise. AI in education, transparency about AI, its ethics and impact on creativity are all part of the menu and the Davos Promenade is swimming in advertisements and displays pointing to the new technology. Forum organizers warned last week that the threat posed by misinformation generated by AI, such as through the creation of synthetic content, is the world's greatest short-term threat . Such misinformation could surge this year, and one session explores the threat of bots and plots" on democracies. Forum organizers say elections in countries whose populations together total 4.2 billion people will take place this year, and many will be contested. (Few doubt whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will get a new term.) It comes against the backdrop of talk about a new Cold War, the widening rift between dictatorships or at least autocracies and democratic countries. Back-to-back addresses Tuesday morning by Prime Minister Li Qiang of China and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, will highlight the contrast. President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, gives a speech later in the day. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak Wednesday, as will Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, a libertarian who has already announced plans to slash the government workforce . Davos corridors were already abuzz about whether former U.S. President Donald Trump who made two trips to Davos during his term could be inaugurated again around this time next year, after November's election. Biden was once a regular at Davos , but has not attended as president. Of all the lofty hopes in Davos, the perennial one of late has been the search for creative and promising ways to fight climate change. This year is no different: Top climate scientists from around the world reported this month that average global temperatures last year obliterated the record highs raising the urgency level. John Kerry, who is stepping down as Biden's climate adviser, takes part in a panel discussion on a U.S.-backed initiative that aims to draw the private sector into development of low-carbon technologies . Chatham House's Maddox said plans to transition away from fossil fuels agreed during the U.N. climate conference in Dubai last month means climate finance will face a big year in 2024. Davos is a powerful combination potentially, of a lot of concern about the environment, and a lot of high-powered finance present, she said. (AP) A US commercial ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen on Monday, according to US and UK officials. US Central command said Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) first reported there had been an 'incident' 95 nautical miles south east of Aden, though details of the incident remain scarce. That report only said the ships captain reported that the 'port side of vessel hit from above by a missile,' but did not identify the ship or elaborate. It is currently not known who was behind the attack and an investigation has been launched. Private intelligence firm Ambrey said a US-owned bulk carrier carrying a Marshall Islands flag had been hit by the missile. The firm claimed the vessel remained seaworthy and there were no injuries. It comes less than a day after Yemen's Houthi rebels launched an attack against an American destroyer in the Red Sea. A US commercial ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen on Monday US Central command said Iranian-backed Houthi militants struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship On Sunday Yemen's Houthi rebels launched an attack against an American destroyer in the Red Sea Sundays attack toward the American warship marked the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis a Shiite rebel group allied with Iran that seized Yemens capital in 2014 have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war, attacks that threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration. They did not immediately acknowledge the attack. It wasnt presently clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attacks, though President Joe Biden has said he 'will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.' The UKMTO warned ships to 'transit with caution and report and suspicious activity'. The U.S. Navys Mideast-based 5th Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Yemens Houthi rebels did not acknowledge any attack, though they have fired missiles previously in that area. The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, the U.S. militarys Central Command said in a statement. The Shiite rebel group has declared war against the West over its support for Israel A US fighter jet shot down anti-ship cruise missile fired toward the American destroyer USS Laboon (pictured) by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea Sunday, their first response to a series of drone strikes fired by the Americans in recent days The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the U.S. said. The Houthis have been attacking commercial ship sin the Red Sea which they claim are headed to Israel as they aim to support Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas. A US fighter jet blasted the Houthi cruise missile out of the sky over the Red Sea on Sunday before it was able to hit its target, the USS Laboon. Rebels were seen posing with machine guns and rocket launchers in photos released Sunday. Fighters were also photographed earlier in the weekend conducting drills and recording themselves in terrain made to resemble Jewish settlements. The United States military and its allies began airstrikes on Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthi fire on Sunday went in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, Central Command said. The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis. 'An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,' Central Command said. 'There were no injuries or damage reported.' The first day of US-led strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas. The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the infrastructure damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others. But two officials told the New York Times on Sunday they still have about 75 percent of their ability to fire missiles and drones at ships transiting the Red Sea. This is despite the US and its allies claiming to have damaged or destroyed about 90 percent of the targets struck. A school board vice president and two of his young children - ages 6 and 8 - were killed when their plane crashed in rural Texas on Sunday. Dr. Heath Smith, a general and bariatric surgeon, was piloting the twin-engine Cessna C310 aircraft with two of his sons, whose names were not released, on board when the plane lost radar and communication around 12.30pm, the National Transportation Safety Board told USA Today. The plane was traveling from Carrizo Springs, Texas, near the U.S.- Mexico border to Bridgeport in Wise County when it crashed near Poolville, an unincorporated community located about 38 miles west of Fort Worth, the Parker County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff's office and emergency responders were alerted after receiving reports of a downed plane. The sheriff's office confirmed all three people on board the plane, including the pilot, perished in the crash. The cause of the crash is still unknown and is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB. Dr. Heath Smith was one of the victims of Sunday's deadly plane crash. Smith was a general and bariatric surgeon and the vice president of the Paradise Independent School District school board Smith with his wife Andrea pictured with their three sons Smith with his wife, Andrea Smith, and his three young sons returning from a hunting trip Wreckage from the doomed aircraft was found approximately 10 miles southwest of the Bridgeport Municipal Airport, according to preliminary information from the NTSB. The agency said an investigator would be arriving at the crash scene on Monday morning to begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft that will then be transported to a facility for further evaluation, the news outlet reported. Smith was vice president of the Paradise Independent School district in Texas and officials were distraught upon hearing the tragic news of their colleague. 'Our hearts are devastated for the Smith family,' said Paradise ISD Superintendent Will Brewer, according to ABC8 News. 'Words cannot fully express the grief that we feel for their loss. The tragedy that this family has endured is unimaginable. Dr. Smith was a vital part of our school district as an alumnus, parent, and board member. He was passionate about his love for Paradise ISD and his impact on students and staff will be long lasting. Please keep the Smith family in your prayers.' Little is known about the trip Smith took with his two children, but it appears the devoted father of three was an aircraft enthusiast. His social media page features photograph with his wife and three young sons enjoying hunting excursions, flying on planes, and frolicking on the beach. Smith attended Texas A&M University College of Medicine and was a Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (FASMBS) and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. His surgical experience ranged from bariatric, colonoscopy, colorectal, hernia, breast, appendix, gallbladder, surgical oncology and thyroid. He was also the medical director for My Bariatric Solutions that has three locations in Decatur, Forth Worth and Waco, Texas. Smith wrote in one of his bios: 'My patients deserve a physician and surgeon that will treat them with compassion and understanding. A physician that will listen to them and treat them with respect and dignity.' A photo of Dr. Smith wearing headphones around his head as he is seen piloting a plane during a previous flight News of Smith's sudden and tragic passing sent shockwaves through the community as many remembered him as a beloved and dedicated doctor, father, husband and wonderful human-being. Many expressed their heartbreak and sent prayers to Smith's wife and their oldest surviving son, including his former and present patients. 'RIP Dr. Heath Smith and your two sweet sons!!,' someone wrote. 'Im so sorry for this devastating loss. Praying for your wife, remaining son, and the rest of your family as they grieve. Life is so precious and this is just so tragic!!! Another echoed the same sentiment, writing 'a terrible loss.' 'The Smith family has always been a pillar of the community. Praying for the rest of the family and those that worked with him,' they said. A patient wrote: 'To the surgeon who changed my life, Dr. Heath Smith, my prayers are with your family at this time. The loss of you and your 2 children is un measurable.' Residents of a Welsh town have been left stunned after large stretch of a local river turned bright orange. The Afon Lwyd river in the Charlesville area of Pontypool, South Wales, became an orange-red rust colour on January 12. Reminiscent of a scene out of Willy Wonka's film set, or of the contents of an Irn Bru bottle, the 13-mile long river underwent the mystery colour change due to pollution from old ironworks. The cause of the copper-like transformation became the centre of debate among residents and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) spokespeople, who claimed that the water pollution originated from a former iron works. Some residents, on the other hand, took social media to suggest what they thought may have triggered the change - ranging from sewage to it being an advertising gimmick for the new Willy Wonka film. The Afon Lwyd river in the Charlesville area of Pontypool, South Wales, became an orange-red rust colour on January 12 Reminiscent of a scene out of Willy Wonka's film set, or of the contents of an Irn Bru bottle, the 13-mile long river underwent the mystery colour change due to pollution from old ironworks Walker Sian Leyshon, 38, said: 'I couldn't believe my eyes - suddenly is was like a technicolour tide. 'The river is usually just a dull grey but it had gone a bright orange-red. But I'm sure it wouldn't taste as good as a chocolate orange.' Torfaen Borough County Council and Natural Resources Wales were made aware of the river's strange colour on Friday (Jan 12). The council said: 'NRW officers attended the site yesterday evening (January 12) to investigate and have returned this morning to continue the investigation in daylight hours. 'NRW suspect that pollution has been caused by a mine water breakout into the Cwmsychan Brook in the area of the British, near Abersychan, which has impacted also the Afon Lwyd.' NRW said the source of the orange water was from a former ironworks near Abersychan. A spokesperson for NRW said: 'By working closely with the Coal Authority we have confirmed the source of mine water pollution as the Cwmsychan Brook Culvert, a former iron works site near Abersychan in Torfaen.' They added: 'It now appears to have subsided, and the river is much clearer today though orange sediment remains on the riverbed.' Slide me The bridge area at Afon Lwyd at Pontypoole, Monmouthshire, South Wales, in its stunning natural form (picture 1), before pollution formed from iron works turn the water into a bright orange hue (picture 2) Residents of the Welsh town have been left stunned, with one person, Sian Leyshon, 38, saying: 'I couldn't believe my eyes - suddenly is was like a technicolour tide' In 2023, areas of the River Trent in North Staffordshire turned bright orange and electric blue after clothing dyes were accidentally dumped into the water In 2023, a similar mutation occurred when areas of the River Trent in North Staffordshire turned bright orange and electric blue after clothing dyes were accidentally dumped into the water. The Environment Agency said it was aware of the discolouration of the River Trent downstream in Stoke-on-Trent. Although The Environment Agency could not confirm where the dyes originated from, the agency reassured people that no fish or wildlife had been seen in distress, while samples showed no cause for concern. However, they recommended people and pets avoid the water whilst it remained and to contact them if they had any concerns. River bailiff John Anderson, of the Burton Trent Partnership told Staffordshire Live at the time: 'Unfortunately, we seem plagued with incidents along the river. This is not acceptable and we at Burton Trent Partnership would like some answers.' California came in as the top state with the highest rate of fatal crashes involving a hit-and-run The lawless state of California has topped the list for the highest rate of hit-and-run crashes involving a death in the US. In the last four years, there have been nearly 2,000 fatal crashes in the Golden State involving a driver fleeing the area. According to a study by Personal Injury Law Firm Suzuki Law Offices, more than one in 10 crashes in the state involved a hit-and-run. The study utilized data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2017 to 2021. Overall, about 10.48 percent of crashes in the state involved a hit-and-run, compared to a 6.3 percent rate across the nation. In California, the rate of fatal wrecks with a driver leaving was over 10 percent between 6pm and 6am - specifically, the rate was above 17 percent between 9pm and 10pm. 'This suggests most hit-and-runs happen because the driver wants to avoid detection and the consequences of their actions. But if you hit a pedestrian with a car and flee the scene, it could potentially endanger their life and lead to more serious legal implications,' the law firm said. California came in at 10.48 percent with the highest amount of fatal crashes involving hit-and-runs in the US. Illinois, New Jersey, Alaska and Hawaii also made it into the top five California has recorded that 1,901 of its 16,326 fatal crashes involved a hit-and run. Heavy traffic is seen during rush hour on Interstate 10 in downtown Los Angeles Illinois came in second with 452 of 4,731 deadly crashes involving a hit-and-run. Cars are seen on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago California was found to have 16,326 fatal crashes, with 1,901 of them involving hit-and-runs. Recent data from the California Office of Traffic Safety showed that deadly hit-and-runs went up by nearly 3.5 percent from 2021 to 2022. Trailing behind came Illinois, with 452 of 4,731 deadly crashes involving a hit-and-run. Ranked at No. 2, Illinois came in at a rate of 8.72 percent in deadly crashes. In third was New Jersey with a rate of 8.5 percent as 243 of 2,614 fatal crashes had a driver who fled. Alaska and Hawaii tied at an overall rate of 8.49 percent, but out of 291 fatal crashes in Alaska, 27 had a hit-and-run. In Hawaii, 41 out of 442 deadly crashes involved a hit-and-run. In third came New Jersey with a rate of 8.5 percent as 243 of 2,614 of fatal crashes involved a hit-and-run. Cars are seen driving along Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City On December 22, a hit-and-run suspect killed two young brothers in Antioch, California. Arsenio Rabb, 12, and Amahje Emenike, 13, were on their way to a store with their father when they were hit by an SUV Surveillance footage captured a hit-and-run incident that took place on November 9 as a white BMW sped toward a motorcyclist and killed them in Los Angeles The other five states that made it into the top 10 were New Mexico, New York, Connecticut, Arizona and Texas. On December 22, a hit-and-run suspect killed two young brothers in Antioch - about 45 miles east of San Francisco. Police responded to a reported traffic collision at an intersection around 11:30 pm, the Antioch Police Department said in a statement. The two victims, Arsenio Rabb, 12, and Amahje Emenike, 13, were on their way to a store with their father when they were hit by an SUV at the intersection of West Sixth and G streets. 'It took my only about two seconds to feel, to really come to and get over the initial shock only to look to your right and see the whole right side of your car crush my babies,' the boy's father Amanze Emenike told NBC Bay Area. The driver of the SUV fled on foot and has not been captured by police. Witnesses said that it was a gruesome scene and the boys were clearly in dire conditions when they found them. On November 9, shocking footage has emerged of a hit-and-run that left a motorcyclist dead when they were mowed down by a BMW driver in Los Angeles. Surveillance video captured a Harley Davidson rider that was waiting to make a left turn out of a strip mall parking lot out of the 8600 block of North Woodley Avenue in North Hills around 6:40pm. A white truck was then seen turning into the same car park, temporarily obstructing the view of the biker. Once the white truck was cleared, the motorcyclist moved forward onto the road. Adriana Sanchez, 50, was walking her two dogs around 6am in North Hills- a city in Los Angeles- when the vehicle hit them in the marked crosswalk before they fled the scene But out of nowhere, a white BMW came speeding toward the motorcyclist as the two collided and sent pieces of their bike flying across the road. Chunks of metal are seen strewn across the road's surface as the BMW kept driving and did not turn back to check on the condition of the driver they hit. The Los Angeles Police Department received multiple calls about a three-vehicle crash in San Fernando Valley and have not identified a suspect or the victims involved in the case. Adriana Sanchez was hit as she walked across a marked crosswalk. She was then taken to the hospital. Sanchez's daughter Naomi Hidalgo was heartbroken and determined to find the driver responsible. 'Killer' Mayo Clinic doctor Connor Bowman had become 'infatuated' with another woman in the weeks leading up to his wife's lethal poisoning, her best friend has revealed. Betty, a 32-year-old pharmacist, who was in an open marriage had been concerned that her husband Connor was becoming increasingly obsessed with the woman who he invited to sleep in their marital home, the friend Sarah Leeser told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview. A bisexual, Betty herself was dating two people at the time of her August 20 death a man and a woman Leeser said. However, she had met Connor's new love interest and was concerned about how serious they were getting. Bowman, 30, an expert on poisons, is charged with killing his wife by lacing her smoothie with the gout medication colchicine. He had taken a half-million lidfe insurance out on her. The case was upgraded from second degree murder to first degree last week. 'Betty didn't understand why he was so infatuated,' said Sarah, 32. 'They both saw different people. But there was something different about this girl. It was more like obsession.' In an interview with DailyMail.com Sarah Leeser (left) described the red flags that led her to grow suspicious about her best friend Betty Bowman's August 20 death Betty, 32, an operating room pharmacist who worked with her husband at the world class clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, died days after becoming hospitalized with a sudden illness Investigators allege Betty's husband, Connor Bowman, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic, slipped a fatal dose of gout medicine colchicine into her smoothie At one point, Connor and the woman 'broke up,' Sarah said. 'He was super depressed and wanted to be with her all the time.' Betty, who died on August 20, was also upset that her husband often lied about his activities and whereabouts, telling her he was at work when he was actually out on a date. 'It was the lying and keeping secrets that became a problem,' Sarah said. But there were other factors threatening their marriage, including their views on children: Connor wanted to start a family. Betty didn't. 'Betty wasn't ready, Connor was,' Sarah said. 'That was part of the discussion close to the end.' As Betty contemplated whether the marriage could be saved, Sarah said she and other friends offered her a place to live. Still, amid the turmoil, Sarah said she had no concern Connor might harm her. She never knew him to be physically abusive. She also didn't recognize red flags when Betty ended up in the hospital with a sudden illness, nor when Connor told her that Betty, a healthy woman, was suffering from Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosi (HLH), a rare disease causing her organs to shut down. After Betty's death, she noted, she found it disconcerting when Connor started talking about collecting $500,000 in life insurance, and when he began openly flaunting his relationship with the new girlfriend. Just days after Betty's death, Sarah said, Connor invited his lover to join her and other mutual friends at a winery where she saw them smiling, kissing, and hugging. Sarah (pictured with the pair) revealed that while the couple had agreed to an open marriage, Betty had grown concerned over Connor's new romantic pursuit and his dishonest behavior Friends described the 30-year-old widower as 'stoic and calm' and even 'happy or at least indifferent' in the days following his wife's death Betty's death was ruled as suspicious after a friend contacted police to tell them the couple had been having marital problems over infidelity and Bowman's alleged debts It wasn't until days later, when detectives reached out that Sarah grew suspicious and began to question everything that that happened before and after Betty's death. Could Connor, seeing the breakdown of his marriage, have killed her best friend to get what he wanted a debt-free new life with a woman who wanted children? Police would later cite Sarah by her initials, SEL, in an arrest affidavit detailing allegations against Connor, accusing him of slipping poison into Betty's smoothie after weeks of researching how much gout medicine it would take to kill a woman of her size. 'SEL reported that she had received a text message from victim on August 16, 2023, stating that victim was very ill, went to the hospital, and things were going downhill,' the affidavit states. 'SEL reported victim was a healthy person. Victim had told others that Bowman had debt, so they kept separate bank accounts,' it continues. 'Bowman told SEL that he was going to get $500,000 in life insurance as a result of victim's death. Bowman also told SEL early on that victim was suffering from HLH.' Sarah has followed the case incessantly in recent weeks, posting online tributes to her best friend, organizing a GoFundMe drive to help her parents, and sharing updates on Facebook. She grasped for a motive in her interview with DailyMail.com. 'Everything that's come out so far seems to point to the life insurance policy and reporting that he has debts,' Sarah said, stating that Betty had told her about Connor's debts, after seeing his credit card statements. 'It could be a combination of the other woman, but also that doesn't make sense because Betty would have given him a divorce,' she added. 'There's really no motive that makes sense.' Sarah met Betty back in high school in Wichita, Kansas, and they became best friends, living together briefly after college. Bowman, who had recently finished Mayo Clinic's pharmacist residency program and is a poison control specialist, is said to have asked the medical examiner's office to cremate his wife's body 'immediately' following her death Sarah said she was on vacation with her family in mid-August when Betty messaged her to report she was suffering extreme symptoms and was 'scared' The friend also revealed that the couple had disagreements about having children he wanted to start a family, she wasn't ready Sarah said she did find it disconcerting when Connor started talking about collecting $500,000 in life insurance, and began openly flaunting his relationship with the new girlfriend, shortly after Betty's death After her death, Betty's family attended a funeral service Connor arranged in Rochester. Her family held a Celebration of Life in Wichita on October 7, but he didn't show up. They shared with DailyMail.com a pamphlet from the celebration She also got to know Connor after he started dating Betty at Kansas University. She attended the couple's lavish wedding in Independence, Missouri, in 2021 and continued to see her friend frequently and communicate daily. 'At the beginning, it was good,' Sarah said of the couple's relationship. 'She had a lot of friends, and he didn't,' she added. 'He was very doting, and she spoke highly of him. Betty's mother Nancy and sister Brianna told DailyMail.com Connor had informed them she was suffering from HLH, and admit they did not question it at the time 'She'd say he had a great work ethic and was very smart. Obviously, later on, that changed.' Betty, friendly and gregarious, would date men and woman she would mostly meet in person. Connor had a much more active sex life, hooking up with women he would meet through dating apps, Sarah said. Both would bring dates home at times, she explained. But Connor would often not be honest about who he was dating, or when. 'Betty was very much about open communication,' Sarah said. 'She was the most calm person ever, but she would stand up for herself.' Sarah was on vacation with her family in Branson, Missouri, in mid-August when Betty messaged her to report she was suffering extreme diarrhea. 'She texted that "I have no idea what's going on" and "I'm scared," Sarah recalled. She rushed back from her vacation to see Betty in the hospital. Betty was already weak and losing consciousness. When Sarah left the hospital at night, she said: 'I made a joke and she kind of squeezed my hand and I went to bed thinking she's getting better. 'The next day, they were wheeling her into surgery and that's when it went downhill.' Connor was present throughout the ordeal. 'He was there and kept us all updated,' he said. 'He seemed very stoic and factual.' He repeatedly shared his belief that she was suffering from HLH. A couple of days after Betty's death, Connor invited Sarah over to the house to pack some of Betty's belongings. He also asked for permission to bring his girlfriend over, she said. 'I said okay, mostly because I was nosy,' Sarah said. Connor redirected all of them to the Four Daughters Vineyard in Spring Valley, Minnesota. 'They were affectionate,' Sarah said. 'They were holding hands. They were cuddling on the couch.' After returning to Bowman's house that night, Sarah went home. Connor's girlfriend stayed, she said. She said the couple split up after detectives started asking questions. 'I think she had thought Betty died of natural causes and felt bad,' she said. Connor also grew anxious in those early days, she said, organizing a funeral in Rochester, Minnesota, that emphasized his love for Betty, as if he needed to demonstrate their tight bond with an investigation underway. 'It was all pictures of him and Betty, none of her with her family, or her growing up,' Sarah said. 'It's like he was saying, 'I'm a loving husband, I'm not a murderer.' He also made an odd disclosure to Sarah that he was in for a windfall. 'He brought it up a couple times that he was getting her life insurance,' said Sarah, who told him she hoped he would use some of that money to support Betty's family and send Christmas and birthday presents to relatives and children of her friends, as Betty would always do. Sarah's kids would call her 'Aunt Betty,' and half of her daughter's room is decorated with stuff from her beloved friend. Later, Connor started quizzing Sarah and some of Betty's other friends who were being contacted by investigators. 'He called a bunch of people trying to figure out what we all said,' Sarah told DailyMail.com. 'He was angrier than normal. He was surprised, for sure.' Connor was ultimately arrested in October and charged with second-degree murder. The charges were upgraded to first-degree murder last week, carrying a punishment of life imprisonment if convicted. The case has gone on to receive national attention, but Sarah said she doesn't want people to lose sight of the victim. 'I just miss my best friend,' she said, her voice quivering. 'She was just the most beautiful person, intelligent, gave 100 percent at her job and even when she was late, it was because she was buying things, treats for people,' she said. 'She just cared really deeply about people, always letting everyone know how much she loved them. 'I think the news focuses on him and the open relationship,' she continued. 'It's very easy to dramatize it all, this very crazy case with two Mayo Clinic doctors. But above all, she was a wonderful, loving woman who didn't deserve that.' Bowman penned an obituary after his wife's death which stated she died from 'sudden onset autoimmune and infectious illness'. Prosecutors claim he tried to rush through her cremation and dissuade medical officers from carrying out an autopsy Sarah has set up a GoFundMe account to help assist Nancy and her family with legal costs, transportation to Minnesota, memorial costs and other related expenses. Of Connor, Sarah said: 'I hope he is jailed forever and he never gets parole.' Betty's mother and one of her sisters spoke with DailyMail.com in an earlier interview last week, sharing that Betty had started talking about a divorce because he wouldn't be forthcoming about the women he slept with. 'They did have an open relationship and they were both okay with that,' Betty Bowman's younger sister Brianna Stockemer said. 'But it was his lying.' 'He lied a lot, and Betty would give him a lot of chances to fix things,' said Brianna, 24. 'But he would just keep lying and play a lot of mental games. It was a typical narcissistic relationship where you have a nice person who will give you a lot of chances.' Connor Bowman alerted her family after she'd been admitted to the hospital, then later joined them at her bedside offering comfort during her dying days. The 30-year-old insisted to Betty's family, too, that she was suffering from HLH. The family had never heard of the condition but didn't think to ask questions. 'Betty was very healthy and didn't have any medical problems,' her mother Nancy Sponsel, 64, told DailyMail.com. 'But we trusted him.' Investigators allege that Bowman slipped a fatal dose of the gout medicine colchicine into her smoothie. A grand jury in Olmsted County, Minnesota, issued the indictment on January 5. Bowman is next due in court on Tuesday. Sarah Leeser set up a GoFundMe account to help assist Nancy and her family with legal costs, transportation to Rochester, memorial costs and other related expenses. A police officer who had a threesome with a drunken woman and his colleague in his patrol car has today been spared jail. PC Matthew Longmate, 47, was on duty with PC Daniel Nash, 41, in Chesterfield town centre when they offered the woman a lift home following an incident at the Association Bar. The woman recalled having intercourse with Nash while she performed a sex act on Derbyshire Constabulary colleague Longmate on 4 October 2015. Longmate denied but was convicted of one charge of misconduct after a week-long trial at Southwark Crown Court. He told the court Nash had lied in his statement when he said they both had sex with the woman in their patrol car. Longmate also claimed it would have been 'physically impossible' to have had a threesome in the vehicle. He denied misconduct but a jury unanimously convicted him of the offence after a trial in November. PC Matthew Longmate, 47, (pictured) was found guilty of one count of misconduct in public office by a jury at Southwark Crown Court. He was spared jail today PC Matthew Longmate, 47, (left) and his colleague PC Daniel Nash (right) engaged in sexual activity with an intoxicated woman in the vehicle after she was ejected from a nightclub in October 2015, Southwark Crown Court heard. Both are pictured in 2022 Thomas Coke-Smyth, prosecuting, said: 'She was so drunk and couldn't remember and was vulnerable as a result. 'She may have been targeted as a result of that vulnerability. This was a joint activity.' Charles Blatchford, defending, said: 'It was Nash that was goading him on.' READ MORE: Police officer who had a threesome with a drunken woman and his colleague in a patrol car after offering her a lift home is found guilty of misconduct - but is bailed so he can spend Christmas with his family Advertisement He told the court that Longmate's mother, father and wife are ill. 'Others may suffer disproportionately of he were given an immediate custodial sentence' 'He is someone who had a stellar career and now has nothing. He could be usefully deployed and punished in the community.' Judge Hehir had bailed the shamed officer following the trial so he could spend Christmas with his family. He told Longmate: 'The principle aggravating feature of your offence was that she was drunk and you and Daniel Nash were sober. 'There is no suggestion from any evidence that this was anything other than consensual, but she made it crystal clear that she would never have consented to any intercourse with either of you were it not for her intoxicated state.' Referring to the woman's victim impact statement, the judge said: 'She was mortified and humiliated by what happened. 'Though she does not consider herself a victim it is perfectly clear that what you and Daniel Nash did had a long-lasting and negative effect on her life.' Judge Hehir said such behaviour has an impact on public confidence in the police and 'may deter vulnerable female victims of crime coming forward and reporting that crime'. 'It is clear that as a police officer you were good at your job, and were well regarded by your colleagues but also by members of the public. 'It seems that on one occasion you saved the life of a vulnerable woman. What a pity that you threw all that away in a moment of madness all those years ago.' Former PC Daniel Nash (pictured) pleaded guilty to 14 counts of misconduct in public office last year. He died a month after sentencing The two police officers are said to have offered the woman a lift home following an incident at the Association Bar The court heard that Nash died in September last year, a few weeks after he was sentenced. Judge Hehir said that he was prepared to suspend Longmate's sentence, because Nash was given a suspended sentence as an act of mercy as he was dying from terminal cancer. 'It is not just that you alone should end up in a prison cell when Daniel Nash did not, when he led you into your offending.' The judge also referred to overcrowding in prisons. 'I am entitled to have regard to that when deciding whether or not to suspend a sentence that is capable of being suspended.' Longmate was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for 12 months. He will have to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, which he will have 12 months to complete. He was also ordered to pay 3,500 in prosecution costs, and will have nine months to pay. Nash had used his job to pursue relationships with 13 women, including victims of domestic violence between January 2015 and December 2020, it can now be revealed. The married cop was photographed having sex with one of his victims on a black leather lounge settee. The image, circulated online, showed the officer in full uniform wearing his utility belt with his handcuffs visible. Nash earlier admitted 14 counts of misconduct against him but he was given a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years, in August as an act of mercy because he was suffering from bowel cancer. Jurors trying Longmate heard how the two officers preyed on the drunken woman after she was thrown out of the Association bar. Fire trucks and ambulances swarmed the White House on Monday morning after a caller told 911 dispatchers the building was on fire and someone was trapped inside in what appears to be a 'swatting' incident. President Joe Biden was at Camp David when the call came. D.C. fire and emergency services dispatched 13 units in response. But the call was quickly determined a false alarm. The White House now appears to be the latest victim in the dangerous 'swatting' trend that is sweeping the country. The call was made around 7am on Monday morning, sparking a large emergency response, before it was determined to be a false alarm. A false 911 call on Monday morning reported the White House to be on fire The call to the White House was traced to a fake number, a source told CNN. The call, which came at 7:03 a.m., was determined by District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services and U.S. Secret Service personnel to be a false alarm. 'Fire in the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,' a DC dispatcher said at 7:04 am. An 'all clear' was declared at 7:15 a.m. Someone who was reached at the callback number for the 911 report indicated they did not place it, a source told the Associated Press, indicating it was likely spoofed. Biden is scheduled to return to the White House on Monday afternoon after spending the better part of the day in Philadelphia for a service event in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The United States has seen a ramp up 'swatting' incidents, which is where a false report is made to police with the express purpose of luring them to a location. Law enforcement experts say the calls are a product of a hostile political climate during an intense presidential election season. Politicians like Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott, and special counsel Jack Smith have all ben victims of it. President Joe Biden spent the weekend at Camp David and was not at the White House at the time of the false call A firetruck is parked outside of the White House in Washington, Dec. 19, 2007 Last week, police in Nassau County, Long Island, responded to the home of Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over Donald Trump's civil fraud case, after receiving a call about a bomb threat. A county police department spokesman said they are investigating it as a 'swatting incident.' The Justice Department has expressed concern about the threats. Attorney General Merrick Garland said last week that they are investigating an increasing number of threats to public figures. 'At the same time that we are seeing an encouraging downward trend in violent crime, we are also witnessing a deeply disturbing spike in threats against those who serve the public,' Garland said. In addition to public officials, high-profile celebrities like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian been victims of the practice. Making such a call in regards to a high-profile individual can led to a forceful response from local police and SWAT teams, who have no way to know the call is a hoax. Advertisement Astonishing aerial images show how one lucky homeowner escaped an expensive disaster after scorching lava from Iceland's volcanic eruption stopped just yards away from their house. The molten lava surged towards the town of Grindavik and engulfed several homes on Sunday after the volcano on the Rekyjanes peninsula erupted for the second time in less than a month. But for one homeowner, they can breathe a sigh of relief after aerial images showed how the scorching lava had reached the fence surrounding the property before solidifying and leaving the property unscathed. They will have watched in horror as the molten lava had incinerated the properties next door, thinking that their home would be next. But by some stroke of luck, the molten rock stopped just yards away from the property. It comes as the desperate hunt for a man who plunged down a fissure opened by the volcano continued today after Iceland's president said the country is battling 'tremendous forces of nature'. Dismayed residents of Grindavik, who were all evacuated from the fishing town before the second eruption began yesterday morning, have had to watch from afar as the scorching lava engulfed several of their homes. Harrowing footage from today showed the destroyed remains of houses that were incinerated by the flames, with some being completely flattened and covered by the now black lava rock. Astonishing aerial images show how one lucky homeowner escaped an expensive disaster after scorching lava from Iceland's volcanic eruption stopped just yards away from their house But for one homeowner, they can breath a sigh of relief after aerial images showed how the scorching lava had reached the fence surrounding the property (bottom right in image) before solidifying and leaving the property unscathed Astonishing aerial images show how one lucky homeowner escaped an expensive disaster after scorching lava from Iceland's volcanic eruption stopped just yards away from their house after it destroyed the properties next door An aerial view taken on January 15 shows a lava stream near houses in Grindavik, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, after a volcanic eruption The lava destroyed houses in Grindavik and engulfed them in flames on Sunday The molten rock streamed towards homes in the northernmost tip of the village, which sits around 25 miles from county's capital, Reykjavik Nail-biting footage shows the construction workers working against the clock to evacuate from the area and save the machines with the scorching lava seen just yards away as they move as quickly as the slow excavators and bulldozers will allow. The video, filmed by a worker inside an excavator, shows a bulldozer barrelling towards the road as flames lick the right side of the road and flaming molten lava seen in the wing mirror. Foreman Armann Jon Gararsson said no one was hurt in the dramatic evacuation effort and all vehicles were saved Lava flows from a volcano as houses burn in Grindavik, Iceland, January 14, 2024, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video Lava from an erupting volcano in Iceland consuming a building near the town of Grindavik, Iceland, on Sunday Lava flows from a volcano in Grindavik, Iceland, on January 14 Emergency personnel use diggers to build a protective wall to stop the flow of lava An aerial view shows lava after volcano eruption located close to Sundhnukagigar, about 4 kilometers northeast of Grindavik town of Reykjanes peninsula, Iceland on Sunday It comes as dramatic footage showed the scorching lava surging towards construction workers and their vehicles as they desperately tried to build a defensive wall to protect Grindavik from the molten rock. Brave workmen had raced to the edge of the lava flow to save their work machines that were being used to build defensive barriers around Grindavik after the volcano erupted on Sunday. Nail-biting footage shows the construction workers working against the clock to evacuate from the area and save the machines with the scorching lava seen just yards away as they move as quickly as the slow excavators and bulldozers will allow. The video, filmed by a worker inside an excavator, shows a bulldozer barrelling towards the road as flames lick the right side of the road and flaming molten lava seen in the wing mirror. Foreman Armann Jon Gararsson said no one was hurt in the dramatic evacuation effort and all vehicles were saved. Despite the workmen's best efforts to build a defensive barrier around the town, the molten rock streamed towards homes in the northernmost tip of the town and incinerated them within minutes. 'This is serious, it's basically as bad as it can possibly get. Although it might get even worse, who knows,' evacuated resident Jon Gauti Dagbjartsson said on Sunday. 'I actually live in the house that I was born in and it's a tough thought to think that this town might be over, and I would have to start all over somewhere else. But if that's the case, then that's exactly what we'll do,' he said. President Gudni Th. Johannesson said in a televised addressed late Sunday that 'a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula' after the dormant volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years. It comes as hundreds of people have been searching for the workman since Wednesday after he fell through a crevasse he had been trying to fill in. The workman was being lowered into the crack, which is around 10 metres deep, when he fell. Rescue efforts have been hampered by the conditions and the fact that the small gap can only fit two people at the time to look for him. And the conditions worsened on Sunday when the volcano erupted a second time. In the hours before the volcano erupted on Sunday morning, authorities had ordered residents to leave the fishing town of Grindavik as a swarm of small earthquakes indicated an imminent eruption. Geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson said on Monday morning that the eruption had 'decreased considerably' overnight, but that it was impossible to say when it would end. Grindavik, a town of 3,800 people about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, was previously evacuated in November when the Svartsengi volcanic system awakened after almost 800 years. The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. Residents were allowed to return to their homes on Dec. 22. Since then, emergency workers have been building defensive walls that have stopped much of the lava flow from the new eruption short of the town. But those defensive walls were no match for the lava flow on Sunday morning, with the molten rock flowing towards homes and incinerating them. Lava flows from a volcano as houses burn in Grindavik, Iceland, January 14, 2024 Billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen in this Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management , January 14 The lava from Sunday morning's eruption was seen creeping towards homes in the northernmost part of the town The eruption began just before 8am local time Sunday. Around midday, a second fissure several thousand feet wide split open Homes in the small village were seen burning next to the ever-growing wash of molten lava Lava crept towards the fishing town of Grindavik Sunday, swallowing three houses A plume of smoke, illuminated by lava spewing from a volcano near the town of Grindavik, is seen from a distance over the country's capital of Reykjavik Lava bursts from the ground in Iceland near the town of Grindavik, January 14 Explosions are seen beyond buildings in the town of Grindavik, January 14 'According to the first images from the Coast Guard's surveillance flight, a crack has opened on both sides of the defenses that have begun to be built north of Grindavik,' the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement. Molten lava flows reached the outskirts of Grindavik around noon on Sunday, setting three houses alight, although the town was evacuated earlier and there was no immediate danger to people. 'In a little village like this one, we're like a family, we all know each other as family - it's tragic seeing this,' local resident Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson said. 'It's unreal, it's like watching a film,' added the 55-year-old, who works in the fishing industry. No one has been killed in the eruptions, but a workman is missing after reportedly falling into a crack opened by the volcano. 'We don't yet know how this eruption will unfold, but we must still take those actions that are within our power,' the president said. 'We continue to hope for as good an outcome as possible, in the face of these tremendous forces of nature,' he added. 'We will carry on with our responsibilities and we will continue to stand together.' Video taken from an Icelandic Coastguard helicopter shows huge pools of molten rock and a wall of flames rising into the night sky. Viir Reynisson, chief supervisor of the Office of the National Commissioner of the Police, told local media that 'no one is going into Grindavikuntil we are absolutely sure that it will be OK.' Live video footage on Monday showed glimpses of orange lava still flowing to the surface but at smaller volumes, and further away from the town. Geologists on Sunday said magma corridors were believed to be flowing underneath the abandoned town, however, posing continued risk. 'Unfortunately (the lava) went a little bit more south than we had hoped for,' the head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management, Vidir Reynisson, told a press conference late on Sunday. Flights to and from the country were not affected as of Sunday, and Iceland Air confirmed that the operations of Keflavik Airport were not impacted. But devastating lava flows razed several homes in Grindavik, according to local media, with the potential for more destruction looming ahead. Lovisa Mjoll Gumundsdottir, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said: 'It cannot be ruled out that more cracks will open. 'The GPS data showed us that there is increased magma inflow into the tunnel and with that there is a possibility of more fissures opening up.' Police chief Viir Reynisson, citing the Icelandic Met Office, warned that 'there is no end to magma inflow into the tunnel, and as a result we need to be prepared and focus our actions on the real danger, a large crack opening in Grindavik, major gas pollution from this and then the possible opening of new eruptions.' The Icelandic government will meet on Monday to decide on support for the people of Grindavik. 'We need to put a lot of extra efforts into finding more housing, suitable housing,' Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said. Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages one eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and disrupted trans-Atlantic air travel for months. The latest eruption isn't expected to release large amounts of ash into the air. Operations at Keflavik Airport are continuing as normal, said Gudjon Helgason, spokesman for airport operator Isavia. Seismic activity had intensified overnight and residents of Grindavik were evacuated, Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported Billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen in this Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management , January 14, 2024, handout image during an volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik, western Iceland A helicopter flies near lava explosions and smoke near residential buildings in the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik Thick clouds of smoke billowed over the landscape during the eruption Lava explosions and rising smoke are seen near a house in Iceland after a volcanic eruption near the town of Grindavik, in the Reykjanes peninsula Smoke rises following a volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula Lava is seen engulfing a house in Grindavik, Iceland over the weekend Heavy construction equipment work on a protective wall near the town of Grindavik after a volcanic eruption, in the Reykjanes peninsula, southwestern Iceland, January 14 Seismic activity intensified overnight and several thousand residents of Grindavik were evacuated, while 200 elected to stay behind despite the warnings Aerial images show flowing lava drawing near homes in the southwestern Icelandic town The fishing village lost power at around 5am following a period of heightened seismic activity Residents of Grindavik were evacuated around 3am local time on Sunday as seismic activity continued to intensify. READ MORE: Scientists reveal just how bad the eruption could get as bubbling lava and smoke are spewed into the sky at Reykjanes peninsula after weeks of activity Advertisement The Public Safety Department of the National Police reported that 200 earthquakes were recorded overnight, with Grindavik losing power at around 5am. But by Sunday night, eruption in the fissure had largely subsided. 'It seems to us that it has almost stopped, the lava flow by these houses,' said Bovar Sveinsson, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions, shuttered after reopening just one week prior. On Sunday, the spa extended its closure through January 16. However, its website noted that the eruption site was 'a safe distance' away. Police begged locals to steer clear of the eruption site. 'We ask people not to go to the eruption on foot,' local police said. 'It is extremely cold outside and the walk is long and the ground is unstable in terms of cracks and other things. 'In addition, all responders are busy and do not have the manpower to pick up people who leave on foot.' They noted that the area around the volcano was dangerous due to fissures, gas and other hazards. Iceland's prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, urged residents to band together and uplift one another. 'Today is a black day for Grindavik and today is a black day for all of Iceland, but the sun will rise again,' she said. 'Together we will deal with this shock and whatever may come. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.' Authorities urged locals to steer clear of the eruption site and stay out of Grindavik until they could fully evaluate the area Lovisa Mjoll Gumundsdottir, a natural disaster expert at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, cautioned against the possibility of more fissures opening Eruption in the fissure largely subsided after the lava flow destroyed several homes Sunday Iceland Air, the country's national carrier, announced that the operation of the country's major airport would not be affected Aerial view of the lava field near Grindavik on December 22, 2023 People watch as the night sky is illuminated by the eruption of a volcano near the fishing town on December 18, 2023 A man adjusts his camera near Keflavik, Iceland, during Sunday's eruption The sun can be seen through dark plumes of smoke rising from the volcano The evacuation, she insisted, was called at the right time. 'Of course, we have all eyes on this area to ensure the safety of the residents. However, it is quite clear that this is a huge burden for the townspeople. Naturally, the pressure is starting to take its toll on people,' she continued. 'As the situation is now, we are seeing that the lava is flowing towards Grindavik. The ramparts, however, may be useful even if the southern part of the fissure extends into them. We are monitoring the situation from minute to minute.' The country's president issued his own statement. 'We are still reminded of the power of the forces of nature,' President Guni Thorlacius Johannesson said. 'And still we hope for the best, as we do everything in our power to ensure people's lives. [We are trying] to protect structures to the best of our ability. Members of a rescue team watch a volcanic eruption north of the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik Iceland's president, Guni Thorlacius Johannesson, said in a statement posted to social media: 'We are still reminded of the power of the forces of nature' A police car blocks the access to the road that leads to Grindavik on January 14, 2024 A massive plume of gas was seen rising from the site of Sunday's eruption 'Together we Icelanders think warmly of [residents of Grindavik], and everyone who takes care of public protection and operations on the scene. Now we are all tested.' Iceland is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe. The January 14 eruption is Iceland's fifth in two years, the previous one occurring on December 18, 2023 in the same region southwest of Reykjavik. That eruption started in the Svartsengi volcanic system and came after Grindavik's 4,000 inhabitants completely evacuated. The fishing town was ultimately spared as the lava flowed in a different direction. While volcanic eruptions aren't uncommon in Iceland, volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula were dormant for 800 years until 2021. Lying between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, two of the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions. The residents of Grindavik were forced to evacuate overnight following a series of earthquakes The first eruption on January 14 was understood to have taken place around 7.50am Lava flowed towards the sleepy fishing village, coasting past heaps of dirt and rock that were meant to hinder it Lava was seen just 500 meters away from Grindavik before crossing into the town The December eruption began around 2.4 miles from the town of Grindavik at the Sundhjuka crater, on the Reykjanes peninsula. Thrill-seekers were criticised for venturing towards, not away, from the eruption that forced thousands to flee their homes. 'It's just something from a movie!' Robert Donald Forrester III, a tourist from the United States, said at the time. A group of boys named told local media in December that they usually headed towards eruptions in Reykjanes. 'We are trying to see the eruption. Unfortunately, we didn't get any closer. It's a hobby that we've had for four years, attending every single eruption, and we'll continue to do so.' The Reykjanesbraut, a key Icelandic highway in the area, was lit up with white headlights from cars travelling towards, not away from, the crater (left) while cars were parked nearby (right) in December The Ministry of the Environment was forced to issue repeated warnings to those thinking about getting close to the volcano last month A lack of young people owning model trains has been blamed for the closure of a popular exhibition and a major retailer. Organisers of the annual Warley National Model Railway Exhibition at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre (NEC) said this week the event has been suspended 'for the foreseeable future'. Cheshire-based Hattons Model Railways, one of UK's biggest online retailers for the hobby, also announced it will shut down. There have been claims that young people are being priced out of model railways, with rising prices attributed to a lack of competition among manufacturers and the increasing cost of materials and shipping. It also appears that celebrity interest in model railways is not enough to sway opinion. Sir Rod Stewart, 79, has spent decades building a 124ft-long, 23ft-wide model railway that is a replica of a US city, whilst presenter Jools Holland, 65, has his own 90ft set. A lack of young people owning model trains has been blamed for the closure of a popular exhibition and a major retailer. Organisers of the annual Warley National Model Railway Exhibition at Birmingham 's National Exhibition Centre (NEC) said this week the event has been suspended 'for the foreseeable future' Cheshire-based Hattons Model Railways, one of UK's biggest online retailers for the hobby, also announced it will shut down Warley National Model Railway Exhibition has taken place for more than 30 years, and was last held in November. Announcing the suspension on Thursday, exhibition manager Nigel Smith of organisers Warley Model Railway Club (WMRC) said: 'This will be disappointing to many people, including visitors and exhibitors alike. 'However, we are an ageing membership and we have to be realistic about what we can deliver in the future. 'Many of our existing team have been involved for over 30 years and would like to retire gracefully.' WMRC member and former editor of magazine Railway Modeller Steve Flint said: 'The hobby is alive and well at grassroots level, but the commercial boom period of recent decades has probably run its course, having been slowed by the effects of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the ever-increasing age of enthusiasts. 'The tick of the demographic time bomb is getting more prominent, as the next generation of younger enthusiasts required to take over the staffing and running of such prestigious events does not seem to be materialising. It also appears that celebrity interest in model railways is not enough to sway opinion. Sir Rod Stewart has spent decades building a 124ft-long, 23ft-wide model railway that is a replica of a US city In 2020, Sir Rod moved his huge model railway from Los Angeles to his Essex home. Above: Sir Rod with a huge set that makes up part of his model railway Pictures from previous decades show just how popular model railways used to be. One image, from an exhibition at the Corn Exchange in 1952, Manchester, shows hordes of children examining a model set with smiles on their faces Delighted children are seen examining a set at a model railway exhibition in Manchester in the 1950s A young boy examines a model train at an exhibition at the Wembley Conference Centre in the 1980s 'Hence, it is time for Warley Model Railway Club to step aside with pride, having had the privilege of promoting this great creative hobby to the nation at the NEC for over 30 years with the full support of hundreds of volunteer enthusiasts, manufacturers and retail traders.' Hattons Model Railways, which describes itself as 'an institution in the hobby since 1946', wrote in a message on its website that the decision to close was made with 'immense sadness' and was caused by 'declining customer numbers, changing customer demographics and supply chain disruption'. It added: 'Over the decades, we've been privileged to serve enthusiasts and share our passion for model railways with hundreds of thousands of customers.' Hattons Model Railways, which describes itself as 'an institution in the hobby since 1946', wrote in a message on its website that the decision to close was made with 'immense sadness' No closing date has been set. Pictures from previous decades show just how popular model railways used to be. One image, from an exhibition at the Corn Exchange in 1952, Manchester, shows hordes of children examining a model set with smiles on their faces. Another, taken more than three decades later at an exhibition in Wembley, shows how the hobby was still very popular. Sir Rod's interest in model railways goes back to his childhood. He previously told the Mail on Sunday: 'It is all because my dad bought me a signal box and I was born across the railway tracks in Highgate.' Jools Holland with his 90ft model railway in the attic of his home Sir Rod started building his model railway after moving to Beverly Hills in the 1990s. It took him 23 years to complete and now includes 5ft skyscrapers, bridges, a rush-hour traffic scene, 'transition era' facilities for both steam and diesel traction, and a power station. In 2020, Sir Rod moved the railway from Los Angeles to his Essex home. Holland also has a 100ft-long model in the attic of his home in Kent. His track recreates London street scenes in the 1960s, and a replica of the Channel Tunnel. Republicans are considering holding off the contempt vote if Hunter engages in good faith negotiations about providing closed-door testimony Republicans are considering holding off the contempt vote if Hunter engages in good faith negotiations about providing closed-door testimony Top Republicans are preparing to issue a second round of subpoenas to Hunter Biden to compel him back to Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition as part of their impeachment investigation. On Friday, Hunter Biden caved and agreed to Republican demands for his testimony as the GOP is planning to hold him in contempt of Congress this week. But a source told DailyMail.com that Republicans are considering holding off the contempt vote if Hunter engages in good faith negotiations about providing closed-door testimony. If Hunter's team agrees to 'genuinely cooperate' and they can work out a deposition time and date, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan would recommend to leadership to hold the floor vote on contempt 'in abeyance' for now. Hunter's agreement is contingent upon the GOP sending new subpoenas for his testimony. The GOP's original subpoenas came in November, before the House's December 13 vote to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden's alleged connections to Hunter's shady business deals. 'The Committees welcome Mr. Bidens newfound willingness to testify in a deposition setting under subpoena,' Oversight Chairman James Comer said Sunday. 'Our willingness to issue these subpoenas is rooted entirely in our interest in obtaining Hunter Bidens testimony as expeditiously as possible,' Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan wrote in a letter obtained by DailyMail.com, while rejecting Lowell's claims that their original subpoenas are 'invalid.' The back-and-forth between the top Republicans and Hunter's attorney Abbe Lowell comes after his shock made-for-TV appearance on Capitol Hill in blatant defiance of their subpoenas last week. Top Republicans are preparing to issue a second round of subpoenas to Hunter Biden to compel him back to Capitol Hill for a closed-door deposition The back-and-forth between top Republicans James Comer and Jim Jordan with Hunter's attorney Abbe Lowell comes after his shock made-for-TV appearance on Capitol Hill in blatant defiance of their subpoena last week House GOP Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced a vote will take place Wednesday 'If you issue a new proper subpoena, now that there is a duly authorized impeachment inquiry, Mr. Biden will comply for a hearing or deposition,' Hunter's attorney Abbe Lowell wrote Friday in a letter to Republicans obtained by DailyMail.com. Earlier Friday, Republicans had announced they will hold a full House vote on contempt of Congress charges for Hunter Biden this week. And despite Hunter's change of heart, Chairmen James Comer and Jim Jordan say they are still planning to 'move forward' with the contempt vote 'until such time that Hunter Biden confirms a date to appear for a private deposition in accordance with his legal obligation.' 'While we will work to schedule a deposition date, we will not tolerate any additional stunts or delay from Hunter Biden,' the top Republicans added. 'Next week the House will vote to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for repeatedly defying subpoenas,' announced House GOP Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who is currently battling cancer. 'Enough of his stunts. He doesn't get to play by a different set of rules. He's not above the law.' The contempt articles - voted out of the Judiciary and Oversight committees last week - will go to the House Rules Committee Tuesday and finally to the House floor as early as Wednesday. If that gets cleared, Hunter's case will be referred to the Biden-led Department of Justice for prosecution, which is unlikely. In addition to 12 months jail time, Hunter could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted. Hunter Biden sparked utter chaos in Congress on Wednesday and was accused of a 'ridiculous PR stunt' by making a shock appearance to face Republicans threatening to hold him in contempt. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise. Scalise is currently battling cancer Floor Vote Announcement: Next week the House will vote to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for repeatedly defying subpoenas. Enough of his stunts. He doesn't get to play by a different set of rules. He's not above the law. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) January 12, 2024 The president's troubled son, 53, staged the spectacular stunt and sat and listened as GOP Rep. Nancy Mace said he 'had no b***s' and 'should be in jail' for refusing to sit for a deposition behind closed doors. About 17 minutes later he got up and walked out as Marjorie Taylor Greene started to question him over his business deals and the ongoing impeachment probe into his father Joe. He was hit with a flurry of questions by reporters after he stormed out - including being asked 'what kind' of crack he smokes and why he put his father Joe on speakerphone over 20 times to speak with his business pals. He was also asked whether he was on crack while he crashed the GOP hearing. 'What kind of crack do you normally smoke Mr. Biden?' screamed one reporter - which he ignored - as his attorney Abbe Lowell delivered a short statement slamming Republicans and maintaining that Hunter is willing to testify publicly. 'What's your favorite kind of crack?' another reporter questioned. Hunter caused a circus as cameras and reporters swarmed him for the very brief appearance amid the scandal over his shady foreign business deals. Last week it was revealed Hunter is filming a top-secret documentary to set the record straight about his battle with addiction to crack cocaine and his financial woes. Republicans started ripping Hunter for the 'made-for-TV publicity stunt.' Hunter walked into the committee hearing room with his attorneys Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris and sat down in the first row Hunter Biden showed up on Capitol Hill at the start of a markup to hold him in contempt of Congress House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., wrote on X: 'The Congressional subpoena served to Hunter Biden was for a closed-door deposition, not a made-for-TV publicity stunt. These terms are not negotiable.' GOP Whip Tom Emmer said 'another day, another ridiculous PR stunt by Hunter Biden.' 'If this is the Biden family's strategy to distract the American people from their disturbing pattern of corruption, it's a pointless one.' Hunter walked into the committee hearing room with his attorneys Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris and sat down in the first row, silently taking in the chaos that then unfolded in front of him as lawmakers grappled with the remarkable turn of events. The top Democrat on the committee Jamie Raskin appeared to be aware that the president's son was going to disturb proceedings with his shock entry. 'Who bribed Hunter Biden to be here today?' asked Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. 'You are the epitome of white privilege coming into the Oversight Committee spitting in our face, ignoring a congressional subpoena to be deposed.' 'You have no b***s to come up here,' she spewed. 'I think Hunter Biden should be arrested right here and right now,' Mace continued. 'I'm looking at you!' 'I believe that Hunter Biden should be held completely in contempt. I believe he should be hauled off to jail right now!' the fired up Republican congresswoman remarked. Democrat Jared Moskowitz - who also seemed to be aware of the stunt - asked for a show of hands from the lawmakers on who wanted to hear from Hunter, since he was in front of them. He put Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on the spot, daring him to question Hunter since he came to the public hearing, and threatened to make the contempt vote 'bipartisan.' 'Listen, I'll make this bipartisan. I'll vote for the Hunter contempt today. You can get my vote. You can get my vote but I want you to show the American people that you're serious.' Moskowitz taunted before submitting subpoenas for Republicans who didn't comply with the January 6 Committee's requests for testimony. Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, departed a House Oversight Committee meeting at Capitol Hill Hunter walked into the committee hearing room with his attorneys Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris and sat down in the first row, silently taking in the chaos that then unfolded in front of him as lawmakers grappled with the remarkable turn of events Hunter then stormed out of the hearing room following Moskowitz's remarks, immediately after Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., started speaking, less than 30 minutes into the hearing. 'I think it's clear and obvious for everyone watching this hearing today that Hunter Biden is terrified of strong conservative Republican women because he can't even face my words as I was about to speak to him,' said Greene. 'What a coward,' she exclaimed. Two top GOP-led committees are preparing to vote to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena for closed-door testimony. Republicans say that his 'obstruction' of their impeachment investigation has forced them to take the president's son to court to compel his cooperation - or he will face up to a year in jail. Hunter defied a subpoena last month requiring him to sit for a closed-door deposition as part of the GOP impeachment investigation into whether President Joe Biden was connected to or profited from his son's shady business deals. Instead of showing up for his required testimony, Hunter appeared outside of the Capitol to deliver a dramatic tirade slamming 'shameless' Republicans, while saying he'd only testify in a public forum. The powerful House Oversight and Judiciary Committees kicked off dual hearings Wednesday. Both committees worked through a series of amendments and then voted on authorizing contempt charges for the president's son before the disturbance. Hunter defied a subpoena last month requiring him to sit for a closed-door deposition as part of the GOP impeachment investigation into whether President Joe Biden was connected to or profited from his son's shady business deals In addition to 12 months jail time, Hunter could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $100,000 if convicted Lawmakers released the text of the contempt resolution Monday. They wrote that Hunter's testimony is a 'critical component' of their impeachment inquiry into whether then-Vice President Joe 'abused his office' by engaging in 'schemes' with foreigners to enrich himself or his family. Hunter's 'flagrant defiance' of the subpoenas is 'contemptuous' and he must be 'held accountable for his unlawful actions,' the resolution continues - calling his actions a 'criminal act.' Top Democrat on the Oversight Committee Jamie Raskin said Monday that there is 'no precedent' for the House to hold 'a private citizen in contempt of Congress who has offered to testify in public, under oath, and on a day of the Committee's choosing.' He went on to accuse Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., of wanting to 'keep up the carefully curated distortions, blatant lies, and laughable conspiracy theories that have marked this investigation.' 'However, the facts and the evidence all show no wrongdoing and no impeachable offense by President Biden,' the Democrat continued. Two former Donald Trump aides Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon were held in contempt and ultimately prosecuted by Biden's DOJ for defying January 6 Committee subpoenas. Bannon is currently appealing his four-month prison sentence and Navarro is expected to be sentenced later this week, and could face up to one year behind bars. They both said that executive privilege protected them from having to comply with the congressional committee's demands. Hunter Biden shockingly showed up Capitol Hill on the morning of his mandatory deposition to acknowledge 'mistakes' he made due to his crack cocaine addiction while blasting Republicans investigating him for 'turning his 'dad's love into darkness' Republicans had announced they would begin moving forward with contempt last week. 'Hunter Biden blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas when he did not appear for his December deposition,' House Oversight Committee Republicans wrote on X Friday. 'Next week, we will consider a resolution and accompanying report to hold him in contempt of Congress for violating federal law,' the lawmakers said on Friday. Republicans said that his 'obstruction' of their investigation has forced them to take the president's son to court to compel his cooperation - or he will face jail time. GOP leadership held a vote to formalize their ongoing impeachment inquiry into Joe on December 13. The 221-212 party-line vote opened the door for the GOP to get more evidence about schemes that have seen the Biden family get millions from countries including China, Ukraine and Romania. And the Bidens will now have more of their bank records, mortgage details, emails, text messages and mobile phones subpoenaed, along with anything else Congress wants to see. Hunter was subpoenaed by Republicans last month along with James Biden, the president's brother, and Biden family associate Rob Walker. Attorneys for James have been in touch with the committee and they are working on scheduling a time for his closed-door testimony. Hunter Biden made a shock appearance on Capitol Hill where he defiantly declared that his father is innocent of corruption allegations and accused Republicans of being 'shameless' for trying to impeach him. Hunter delivered an emotional public statement in which he tore into the 'unrelenting Trump attack machine' and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for showing naked photos of him in Congress. Hunter admitted making 'mistakes' in his life due to his crack cocaine addiction but went on to blast Republicans investigating him and accused them of 'turning my dad's love into darkness.' The first son also said his father was 'not financially involved' in his controversial business dealings and that there was no evidence because it 'did not happen.' Comer and Jordan questioned what Hunter meant when that his father was not 'financially' involved in his dealings. 'Exactly how was Joe Biden involved?' they questioned in the statement. 'Evidence shows Joe Biden met with Hunter's business associates and his name was at the center of the family business strategy.' Republicans began the process of holding Hunter Biden in Contempt of Congress after he didn't show up for his impeachment probe deposition Hunter said on December 13: 'I am here today to acknowledge I have made mistakes in my life. I'm also here today to correct how the MAGA right has portrayed me for political purposes. Voting is set to begin Monday night in icy Iowa as former President Donald Trump eyes a victory that would send a resounding message that neither life-threatening cold nor life-changing legal trouble can slow his march toward the Republican Party's 2024 nomination. The Iowa caucuses, which are the opening contest in the months-long Republican presidential primary process, begin at 8 p.m. EST. Caucus participants will gather inside more than 1,500 schools, churches and community centers to debate their options, in some cases for hours, before casting secret ballots. While Trump projects confidence, his onetime chief rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , is fighting for his political survival in a make-or-break race for second place. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis' way. The two have competed aggressively in recent weeks to emerge as the clear alternative to the former president, who has alienated many Americans and could end up being a convicted felon by years end. "I absolutely love a lot of the things (Trump) did, but his personality is just kind of getting in his way, said Hans Rudin, a 49-year-old community college adviser from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He said he supported Trump in the past two elections, but will caucus for DeSantis on Monday. Polls suggest Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa as Haley and DeSantis duel for a distant second. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are also on the ballot, as is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suspended his campaign last week. With the coldest temperatures in caucus history expected and dangerous travel conditions in virtually every corner of the rural state, the campaigns are bracing for a low-turnout contest that will test the strength of their support and their organizational muscle. The final result will serve as a powerful signal for the rest of the nomination fight to determine who will face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election. After Iowa, the Republican primary shifts to New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina over the coming weeks before moving into the rest of the country this spring. The ultimate nominee won't be confirmed until the party's national convention in July, but with big wins in the opening contests, Trump will be difficult to stop. Trump's political strength heading into the Iowa caucuses, which come 426 days after he launched his 2024 campaign, tells a remarkable story of a Republican Party unwilling or unable to move on from him. He lost to Biden in 2020 after fueling near-constant chaos while in the White House, culminating with his supporters carrying out a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. In total, he faces 91 felony charges across four criminal cases, including two indictments for his efforts to overturn the election and a third indictment for keeping classified documents in his Florida home. In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly echoed authoritarian leaders and framed his campaign as one of retribution. He has spoken openly about using the power of government to pursue his political enemies. He has repeatedly harnessed rhetoric once used by Adolf Hitler to argue that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are poisoning the blood of our country. And he recently shared a word cloud last week to his social media account highlighting words like revenge, power and dictatorship. Republican voters have been undeterred. Trump is a Christian. Hes trustworthy. He believes in America. And he believes in freedom, said 71-year-old Kathy DeAngelo, a retired hospital administrative employee waiting in subzero weather to see Trump on Sunday. He's the only one. The final Des Moines Register/NBC News poll before the caucuses found Trump maintaining a formidable lead, supported by nearly half of likely caucusgoers, compared with 20 percent for Haley and 16 percent for DeSantis. Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor, and DeSantis, the Florida governor, remain locked in a close battle for second. Trump is also viewed more favorably than the other top contenders by likely caucusgoers, at 69 percent compared with 58 percent for DeSantis and just 48 percent for Haley. On the eve of the caucuses, Trump predicted he would set a modern-day record for an Iowa Republican caucus with a margin-of-victory exceeding the nearly 13 percentage points that Bob Dole earned in 1988. He also sought to downplay expectations that he would earn as much as 50 percent of the total vote. Whether he hits that number or not, his critics note that roughly half of the states Republican voters will likely vote for someone not named Trump. Somebody won by 12 points and that was like a record. Well, we should do that," Trump said Sunday during an appearance at a Des Moines hotel. "If we dont do that, let 'em criticize us, right? But lets see if we can get to 50 percent. Brave the weather and go out and save America," he later added. The temperature in parts of Iowa on Monday could dip as low as negative 14 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 26 degrees Celsius) while snow drifts from Friday's blizzard still make travel hazardous across the rural state where unpaved roads are common. Forecasters warned that dangerously cold wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero Fahrenheit were possible through noon Tuesday. The conditions, according to the National Weather Service, could lead to frost bite and hypothermia in a matter of minutes if not properly dressed for the conditions. Over the weekend, signs positioned on key roadways warned motorists in large flashing orange letters: TRAVEL NOT ADVISED. And the winter weather, intimidating even for Iowa, will make an already unrepresentative process even less representative. Many elderly Iowans, who are the backbone of the caucus, are wondering how they will make it to their sites. And only a tiny portion of the participants will be voters of color, given Iowa's overwhelmingly white population, a fact that helped convince Democrats to shift their opening primary contest to South Carolina this year. Iowa's caucuses are also playing out on Martin Luther King Day, which is a federal holiday. Last month, some presidential campaigns were expecting close to 200,000 Republican voters to participate in the caucus. On the eve of the contest, many now wonder whether the 2024 turnout will exceed the 118,411 Republicans who showed up in 2012. Still, each of the campaigns is claiming a powerful get-out-the-vote operation that will ensure their supporters show up. Haley rallied a room packed with Iowans and out-of-state volunteers on Sunday in Ames, drawing frequent cheers from the pink necklace and boa-clad Women for Nikki. The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor repeated her frequent call for GOP voters to elect her as a new generational leader that leaves the negativity and the baggage behind and focuses on the solutions of the future. Nearly 200 miles away in Dubuque, DeSantis dismissed questions about his position in the polls as he courted voters. I like being underestimated. I like being the underdog, the Florida governor said. I think that thats better. Meanwhile, not all voters were excited about their options. Jake Hutzell, 28, hasnt participated in a caucus before, and he isnt sure that he will Monday, either. He follows politics, but he said hes part of a generation thats skeptical any of it makes a difference. Theres never been anyone I feel strongly about, the Dubuque resident said. If Im going to throw my name behind who I think should be the president, I would like to very feel very strongly about it. (AP) Queen Camilla was affectionately given the nickname of 'Lorraine' - a play on the French for the Queen, la Reine - by family and friends. The amusing revelation is made in the latest instalment of Robert Hardman's new biography of King Charles being exclusively serialised by the Daily Mail. It focuses on Her Majesty's transition from long-term partner to royal bride and, now, the throne. It's something that has left her family and friends quite incredulous. Her sister Annabel Elliot says she finds it near impossible to follow certain aspects of royal etiquette. Queen Camilla was affectionately given the nickname of 'Lorraine' - a play on the French for the Queen, la Reine - by family and friends. Above: The Queen with her sister Annabel Elliot in 2016 'I find it very hard to curtsey to her,' she says. 'And call her "Your Majesty"? That I can't do.' Back in the days when it seemed there was no question of the then Duchess of Cornwall becoming Queen, Hardman writes, her family gave her the nickname 'Lorraine'. 'She always saw the funny side of that even if Prince Charles did not,' says a friend. This is in addition to her grandchildren's sweetly amusing nickname for her, Gaga. Her change in circumstances even came as a shock to Camilla herself. Hardman reveals that it took quite some time before the new Queen would even respond to her new status. Passing references or memos or questions to 'Her Majesty' would meet with blank looks until it suddenly dawned that they were referring to her. Her presence has, notably, had a soothing effect on the King. Hardman says: 'Now, people are worried about upsetting the King. They know he can get very cross about quite minor things and they have yet to find out how he will react in certain situations. At the same time, they know that Queen Camilla is a strong voice of common sense in that regard.' The amusing revelation is made in the latest instalment of Robert Hardman's new biography of King Charles being exclusively serialised by the Daily Mail. Above: The King and Queen attending the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham with other members of the Royal Family last month The King's old university friend, Lord Chartres, adds: 'That's one of the reasons why Queen Camilla is so marvellous. She can be robust in her views and that allows him to relax. When things go wrong and you have to keep being nice, you need an intimate who can talk you down.' Among those who endorse Queen Camilla, writes Hardman, is Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who was left in stitches by her during his weekend in Balmoral - and feared he was was laughing so much he could be breaking protocol. 'She's uproariously funny and it was hard during the dinner to try and keep the volume down because we were having such a good time,' he says. Camilla is indeed described as an 'intrinsically happy character' who lifts the mood around her 'and, more importantly, around the King'. 'She has got a great twinkle and it comes out very readily,' says the Marchioness of Lansdowne, one of her oldest friends. 'It puts people at their ease very quickly She knows when to wink at a bishop, but when not to which I think is a rather endearing quality.' Her straight-talking sister-in-law Princess Anne, is also full of praise for the new Queen. 'For Queen Camilla, it's been much more difficult in every way, partly not having had the same level of preparation,' says the Princess Royal. 'But her understanding of her role and how much difference it makes to the King has been absolutely outstanding. 'And [there is] no doubt that made the difference for him throughout the process. I'm sure lots of people do say to her what a difference she's made, but that is really true. I mean, I've known her a long time off and on and I think she's been incredibly generous and understanding.' The Queen has insisted on retaining some of the vestiges of her previous life, notably the Wiltshire home where she moved after her divorce from her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles, where her family informally gather. As her sister explains: 'For the rest of the family, sometimes it seems totally surreal. But she has, thank goodness, her own downtime. She's a wonderful mother and grandmother. She's very, very hands on. 'All our children have grown up very much together. It's almost like one family, so she's back to being her normal self when she's with all of us. I mean, she wouldn't get away with it otherwise! 'There's quite a bit of irreverence: 'You're not the Queen to us', and so on. There's quite a lot of all that thank God.' She adds of her relationship with the King: 'She is his rock, and I can't actually emphasise that enough. She is completely loyal and she isn't somebody who has huge highs and lows. 'They're like any couple who've been together for a long time. Lots of jokes and squabblesThey're the yin and yang. They really are polar opposites, but I think it works brilliantly. And, you know, I go back to the thing of humour. Basically, she makes him laugh.' As a couple, they are also tolerant of each other's pet habits: the king likes to keep the windows open with a cold breeze running through the house, while his wife prefers her space 'like a sauna' 'There's a constant battle about it,' says Annabel Elliot. 'He will have opened it. She [Camilla] will creep in behind and shut it. So there's a lot of: 'Oh, darling, you shut the window.' 'Yes, I have, because we're all freezing.' So a lot of banter goes on.' The Queen also chooses not follow her husband's discipline in skipping lunch. Hardman reveals that it took quite some time before the new Queen would even respond to her new status. Above: The King and Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony after the Coronation in May Annabel Elliot and Camilla with Charles at the Chelsea Flower show in 2007 'She'll be furious with me but she is not as disciplined as he is about eating or drinking. She might have that extra glass or that extra biscuit or whatever,' her sister reveals. Old royal hands say Queen Camilla increasingly reminds them of Prince Philip: her resolute determination not to be the star of the show and her cheerful determination to KBO [keep buggering on] - even given Prince Harry's recent attacks on her, which have been met with a resounding silence. Annabel Elliot says: 'It's obviously been a long journey, and I feel hugely proud of herShe's an amazingly stoical, strong person. I'm not sure many people would have been so strong throughout it.' Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story' by Robert Hardman to be published by Macmillan on 18 January at 22. Rishi Sunak insisted strikes on the Houthis were 'necessary and proportionate' as he was grilled by MPs today. The PM said that the UK, US and allies had to act to protect the freedom of shipping to move on the crucial route. In a statement to the Commons, he stressed that the action was 'limited' and 13 targets had been destroyed without any detected civilian casualties. It had not been possible to consult MPs in advance due to operational factors, he argued. 'The threats to shipping must cease. Illegally detained vessels and crews must be released. And we remain prepared to back our words with actions,' Mr Sunak said. The premier's appearance in Parliament came as a US commercial ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen. US Central command said Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) first reported there had been an 'incident' 95 nautical miles south east of Aden, though details of the incident remain scarce. That report only said the ship's captain reported that the 'port side of vessel hit from above by a missile,' but did not identify the ship or elaborate. It is currently not known who was behind the attack and an investigation has been launched. Private intelligence firm Ambrey said a US-owned bulk carrier carrying a Marshall Islands flag had been hit by the missile. The firm claimed the vessel remained seaworthy and there were no injuries. Rishi Sunak made a statement to the Commons this afternoon after authorising UK forces to take part in the raids on Yemen A US fighter jet shot down anti-ship cruise missile fired toward the American destroyer USS Laboon (pictured) by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea Sunday, their first response to a series of drone strikes fired by the Americans in recent days A US commercial ship was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen on Monday A before and after image of a radar station near Sanaa International Airport targeted in US and UK strikes In a round of interviews this morning, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain, the US and allies had needed to send a 'clear message' that attacks being launched from Yemen must not continue Mr Sunak told the Commons: 'I do not take decisions on the use of force lightly. That is why I stress that this action was taken in self-defence. It was limited, not escalatory. 'It was a necessary and proportionate response to a direct threat to UK vessels and therefore to the UK itself.' The PM went on: 'I can tell the House today that our initial assessment is that all 13 planned targets were destroyed.' He added: 'We have seen no evidence thus far of civilian causalities, which we took great care to avoid.' Mr Sunak said: 'The need to maximise the security and effectiveness of the operation meant that it was not possible to bring this matter to the House in advance. 'But we took care to brief members before the strikes took place, including you of course Mr Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition, and I have come to the House at the earliest possible opportunity.' The joint action took place in the early hours of Friday morning after weeks of Houthi attacks on merchant trade ships in the region. The US carried out more military operations over the weekend, with the militia threatening retaliation. Keir Starmer backed the Yemen strikes on Friday, but has faced pressure from his left wing for refusing to demand a Commons vote. Yesterday he denied ditching a flagship promise on getting Parliamentary consent before UK military action. Sir Keir made the commitment as he pitched to left-wingers during Labour's leadership contest four years ago. At the time the candidate said he would pass a law enshrining three principles, that there must be a 'lawful case', a 'viable objective' and 'the consent of the Commons'. Sir Keir told the Commons: 'Let me reiterate that Labour backs this targeted action to reinforce maritime security in the Red Sea. We strongly condemn the Houthi attacks that are targeting commercial ships of all nationalities, putting civilians and military personnel in serious danger including British forces. 'The Houthi attacks are unacceptable, illegal and, if left unaddressed, could lead to a devastating rise in the cost of essential food in some of the poorest countries. The international community clearly stands against the Houthi attacks.' Sir Keir said military action must be 'underpinned by a clear strategy' and noted it is the role of the Commons to 'ask the right questions', adding: 'Can he confirm that he stands by the parliamentary convention that where possible military interventions by the UK Government particularly if they are part of a sustained campaign should be brought before this House? 'Scrutiny is not the enemy of strategy. Because while we back the action taken last week these strikes still do bring risk, we must avoid escalation across the Middle East.' Mr Sunak replied: 'I can assure him that it was necessary to strike at speed, as he acknowledged, to protect the security of these operations. 'That is in accordance with the convention and I remain committed to that convention and would always look to follow appropriate processes and procedures and also act in line with precedent where he will know there have been strikes in 2015 and 2018 where a similar process as to this was followed.' Keir Starmer yesterday denied ditching another flagship promise on getting Commons consent before UK military action He told Sky News the actions of the Iran-backed militant group in Yemen was 'completely unacceptable' and described it as 'almost like thuggery', with ships from more than 50 nations targeted along the vital global shipping route. He said the purpose of the air strikes with the US last week was 'not to go into Yemen or anything like that', but to 'send a very clear, I hope unambiguous message' for the Houthis to stop their assaults. The Cabinet minister continued: 'We will now watch and monitor the situation very carefully. 'As we've said not just to the Houthis but to their Iranian masters, in a sense, because they are really proxies for Tehran this cannot go on. 'International shipping freedom of navigation is just a given and always has been for many, many years. We cannot have that situation where they are trying to harass it and we will keep a very close eye. 'If we have to take further action, that is something that we will consider.' A poll released Sunday shows President Joe Biden losing the 2024 presidential election to the trio of top Republican presidential candidate. A survey conducted by CBS News and YouGov shows Biden lagging behind former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley. Haley does best against Biden, beating the 81-year-old president nationally by eight points. The ex-ambassador and former South Carolina governor pulls more moderates and independents, and also voters with college degrees, into her column compared to Trump. Still, Trump wins against Biden by two points, while DeSantis leads by three. President Joe Biden loses to all three top Republican hopefuls in a new CBS News/YouGov poll that was released Sunday, a day before the Iowa caucuses. Former Amb. Nikki Haley performs best against Biden in a general election match-up President Joe Biden waves as he arrives at the Hagerstown Regional Airport on Monday to volunteer in Philadelphia to mark Martin Luther King Jr. day. The president is trailing in national polls to former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and ex-Amb. Nikki Haley In a general election between former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley and President Joe Biden, she beats the Democrat by eight points. Haley pulls away female voters from Biden, as well as some of those who supported the president in the 2020 election Haley has been rising in the polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire, but is still considered a long shot against Trump, who has a substantial lead in all of the early primary states and in national surveys. But if she were to beat the former commander-in-chief, she would be able to erase Biden's advantage with women, the CBS/YouGov poll shows, and earns some of Biden's 2020 supporters. Haley runs even with Biden on some key traits for voters - including those looking for a president who shows empathy and those who want to see a president open to compromise. Biden leads both Trump and DeSantis on those qualities. Haley is also viewed as being just as tough as Trump and DeSantis by the survey's respondents. And for voters who want toughness as a key attribute of a president, she leads Biden by 20 points in a general election race against the Democrat. Trump's legal troubles don't seem to be motivating his supporters to look elsewhere in the Republican primary field. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bests President Joe Biden by three points in a general election match-up. DeSantis is seen campaigning in Ankeny, Iowa with wife Casey and their three young children Sunday night ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses Former President Donald Trump, seen campaigning in Indianola, Iowa on Sunday, also bests Biden but with the narrowest margin. Still he's been claiming on the campaign trail that he polls the best against the current president, also touting his lead in the GOP primaries The ex-president is currently facing 91 criminal charges. Forty-two percent of Trump voters said they haven't even considered the criminal charges, while another 35 percent said they'd vote for the ex-president to show support against the criminal charges. Just 23 percent said they'd vote for Trump despite having 'concerns' about the criminal cases. On the campaign trail leading up to Monday's Iowa caucuses, both Haley and Trump have argued that the polls show they're the stronger Republican candidate to go up against Biden. 'You can look at the polls, head-to-head against Biden, there's been many of them. Ron doesn't beat Biden, Trump's head-to-head with Biden, on a good day he might be up by two, that's margin of error,' Haley told supporters Sunday in Ames. 'That's another nail-biter of an election and that's one more holding our breath.' 'I win every one of those general election polls,' she said. The CBS/YouGov poll's margin of error is plus or minus 2.5 points. 'Every poll has us beating Biden,' Trump claimed at a rally last weekend in Clinton, Iowa. 'They're losing to Biden. They all say, "Oh, we're going to win." They're not going to win. First of all they can't beat me. They're 50, 60 points down,' he said of Haley and DeSantis. 'They're not going to win and they're going to get hit harder than me,' the ex-president added. DeSantis has argued that Trump's legal troubles will turn the ex-president's 2024 run into a headache - trying to push Trump supporters to move in the Florida governor's direction instead. Sonnier had a successful career in music, landing him five Grammy nominations He suffered a heart attack after giving an encore performance in Texas Jo-El Sonnier, a Grammy award-winning Cajun and country music artist, has died at 77-years-old after giving one last 'rousing' encore performance in Texas. Sonnier had just finished a concert at the Llano Country Opry in Llano on Saturday when he suffered a major heart attack. 'Jo-El mentioned that he needed to rest for just a few minutes before signing autographs. Unfortunately, he suffered cardiac arrest and was air flighted to Austin where he was pronounced deceased,' said Texas Country Music promoter Tracy Pitcox. Sonnier had played for over an hour then ended the show with his signature song Tear Stained Letter. He received a standing ovation and returned to the stage to perform his song Jambalaya as an encore. Pitcox said in a Facebook post, 'He performed a rousing rendition of that classic.' Grammy award-winning Cajun and country music artist Jo-El Sonnier passed away at 77-years-old Sonnier had just finished a concert at the Llano Country Opry in Llano, Texas (pictured) on Saturday when he suffered a major heart attack Born in 1946 to French speaking parents in Rayne, Louisiana, Sonnier had found success in music at an early age 'It is never easy to lose a legend, but he truly spent his final day doing what he loved-entertaining his fans with his loving wife Bobbye by his side.' Born in 1946 to French speaking parents in Rayne, Louisiana, Sonnier had found success in music at an early age. At three-years-old he began playing the accordion, had performed on the radio by age six and made his first recording at 11-years-old. He was signed to Mercury Nashville Records by the 1970s, but had not taken off in the country music field. Sonnier took a break from country music to pursue Cajun music at Rounder Records, which produced his first Grammy nominated album. He then returned to country music and was signed to RCA Records in the 1980s. During that decade Sonnier saw some of his biggest successes, including singles No More One More Time and Tear Stained Letter landing in the Top 10 country music charts. Sonnier and his wife Bobbye (right) have been married since 1992 Sonnier had received five Grammy nominations and won in 2015 for his album The Legacy In 2009, Sonnier was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Sonnier is pictured performing in New Orleans in May 2023 He received his second Grammy nomination for the 1997 album Cajun Pride and his third nomination for his 2001 album Cajun Blood. In 2006, he was nominated a fourth time for his album Cajun Mardi Gras. In 2015 he received his fifth nomination and first Grammy win for the album The Legacy. His other successes include his induction to The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Sonnier made a cameo appearance in the first season of HBO's crime series True Detective as a member of a dance band in the third episode. In 2017, Sonnier published a children's book called The Little Boy Under the Wagon which he used to reveal he had Asperger's syndrome. Shocking footage captured by DailyMail.com shows dozens of migrants lined up in freezing temperatures as they waited to renew their stay in New York City shelters. Asylum seekers from stood on 7th street and Avenue B in the East Village on Monday as they waited outside the former St Brigid School, which has become a shelter registering center as the city deals with a massive migrant surge. The migrant lines in NYC used to be made up mostly of South American men and families, but young African men have seemingly replaced them. Many of the migrants on Monday said they have been waiting days to be given temporary housing. It comes as new records show there are three million asylum cases pending in US immigration courts. The court backlog has swelled by more than a million over the last fiscal year and is now three times what it was in 2019. Exhausted and cold migrants have become a regular sight outside St Brigid since Adams began implementing a 30-day limit for single adults to stay at the city's shelters. Exhausted and cold migrants have become a regular sight outside St Brigid since Adams began implementing a 30-day limit for single adults to stay at the city's shelters Many of the migrants on Monday said they have been waiting days to be given temporary housing Adam's administration has been struggling to deal with a massive surge of migrants that has seen over 140,000 arrive since last year. The Democrat imposed shelter stays to mitigate the situation, but now migrants looking to renew their stays have overwhelmed the East Village street. A migrant from Mauritania previously told DailyMail.com he had been waiting for 25 days to get a bed. The city has a right to shelter law that demands the city government offer shelter to anyone who asks for it. The man revealed that homeless migrants are forced to sleep on the streets or the subway because there is nowhere else to go. 'People have to wait in line for a place in a warming site and it is not always possible.' 'The problem now is that there is a collapse. Before [at The Roosevelt], there was a lot of people, but there was order. Here, there's no order,' Venezuelan migrant Emerson added. 'I've been outside this shelter for three days. From here, they send us to another site, then another, and then we end up here again.' Earlier this month Landy, a migrant from Congo said he spent his life savings of $9,000 traveling to the US, taking the difficult decision to leave his wife and 14-year-old son behind four months ago. The military veteran had been hoping to land a job in construction but he's been unable to find work in the city and ended up sleeping on the streets in sub-zero temperatures after shelters ran out of space. Conditions in Congo were 'terrible' according to Landry, with frequent fights between ethnic groups and oppressive laws - but he said life in the Big Apple has been 'even worse.' The alarming scene underscores Mayor Eric Adams' own recent admission that NYC - proudly touted as a beacon of the Democrats' 'Sanctuary City' policy - is now at 'breaking point' The heartbreaking conditions migrants are facing all over the U.S. come after a record number of migrants crossed the U.S. southern border in December City officials have been telling migrants to spend the night at a shelter in the Bronx, but many of the asylum seekers said they prefer to sleep on the streets or train stations near St Brigid in order to be first in line in the morning. Moreover, migrants have claimed there are no beds at the Bronx shelter, and they're forced to sleep on the floor and told to leave as early as 4am. Migrants looking for a train or plane ticket elsewhere in the nation are also lined up outside the former school, but they are given priority and allowed to go in in front of those looking for shelter. The alarming scene underscores Mayor Eric Adams' own recent admission that NYC - proudly touted as a beacon of the Democrats' 'Sanctuary City' policy - is now at 'breaking point.' More than 160,000 migrants have arrived in the city since the spring of 2022 and the crisis is only deepening as they continue to be bussed from Texas where record numbers are pouring over the border. The heartbreaking conditions migrants are facing all over the U.S. come after a record number of migrants crossed the U.S. southern border in December. There were 300,000 encounters in the last month of 2023, U.S. Custom and Border Patrol sources told Fox News. Between Dec. 1 and December 31, more than 302,000 migrants were documented attempting to cross the U.S. southern border. It is the highest total for a single month ever recorded in history and it marks the first time migrant encounters have reached over 300,000. Adams confessed to Fox 5's Rosanna Scotto earlier this month that, 'We're getting close to anywhere from 2,500 [arrivals] to peaking at 4,000 a week.' 'We're out of room, literally', the Democrat has declared. 'People are going to be eventually sleeping on the streets.' He used Truth Social to say: 'A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE' Monday is decision day in Iowa, where the former president holds a huge lead Trump kept up his attacks on Ramaswamy as he implored supporters to turn out Former President Donald Trump kept up his attacks on tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday morning, as he tries to build the sort of win in Iowa that knocks his opponents out of the race. Ramaswamy modeled his run on Trump's MAGA message and had been careful to avoid criticizing the former president. But their informal non-aggression pact broke down last week just ahead of Monday's crucial Iowa caucuses. 'A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE,' said Trump on his Truth Social platform, in an all'caps post. I LIKE VIVEK, BUT HE PLAYED IT TOO CUTE WITH US. 'CAUCUS TONIGHT, VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP, BUILD UP THE NUMBERS!!' With hours to go before Iowa Republicans pick their 2024 candidate, Donald Trump launched another broadside against rival Vivek Ramaswamy as he implores his supporters to turn out Donald Trump has been taking potshots at 2024 Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy since Saturday when the tech entrepreneur handed out 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek' T-shirts Vivek had been generous in his praise of Trump for months. He at times positioned himself as Trump 2.0, using his can-do tech understanding to push through some of the policies that the former president failed to complete. That changed Saturday when Ramaswamy's campaign handed out out that sayT-shirts with the slogan 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek.' Ramaswamy posted a photo of them after an event in Rock Rapids, Iowa, which immediately attracted the ire of Trump and his top aides. Senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita called Ramaswamy a 'fraud. He was quickly followed by Trump himself, accusing him of 'deceitful campaign tricks.' 'A vote for Vivek is a vote for the "other side" dont get duped by this,' Trump said on social media. 'Vivek is not MAGA.' The final Iowa caucus poll found Ramaswamy running at just eight percent, far behind Trump who is the first-choice pick of 48 percent of likely caucusgoers. His campaign sees an opportunity to knock rivals out of the race if he can record a historically big victory, and relegate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to third place behind Nikki Haley. Vivek Ramaswamy (center) has claimed he is 'worried' for Donald Trump after the former president accused him of 'deceitful campaign tricks' in a surprise attack The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll was conducted Jan. 7-12 with 705 likely Republican caucus goers. Its margin of error is plus-minus 3.7 percentage points However, insiders have also said they are worried that a mix of complacency from Trump's huge lead and freezing weather could eat into size of victory. They have promised to leave nothing to chance. Against that backdrop, Ramamswamy offered them an easy target with his T-shirts and the chance to claw back a few percentage points from him. For his part, the 38-year-old political novice shot back on social media after Saturday's attack. 'Im worried for Trump. I'm worried for our country. I've stood up against the persecutions against Trump, and I've defended him at every step,' he wrote. In a lengthy statement on X, he wrote: 'Yes, I saw President Trumps Truth Social post. Its an unfortunate move by his campaign advisors, I dont think friendly fire is helpful. 'Donald Trump was the greatest President of the 21st century, and Im not going to criticize him in response to this late attack. 'Ive met tens of thousands of Iowans across 390+ events here, and they are deeply worried - and so am I - that this system wont allow Donald J. Trump anywhere near the White House again. 'It seems they will stop at *nothing* to keep him away from power.' Trump, 77, took to Truth Social on Saturday to issue a scathing review of his fellow GOP candidate just 48 hours before the Iowa caucuses Ramaswamy, who has expressed support for the former president in the past, took to X later that evening to express his shock at Trump's post He pointed to how he has always been a supporter of Trump and said: 'I showed up at the Miami courthouse in solidarity following his first federal indictment. 'I filed a FOIA demand to the Biden DOJ. I submitted an amicus brief this week with the U.S. Supreme Court calling on them to overturn Colorados ruling. 'I pledged to remove myself from Maines & Colorados primary ballots if they remove Trump, calling on DeSantis and Haley to do the same.' Ramaswamy went on to claim billionaires are funding lawsuits against Trump to 'prop up Nikki Haley'. He added: 'They want to narrow this to a two-horse race between Trump & Haley, eliminate Trump (one way or other), & trot their puppet into the White House. 'We cant fall for that trap. 1 year from now, we wont look back and say we were shocked that it happened. Well kick ourselves for not stopping it. 'I want to save Trump & to save this country. Lets do it together. You wont hear any friendly fire from me.' Donald Trump - seen here in a Manhattan court Thursday - took to Truth Social to issue a scathing assessment of GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy The criticism was pointed, and saw the former president slam the only Republican who has expressed support for him in the past Trump's comments served as the first time he spoke poorly of Ramaswamy who has defended him in the face of his multiple criminal cases. If elected, Ramaswamy has promised to pardon him 'on day one', and at the first GOP debate, he proudly praised the 77-year-old as the 'best president in generations'. But Trump seemed unswayed by the 38-year-old Ohioan's previous comments - and commenced a direct attack as he continues to garner some unexpected support in the Iowa polls among Republicans. Even going as far to reference the August praise, Trump wrote: 'Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, the best President in generations, etc. Ramaswamy has defended Trump in the face of his several criminal cases, promising to pardon him 'on day one' if elected. At the first GOP debate, he proudly praised the 77-year-old as the 'best president in generations' Trump's comments came a few days after polls showed Trump remaining ahead in Iowa surveys, but is losing some ground to the famously inflammatory Ohioan 'Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks,' the aspiring two-term commander-in-chief added. 'Very sly.' While not specifying those alleged misdeeds, Trump proceeded to posit that Ramaswamy was 'duping' the American public, whom he went on to warn: 'Dont get duped by this,' referring to the entrepreneur's campaign. 'Vote for "TRUMP, dont waste your vote! Vivek is not MAGA,' the post went on. 'The Biden Indictments against his Political Opponent will never be allowed in this Country, they are already beginning to fall! 'A vote for Vivek is a vote for the 'other side'. The family of a graduate who died from a severe allergic reaction within an hour of eating a slice of pizza has called on the major takeaway delivery companies to improve safety. Computer programmer James Atkinson, 23, was unaware that the chicken tikka masala pizza he ordered via the Deliveroo app contained peanuts. Despite calling for an ambulance, he died in hospital from an anaphylactic reaction in less than an hour of his few bites. Following an inquest into his death his parents Jill and Stuart Atkinson called on the bosses of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat to take part in a 'collaborative review' to implement changes to protect customers with allergies. Computer programmer James Atkinson, 23, called for an ambulance himself when he realised he was suffering an allergic reaction after eating less than a slice of pizza Stuart and Jill Atkinson holding a photo of their son James Atkinson in Newcastle. They are calling on the UK's biggest delivery companies to do more to protect customers from allergies Mr Atkinson and two flat-mates ordered three chicken tikka masala pizzas, chips and assorted Indian dishes on his phone from the Dadyal restaurant in Newcastle (pictured) They said the tragic case had 'shone a light on much bigger issues that need urgent attention' and highlighted current rules that mean delivery companies are not legally required to provide allergy information on apps. Coroner Karen Dilks recorded a narrative conclusion at the Newcastle hearing today and backed moves for a new law forcing all restaurants and cafes to put allergy information on menus. In her verdict, she said Mr Atkinson had bought a chicken tikka masala pizza containing peanuts to which he was allergic from the Dadyal Takeaway Restaurant in Newcastle on July 10, 2020. The inquest also heard that James had Googled whether the meal was usually cooked with peanuts before the friends made the order, which included chips, chicken Tikka masala pizzas and a list of Indian dishes. The chef at the time, Muhammad Amin, who cooked the meal, said he would have refused the order if he had known of James's allergy. 'The Dadyal menu did not contain specific information in respect of peanuts or other allergens,' the coroner said. 'James did not contact the takeaway to advise them of his allergy.' The inquest heard Mr Atkinson, who was diagnosed with the peanut allergy 10 years earlier, was usually good at managing his condition and knew instantly he had a problem when he began eating the pizza. He dialled 999 as his flatmate looked in vain for his EpiPen. An ambulance arrived at the house two minutes after receiving the emergency call and administered two shots of adrenaline. The popular Newcastle University graduate used Google to see if the curried pizza was likely to contain nuts before the friends placed the order in July 2020 James Atkinson, 23, called for an ambulance himself when he realised he was suffering an allergic reaction. But Mr Atkinson was 'gasping for breath', fell unconscious and died in hospital. In a family statement, his father Stuart Atkinson said the restaurant involved had a 'chaotic and misinformed approach to handling food allergens'. He said: 'Their menu did not disclose accurate information as to the true content of the food. 'We were horrified to hear evidence about exactly what went on in that kitchen and seriously question whether anyone with an allergy could ever have safely ordered food from there.' He said the UK has 'one of the biggest online food delivery markets in the world which is estimated to be worth billions of pounds'. 'One in four people in the UK live with allergies and that number is on the rise,' he said. 'Online food platforms have a major role in choosing who they partner with and how food is safely provided to customers by their partner providers.' He called for a meeting with bosses of the 'big three apps' Will Shu of Deliveroo, Matthew Price of Uber Eats and Claire Pointon of Just Eat to discuss taking 'further steps' to protect consumers. 'This is not about competition or sales, this is about people's lives,' he said. 'James will forever be in our hearts. Even if the outcome of this is that one person's life is saved, then that's something.' 'I'd also like to thank the investigation team from Northumbria Police and the Prosecution Barristers.' Mrs Dilks said she supported calls for improved information on menus and would share information from the inquest with the Food Standards Agency. The FSA has backed the Owen's Law campaign to pass new legislation forcing all restaurants to publish allergy information on menus. Owen Carey, 18, died from an allergic reaction to a grilled chicken burger with a buttermilk coating despite telling staff he was allergic to dairy. The coroner said she would also write to NHS England concerning allergy sufferers being in possession of EpiPens and Newcastle City Council about restaurant staff who don't speak English as their first language understanding allergy information. At the start of the hearing, Mr Atkinson's parents, Jill and Stuart (left and centre), together read out a pen-portrait of their son Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse lost their daughter Natasha, 15, after she suffered an allergic reaction in 2016. The couple have been supporting Mr and Mrs Atkinson throughout the inquest process. After the inquest, Tanya, co-founder of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said Mr Atkinson's death was 'so utterly avoidable'. She said: 'The online delivery food firms need to recognise they are not just couriers but food operators too. 'They have a duty to ensure that the businesses they partner with have proper allergen management, training and information in place. 'And they need to put allergy information front and centre on their apps. 'This tragedy should be the wake-up call for the industry to ensure this kind of tragedy never happens again.' Jill Paterson, solicitor with Leigh Day who represented the Atkinson family, said: 'In a world where ordering takeaways via an app is now the norm, more must be done by the operators to ensure that consumers are as safe as possible. 'Customers should have the ability to be confident that they know exactly what is in the food they are ordering.' The Dadyal has been closed for almost two years, the inquest was told. Organisers of pro-Palestine protests which regularly take over central London should be made to pay the costs of policing them, a senior MP said today. Sir Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, said the 'well-funded organisers' of the demonstrations that have taken place since October 7 should foot the bill. The New Forest East MP spoke in the Commons days after the latest protest took place in the capital in the wake of UK air attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Tens of thousands of people took part in the protest, with some shouting 'Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around,' a reference to the missiles being fired at vessels in the Red Sea that sparked the military action. Sir Julian told the Commons: 'How many times must a demonstration on the same cause be repeated week in week out, before the well-funded organisers become liable to pay for at least part of the policing costs?' Sir Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, said the 'well-funded organisers' of the demonstrations that have taken place since October 7 should foot the bill. The New Forest East MP spoke in the Commons days after the latest protest took place in the capital in the wake of UK air attacks on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Home Secretary James Cleverly replied: 'We recognise that there is legitimacy to public protests, we do also recognise that the unprecedented and unwarranted pressure that this is putting on policing around the country is having an impact on communities. 'My view is that the organisers have made their point, repeating it does not strengthen their argument. 'And unfortunately we are also seeing some deeply distasteful people weaving themselves in amongst those protesters, who are protesting on issues that they feel passionate about but whose good will is being abused by others.' In a review sent to the Home Office earlier this month, Lord Walney, the Government's independent advisor on political violence and disruption, said disorder seen at 'the anti-Israel marches' means there is an argument for groups to cover 'some policing costs'. Since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel following the terrorist organisation's October 7 attacks, continual protests calling for a ceasefire have been held across London and other major cities in the UK. By mid-December, the Metropolitan Police alone had deployed up to 2,000 officers to the capital every weekend since Hamas invaded to tackle the marches, which is said to have cost the tax payer an estimated 20 million. Appearing before MPs last month, the force's assistant commissioner Matt Twist warned that the weekly Saturday marches had caused the 'greatest period of sustained pressure on the Met since the Olympics in 2012'. Almost two-thirds of Canadians believe another Donald Trump presidency would destroy US democracy, according to the results of a recent poll. The Angus Reid Institute survey found that 64 percent of Canada natives strongly agreed or agreed that American democracy would not survive four more years of Trump in the White House. By contrast, 44 percent said they don't think a second Joe Biden term would have any impact on democracy in America. Nearly as many people felt it would have a negative effect (27 percent) as positive (29 percent). Almost half of those surveyed also agreed that the US is 'on the way to becoming an authoritarian state'. Trump catalyzed fears that he could abuse power if given the reigns again in 2024, when he said he wouldn't rule as a dictator 'except for Day One'. Almost two-thirds of Canadians believe another Donald Trump presidency would destroy US democracy, according to the results of a recent poll The Angus Reid Institute survey found that 64 percent of Canada natives strongly agreed or agreed that American democracy would not survive four more years of Trump in the White House The Angus Reid Institute survey was conducted from January 9 to 11 this year and involved a randomized sample of 1,510 Canadian adults The revealing survey was conducted from January 9 to 11 this year and involved a randomized sample of 1,510 Canadian adults. It comes as election season ramps up with the Republican Iowa caucuses today - the first contest in the GOP primary race. Some 69 percent of those polled said they thought democracy in America would grow 'a lot weaker' or 'a little weaker' if Trump, the current Republican forerunner, won the election. Meanwhile, 49 percent said they strongly agreed or agreed with the statement 'the United States is on the way to becoming an authoritarian state'. Some 19 percent disagreed, seven percent strongly disagreed, and 25 percent said they weren't sure or couldn't say. It comes after Trump gave shocking responses to questions about whether would 'abuse power' or use the justice system to take down his political rivals. Last month, Fox News host Sean Hannity questioned him directly on some of the worst charges from his critics pointing out that some want to call him 'a dictator.' 'To be clear, do you in any way have any plans whatsoever if reelected president to abuse power, to break the law to use the government to go after people,' Hannity asked him. The revealing poll comes as election season ramps up with the Republican Iowa caucuses today - the first contest in the GOP primary race The revealing poll also comes after Trump gave shocking responses to questions about whether would 'abuse power' or use the justice system to take down his political rivals Climate protesters interrupt former US president and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as he speaks at a "commit to caucus rally" in Indianola, Iowa, on Sunday Republican presidential candidate and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday as he made a campaign visit to Machine Shed Restaurant before the Iowa caucus vote in Urbandale Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign stop at the Drake Diner on the day of the Iowa Caucus vote in Des Moines, Iowa Swerving the question, Trump responded: 'You mean like theyre using right now?' 'So in the history of our country? What's happened to us again, has never happened before. Over nonsense over nothing made up charges,' Trump said, returning to a refrain about being indicted more times (four) than infamous Chicago mobster Al Capone. After Trump pivoted to other subjects in the sit-down interview, Hannity came back to the topic, having earlier played a famous Trump clip telling supporters 'I am your retribution.' 'You are promising America tonight you would never abuse power as retribution?' Hannity asked the former president, who is leading President Joe Biden in a series of polls. 'Except for Day One,' Trump answered. 'Meaning?' Hannity asked him. 'I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.' 'That's not retribution,' Hannity pointed out. Then Trump tried to get a laugh out of the line. 'He says: You're not going to be a dictator. I said "no, no, no other than Day One. We're closing the border. And we're drilling, drilling, drilling. After that I'm not a dictator.' A campaign staff member for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley clears lawn signs following a campaign event in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday Voters listen as Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event at an event space in Ankeny, Iowa, on Sunday A Biden-Harris account tweeted out the clip, appending the line, 'Trump: I will be a dictator on day one'. Now, Trump and his Republican rivals are warming up for the Iowa caucuses scheduled to start in the evening. The Iowa caucuses have been the first primary contest since the Democratic caucus of 1972, and has always been a source of drama. Thousands will brave the life-threatening cold to head to 1,657 precincts across the freezing, snow-covered state to choose who they want to be the GOP nominee for president. The winner gains crucial momentum and up to 40 delegates for the convention as the candidates head on to votes in bigger states. Former President Trump, 77, goes into the vote with a 28-point lead in polls over the rest of the field, with Nikki Haley in second and Ron DeSantis in third. But the caucus' history of chaos, upsets, and voting glitches means multiple surprise outcomes are still possible. A mother of a teenage 'tomboy' who became the 'youngest inmate to die at a women's prison in 20 years' told an inquest she twice raised concerns about possible self-harm by her daughter but had no response from the jail. Angela Gray told the court she 'remains concerned' her troubled daughter Annelise Sanderson found hanged in her cell in December 2020 - was ever locked up at all without having received mental health treatment. The incident she was sentenced for involved lashing out at emergency workers while in a distressed state trying to drink petrol and set herself on fire at a filling station, the court was told. The inquest, which opened today, heard Ms Sanderson, of Runcorn, Cheshire, was jailed for 12 months in June 2020 for assaulting an emergency worker and criminal damage, and for breaching a previous suspended sentence. The teenager, who had spent time in care, had a history of self-harm, having made a first suicide attempt aged nine. The incident Annelise Sanderson (pictured) was sentenced for involved lashing out at emergency workers while in a distressed state trying to drink petrol and set herself on fire at a filling station, the court was told Ms Gray is being assisted by charity Inquest, which supports families whose loved ones have died in care of the state. It said Ms Sanderson was the youngest prisoner to die at a women's prison for 20 years. The organisation added the tragedy was one of 11 self-inflicted deaths at HMP Styal, near Wilmslow, Cheshire, since 2007, the highest number at any women's prison. An independent inquiry into deaths at the jail was previously ordered in 2003 after six women took their lives within a year. Ms Gray said she spoke to her daughter on the phone twice a week, when she 'often told me she was depressed and wanted to come home', sounding like a 'lost soul'. Ms Gray said she was concerned about her daughter's mental state and telephoned prison staff after Ms Sanderson had told her of two incidents which she suspected were suicide attempts. On the first occasion, in July 2020, Ms Gray said: 'I rang them straight away and demanded she receive medical assistance. I never received an update.' In a later incident, Ms Sanderson told her mother during a phone call that she had been stockpiling tablets but Ms Gray said she begged the jail to search her daughter's cell, 'they told me it would not be possible'. The organisation added the tragedy was one of 11 self-inflicted deaths at HMP Styal (pictured), near Wilmslow, Cheshire, since 2007, the highest number at any women's prison Then, the inquest heard, Ms Sanderson's mood worsened when she was told she would not be released in time for Christmas. While a serious family matter came to a head the day she was found dead on December 22. Ms Gray said: 'I am and remain concerned that she was sent to prison at all in June 2020 without her receiving any mental health treatment. It was obvious to me that she was really unwell. 'This was her first time in an adult prison and she sounded scared. I remember her telling me she didn't know who she was, where she was or why she was there.' The inquest heard today from prison staff including Vicki Lea Bell, a team leader who assessed Ms Sanderson on her arrival on June 26. Ms Bell said she had been unaware of Ms Sanderson's mental health problems, believing her conduct on arrival which included making 'inappropriate remarks' and removing clothing to be 'behavioural'. Ms Bell said she had been unable to view Ms Sanderson's record when assessing her because the procedure was done through her cell window due to the 'extreme' behaviour on arrival. She said she did not feel the need to refer Ms Sanderson for a safety plan used to cover prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm (known as an ACCT). But Leonie Hirst, barrister for Ms Sanderson's family and Inquest, asked: 'If you'd had access to records, would (mental health) have given you a cause for concern?' Ms Bell replied: 'Yes.' A GoFundMe (pictured) was set up for Ms Sanderson's family Prison mental health nurse Daisy Ollerenshaw spoke to 'tomboy' Ms Sanderson described by her family as a 'passionate, loving and forgiving person - a day later, on June 27, by phone due to the Covid pandemic. She accepted assessment by telephone could have meant missing out on 'non-visible cues' as to her demeanour. Ms Ollerenshaw said the petrol station incident, while 'unusual', was not necessarily an attempt to kill herself. She added: 'I didn't feel an ACCT needed to be opened from what she was saying there were no threats of self-harm and she was being observed frequently.' Ms Sanderson's behaviour worsened and she was placed on an ACCT two days later, on June 29. In one incident, she was observed to have tied a ligature. But prison officials removed the ACCT on July 7 after she became more 'settled'. On 22 December 2020, a prison officer found Annelise suspended from a ligature in her cell and she could not be resuscitated. The inquest, being heard by a jury, will consider how mental health issues were considered on arrival at the jail, mental health care while an inmate and her state of mind in her final days. The inquest, due to last a week, continues. For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te hailed the island's "solid partnership" with Washington on Monday as he welcomed a U.S. delegation which China said it "firmly opposed". The island lost one of its few formal diplomatic allies on the same day, as Pacific nation Nauru unexpectedly announced it was severing ties and switching allegiance to Beijing. The switch, just days after Taiwan's presidential election, means only 12 nations now formally recognise Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of China. Nauru's announcement overshadowed the visit by the unofficial delegation sent by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to congratulate Lai. While Taiwan is not diplomatically recognised by the United States, Washington is a partner and its top weapons provider. The Nauru government said it would no longer recognise Taiwan "as a separate country" but "rather as an inalienable part of China's territory" echoing Beijing's position on the island. Taiwan cut ties in return to "safeguard our national dignity", and accused Beijing of buying Nauru off. "China actively reached out to Nauru politicians and used economic aids to induce the country to switch diplomatic recognition," said deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang. Taiwan's Presidential Office called it a "wrong decision", and accused China of wielding "diplomatic repression (as) a retaliation against democratic values". But China's foreign ministry said Beijing's resumption of ties with Nauru "reflects the sentiments of the people". At Taipei's Diplomatic Headquarters a building that houses most of the foreign embassies in Taiwan Nauru's flag was removed. Losing Nauru comes as an early blow to Lai just two days after voters defied Beijing's repeated calls not to elect him. In the run-up to the poll, Chinese officials slammed Lai as a dangerous separatist who would take Taiwan down the "evil path" of independence. Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory and has never renounced force to bring it under its control, insisted that the vote did not change the fact the island was part of China. Lai said Monday freedom and democracy "are the most valuable assets for the Taiwanese people" during his meeting with the U.S. delegates at his party's headquarters. "They are also the core values Taiwan and the United States share and the foundation for the long-term stability in Taiwan-U.S. partnership," he said, adding that strong U.S. support "is of great significance to Taiwan". Before meeting Lai, the delegation met with Tsai, who said their visit highlighted the "close and staunch" U.S.-Taiwan partnership, as well as the losing presidential candidates. China said it was "firmly opposed" to all official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. Communist-ruled China vehemently objects to anything that even suggests official recognition of Taiwan. The delegation consists of a former U.S. national security adviser and a former deputy secretary of state, and was led by the chair of the American Institute of Taiwan the de facto U.S. embassy for the island. Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had vowed to defend the island from China's "intimidation," and Taipei's foreign ministry told Beijing to accept the result. He reiterated to the delegates that under his future administration, "Taiwan will continue to defend peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait under the foundation built by President Tsai Ing-wen". The last time a U.S. delegation visited immediately after an election was in 2016, after Tsai's win, to meet her incoming team and the losing candidates. Since then, China cut off all high-level communications, as Tsai and her party have defended Taiwan's sovereignty by saying the island is "already independent". Beijing maintains a military presence around Taiwan, sending in warplanes and naval vessels near-daily which conflict experts call "grey zone" actions that stop short of an outright act of war. But the sabre-rattling has upped worries of possible accidents escalating into full-blown conflict. Under Tsai's two-term administration, Taiwan has greatly bolstered its defence resources buying fighter jets and building its own submarine as a form of deterrence against increasingly bellicose threats from China. Her deputy Lai has vowed to follow the same policy path. But he has been more outspoken in the past on the issue of independence, though he has moderated his comments to fit the party line in the lead-up to the election. His win in Saturday's vote delivered an unprecedented third term for the DPP, but they no longer have their majority in the legislature, losing 12 seats, while the main opposition Kuomintang party gained 14 seats. (AFP) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed Medical Center on Monday after 15 days in the hospital due to complications from his prostate cancer surgery. 'The secretary continues to recover well and, on the advice of doctors, will recuperate and perform his duties remotely for a period of time from home,' the Pentagon said in a statement. He will have to do physical therapy and regular follow ups but is expected to make a full recovery, his doctors said. He needs no further treatment for his cancer. 'I'm grateful for the excellent care I received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and want to thank the outstanding doctors and nursing staff for their professionalism and superb support,' Austin said in a statement. 'Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I'm eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon,' he said. Austin, 70, caused a political firestorm for President Joe Biden's administration when he kept his original surgery and subsequent hospitalization a secret - including from the White House. Several lawmakers - both Republicans and Democrats - called for his resignation. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, 70, was hospitalized on January 1 and released on January 15th. He is pictured December 20 in this most recent pic Biden stood by his defense secretary but did admonish him for a lapse in judgement. While visiting small businesses in Allentown, Pa., on Friday, Biden was asked if he has confidence in Austin, to which he responded: 'I do.' Asked if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin to not inform him of his hospitalization, Biden said: 'Yes.' Austin had surgery for prostate cancer on Dec. 22nd and went home the next day. On New Year's Day he was rushed to the hospital with complications. Biden wasn't told of defense secretary's whereabouts until Jan. 4th. Austin didn't disclose the cause of his surgery - his prostate cancer - until Jan. 9th after facing days of questions about his hospitalization. Biden previously has indicated he will stand by his defense secretary but White House officials agreed the situation was a head-scratcher. The White House is conducting a review of the matter. The Pentagon's inspecter general also is investigating the mishandling of Austin's secret hospitalization as the firestorm around the defense secretary continues. Inspector General Robert Storch said his office would examine any breaches of protocol surrounding Austin's surgery for prostate cancer, his rehospitalization for complications and the lack of disclosure to the White House and general public. 'The objective of the review is to examine the roles, processes, procedures, responsibilities, and actions related to the Secretary of Defense's hospitalization in December 2023-January 2024, and assess whether the DoD's policies and procedures are sufficient to ensure timely and appropriate notifications and the effective transition of authorities as may be warranted due to health-based or other unavailability of senior leadership,' Storch wrote in a memo to senior Defense Department officials. President Joe Biden admonished Lloyd Austin for his lapse in judgment when the defense secretary chose not to reveal his hospitalization, but said he still has confidence in him Austin has faced a barrage of criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike for failing to disclose he was in the hospital while the country was facing national security situations in the Ukraine and Middle East. Some lawmakers have called for his resignation. Officials have blamed the communications breakdown on key officials being out of the office. Austin Chief of staff Kelly Magsamen had the flu and public affairs chief Chris Meagher was at doctors' appointments with his pregnant wife, who gave birth to their first child on Friday. Austin kept his original surgery on Dec. 22 a secret from President Biden and his administration. At the time Austin underwent anesthesia and was unconscious. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks was given Austin's powers at that time but not told the reason. But Pentagon officials also didn't tell the White House for four days that Austin had returned to the hospital on Jan. 1 after experiencing severe pain. He was taken there by ambulance. Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch is conducting an independent review of Lloyd Austin's hospitalization Biden was told Austin had prostate cancer on Tuesday of last week - the same day the public was informed, sparking more questions about the transparency of the administration and whether the public can trust their government. 'Nobody at the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning and the President was informed immediately after we were,' White House spokesman John Kirby said at the daily press briefing. Kirby got defensive as he was repeatedly queried about why the commander-in-chief didn't know the conditions or the where abouts of his top military officer. 'We all recognize that this didn't unfold the way it should, on so many levels, not just the notification process of the chain of command, but the transparency issue. We all recognize that. And I think we all want to make sure we learn from that,' Kirby said. 'It's certainly not good, which is why we want to learn from this and we want to make sure that it doesn't happen again.' He also conceded: 'It is not optimal for a situation like this to go as long as it did without the commander-in-chief knowing about it or the national security adviser knowing about it, or frankly other leaders at the Department of Defense. It's not the way this is supposed to happen.' President Joe Biden was informed about Lloyd Austin's cancer the same day the public was Austin was hospitalized to be treated for prostate cancer, the Pentagon revealed on Tuesday after days of criticism for hiding the defense secretary's secret hospitalization. Biden was told by his chief of staff Jeffrey Zients. 'On Dec 22 after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer,' the hospital said in a statement about Austin. His cancer was 'diagnosed early and his prognosis is excellent.' But he also suffered complications on Jan. 1 that required an ambulance to take him to the hospital. His complications included 'nausea with severe abdominal, leg and hip pain.' The early diagnosis was a urinary tract infection but further examination showed Austin, 70, had a fluid build up in his abdomen that was impairing the function of his small intestines. The infection was treated by a tube placed through is nose that went down to his stomach. The infection has cleared, the statement said, and Austin 'continues to make progress.' He 'never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,' the statement said although it also said Austin underwent anesthesia for the Dec. 22 surgery. The announcement came as more lawmakers began to question why Austin was hospitalized and why it took the Pentagon four days to inform President Biden and five days to inform the public. Senior administration and defense officials were not told for days about his hospitalization or his cancer. White House spokesman John Kirby got defensive as he was repeatedly queried about why the commander-in-chief didn't know the conditions or the where abouts of his top military officer About Prostate Cancer Secretary Austin was diagnosed in December when doctors noticed changes in routine blood tests. The tests looked for prostate specific antigens (PSA), which measures the amount of a protein linked to cancer. Austin, 70, was considered high risk for prostate cancer because of his age and the fact he is an African-American, who are more likely to develop the disease. Austin had part of his prostate gland removed via a procedure known as a prostatectomy - effectively cutting out the cancer before it can grow and spread. Doctors have given him an 'excellent' prognosis. Outcomes after prostate cancer surgery can vary - in some men the cancer never returns, while in up to one in four it does. In 2023, the American Cancer Society estimates there were 288,300 new cases of prostate cancer and 34,700 deaths. The cancer develops in the prostate gland - a part of the reproductive system in men. The walnut-sized gland is responsible for secreting fluid that keeps sperm healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 13 in 100 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes. Risk factors include smoking, having obesity, sexually transmitted infections, genetics and exposure to Agent Orange, a chemical used during the Vietnam War. Early stages of prostate cancer rarely show symptoms, but as the disease progresses, people may develop frequent urination, weak urine flow, pain during urination, loss of bladder and bowel control, painful ejaculation and erectile dysfunction and pain in the low back, hips or chest. Advertisement Eight in ten men and six in ten black men are diagnosised with prostate cancer every year. The risk grows for men as they age. It is the most common cancer among men in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 5-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer in the United States is 97%. Meanwhile, the White House on Tuesday ordered cabinet secretaries to keep it informed when they may not be able to perform their duties as the fallout from Austin's hospitalization continues. White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients, in a memo, directed cabinet officers to examine their policies for delegating authority when a secretary is out of commission and to send those procedures to the White House for review. He also made clear that White House officials expected to be kept up to date about developments like major medical issues. 'Notify the Offices of Cabinet Affairs and White House Chief of Staff in the event of a delegation of authority or potential delegation,' Zients wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The New York Times. 'This notification should occur when agencies anticipate or are preparing for a delegation of authority and again when the delegation occurs.' The Pengaton said on Tuesday it is correcting its procedures. 'The department is taking immediate steps to correct our notification procedures,' Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder said at his briefing. 'Nothing is more important to the Secretary of Defense and the Department of Defense than the trust and confidence of the American people and the public we serve and will continue to work every day and work hard every day to earn and deserve that trust,' he said. He noted the Pentagon was conducting an internal review of the matter. 'We want to make sure that notifications are happening in a timely way. And this way, as we've acknowledged, there were some shortfalls and so it's important that we go back and look at what those shortfalls work. What could have been done better and make sure that going forward. We're improving those processes,' he said. 'We're committed to making sure that we don't do this again. And then we do a better job next time.' Secretary Austin was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 'The department is taking immediate steps to correct our notification procedures,' Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder said Tuesday Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin kept his hospitalization a secret for days; above he is seen with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in May Zients also directed Cabinet officials to ensure power is transferred 'when a cabinet member is traveling to areas with limited or no access to communication, undergoing hospitalization or a medical procedure requiring general anesthesia, or otherwise in a circumstance when he or she may be unreachable.' The memo was sent out as President Biden and his team continue to deal with the political headache left to them after Austin failed to inform them of his hospitalization until four days after it occurred. Austin could have broken the law by failing to report his absence, the Pentagon has launched a full investigation into the matter and one Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment against the defense secretary. And Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio on Wednesday became the first Democratic voice in Congress to call for Austin's resignation. Austin remains at Walter Reed Medical Center but is out of the ICU and has retaken control of his authorities as the head of U.S. armed forces. The White House has said President Biden backs him but lawmakers in both parties are questioning the Pentagon's handling of the situation. The White House also had said they would be conducting a review of the situation. Meanwhile on Tuesday, four Republican lawmakers who are former military pilots - August Pfluger, Mike Garcia, Scott Franklin and Jake Ellzey - called on Austin to resign, accusing him of a 'dereliction of duty.' Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin could have broken the law by failing to report his absence - he is seen above participating in the Virtual Red Sea Security Summit at NAVCENT headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, on December 19 Timeline on Lloyd Austin's illness Dec. 22: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has procedure at Walter Reed Dec. 23: Austin returns home Dec. 27: President Biden leaves for St. Croix for New Year's vacation Jan. 1: Austin participates in national security phone call Jan. 1: Austin admitted to ICU Jan. 2: Austin top staffers informed of his hospitalization Jan. 2: Biden returns to White House Jan. 2: Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks takes some of Austin's duties Jan. 4: Biden and Hicks told Austin is in hospital Jan. 5: Congress informed Jan. 6: Biden and Austin speak via phone Jan. 9: Pentagon announces Austin was being treated for prostate cancer Advertisement The Pentagon has said that it's still unclear when Austin will be released from the hospital but vowed to give daily updates until he is out. Many officials remain uncleared for days about what elective procedure Austin went to the hospital for on December 22nd and what he suffered from in its after affects. It is unclear when President Biden was told. As part of the fallout, Kelly Magsamen, Austin's chief of staff, ordered a 30-day investigation into the events surrounding Austin's hospitalization, the Pentagon announced late Monday night. But the matter was not referred to the Defense Department inspector general's office for an independent review. It will be led by Jennifer Walsh, the Pentagon's director of administration and management. Magsamen had been ill with the flu and was unaware that Austin had been hospitalized. Officials have cited her illness as one of the reasons the White House wasn't informed about the secretary's condition. Austin's top staffers knew about his hospitalization on Jan. 2, the day after it occurred, however. Biden wasn't told until Jan. 4. The review will establish a timeline of events beginning Jan. 1 when Austin was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed and examine how decisions were made about informing officials of his condition. 'This review will help to ensure clarity and transparency when a determination has been made that certain authorities have been transferred,' Magsamen wrote. 'And that proper and timely notification has been made to the President and White House and, as appropriate, the United States Congress and the American public.' Kelly Magsamen (left), Lloyd Austin's chief of staff, ordered a 30-day investigation into the events surrounding the defense secretary's hospitalization The White House announced President Biden backs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (seen above with Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the White House on August 30th) Kirby pledged the White House would investigate the matter, looking at the 'process and procedure' regarding the location and health of senior officials after Biden was not told for four days that his defense secretary was in the hospital. He said the administration would perform a 'hot wash,' which is a military term to describe an intense, quick review. 'As you might expect, we'll take a look at process and procedure here. And try to learn from this experience and if there's some changes that need to be made, in terms of process and procedure, we'll do that,' Kirby said. Boeing will increase quality inspections of its 737 Max 9 aircraft in response to the failure of an emergency exit door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight. Boeing's reputation as the premier American aircraft manufacturer has been tarnished by a series of manufacturing flaws that led some airlines to hold off aircraft purchases or go with its European rival, Airbus. Federal regulators grounded the 737 Max until safety checks were done on the door plugs of every one of the planes in service in the US. United and Alaska airlines, which fly dozens of the 737 Max 9 aircraft, continued to cancel all flights on the troubled plane until at least Wednesday. Alaska flight 1282 left Portland just after 5pm Friday when a window blew out at 16,000 feet and federal investigators are now trying to hunt down the missing piece Boeing said after the Alaska Airlines flight and customer complaints, it was 'clear that we are not where we need to be' on quality assurance and controls. 'Our team is also taking a hard look at our quality practices in our factories and across our production system,' chief executive Stan Deal wrote in an email to employees. Boeing is bringing in airline customers and independent inspectors to go over the aircraft as needed, Deal wrote. The planemaker will also deploy a team to supplier Spirit AeroSystems which makes and installs the plug door involved in the blow-out. They will to check and approve Spirit's work before fuselages are sent to Boeing's production facilities in Washington state. In addition to the door plug inspections, Boeing teams will conduct checks at 50 other points in Spirit's production process. Boeing will also hold sessions for employees on quality management, and bring in an outside party to conduct an independent assessment of its production process. Deal wrote that the actions laid out in the letter are separate from the FAA's ongoing investigation and plans to increase oversight of Max production. An emergency exit used as a cabin window blew out of the Alaskan Airlines flight from Portland to California at 16,000 feet However, before new Max 9s are delivered, Boeing 'will conduct the same thorough inspections of the mid-exit door plugs as mandated by the FAA,' Deal wrote. 'Everything we do must conform to the requirements in our QMS,' he added. 'Anything less is unacceptable. It is through this standard that we must operate to provide our customers and their passengers complete confidence in Boeing airplanes.' One of two door plugs on an Alaska Max 9 blew out shortly after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, on January 5, leaving a hole in the plane. The cabin lost pressure and the plane was forced to descend rapidly and return to Portland for an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported. The Federal Aviation Administration announced last week it planned to investigate whether the manufacturer failed to make sure a fuselage panel that blew off was safe and manufactured to meet the design that regulators approved. Alaska Airlines 737-900 at Portland International Airport, grounded until safety checks are completed The National Transportation Safety Board is focusing its investigation on plugs used to fill spots for extra doors when those exits are not required for safety reasons on Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners. The incident on the Alaska plane was the latest in a string of mishaps for Boeing that began in 2018, with the first of two crashes of Max 8 planes in Indonesia and Ethiopia - and more than four months apart - that killed 346 people. Max 8 and Max 9 planes were grounded worldwide for nearly two years after the second crash. Since then, various manufacturing flaws have at times held up deliveries of Max jets and a larger Boeing plane, the 787. Last month, the company asked airlines to inspect its Max jets for a loose bolt in the rudder-control system. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio endorsed Donald Trump for president one day before the Iowa caucuses, snubbing his home state Governor Ron DeSantis' White House bid. Rubio's endorsement came just a day before today's Iowa caucuses, where residents meet in school gyms, community centers and other public spaces to cast their vote for the Republican presidential candidate. He kept his cards close to his chest regarding who he planned to back, despite the other Florida Senator Rick Scott's endorsement of Trump last year. 'I support Trump because [his] kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created,' Rubio posted on X. 'It's time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America,' he continued. Rubio previously ran against Trump for the presidency in 2016 before dropping out of the race after losing Florida's primary. At the time, the Florida senator was openly hostile about Trump who he called 'chaotic' and a 'con artist.' He also called him 'reckless' and 'dangerous' in the lead up to the election. Trump, in return, labeled him as 'Little Marco' in a series of taunts on social media. But the two appeared to make amends as the former president threw his support behind Rubio's hard-fought re-election bid to the Senate in 2022. Trump (left) helped Rubio (right) campaign in 2022 when the senator was facing a challenge from Democrat Val Demings Rubio posted that Trump's leadership is the 'only way' to get the country back on track The former president celebrated the endorsements in a post to his Truth Social account. 'Thank you to Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida for the great Endorsements,' he wrote. 'Nice when both highly respected Republican Florida Senators ENDORSE TRUMP over the missing from Florida Republican Governor, Ron DeSanctimonious! They know something that others dont.' Trump has been endorsed by just under half of all the GOP senators, receiving at least 21 endorsements from the 49-member caucus. Senior members like Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Tom Cotton of Arkansas have also thrown their support behind Trump. But notably, the top Senate GOP brass including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Whip John Thune and John Cornyn have yet to publicly back the former president. Florida's other senator, Rick Scott, threw his support behind Trump in November. 'When you look at what is going on in the world today, this would not be happening if he was the president,' he said at the time. DeSantis brushed off Rubio's endorsement, saying it is evidence that Trump is in line with the 'D.C. establishment' during an interview with CNN on Monday morning. 'Donald Trump is the party of Washington, D.C. establishment. They have lined up behind him,' DeSantis said. 'I am the candidate that would be a change agent in Washington, D.C. And I like that contrast.' Last week, Trump thanked the highest-ranking Senate Republican yet to endorse his 2024 campaign for president - Sen. John Barrasso - days before the highly-anticipated Iowa caucuses. The entire House Republican leadership team has endorsed Donald Trump after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer joined colleagues in backing the former president who helped sink his own bid to for the speakership. Rubio and Trump ran against each other for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 Scott endorsed Trump in November and the senator previously campaigned for the president's 2020 re-election effort Emmer's announcement came a day after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana gave his own nod to Trump, following Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik's open support of the former president. Trump has a commanding lead in Iowa, according to an Emerson poll published Sunday. The survey shows the former president leads all candidates at 55 percent, which is more than a 30-point lead over the other candidates. The same poll shows DeSantis in third place at 15 percent, trailing fellow candidate Nikki Haley at 21 percent. Many of the late Queen's granddaughters and great-granddaughters have proudly been given Elizabeth as a middle name in tribute to the family's beloved matriarch. But Harry and Meghan went a step further when they called their daughter Lilibet, the very personal term of endearment for the former monarch used only by her closest family and friends. In fact, I understand the Queen was so upset by the Sussexes' decision that she told aides: 'I don't own the palaces, I don't own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they've taken that.' Harry and Meghan would not have intended to cause her grief over this, at any rate. Barricaded in their Californian cocoon, blanketed by the cosy schmaltz of their new showbiz life, it simply wouldn't have occurred to the couple that such a gesture would cause offence. The then 95-year-old monarch was taken aback when she was told by her grandson of his intention to give his daughter the name Lilibet in her honour but didn't feel, given the circumstances, she could say no Harry and Meghan went a step further when they called their daughter Lilibet, the very personal term of endearment for the former monarch used only by her closest family and friends . But it seems that it did as well-placed sources made clear to myself and others at the time. The row erupted again this week thanks to my colleague Robert Hardman's excellent and well-sourced new biography of King Charles III, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail. Hardman says one member of the late Queen's staff told him that she was 'as angry as I'd ever seen her' after the Duke and Duchess publicly stated they would not have used her private family nickname if she had not been 'supportive'. They were reacting to a story, not published by one of the popular British newspapers the Sussexes so openly despise, but by the BBC, of all places. The national broadcaster's royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, reported being told by a 'Palace source' that the Queen was 'never asked' by Harry and Meghan about the use of her childhood nickname. Dymond said his source 'disputed' reports in the wake of the announcement of the name that Harry and Meghan had spoken to the Queen to garner her blessing. It's what a lot of us were saying, one way or another, back in 2021. But the fact that the BBC - the world's leading public service broadcaster - was now stating it added a whole new level of gravitas. The Sussexes' spokesman did not hesitate to denounce the report and insisted the Queen was the first family member Harry called with the joyous news of his long-awaited daughter's birth. He said that during their conversation 'he shared their hope of naming their daughter Lilibet in her honour. Had she not been supportive, they would not have used the name'. They then used their favoured legal firm, Schillings, to issue a letter to the BBC and other media threatening action, suggesting the report that the Queen was not asked for permission was 'false and defamatory and should not be repeated'. Notably, the BBC did not back down. Indeed, there were further questions for the couple when it later emerged that they had registered Lilibet Diana as a 'domain name' on the internet before their daughter was even born and they had seemingly asked the Queen for permission. In all honesty, I was not told at the time that the Queen was 'angry'. That was not a word that was ever used to me, personally. I understand the Queen was so upset by the Sussexes' decision that she told aides: 'I don't own the palaces, I don't own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they've taken that.' The Sussexes' spokesman did not hesitate to denounce the report and insisted the Queen was the first family member Harry called with the joyous news of the birth of his long-awaited daughter' Lilibet, pictured But what at least two sources made clear reluctantly, I might add, since in the wake of their score-settling Oprah interview, everyone at Buckingham Palace was treading on eggshells for fear of further hostilities with the Sussexes was that the suggestion they had sought the Queen's approval was a rather one-sided interpretation of what had actually occurred. As it was described to me, the then 95-year-old monarch was taken aback when she was told by her grandson of his intention to give his daughter the name Lilibet in her honour but didn't feel, given the circumstances, she could say no. You might describe it as being pushed into an impossible corner. And that certainly makes sense when you now consider her remark about 'palaces and paintings' which, as well as most of her jewels, cars and even furniture, were never hers to own. She was, in most respects, simply the conservator of them for future generations on behalf of the nation. However her pet name, Lilibet, which sweetly stuck after she could never pronounce her own name correctly as a toddler, was hers and hers alone. In fact until then it had only ever been used by her grandfather, her parents, her late husband and a handful of her closest friends and relatives. As someone who had enjoyed a faultless career as an international stateswoman, the elderly Queen, it seems, was still willing to bite her lip (publicly that is) until she saw her name being weaponised by lawyers in a fight against the British public service broadcaster. And according to Robert Hardman, despite posting their good wishes on social media Buckingham Palace flatly refused to be 'co-opted' into 'propping up' Harry and Meghan's version of events. They firmly 'rebuffed' their requests to do so, which ultimately, it seems, led the Sussexes' threats of legal action to quietly dissipate. In truth, it is really rather sad that the name of a child continues to cause rancour. Little Lilibet deserves none of this. But the fact that loyal staff speak about it even now shows that many consider the Sussexes' behaviour towards the late Queen to have been at best misguided and at worst unforgivable in the twilight of her reign. Police are hunting for ULEZ 'blade runners' after vandals chopped down traffic lights and an enforcement camera. The incident took place just before 4am today in Chislehurst, London in the latest spree of attacks protesting the ULEZ expansion. It comes just one week after another set of traffic lights were cut down on Chislehurst High Street. The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation and say enquiries are ongoing but no arrests have been made. The ULEZ campaigners struck south-east London again just a few days ago when they cut down one of the enforcement cameras and replaced it with a Christmas tree. A member of the 'blade runners' previously told the Mayor of London: 'We won't stop until you stop. That's the bottom line.' Police are hunting for ULEZ 'blade runners' after vandals chopped down traffic lights and an enforcement camera The incident took place just before 4am today in Chislehurst, London in the latest spree of attacks protesting the ULEZ expansion It comes just a week after another set of traffic lights were cut down on Chislehurst High Street The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation and say enquiries are ongoing but no arrests have been made Photos of the damaged camera and traffic lights show tape cordoning off the area Photos of the damaged camera and traffic lights show tape cordoning off the area. A TfL spokesperson said: 'Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation. Criminal damage to ULEZ cameras or vehicles puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public. 'Camera vandalism will not stop the ULEZ operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible. 'We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme. 'Anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle within the expanded zone will be detected and we advise everyone to check whether their vehicle is compliant and to consider the various support that is available to help transition to greener modes of transport.' This comes as anti-ULEZ 'blade runners' have said they will ramp up their action of wrecking cameras which use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to implement the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions Zone) charges. 'Blade Runners', who are opposed to Mr Khan's flagship policy, have already attacked hundreds of cameras prompting the London Mayor to roll out vehicles to catch those flouting the rules. The ULEZ campaigners struck south-east London again just a few days ago when they cut down one of the enforcement cameras and replaced it with a Christmas tree Sadiq Khan has hired a goon squad of 'thugs' with face tattoos wearing skeleton balaclavas to protect his hated Ulez cameras on mobile vans (pictured) Meanwhile, the Conservatives have slammed Khan's antics as 'intimidation' They say they want to bring the expanded ULEZ scheme 'to its knees' and have a series of 'exciting plans' in place, it was reported previously. And they said they will not stop until it is scrapped - with an initial aim of targeting 80 per cent of cameras in the next month. Around 250 Blade Runners are thought to be active across the capital. The group has seen more active participation since the zone was expanded on August 29, members previously claimed. There are about 1,775 ULEZ cameras in London - meaning 1,420 are on the target list. The 12.50-a-day charge started to apply to non-compliant vehicles across all London boroughs towards the end of 2023. It has caused outrage in the suburbs, with Mr Khan's Tory mayoral election rival Susan Hall promising to scrap it if she wins power. In December, it emerged Sadiq Khan has reportedly hired a goon squad of 'thugs' with face tattoos wearing skeleton balaclavas to protect his hated Ulez cameras. Homeowners in suburban London said the gang of 'masked heavies' would often dress in black and hang around schools and homes while recording passersby on body cameras. The TfL claimed the guards are held to 'high standards of professionalism' and that they were necessary to protect Ulez cameras from the Blade Runners. Mother-of-five Claire Dyer, 47, from Biggin Hill in Bromley, claimed concerned residents lived in fear of the Ulez protection gang. She told MailOnline previously: 'You have thuggish security - they don't need to be behaving the way that they are. 'All you can see is their eyes. They are wearing masks and balaclavas - even that might have skeletons on them. 'Dressing all in black with body cameras all in masks. They seem to be above the law. 'They say they are a TFL representative but they don't actually work for TFL. It's such a grey area. 'Why are they trying to harass people? 'We are not aggressive or violent, just every day people. We are not hardened criminals. 'It feels like there has been a direct order to get us accused of something we haven't [done]. 'We are not inner city London. We have elderly [people] who live in the area who now can't leave their homes.' TfL previously said the security guards wore plain, dark clothes while on the job and were also allowed to wear hats. It refused to comment on the guards wearing balaclavas and masks but said the use of mobile camera vans will be reviewed continually to ensure the Ulez was being enforced effectively. An Aslef train driver has revealed why workers are going on strike and insisted that minimum service laws will be 'catastrophic' for the workplace. Dawn Stewart, who has been a train driver for six years, explained trade union members are undertaking walkouts to achieve a pay rise that reflects the cost-of-living crisis and to receive better working conditions. She added that union members would like to see an increase in safety on the railways, which she believes could be achieved by strike action. Ms Stewart told the TUC: 'I've been a train driver for six years. Last year I took strike action for the first time. We've been in dispute ever since. 'Train drivers like me have been taking strike action for a pay rise that reflects the rising cost-of-living, for better working conditions and for safety on the railways.' She added: 'Union members want to improve the safety and quality of the railways as well as win the pay rises that we deserve.' Ms Stewart said she believes the introduction of minimum service levels would be 'catastrophic' and a 'huge mistake' - insisting that the changes will affect passengers the most. 'No trains' signs at the closed Kettering station during an Aslef strike on December 2, 2023 Members of Aslef on the picket line outside Reading station in Berkshire in September 2023 'I think the introduction of minimum service levels is a huge mistake. Minimum Service Levels will have a negative impact on passengers they will make trains even less safe,' she said. 'MSLs will result in train companies running dangerously busy train services resulting in packed carriages and unsafe crowds on platforms. 'And of course, they'll also have a catastrophic impact on the workplace.' She added: 'In the current government-controlled system, it's already hard enough for us to win improvements to pay and conditions from our employers. MSLs will make it even harder.' Ministers this month announced that the long-awaited legislation will include 'minimum service' levels in key sectors - such as rail, fire and ambulance. Employers could be able to sue unions if they prevent basic functions being maintained during walkouts. The government said that measures recognise that 'disruption to blue light services puts lives at immediate risk'. MailOnline has contacted Aslef for comment. Full list of Aslef rail strike dates in January and February 2024 Monday, January 29: Overtime ban begins Tuesday, January 30: Strikes on South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Thameslink Wednesday, January 31: Strikes on Northern and TransPennine Express Thursday, February 1: No strikes, but overtime ban continues Friday, February 2: Strikes on Greater Anglia, C2C and LNER Saturday, February 3: Strikes on West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway. Sunday, February 4: No strike but overtime ban continues Monday, February 5: Strikes on Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern Tuesday, February 6: No strikes, but final day of overtime ban Advertisement It comes as fresh rail strikes announced today will cost hospitality firms 350million, industry experts said as the Prime Minister slammed the 'extremely disappointing' walkouts. The UK network will be crippled by industrial action once again later this month after train drivers said they would stage a series of fresh strikes and an overtime ban. The union Aslef revealed the wave of industrial action would impact 17 different rail operators across nine days between Monday, January 29 and Tuesday, February 6. The Rail Delivery Group said its offer would take drivers' salaries to nearly 65,000 for a four-day week without overtime, while Rishi Sunak's spokesman pointed out that Aslef drivers 'continue to be paid far above' the average person in the UK. Meanwhile UKHospitality said the new action had 'dismayed' businesses and will cost the industry almost 350million, on top of the 4billion in lost sales from rail strikes. The strikes will cripple train services across England with rail firms including LNER, Avanti West Coast, Great Western and CrossCountry all set to be affected. Others operators set to be hit include those on London commuter routes such as South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink. Aslef wants to put pressure on 'intransigent' rail companies as well as the 'tone-deaf Tory government' to give train drivers their first pay rise in almost five years. But the action could also be the first test of new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during strikes, set at 40 per cent in the transport sector. Reacting to news of the strikes today, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'This is extremely disappointing. Not least to commuters, who have already been so badly hit by Aslef's decision to continually strike. 'Aslef drivers continue to be paid far above what the average person in the UK receives. 'Rail companies have made a fair and reasonable offer, and we would encourage them to step back from this action.' Sign at London Waterloo station in September 2023 warning of train strikes and overtime bans Members of the Aslef union on a picket line near Leeds train station during action last June East Midlands Railway trains sit at a depot in Derby during strike by Aslef on December 2, 2023 Also today, Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: 'Once again, hospitality businesses are left dismayed by strike action which will be significantly detrimental to sales and see bookings cancelled. 'January and February are already two of the quieter months of the year for venues and this disruption will make it even more painful. 'We estimate this set of strikes will cost hospitality almost 350million, on top of the 4billion in lost sales the sector has already had to withstand. 'We continue to urge all parties involved to urgently reach an agreement and resolve this dispute. Ongoing strike action hurts businesses, prevents people from getting to work and significantly erodes confidence in the rail network.' The nine days of action will begin with the overtime ban commencing on Monday, January 29. The following day, Tuesday, January 30, will see strikes on South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Thameslink. Then Wednesday, January 31, will bring strikes on Northern and TransPennine Express. There will be no strikes on Thursday, February 1, although the overtime ban will continue. Friday, February 2, will then bring strikes on Greater Anglia, c2c and LNER. And then there will be strikes on Saturday, February 3, on West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway. The overtime ban will continue without strikes on Sunday, February 4. And the last strikes will be on Monday, February 5, on Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern. Tuesday, February 6, will then be the final day of the overtime ban. A glamorous Las Vegas Deputy District Attorney has been hit with a misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving charge after she was clocked driving 75mph in a 35pmh zone. Kayla Farzaneh-Simmons, 28, was driving her white KIA SUV on Sunset Road around 5pm January 7 before she was stopped by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer near Rainbow Boulevard in Spring Valley- about 10 miles form Las Vegas. Farzaneh-Simmons had three passengers with her in the vehicle at the time and she declined to take a sobriety test after the officer smelled a strong smell of alcohol on her. 'While assisting Farzaneh-Simmons into the back of my patrol vehicle, she appeared to almost fall and I went to assist her. I advised her I thought she was going to fall for a second, and she responded, "I am not that drunk, I promise,"' the officer wrote in a report. Kayla Farzaneh-Simmons, 28, was charged with misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving on January 7 in Spring Valley, Nevada. She had three passengers in the car and the police report stated that her vehicle had a 'strong odor' of alcohol The Deputy District Attorney was hired by the Clark County District Attorney's Office in December 2022. Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa told DailyMail.com that Farzaneh-Simmons is still employed at the office. The police report added the cop 'immediately observed that the driver has watery and slightly bloodshot eyes.' When asked if she could identify herself, the officer said that Farzaneh-Simmons 'spoke with slightly slurred speech' and that he noticed a 'strong odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle.' After the officer asked her how much she had to drink, the DA said: 'Not much at all,' before she declined to perform a field sobriety test. Farzaneh-Simmons was hired as a Deputy District Attorney by the Clark County District Attorney's Office in December 2022. DailyMail.com has confirmed that she is still employed with the office She later agreed to submit a voluntary blood sample at the request of the police, but the results have not yet been released. Farzaneh-Simmons was released from Clark County Detention Center and is due in court on May 6, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. According to her LinkedIn profile, Farzaneh-Simmons was previously employed as a part-time bartender from December 2020 to 2021. She was then employed at another bar from April 2022 to 2023. She then moved on to work as a Judicial Extern at the Eighth Judicial District Court before she took a job as a Civil Law Self-Help Center Law Clerk before she entered her Deputy DA position. According to an online registry, she got married in August 2023. Hamas has released a new video in which 26-year-old hostage Noa Argamani is forced to say two of her fellow captives are dead, allegedly killed by IDF strikes. It follows a video earlier today in which Hamas claimed they would reveal tonight whether three hostages are alive or dead - including Ms Argamani, whose abduction horrified the world. In the footage they asked viewers 'what do you think?' - referring to the fate of the Nova festival attendee Ms Argamani, Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38. But another video aired today shows Ms Argamani claiming the two other captives were killed by 'our own IDF strikes', referring to the Israeli military. In the earlier video, Hamas offered a trio of options for the captives: all three are killed; 'some are killed, some are injured,' or all three are spared. Hamas released a video showing hostage Noa Argamani explaining how Yossi Sharabi and Itai Svirski were killed in captivity She claims they were killed after the building they were housed in was hit by an Israeli airstrike Itai Svirski has allegedly been killed while being held captive by Hamas Yossi Sharabi was allegedly killed after the building the hostages were housed in was hit by an Israeli airstrike It was a follow-up to a 37-second clip released on Sunday in which the three hostages pleaded with Israel to stop its offensive on Gaza, concluding with the message 'tomorrow we will inform you of their fate'. January 14 marks 100 days since Hamas' shock invasion into southern Israel, storming across the border in cars, vans and by motorised paraglider at daybreak. Some 1,100 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in massacres of kibbutzim and the Nova Music Festival near Re'im. Ms Argamani was among those enjoying the 'peace festival' in the desert when gunmen breached the site and opened fire. 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, before footage emerged online of her screaming 'don't kill me' as she was taken to Gaza on the back of a motorbike. As many as 240 hostages were taken on October 7 to be used as leverage in prisoner swaps with Israel, which holds many Palestinians - civilians and suspected terrorists - in prisons. The world watched in horror as a video emerged of Noa Argamani, 26, sitting on the back of a motorbike as she screamed 'Don't kill me' to the men surrounding her during Hamas's attacks on Israel in October For months Noa's family have been helplessly waiting for news that their beloved daughter (pictured) has survived the Hamas attack A week-long ceasefire was organised in November after weeks of retaliatory bombing by Israel on communities in Gaza as the army paved the way for a wider ground invasion. Critics, including international charities and the UN, warned that the bombing was devastating civilian communities in one of the world's most densely-packed enclaves. A siege of Gaza City, cutting water, aid, power, medical supplies and fuel to the beleaguered Strip risked a serious humanitarian crisis, the UN warned in October. And 24-hour evacuation orders were met with outcry from humanitarian aid groups, warning such an unprecedented migration of people was 'impossible'. Mounting pressure eventually saw Israel agree to a temporary ceasefire to last from November 24 until November 30 - later extended until November 31. A total of 110 hostages were released during that timeframe, mostly as part of a Qatar-mediated deal between Hamas and Israel, some released as part of a separate deal with Thailand and two as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The return of hostages from Gaza has revealed the dire conditions hostages were exposed to within Gaza. Noa Argamani, who was taken from the Nova peace festival near Re'im on October 7 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' Some gave chilling accounts of rape, physical beatings and psychological torture, drawing horrified reactions from family members and Israeli citizens who put more pressure on the government to safely ensure the return of the remaining captives. he sustained fighting has also seen IDF soldiers mistakenly kill surrendering hostages carrying white flags while operating in Gaza. And returning hostages warned some were being held in tunnels under the Strip - as Israel revealed plans to pump them with water to flush out Hamas. As the conflict reached its 100th day, protestors in Tel Aviv were seen calling for the safe return of the remaining hostages, demanding a ceasefire and more prisoner swaps. Video shared previously showed some of the emotional clashes between the families of hostages and members of Netanyahu's war cabinet. Families worry the far-right government's policies enacted during wartime, such as new provisions for the death penalty, could adversely affected their loved ones held in Gaza. More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military campaign in October, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Around 40 per cent of the Gazan population are children. Despite the challenges facing Israel operating within the Palestinian enclave, the IDF has reaffirmed its commitment to safely returning the hostages through 'increased military pressure'. Army chief Herzi Halevi said in a statement on Saturday: 'We do not forget and we will not forget, and we will continue to remind even those who try to deny it. We are fighting for our right to live here in safety.' 'Tomorrow [Sunday, January 14] we will mark a hundred days since the beginning of the war. A hundred days in which the hostages are still held in Gaza by the cruel Hamas terrorists,' he added. 'We are operating by all means, most of them covertly, in order to return them and we will continue to do so until we return them all.' San Francisco Mayor London Breed made the rare move of condemning the city's Board of Supervisors after it passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Over the weekend, Breed, a Democrat, said the board's 8-3 vote in favor of the resolution last week does not represent the city's beliefs or values, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Proposed by Supervisor Dean Preston, the resolution called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of all hostages. Preston, who is Jewish, was supported by hundreds of pro-Palestinian members of the public, who supported the effort to get the resolution over the finish line. In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Breed said: 'Like my recent predecessors in this office, I almost never comment or take action on nonbinding resolutions from the Board of Supervisors.' Mayor London Breed came out against the resolution, saying it did not reflect the values or beliefs of the city 'This one warrants an exception,' she continued. 'What happened at the Board of Supervisors during this last month did not reflect our values. While I support the need for community members to be heard, the process at the Board only inflamed division and hurt.' Breed, who governs a famously progressive city, said she felt compelled to condemn the resolution after receiving a note from her counterpart in Haifa - San Francisco's longtime sister city. Haifa Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem, with whom Breed met last year during a trip to Israel to celebrate 50 years of the city's sister relationship, expressed 'pain and confusion' following the passage of the resolution. Breed said the letter illustrated 'the impact that our actions have, and the consideration required when taking up complex matters over which we have absolutely no jurisdiction.' The mayor said she now wants to meet with her counterpart over zoom to walk back the actions of the board and 'explain that what happened at the hearing and with the resolution in no way reflects the official view of the entire city of San Francisco - but, again, that of eight members of the Board of Supervisors.' 'My hope is that as we move forward, the public recognizes that the one body does not reflect an entire city,' Breed said. Breed also took aim at the process surrounding the resolution's passage. She said during the discussion and comments period, people were 'verbally attacked and degraded.' Three supervisors, Matt Dorsey, Rafael Mandelman and Catherine Stefani ultimately voted against the resolution, despite working to amend it. Board Supervisor Dean Preston, who is Jewish, introduced the resolution late last year with the support of many pro-Palestinian activists The Democratic socialist thanked the supporters of the resolution earlier this week for being tenacious with their advocacy Preston, a Democratic socialist, said he was disappointed in the mayor's condemnation of the resolution, which he says he introduced at the request of his constituents. 'Whatever the Mayors position is on calling for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and humanitarian aid into Gaza, it is disappointing that she would dismiss the voices of thousands of our constituents mine and the mayors many of whom came out to City Hall to support our resolution and are out marching for peace as we speak,' Preston, whose family fled the Holocaust, said in a statement. Preston's initial version of the resolution, which was supported by hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors who crowded City Hall in December, was overhauled by Board President Aaron Peskin, who attempted to write a resolution with wider appeal. The final version condemned anti-Semitism, as well as Islamophobia and other sorts of discrimination. Peskin also added a section that condemned Hamas terrorists' killing of Israeli citizens, and the deaths of Palestinian civilians. Dorsey - who did not ultimately vote in favor of the resolution - also attempted to add a section that called for the surrender of Hamas and introduce an endorsement for a two-state solution. He also wanted to make reference to a New York Times investigation that detailed the rape and other forms of extreme physical brutality Palestinian terrorists used against women on October 7. The Demcorat mayor of the progressive city has taken several steps recently that undermine the far-left direction of parts of the city's bureaucracy Breed's sharp condemnation of the Board's resolution comes just days after it was reported that the mayor would be backing away from San Francisco's plans for a designated office of reparations - a concept the progressive city has long hoped to explore. Mayor London Breed quietly withdrew $4 million in funding to establish an Office of Reparations as she struggles to balance a massive budget deficit in the city. The decision sparked frustration among activists who are pursuing cash payments of up to $5 million for the city's black residents. In a letter to department heads, Breed wrote: 'The reductions leave intact basic City services and priorities so we can continue making progress on hiring police officers, expanding shelter beds, advancing behavioral health initiatives, and cleaning up our streets.' The decision came after the city's African American Reparations Advisory Committee published a draft plan last March with recommendations including millions of dollars in cash payments. Other parts of the proposal include the creation of an Afrocentric K-12 School. A spokesman for Breed also said 'opening a separate office is not an efficient use of funds' and told SFGate that 'the Mayor does not believe we need a new bureaucracy to implement programs to benefit the African American community.' Shamann Walton, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, said it was 'disheartening', adding: 'I understand the importance of no cuts to existing programs, but the Black community will continue to pursue justice and equity through reparations here in San Francisco. 'My hope is that the city's deficit is eliminated quickly so that we can fund the Office of Reparations and fulfill the commitment made to address the historical injustices and inequities that have persisted for generations for Black San Franciscans.' Four people have been arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on suspicion of terrorism offences, police have confirmed. Officers arrested a 34-year-old man, a 58-year-old woman and another woman, 36, at about 4pm on Saturday before they were taken into custody at a west London police station. Officers later arrested a 49-year-old from south London on suspicion of inviting support for a proscribed organisation at approximately 3pm on Sunday. All four people have been bailed to return to a west London police station in late March. Officers arrested a 34-year-old man, a 58-year-old woman and another woman, 36, at about 4pm on Saturday before they were taken into custody at a west London police station A pro-Palestine protester holding a placard advocating for boycotts of a range of products during the march on Saturday, January 13 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters waved flags and carried placards, including a 'Stop Bombing Yemen' sign Police carried out searches of four addresses in south-east Kent, South Yorkshire, west London and south London. Thousands of people are believed to have taken part in Saturday's rally, which left Bank Junction in the centre of London at midday before heading via Fleet Street and Victoria Embankment and onto Parliament Square. The Met reportedly deployed 1,700 police officers for the event - the first major Pro-Palestine march in the city this year. Met Counter Terrorism Command detectives worked with policing colleagues to detect and deal with suspected terrorism offences over the weekend. This new investigation is one of around 30 launched by the Met Counter Terrorism Command into suspected criminality at protests the majority of which relate to potential terrorism offences. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'The vast majority of people attending protests are doing so peacefully. There are consequences for those who are not and where officers see people supporting proscribed organisations we will take action, as we did this weekend.' This is a breaking news story. More to follow. New video has emerged of OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney smacking her boyfriend weeks before she stabbed him to death in their Miami condo. Clenney is awaiting trial for murdering boyfriend Christian Obumseli in her apartment in April 2022. She is being held without bond. Her attorneys say she was acting in self defense when she stabbed Obumseli, but his family and lawyers say she was the aggressor. In videos released by them this week, Clenney is shown slapping Obumseli and yelling at him during a previous altercation in Aspen. Courtney Clenney swipes at boyfriend Christian Obumseli in a home in Aspen in early 2022 In videos released by them this week, Clenney is shown slapping Obumseli and yelling at him during a previous altercation in Aspen in early 2022 The footage, filmed by another person in the room, shows Clenney blaming Obumseli for 'hindering her progress' and sobriety Clenney and Obumseli. His family say she was physically abusing him. She insists she killed him in self-defense It's unclear how soon before his death the video was filmed. The footage, filmed by another person in the room, shows Clenney blaming Obumseli for 'hindering her progress' and sobriety. She complains about him 'flirting' with other women, not completing social media content for her and telling him she is 'fed up'. He argues back with her that he is 'done'. It remains unclear if the video will be submitted as evidence at Clenney's trial. She and her lawyers are fighting to block the submission of similar footage, claiming she did not consent to the videos being filmed. Clenney at a recent court hearing. She is in custody awaiting her trial Clenney and Obumseli worked together to create content for her online profiles Obumseli's family have long claimed that he suffered emotional and physical abuse while dating the model. She tells the same story in reverse. Her lawyers recently claimed to have proof of another altercation, this time in Las Vegas, during which Obumseli took 'clumps of hair' from her. 'The first is in Las Vegas in 2021 where she actually called security and the interview of the security officer by police. 'And you can see it in the body camera of the police officer, he says he overheard her saying get your hands off me, and when they got up to the room clumps of her hair were on the ground,' Clenney's lawyer Sabrina Puglisi told Law & Crime in a recent interview. The United States has spent $113billion trying to secure Ukraine's freedom, leaving Russia's imperiled neighbor with one of the best-equipped militaries in the world. President Joe Biden has warned a victory for Russia over Ukraine would leave Moscow in position to attack NATO allies and could draw US troops into a war. But his attempt to unlock another $61billion has been logjammed in Congress amid rows over whether it should be tied to security funding for America's own southern border. As the war enters its third year, growing US concerns over whether it should cut its losses have become central to the Republican presidential contest with Ron DeSantis slamming Nikki Haley for supporting Biden's 'open ended commitment'. Now, it all might be moot as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the Swiss to organize a 'high-level peace conference' - but without Russia being invited. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House last month Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (left) and former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley (right) got into a tense exchange over whether the U.S. should continue funding the war in Ukraine during Wednesday night's GOP debate in Des Moines 'We don't have enough resources being $35 trillion in debt to continue doing hundreds of billions of dollars,' Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told the GOP debate in Des Moines on Wednesday. 'We've got to focus on our issues here at home, and we've got to deal with the top threat that we face, which is China.' 'This is about preventing war,' America's former UN ambassador shot back. 'If we support Ukraine, that's only 3.5 percent of our defense budget,' she added. 'You have to be a friend to get a friend, and we needed a lot of friends on September 12th. 'We've got to make sure that we're having the backs of the right friends because if Russia wins, China wins.' The US ramped up military aid to Ukraine after the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 but it reached levels seldom seen since the Second World War when Putin tried to seize the rest of the country in February 2022. More than $47billion has been allocated for military assistance by the US alone, helping restrict the Russian invaders to areas in the south and east of Ukraine. American generosity has armed Ukraine with 39 Himars artillery rocket systems, 76 tanks and 186 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. More than 100,000 anti-tank missiles have spearheaded the country's defense along with a state-of-the-art Patriot air defense battery. Phoeniz Ghost and Switchblade UAS systems are among the drones patrolling Ukrainian skies, and laser-guided rocker systems have helped draw the sting of the Russian attack. And billions more have been spent providing humanitarian and financial assistance to the besieged country. DeSantis claimed that 'globalist' Haley supported funding 'salaries for Ukrainian government bureaucrats' and 'paid pensions for Ukrainian retirees' with taxpayer dollars. 'You can take the ambassador out of the United Nations, but you can't take the United Nations out of the ambassador,' he said. According to the Congressional Budget Office, just half of the existing funds will have been spent by the end of 2024, and just three-quarters by the end of 2026. 'Increasingly, the provision of security assistance to Ukraine has focused on improving the Ukraine's medium to long-term capabilities, including transitioning toward more NATO-standard weaponry, and on helping develop Ukraine's domestic defense industry,' reported the Congressional Research Service earlier this month. But President Biden accused Republicans of giving Russia's president Putin 'the greatest gift he can hope for' as they voted down his bid for a fresh $61 billion package for Ukraine last month. 'They are willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process,' he declared. Germany is preparing for Vladimir Putin 's forces to attack NATO in 2025, according to leaked secret plans that emerged today. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell - seen with President Zelensky and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in the Capitol last month - told his senators that talks on a further package of aid to Ukraine are going nowhere A third of Americans say Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a 'major threat' to US interests, according to a Pew Research poll last month. But a poll for the Telegraph earlier this month found that a third of voters in six swing states said the US had spent too much on supporting Ukraine, while a large minority in five of the six said aid should now be cut. 'Russia will not lose this war. You have to recognize that reality,' GOP Senator Ron Johnson, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said after last month's vote. 'I don't like that reality, but it's true. The only way this war ends is in a negotiated settlement.' A notorious British fraudster who swindled 300,000 from his ex-girlfriend is released from jail and living in Spain with his family, a court heard. Mark Acklom was extradited to Spain in 2021 after being freed from a nearly six-year sentence imposed in England in 2019. But a UK court has been told that the 50-year-old is now living with his family in Spain after serving a further two years' imprisonment in the country. No details were revealed of his exact whereabouts, although he does have a wife and two children living in Spain. The serial conman had fled Spain in 2016, midway through a three-year fraud sentence, after being given temporary release while he applied for parole. Undated handout file photo issued by Avon and Somerset police of Mark Acklom, a serial conman Acklom has a history of fraud dating back to 1991. He is said to be living with family in Spain He was already wanted by Avon and Somerset Police for scamming his then-girlfriend, Carolyn Woods, out of her life savings in a romance fraud that began in 2012. During his relationship with Ms Woods, Acklom posed as a Swiss banker and MI6 agent to 'destroy' her life. He claimed he was friends with celebrities including Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, had spoken to Hillary Clinton and knew fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. He also claimed to be involved with secret MI6 missions. The fugitive was later tracked down to Switzerland and extradited back to Britain in 2019, where he was jailed for five years and eight months. Since then, prosecutors have been using Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) legislation to try to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods. Martin Sharpe, representing Acklom, told a Poca hearing at Bristol Magistrates' Court that his client was not actively taking part in proceedings. 'Although Mr Acklom is not observing he is available on the phone to provide instructions. He is just not watching,' Mr Sharpe said. Referring to his release from prison, the barrister said: 'Earlier in the year, I am not sure of the precise date, last year, early summer. 'He has family there (in Spain).' Carolyn Woods arriving at Bristol Crown Court, August 6, 2019. She alleged that Mark Acklom posed as an MI6 agent and conned her into 'lending' him money Carolyn Woods (shown middle) is pictured arriving at Bristol Crown Court for the hearing in 2019 Over the last five years, there have been a series of hearings to establish Acklom's criminal benefit and available assets. A two-day hearing was being held in Bristol for Acklom's lawyers to argue there had been an abuse of process in the Poca hearings due to a lack of disclosure. 'The principle submission is that there has been an abuse of process in these proceedings because there has not been full and fair disclosure and that has not abled us to bottom out issues we need to oppose this application for confiscation,' Mr Sharpe told the court. John Hardy KC, representing the Crown, said in response: 'While we don't object in any way to him making this application, we say it falls at the first hurdle because it has already been pre-determined. 'It was determined in Your Honour's ruling of February 2, 2021. 'We say on a proper analysis what the defence is endeavouring to do is relitigate this issue. 'We say the principle of finality would apply and unless something significantly or indeed dramatically causes the court to revisit its rulings on issues made earlier.' Judge Martin Picton, who had originally jailed Acklom nearly five years ago, said the prosecution 'only had a duty' to disclose material that would 'either undermine the prosecution position or assist the defence position'. He went on: 'The days when the defence were given the keys to the warehouse and go through every single piece of paper the prosecution ever generated looking for stuff went out a very long time ago. 'It isn't how it works.' Ms Woods met Acklom in 2012 when he went into her boutique to buy a jacket (pictured), telling her he was a Swiss banker visiting the UK to buy a Cotswold airfield Mr Sharpe told the court: 'We say in a complicated case like this where there are a lot of ancillary matters identified, it is the keys to the warehouse approach that should be adopted.' The judge replied: 'I just don't see that is a tenable argument. 'You have to proceed, and I have to proceed on the basis you have highlighted an issue where there is potentially relevant disclosure and you are told there is nothing to disclose, then there is nothing to disclose, as we expect people to engage in the criminal justice process in an honest, conscientious and fair-minded way. 'Unless it is demonstrated that someone hasn't, that is the basis I proceed.' In 1991, Acklom, then aged 16, was given a four-year custodial sentence for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after posing as a City stockbroker. He also spent 11,000 after stealing his father's credit card, swindled a former teacher out of 13,000, and ran up a 34,000 bill with a private charter jet company. Congressional leaders announced over the weekend they would be pushing forward with a third short-term spending deal to kick the spending deadline down the road - a plan that once again rankled the rightward flank of Republicans. The continuing resolution, or CR, pushes the deadlines for a full-year spending plan to March 1 for four agencies of government and March 8 for the other eight. The stopgap funding bill must be passed by Friday or else the government will go into a partial shutdown. 'The @HouseGOP is planning to pass a short-term spending bill continuing Pelosi levels with Biden policies, to buy time to pass longer-term spending bills at Pelosi levels with Biden policies,' the hardliner House Freedom Caucus wrote on X. 'This is what surrender looks like.' Speaker Mike Johnson will likely need significant Democratic support to pass the bill under suspension - meaning two-thirds of the House would have to vote for it The goal is still to pass and conference with both chambers 12 separate appropriations bills to fund each agency of government. The original deadline to do so for fiscal year 2024 was September 30. The CR will first move through the Senate with Schumer expected to take it up on the floor this week. Among right-wing conservatives there is little appetite for any more CRs, and some admit they'd prefer to allow the government to shut down than to pass another short-term spending deal that funds the government at 2023 levels set under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Some have suggested they would not vote for any funding deal until there are policy changes on border security. 'Enough with the continuing resolutions. Weve had plenty of time to address funding levels. Congress keeps punting this while our southern border remains a mess and our national debt continues to surge. We are doing the American people a disservice,' Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote on X. 'I'm not in agreement with this spending bill and not even agreement on the continuing resolution,' Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said on Fox News over the weekend. 'We have a massive problem at our southern border. It must be done now. It must be fixed now.' Speaker Mike Johnson will likely need significant Democratic support to pass the bill under suspension - meaning two-thirds of the House would have to vote for it. He will also need to convince his own party that the CR will buy them more time to attach conservative policy riders to year-long spending legislation. 'Because the completion deadlines are upon us, a short continuing resolution is required to complete what House Republicans are working hard to achieve: an end to governance by omnibus, meaningful policy wins and better stewardship of American tax dollars,' Johnson said in a statement. 'Enough with the continuing resolutions. Weve had plenty of time to address funding levels,' Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote on X It comes after Johnson announced last week a full-year spending deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that would fund the government at $1.66 trillion. It's essentially the same figure as Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden negotiated under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the debt limit deal, with some $16 billion in budget cuts tacked on. Johnson warned his conference in November that if they don't pass the 12 appropriations bills, they'll need to do a full-year CR with across the board non-defense cuts. The long-term deal with Schumer also rankled hardline conservatives, with some even floating the idea of launching a motion to vacate to oust Johnson from the speakership. But after spending the week meeting with Freedom Caucus members, the speaker remained firm. 'Our top-line agreement remains,' Johnson said Friday, referring to the budget accord reached on January 7. 'We are getting our next steps together, and we are working towards a robust appropriations process.' Two members of an extreme body modification cult who removed the leg and penis of their ringleader known as The Eunuch Maker have been jailed. Former nurse Nathaniel Arnold, 48, Jacob Crimi-Appleby, 23, and male prostitute Damien Byrnes, 36, all removed the body parts from now wheelchair bound Norwegian Marius Gustavson. Gustavson, 46, led the body modification plot which made up to 200,000 by livestreaming procedures online. Arnold, Crimi-Appleby and Brynes admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Crimi-Appleby, who had a sexual relationship with Gustavson after meeting him aged 17, froze his leg causing it to require amputation, Byrnes removed his penis with a vegetable knife while Arnold partially removed his nipple with a scalpel. Marius Gustavson (pictured) 46, led the body modification plot which made up to 200,000 by livestreaming procedures online And on Monday, Byrnes was jailed for five years, Crimi-Appleby for three years and eight months while Arnold was given a two year suspended sentence. Gustavson received 18,500 in disability benefit after forcing the NHS to amputate his left leg by putting it in dry ice for two hours, the Old Bailey heard. Arnold also admitted stealing Lidocaine while working as nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 21 February 2019, and possession of extreme pornographic images. The practice is linked to a subculture where men become nullos - short for genital nullification, by having their penis and testicles removed. Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London, said: This case concerns very serious extreme body modifications. It is clear Gustavson agreed or consented to each of the the procedures that took place. It is clear they were carried out for sexual motives or financial gain. The prosecution raise correctly the public interest in sentencing acting as a deterrent in cases such as this. There was no medical justification for anything any of you did. The removal of the penis and leg not only caused irreversible damage but was life-threatening. Damien Byrnes (pictured) 36, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to five years in prison for causing GBH with intent Jacob Crimi-Appleby (pictured) 23, was jailed for three years. He had a sexual relationship with Gustavson after meeting him aged 17 and froze his leg causing it to require amputation The judge said the footage of the penis removal was far too graphic to be shown in public and extremely upsetting. He said the procedure Byrnes carried out was in non-sterile conditions, Mr Gustavson was not under general anaesthetic and the knife used was not a surgical scalpel. He added that Arnolds work as a nurse was an aggravating factor. You have used your position in a hospital where you worked and you would have known all too well the risk of any medical process undertaken away from a proper medical set up. Gustavson made notes via video-link from HMP Wandsworth as the trio were sentenced. The judge dismissed arguments from defence barristers that the sentencing guidelines for assault should not be followed due to the unusual nature of the case, but agreed consent gave some mitigation. Arnold was given a two year sentence suspended for two years and must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 60 days of rehabilitation requirement. He was also given an alcohol treatment requirement. The conspiracy is said to have involved up to 29 extreme body modifications relating to 13 victims, one as young as 17. Crimi-Applebys barrister Sean Poulier said his client was a vulnerable 17-year-old when he was seduced by Gustavson. He said: Gender dysphoria and body dysmorphia are conditions which have been around for very long time but the internet has allowed people who have these conditions to communicate and discuss these problems. The internet allows people to go down a rabbit hole when exploring this and it was down one of these rabbit holes that Mr Crimi-Appleby came upon Mr Gustavson. Gustavson did not offer Crimi-Appleby support with his body dysmorphia but told him changing his body would be a great idea, Mr Poulier said. But Crimi-Appleby never had his body modified. He has was let go by his employer and was suspended from university when they found out about the case. Prosecutor Caroline Carberry, KC, told the court Byrnes removed Gustavsons penis on 18 February 2017 at Gustavsons home in Grand Parade, Tottenham. Byrnes had initially been hired by Gustavson for escort services and in December 2016 he agreed to remove his penis for a fee of 500, saying he was in debt. Nurse Nathan Arnold (pictured) 48, was given a two year suspended sentence The knife used by Byrnes to remove the penis of Marius Gustavson Texting Gustavson, he said: I have no issue with it but wont you loose a lot of blood* like nearly die. Gustavson then said: So plan Friday. I will be ready injected with local anaesthetic and banded to reduce bleeding. Then u come in. Money on desk Im in bed legs tied. U make sure gag is secure and tie me down brutal. Then take the knife slice off nut sack. Then slice off. Then let me loose. Byrnes told Gustavson he was actually kinda turned on a bit and requested a copy of the video that would be taken for himself. He said: If something goes wrong during or after, just for assurance, you did it to yourself. Im not getting in trouble for this. He said he would be wearing a balaclava so his face would not appear in the video. But by 7 January 2017 Gustavson had reduced the fee to 50. Byrnes said: Ive had enough man. Im cutting your c*ck and balls off for 50 s**ty quid when I was led to believe its 500*. A week later he said: Todays the day man. Snip snip. Cmon I want 500. You want this. The investor wants to watch. He then asked for 1,000 to have sex and then castrate Gustavson. Gustavson replied that the procedure was a F*ING BIG THING and Byrnes criticised him for terrible excuses. Ms Carberry said: For the next three weeks, there were discussions about the practicalities of the procedure, and whether they would have sex beforehand. Mr Byrnes main concern was with money. On a number of occasions Gustavson arranged a date, only to back out shortly beforehand. It is plain that this was a considerable source of frustration to Byrnes, who chased the money that he was owed and sent large numbers of messages about it. On 16 February Gustavson told Byrnes he was cutting another person and Byrnes could be the sexy, kinky helper. He boasted he had done over 26 guys in total, 18 totally done. On 18 February the procedure was recorded from two angles. Ms Carberry said: Mr Gustavson sits naked on the left side of the bed with a tube inserted into his urethra. Mr Brynes asks, how are you feeling? and Mr Gustavson replies that he didnt feel anything when I pushed in the needles. A reference to Mr Gustavson self-anaesthetising. There is a discussion about Mr Gustavson being tied and gagged. Byrnes then straps him to the bed by his wrists and ankles. A band, designed to cut off the blood flow, is visible around the base of his penis. Byrnes places a gag around Mr Gustavsons head and mouth and he kneels at the foot of the bed between Mr Gustavsons legs. He is wearing gloves and holding a red kitchen knife in his right hand. Mr Gustavsons body is shaking and he is saying No, no. From other evidence it is very likely that this fear was part of an act for the camera. Byrnes then removed the penis. Crimi-Applebys barrister Sean Poulier said his client was a vulnerable 17-year-old when he was seduced by Gustavson. Ms Carberry said: Byrnes holds it and pulls the tube out of it and shows it to Mr Gustavson who, once ungagged, tells Mr Byrnes to place the severed penis on his belly, which he does. Mr Byrnes then lifts the severed penis and holds it towards Mr Gustavsons face. Mr Gustavson licks the end of it and declares that it is awesome. Gustavson said his wound looks okay-ish but his breathing becomes erratic and his right arm shakes and then his legs. Mr Byrnes tells him to, Chill out. He then instructs Byrnes to get him a clamp from the top drawer which he does and he places it towards the stump of his severed penis. Mr Byrnes is heard to say, Well thats one off the bucket list. I never expected that one. Mr Gustavson doesnt answer and continues working at the wound site. Mr Gustavson continues to work at the wound site and says, I so dont want to have to go to hospital. He tells Byrnes that he did a good job. After Byrnes left, Gustavson called an ambulance and told the operator: I tried to do some surgery on my c*ck and that it was a little bit more than a circumcision. He was taken to the Whittington Hospital for treatment and treated for infection of the urethra. After the procedure Gustavson did not pay Byrnes and he threatened to go to the police and tell them about Gustavson castrating a 16-year-old. Gustavson said he would report Byrnes for threats, blackmail, and cutting off my c*ck. He said he had checked that what he had done was legal with his solicitor but that what Byrnes did was illegal. He also said police were aware of the euncuhmakers.com website. Between 2016 and 2018 Gustavson sent Byrnes money on 27 occasions. Byrnes told police Gustavson had advertised for someone to assist him in becoming a eunuch on GROWLR, a gay dating app for bears- a larger and hairy gay man. He claimed he threw up on the way home after performing the procedure. He cried when admitting he was a prostitute and said his motive had been purely financial. A video played to court entitled The Eunch Maker Movie- a null set production showed Crimi-Appleby assisting Gustavson to pour ice and dry ice onto his leg for two hours. The men are heard laughing while Gustavson says: Ooooh, this is cold and Crimi-Appleby replied it will get colder. The leg was left blistered and dying and Gustavson was admitted to the Royal Free Hospital and told staff he had intentionally frozen his leg in order to force an amputation. After two weeks trying to save his leg, it was amputated. Doctors considered diagnosing him with Body Integrity Identity Disorder and he remained in hospital for two and a half months. Following his return home he made his application for Personal Independent Payment which was granted on 27 May 2019. He was told he was to receive enhanced daily living and mobility allowance from 4 June 2019 through to 26 September 2019. Crimi-Appleby had begun talking to Gustavson when he was 17 but told him he was 18. Gustavson told him this was a great age to have a castration. Six months later they were in a sexual relationship. Gustavson told him he kept testicle he removed in jars to which Crimi-Appleby replied awesome!. Before helping to remove his leg, Crimi-Appleby told him: youve done so, so much for others. Lets get what you want done x. Arnold, called Nurse Nate by Gustavson, had operations to his own penis performed by Gustavson. He sent Gustavson a photo of his penis which Gustavson called nice and Arnold replied it will be nicer after mutilation. Gustavson then performed a split and sub procedure on his penis. He also discussed having his testicle replaced with fake testicles. Arnold worked as a dermatology nurse at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he stole lidocaine and sutures for use in his procedures. In February 2019 Arnold sent Gustavson a PDF entitled Penile Disassembly Manual: anatomical surgical steps which he said is like porn to me. He also gave Gustavson advice on how to perform circumcisions. Arnold originally refused Gustavsons requests to perform procedures on other people but eventually agreed and by 5 August 2019 had removed his nipple with a scalpel. He told police he had become a fan of The Eunuch Maker website and used it to have conversations on a chatroom about body modifications and sado-masochistic sexual fantasy. On his phone police found 72 extreme pornographic images showing injuries to breasts or genitals. Byrnes barrister Lisa Bald argued the sentencing guidelines for grievous bodily harm should be disregarded due to the unusual nature of the case. They are dealing with people attacking one and other without this very unusual feature of consent, she said. Brynes sobbed as Ms Bald said he faced not seeing his terminally ill mother again if he went to jail. Arnolds barrister Neil Griffin said he had helped thousands of people as a nurse and was a caring, empathetic and kind person. He has been devastated by the loss of his chosen career and profession of a nurse. Crimi-Appleby, of Epsom, Surrey, Arnold, of South Kensington, and Byrnes, of Tottenham, admitted causing GBH with intent. Gustavson, of Tottenham, north London, admits conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of possessing criminal property, namely money. He also admits making and distributing two indecent videos of a child between January 2017 and January 2020. David Carruthers, 60, and Janus Atkin, 37, from South Wales, deny conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. Gustavsons alleged righthand man surgeon Peter Wates, 66, has admitted conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. He was said to have a major role as surgeon in a large number of procedures. Romanian Ion Ciucur, 28, who works in a hotel in Gretna Green, Scotland, admits conspiracy to cause GBH with intent in relation to two modifications. Ashley Williams, 31, has admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Atkin at his home in Newport, south Wales, on 7 November 2017. German Stefan Scharf, 61, is charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. He is accused of taking part in a single procedure by removing a testicle in an apartment in Camden in July 2019. Gustavson, Scharf and Ciucur are remanded in custody with the others are on conditional bail, including curfew and residence. Gustavson, Wates, Ciucur and Williams will be sentenced in a two-day hearing on 4 and 5 March. Scharf, Atkin and Carruthers will next appear for a hearing on 25 January. Rape and trafficking centre staff routinely face intimidation and bullying for speaking out in defence of women's rights, a report has warned. Those working in the women's sector who advocated for women-only services are subjected to complaints, investigations and loss of employment, it said. Sector leaders were pressured into compromising women's welfare and safety, in favour of trans-ideology. Organisations were in turmoil over rifts between trans-activists and gender-critical staff, according to the report by campaign group Sex Matters. The result was services for women and children were undermined, with some women choosing to self-exclude. Maya Forstater (pictured) is executive director of Sex Matters, a self-described 'human-rights organisation that campaigns for clarity on sex in law and policy' Internal rows between trans-activists and gender-critical were leading to cultures which 'have become toxic', with paralysis at a decision-making level (stock photo) The report from Sex Matters warned that without a clearly-defined policy on sex and gender identity, organisations were 'vulnerable to ideological capture' It read: 'If services are not single sex, many survivors do not take up the support available. 'According to a leader, women leave refuges if they encounter intact males, as it is not safe for them to stay there. 'It is not just mixed-sex services that can lead women to self-exclude; they may also avoid using services that are not clear about attendance criteria.' Internal rows between trans-activists and gender-critical were leading to cultures which 'have become toxic', with paralysis at a decision-making level. The report went on to warn without a clearly-defined policy on sex and gender identity, organisations were 'vulnerable to ideological capture'. It continued: 'Decision-makers are hamstrung. Boards disagree among themselves and, when they do not have clearly written policies, they are vulnerable to ideological capture. There have been board resignations and organisational stalemates. 'Internal cultures have become toxic. Tensions around this issue are having a negative effect on staff, many of whom are also survivors. 'Disagreements between gender-critical and trans-activist staff create fractures.' Interviews with 19 leaders in the women's sector contributed to the report, titled 'Women's services: A sector silenced'. They included rape-crisis centres, domestic-violence refuges and support services, support for trafficked women and women in prostitution, and prison and probation services. The report was commissioned in response to debates around legal gender self-identification and the conflict between women's rights and those of trans-women. Some of those interviewed said they were targeted with 'complaints and accusations' for standing up for women's rights. 'When I was first called 'transphobic', I was really worried about that, and the impact on the organisation and our reputation,' said Dr Karen Ingala Smith, former chief exec of a domestic and sexual violence charity. 'It's never nice to be under investigation, but I have it in my stride now. I am careful and measured in what I say.' Another said: 'I've seen colleagues being attacked in other organisations for doing things like retweeting a JK Rowling tweet. 'I have been accused of being transphobic in my own organisation... A formal complaint was made, and an investigation carried out. The upshot of it was that my belief was a protected belief.' Former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss said pressure to be trans-inclusive meant the Scottish Prison Service allowed 'men to identify at will' as women. Dr Karen Ingala Smith, former chief exec of a domestic and sexual violence charity, said she was accused of being transphobic One person interviewed claimed colleagues were attacked for retweeting posts by JK Rowling (pictured) She said: 'I am dismayed at how quickly and easily transactivists have imposed their extreme ideology on the women's sector, and angry at the capitulation of craven politicians and journalists - especially those on the Left. 'It seems that the idea that 'woman' is a category men can identify into at will has totally captured policy-makers within the Scottish Prison Service..' It comes as a poll found Britons were overwhelmingly in favour of providing female-only refuges. Some 84 per cent believed women should have access to female-only rape and violence support services. More than 131,000 women in the UK accessed domestic-violence services, last year. Some 94 per cent of them experienced the abuse at the hands of men. Maya Forstater, executive director of Sex Matters, said: 'The turmoil and crisis within the women's sector that this report reveals comes back to the destruction of clarity in the law that was meant to protect women. 'This has happened because of the idea that people are whatever sex they say they are, which has created a hostile environment for organisations in the women's sector that serve women who have been victims of male violence. 'Losing clarity about the categories of 'women' and 'men' in law directly enables the abuse of women and undermines women's services. 'It is alarming and reprehensible that we are falling behind international standards by being in breach of the Istanbul Convention. 'Without a clear protected characteristic of sex, the Equality Act does not protect the interests of our most vulnerable women. We hope that this week's visit of the Istanbul Convention delegation to the UK will encourage the government to take urgent steps to comply.' An Italian vet who went to his ex-girlfriend's flat with flowers and a card to win her back before stabbing her to death when she rejected him has been jailed for life. Dr Alberto Fioletti, 31, will face a minimum of 15 years after he knifed Stephanie Hodgkinson, 34, six times in the chest and once in the back at her Bournemouth home on May 12. Fioletti, who drove the 'senseless attack' after his former partner told him they had no future together, then turned the knife on himself, injuring his stomach, before calling 999. He told the operator 'I killed my girlfriend'. Just days before the incident, he told his partner: 'I hope you're happy with yourself...you're gonna have a death on your hands.' Police and paramedics arrived at the flat in Alum Chine, Bournemouth, Dorset, and found Stephanie on the floor next to the breakfast bar in her kitchen. Dr Alberto Fioletti (pictured) 31, will face a minimum of 15 years after he knifed his ex-girlfriend to death Stephanie Hodgkinson, 34, (pictured) was stabbed six times in the chest and once in the back with a kitchen knife Her injuries were 'non-survivable' with severe injuries to her heart, lungs and great vessels, causing catastrophic bleeding. Fioletti was arrested for murder and taken to hospital for treatment of his wounds. He admitted a charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but he denied murder. Following a three-week trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in December a jury found him guilty. Fioletti, of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, was sentenced today at Bournemouth Crown Court for the killing of the mother-of-two. A Dorset Police spokesman said the defendant and the victim had arranged to meet that day to discuss their relationship which Ms Hodgkinson had decided to end. Officers were dispatched after Fioletti called for an ambulance for his victim as well as for himself, as he had injured himself. The force spokesman said: 'Officers attended, forced entry and very sadly, Stephanie was found dead inside the property having sustained a number of stab wounds. 'Fioletti was also present at the address. He was treated by paramedics, arrested and taken to hospital for treatment to stomach wounds. He remained in hospital under arrest and police guard until Wednesday May 24 2023. 'When Fioletti was assessed as able to be discharged from hospital, he was brought to custody where he was interviewed by detectives. 'The defendant admitted that he was responsible for Stephanie's death. He had become angry after Stephanie had ended their seven-month relationship. 'A post-mortem examination found that Stephanie died as a result of stab wounds to the chest.' The court heard that after he attacked Ms Hodgkinson, Fioletti stabbed himself in the stomach before phoning 999 and telling the operator that he had 'killed his girlfriend'. Police at the scene on the day of the murder in Bournemouth on May 12 Daniel Marsh, senior crown prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: 'This was a senseless attack on an innocent young woman who was well within her rights to end a relationship she no longer wanted. 'Fioletti's inability to come to terms with this and failure to manage his own emotions culminated in the needless murder of Ms Hodgkinson. 'Working closely with Dorset Police, the CPS set out to prove that Fioletti's emotionally unstable personality disorder did not have a substantial impact upon his actions. 'Two medical reports were prepared for the trial, neither of which clearly stated that Fioletti had the defence of diminished responsibility available to him. 'Put simply, he knew exactly what he was doing and was fully responsible for his actions. 'We want to pay tribute to Ms Hodgkinson's family for the courage and dignity they have shown throughout this process, and hope today's sentence provides some closure on this awful chapter for them.' Detective Inspector Mark Jenkins said: 'This was an incredibly sad incident where Stephanie, a young mother of two, lost her life during a brutal and violent attack by a man she had only known for a short time, but that she trusted. 'I can only imagine the devastation his actions have caused to Stephanie's young children, her parents, family and friends who have suffered immeasurable loss. 'My thoughts and those of the whole investigation team remain with them at this extremely difficult time. My hope is that the outcome today brings some small comfort that justice has been served.' The trial heard how he developed a narcissistic personality disorder and had slept with many women to 'validate' himself as he had inferiority issues because of his 'small penis'. He manipulated previous girlfriends by threatening to kill himself to gain sympathy. Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Stephanie, a divorced mum-of-two, had met Fioletti through a dating website and they had been in a relationship since October 2022. READ MORE: Italian vet who stabbed his veterinary nurse girlfriend to death when she dumped him is found guilty of murder Advertisement He had met her children, she had travelled to Italy to meet his parents and they had planned to buy a house together. Although they were both employed at veterinary practices, their workplace only overlapped for a month when Fioletti worked at Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists in Ringwood, Hampshire, in January this year. He was working at Medivet clinic at the time of the murder and she had quit her job to study for a degree in philosophy of art. Steven Perian KC, prosecuting, said he and Stephanie had a heated argument on May 5 this year when she kicked him out of her home. Before he left he told her: 'I hope you're happy with yourself. You're gonna have a death on your hands now.' They agreed to meet to talk on May 12. Stephanie had told her sister she wanted to meet him in a public place to tell him she couldn't see a future together. The court heard the day before the meeting, Fioletti texted his Italian doctor saying: 'If I had to definitely lose her tomorrow night, this time I will have to put an end to it once and for all.' Stephanie had been chopping vegetables in her kitchen when Fioletti arrived. The desperate search for a man who fell into a crack in the ground as a result of a volcano erupting in Iceland last month has now been called off. Ludvik Petursson was working to fill in holes created by earthquakes and volcanic activity in the fishing town of Grindavik, Iceland which had been evacuated in November, according to local media. The 50-year-old disappeared on 10 January, resulting in a wide search involving hundreds of people which had to be stopped after a rockfall made the conditions too dangerous to continue in. Local police confirmed that Mr Petursson was a father of four and said he had two grandchildren. The terrifying news came to light whilst Iceland suffered another volcano eruption - the second in less than a month. Ludvik Petursson, 50, was working to fill in holes created by earthquakes and volcanic activity in the fishing town of Grindavik, Iceland The Fagradalsfjall volcano began erupting on 18 December 2023 and forced nearly 4,000 residents from their homes in an evacuation 'Unfortunately, the man was not found,' police told Sky News. The Fagradalsfjall volcano began erupting on 18 December 2023 leaving around 3,800 inhabitants in fear that they may not be able to return to their homes after the wreckage. Despite this, the volcano has claimed no lives as reported so far, mostly because residents had been preparing to evacuate for weeks after ongoing earthquakes could be seen and heard in the town. As well as the eruption, over 20,000 tremors have been recorded in southwest Iceland since late October. Iceland's president, Guni Thorlacius Johannesson says it is a 'daunting period' for the country as it battles a 'tremendous forces of nature.' However, after a series of earthquakes, another fissure opened and began spewing lava nearby in the early hours of 14 January. China has pumped the brakes on its new deliveries of Boeing's 737 MAX 9s after tragedy almost struck when a door blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight at 16,000ft. The embattled planemaker faces a fresh delay in the resumption of deliveries of 737 MAX jets to China after the mid-air blowout of a panel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. China Southern Airlines had been readying to receive MAX planes in January, but it plans to conduct additional safety inspections on the aircraft, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. China's aviation regulator also instructed the country's airlines to conduct precautionary safety inspections on their Boeing 737 MAX jets, the report added. Chinese airlines do not have the MAX 9 model in their fleet. The MAX 8 jets they operate lack the panel involved in the Alaska Airlines incident. China has pumped the breaks on its new deliveries of Boeing's 737 MAX 9s There were no serious injuries from the terrifying air failure o the Alaska Airlines flight, but passenger's belongings including phones flew out the aircraft Beijing is holding off from making further substantive moves as it waits for more clarity from U.S. investigations into the accident, the WSJ reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Boeing declined to comment. China Southern Airlines and China's aviation regulator did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. China suspended most orders and deliveries of Boeing planes in 2019 after 737 MAX was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. A restart of MAX deliveries would be a major breakthrough for Boeing's relationship with China, which has been impacted by the MAX crisis and U.S.-China political tensions. It would also be a financial win for Boeing, allowing it to collect payment for dozens of Chinese MAX planes in its inventory. The company last month made its first direct delivery of a 787 Dreamliner to China since 2019, a step seen as a possible prelude to the end of Beijing's freeze on MAX deliveries. Through November, it also handed over eight 777 freighters to Chinese customers, according to Boeing data. Boeing has been virtually frozen out of new orders from China since 2017 amid Sino-U.S. trade tensions. On Friday the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will audit Boeing and its suppliers' production after the near catastrophe at 16,000 feet. The flight that was set out to arrive at Ontario International in California turned back around after the plug door came off on Friday night The agency will significantly increase oversight of Boeing, with the head of the agency saying publicly that they believe there are 'other manufacturing problems' at the company. The FAA added that the results of the audit 'will determine whether additional audits are necessary.' 'We will cooperate fully and transparently with the FAA and the NTSB on their investigations,' Boeing said in a statement. The agency was previously slammed for letting Boeing conduct its own investigations after two deadly crashes involving Boeing's 737 Max 8. It has now said it would reexamine its decision to delegate some responsibilities to Boeing and consider moving some functions under independent, third-party entities. After the horrifying incident on the Alaska Airlines flight, the FAA grounded 171 Boeing jets installed with the same panel - most of which are operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines - pending safety inspections. The Alaska Airlines aircraft, which had been in service for just eight weeks, took off from Portland, Oregon last Friday and was flying at 16,000 feet when the panel tore off the plane. Pilots returned the jet to Portland, with only minor injuries suffered by passengers. Alaska Airlines and United Airlines both said they have found loose parts on multiple grounded aircraft during preliminary checks, raising new concerns about how Boeing's best-selling jet family is manufactured. The two carriers have canceled hundreds of flights since Saturday with the MAX 9 planes grounded. Earlier this week, in his first public acknowledgement of the disaster, Boing CEO Dave Calhoun admitted errors and told staff the company would ensure an accident like the mid-air Alaska Airlines panel blowout 'can never happen again.' Calhoun said he had been 'shaken to the bone' by the accident. The near-catastrophe comes just five years after the aircraft's 8 variant suffered two fatal crashes in 2017 and 2018 in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which killed more than 300 people. Spread of flu more prevalent than COVID 09:57, January 15, 2024 By Li Hongyang ( China Daily Since the start of this year, the number of visits to fever clinics across China has fluctuated but has overall trended downward, the nation's health authority said on Sunday. Medical services are being provided in a stable and well-organized way, said Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission. Currently, among respiratory diseases, influenza remains predominant, while the infection levels of the novel coronavirus are at a relatively low level, Mi said. "As the Spring Festival holiday approaches, the potential for large-scale population movement and gatherings poses an increased risk of respiratory disease transmission," he said. He called for effective monitoring, early warning systems and better management at key locations. Timely health consultations and guidance will be provided to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with chronic existing health conditions, he said. Convenient access to vaccines will also be ensured for these populations, he said. Over the past few weeks, the influenza B virus surpassed the influenza A virus in prevalence in some regions, so individuals at high risk should consider getting vaccinated, said Wang Dayan, director of the Chinese National Influenza Center at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at the news conference. She said that southern provinces entered the flu season in early October, followed by northern provinces later in the month. Over the past five weeks, northern provinces have seen the influenza B virus surge to 57.7 percent of all the infected cases, while southern provinces recorded a 36.8 percent increase over the past three weeks, Wang said. Distinguishing between influenza A and B viruses is challenging based solely on clinical symptoms. To identify the virus type, nucleic acid and antigen detection are necessary, she said. It's crucial to note that immunity developed after contracting one type of influenza virus does not protect against others, and vaccination is necessary, she added. Meanwhile, China's COVID-19 situation has remained at a low level since New Year's Day, Wang said. Various monitoring systems indicated that the positivity rate for COVID-19 testing in specific hospitals is below 1 percent, she said, adding that the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus, known for its rapid global spread, is on the rise. In the short term, the dominant factor is expected to be the influenza virus. Factors such as the influx of the JN.1 variant and a decline in population immunity could contribute to a potential resurgence of COVID-19 infections this month, she said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) A retired police officer has been charged with raping a child and possessing child pornography. David Love, 69, from Radcliff, Kentucky, was arrested on January 4 for charges including rape and sodomy. In a mugshot released by the police, Love appeared to be badly bruised with a thick bandage under his chin and around his head. It is not clear how Love - who is 6-feet 2-inches tall and 222 pounds - came to be injured. According to the arrest report, Love's 'relationship' with the minor - who was under 14 years old - began on October 8. David Love appeared badly bruised in his mugshot following his arrest on child assault charges, it is not clear how he came by the injuries He reportedly admitted during a non-custodial interview that he had received oral sex from and performed other sex acts with the minor. The sex acts started when the victim was younger than 14 and continued when they were 14. Love also reportedly admitted to having child pornography on his tablet and sending it through Facebook Messenger. Love said he had then deleted the images from the tablet. He was charged with second-degree rape, with no force, second-degree sodomy, and tampering with physical evidence. Love was released Friday from the Hardin County Detention Center after partially securing a $25,000 bond. An aristocrat and her boyfriend, who went on the run with their baby, before the child was found dead in a plastic bag appear in court today. Constance Marten, 36, and Mark Gordon, 49, appeared at the Old Bailey on trial for manslaughter by gross negligence, which they both deny. Last January the couple sparked a huge police hunt after they went on the run with their baby, Victoria, who was later found dead in a plastic bag in a shed under a heap of nappies on a Brighton allotment. Marten was born to a wealthy family and grew up at Dorset estate Crichel House and her grandmother was a playmate of Princess Margaret. Constance Marten, pictured, appeared in court today accused of the manslaughter of Victoria, concealment of the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice Marten and Gordon appeared at the Old Bailey today charged with the manslaughter of their baby, Victoria Marten's estranged father Napier Marten is a former page to the late Queen and her mother was the Queen Mother's goddaughter. She worked as a freelance photographer before starting her drama course, and dropped out when she met Gordon. During the manhunt last year hundreds of officers from the Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police, as well as search and rescue volunteers, scoured 90 square miles of land in the search for the baby. The couple were caught on CCTV wearing heavy outdoor clothing, carrying bags down the street, before they were arrested. They were reported missing on January 5, after their car caught fire on the M61 near Bolton. Over the following days, there were sightings of them in a number of places, including Liverpool, Essex, south London and East Sussex. The couple had been sleeping rough in a blue tent and had avoided being traced by the police by only making payments in cash and booking hotels using false names. They deny the manslaughter of Victoria by gross negligence, concealment of the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice They also deny child cruelty and causing or allowing the death of a child between 4 January and 27 February. The trial is set to last four to six weeks. Marten appeared wearing a black cardigan, white blouse with a purple scarf and holding a stack of notes. Judge Mark Lucraft, KC, the Recorder of London, said 14 jurors, with two reserves to listen to the opening in case issues arise with any other juror, would be selected for the trial. Prosecutor Tom Little, KC, is expected to open the case to the jury next week. He is assisted by Joel Smith, while Marten is represented by John Ryder, KC, and Gordon by John Femi-Ola, KC, and Neena Crinnion. At least 30 Jewish families have transferred out of the Oakland Unified School District over fears of anti-Semitism during the Hamas-Israel war. Jewish families in the Bay Area progressive enclave felt targeted by one of the Oakland teachers' union and the district at large after educators held a 'teach-in' that focused on pro-Palestine lessons. Parents Rebecca and Isaac, who chose not to give their last names, told CBS News they made the decision to move their six-year-old out of the school district after what they saw as signs of anti-Semitism. 'There were lesson plans being taught that said, "draw the Zionist bully' or "I is for Intifada, J is for Jesus."' Rebecca noted of the teaching materials featured in the 'From Gaza to Oakland' teach-in. 'And to me, it felt like - honestly - we were being targeted and singled out and alienated.' While the event was not officially sanctioned by the district, Rebecca said she did not want to take the risk of an educator with anti-Jewish views targeting her son. Rebecca decided to move her six-year-old son out of the Oakland public school district over anti-Semitism fears 'There were lesson plans being taught that said, "I is for Intifada,' Rebecca noted of the teaching materials featured in the 'From Gaza to Oakland' teach-in Another of the education materials is pictured above. It references a 'group of bullies called Zionists' Rebecca explained: 'just felt that there wasn't a path forward for Jewish families because I had reached out to OUSD and asked them to have a conversation about how they were going to keep Jewish families feeling safe and included. 'I didn't want to have my child around educators that might not be able to treat him the same way that they treat other students.' Teachers told KTVU that the teach-in was not authorized by the official OEA, but a small group called 'OEA for Palestine.' The Oakland school district publicly opposed the event, with some critics demanding that teachers who participate face punishment. 'I want to again make clear that our expectation is that all educators, in every classroom across the District, take seriously their responsibility to adhere to principles of education, and to keep their personal beliefs out of the classroom,' said superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. The exodus of Jewish families from Oakland's public schools was first reported by J Weekly. According to CBS News, more Jewish families have requested to transfer school districts but have been denied because of capacity restrictions. A spokesperson for the rogue teach-in organizers said teachers view the curriculum as 'a corrective' to materials with a pro-Israel view, while Jewish community members referred to it as 'misinformation' Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell publicly denounced the teach-in, saying teachers were expected to 'keep their personal beliefs out of the classroom' In a statement to the outlet, the UOSD said: 'OUSD is a sanctuary district, inside Oakland, a sanctuary city, inside California, a sanctuary state. Which means we support all students, families and staff, regardless of religion, heritage, ethnicity, where they came from, or how they got here.' Organizers of the teach-in released a lengthy list of suggested curriculum materials for grade levels from pre-K through high school. The first lesson for Upper Elementary School students is titled: 'Part A: Where is Palestine? What is Zionism?' Among the recommended materials is a coloring book featuring a Palestinian character who says: 'A group of bullies called Zionists wanted our land so they stole it by force and hurt many people.' The curriculum left room for art lessons, films, and appreciation of the region's music, food and poetry. But some wording has offended Jewish community members, such as the document's reference to Israel an 'apartheid state. The mother of schoolgirl Caroline Glachan who was lured to a bridge in 1996 before being beaten with bricks and left to die said she is 'over the moon' at the life sentences handed to two of her daughter's murderers. Robert O'Brien, 45, and Andrew Kelly, 44, were jailed for life today at the High Court in Glasgow - 27 years after Caroline's body was recovered from the River Leven in West Dunbartonshire. O'Brien will serve a minimum of 22 years in prison before being eligible for parole, while Kelly was sentenced to 18 years. Caroline's heartbroken mother, Margaret McKeich, said: 'This is the day that I've been waiting for, for 27 years. 'It was more than what I was hoping for. I'm really, really happy. 'Today I couldn't have wished for more, the outcome, the whole thing. I am over the moon. Caroline Glachan, 14, was murdered in August 1996 by the River Leven in West Dunbartonshire Caroline's heartbroken mother Margaret McKeich said she is 'over the moon' by the life sentences given out to two of her daughter's murderers Robert O'Brien, who was Caroline's heroin addict boyfriend at the time of the killing, has now been jailed for life at Glasgow's High Court - and ordered to serve at least 22 years As reported by Sky News, the mother added: 'It's not going to bring Caroline back but it's justice for her. I don't know if closure is the right word, but justice has certainly been done.' Donna Marie Brand, 44, who was also found guilty of the schoolgirl's murder following a trial, was unfit to attend court so will be sentenced in March this year. O'Brien, Kelly and Brand were last month found guilty of killing O'Brien's 14-year-old girlfriend Caroline in August 1996, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. The two men were sentenced for what a judge described as their 'brutal, depraved and wicked' crime against the defenceless teenager. Jurors previously heard how drug addict O'Brien - 18 at the time - had first met Caroline two months before her death and was soon violent towards the schoolgirl and threatened to kill her if she kissed another boy. The teenager suffered at least ten blows to the head and extensive skull fractures having been punched, kicked and had bricks thrown at her as well as suffering other 'blunt force' trauma. A crucial witness ended up being four-and-a-half year-old Archie Wilson, whose mother Elizabeth Wilson recalled: 'He said they were down the Leven, that they were fighting with the lassie, that she ended up falling in and that they had battered the lassie.' Fellow murderer Andrew Kelly was also given a life term - with a minimum of 18 years Donna Brand, also found guilty last month of Caroline's murder, was unable to be sentenced today because she was in hospital with a respiratory infection, the court heard During ten days of evidence, the jury heard that O'Brien, Kelly and Brand had arranged to meet Caroline at a bridge near the towpath beside the River Leven, between Renton and Bonhill in West Dunbartonshire, on August 25 that year. They repeatedly punched and kicked her and threw bricks or similar items at her, causing blunt force trauma to her head and body. She was pushed or fell into undergrowth and her body was discovered in the river at Place of Bonhill, Renton, later the same day, which was her mother's 40th birthday. O'Brien and Kelly were jailed for life when they appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow today. Brand was unable to attend the sentencing hearing as she was in hospital with a respiratory infection and will be sentenced in March, the court heard. O'Brien was ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars while Kelly was handed a minimum of 18 years. Sentencing them, Judge Lord Braid described the murder as 'brutal, depraved and above all wicked'. O'Brien - who boasted of having several girls on the go at the same time - had been seeing Brand at the same time as Miss Glachan, the court heard - with Brand threatening to 'batter' the 14-year-old when she found out. During the trial, Caroline's mother Mrs McKeich said her daughter was 'infatuated' with O'Brien but she did not approve of the relationship as he was a few years older. Caroline's mother Mrs McKeich said her daughter was 'infatuated' with O'Brien but she did not approve of the relationship as he was a few years older Her mother Margaret McKeith, speaking outside Glasgow's High Court last month after Caroline's murderers were found guilty, welcomed the convictions as a 'great day' READ MORE A picture of teenage innocence and a life cut short in a wicked orgy of violence Advertisement Mrs McKeich said her daughter had previously disclosed that O'Brien had 'lifted his hands to her'. Caroline's childhood friend Joanne Menzies, now 42, told the court that O'Brien had threatened to kill Caroline for 'kissing another boy' and that she had seen O'Brien bully the schoolgirl on more than one occasion. Speaking outside court after the three were found guilty last month, Mrs McKeich said it was a 'great day' to see her daughter's killers convicted. 'This is a day we never thought would happen,' she said. 'It will not bring her back, but at least we know who was responsible is serving time because, for the last 25 years, they've had their Christmases and birthdays, but my Caroline has been in the ground.' O'Brien - who was 18 at the time - had always been a prime suspect due to his relationship with Caroline in 1996. The cold-case murder was re-investigated again in 2020 as part of the Operation Fairing police probe, with witnesses spoken to again and fresh accounts given. Caroline's family waited 27 years for her killers to finally be brought to justice Caroline was described by her mother as being 'infatuated' with Robert O'Brien Caroline's family had been unhappy about her relationship with heroin addict boyfriend O'Brien, who was four years older and had been violent towards the schoolgirl Andrew Kelly, outside Glasgow's High Court last month during his murder trial at the end of which he and fellow killers Robert O'Brien and Donna Marie Brand were all found guilty Brand, also pictured outside the High Court last month, is now due to be sentenced in March Dr Marjorie Turner, a forensic pathologist, told the trial Caroline was still alive when she went into the water and the ultimate cause of death was drowning. Prosecutor Alex Prentice KC said evidence given by Archie Wilson, four-and-a-half years old at the time of the murder, during the two-week trial was 'pivotal'. He and his brother had been babysat that night by Kelly and his then girlfriend Sarah Jane O'Neill, who has since died, while O'Brien and Brand had also ended up at Archie's house. Now in his 30s, Archie was unfit to testify during the trial - but his mother Elizabeth Wilson said how her son told her how he had been taken down to the River Leven late that night before witnessing a 'lassie' being 'battered' and falling into the water. Miss Wilson had returned home hours after the killing to find Kelly sitting in shorts alone with her children - when he claimed Archie had urinated on him and the carpet. The child insisted he did not and that it was a 'wet' O'Brien who had also been in the house and soaked the floor. Police had issued this e-fit illustration of a hooded man during their murder investigation A police diver searching at the spot where Caroline Glachan was found dead 27 years ago Caroline's mother Margaret McKeich arriving at Glasgow's High Court last month Archie then went on to state he had been taken down the River Leven while apparently being looked after. Asked what he said happened, his mum told jurors: 'He said they were down the Leven, that they were fighting with the lassie, that she ended up falling in and that they had battered the lassie.' Both Miss Wilson and her son were interviewed in 1996, and the mother was again in 2020 when the case was re-opened. Miss Wilson admitted she had not wanted her young boy 'involved' at the time - but, asked by police what her reaction was when she discovered Caroline had been found in the river, she stated: 'The blood just kind of drained from my face. 'I just knew that the story Archie had told us was related to the body.' The victims of a hot air balloon crash in Arizona this weekend have been named. Chayton Wiescholek, 28, Kaitlynn Bartrom, 28, Atahan Kiliccote, 24, and pilot Cornelius Van Der Walt, 37, originally from South Africa, all died in the tragedy in Eloy, Arizona. Valerie Stutterheim, 23, from Scottsdale, Arizona, remains in critical condition in the hospital. They were among 13 people in the hot air balloon when it malfunctioned, landing back on the ground shortly after taking off. Van der Walt was described by friends as an 'adventurer' and 'good man', while the family and friends of Bartrom, a nurse from Indiana, mourn her loss. Wiescholek was from Union City, Michigan while Kiliccote was from from Cupertino, California. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Atahan Kiliccote, 24, was among those killed in the hot air balloon crash in Arizona Chayton Wiescholek, 28, also died in the accident in Eloy Hot air balloon pilot Cornelius van der Walt (pictured) has been hailed as an 'adventurer' and 'good man' by loved ones on social media. His friends have identified him as the pilot in the Sunday morning crash that left four dead and one seriously injured Katie Bartrom, 28, was identified by her mother as one of the four people killed in Sunday morning's hot air balloon crash in the Arizona desert Police said the hot air balloon crashed into the desert around five miles north of the city of Eloy at around 7.50am. Thirteen people - eight skydivers, four passengers and a pilot - had been in the balloon, according to Mayor Micah Powell. Preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows that the balloon crashed following an 'unspecified problem' with its envelope. Van der Walt was a 'character, an adventurer, a friend', his friend Phil Brandt wrote of the 'tragic' incident in an emotional Facebook post. 'Today, 4 people lost their lives, including my friend,' he wrote, sharing how van der Walt was one of 'very few balloon pilots [to] take up skydivers'. Police said the hot air balloon crashed into the desert around five miles north of the city of Eloy at around 7.50am on Sunday. An NTSB spokesperson said preliminary information shows the balloon crashed following a problem with its envelope The skydivers on board planned to leap from the balloon and land in Eloy Municipal Airport, according to Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney Brandt, seemingly a fellow balloon pilot, added: 'I'm so sorry that this one flight will likely be what the public will remember you for. 'Just know that so many others, including myself, know that you were one hell of a good man and a superb pilot.' Bob Romaneschi, owner of Snohomish Balloon Rides in Washington, said the pilot 'took skydiving and ballooning very serious'. The pair reportedly met in 2018 when they collaborated on a stunt to celebrate National Aviation Day. 'Today we learned he took his last Balloon flight, and it did not end well. The tragedy took his, and the lives of at least three others. One person is still in critical condition,' Romaneschi wrote. Friends are paying tribute to the 'superb' pilot Cornelius van der Walt, who died alongside three passengers in a hot air balloon crash in the Arizona desert on Sunday morning He encouraged others not to speculate on 'what might've happened' and asked that everyone 'take some time and not pass judgment', saying: 'Let those who can digest their investigations and their findings report back to us.' He also thanked van der Walt for making him part of the project six years ago, saying the experience was 'incredible', and issued his condolences to all the victims. 'RIP Cornelius. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and those who perished with you,' he concluded. Friend Jose Salinas also paid tribute to the pilot, writing: 'Rip bro. One of the coolest and humble men I've ever met. God bless u and the family.' The heartfelt messages for van der Walt are flooding in just hours after the family of Katie Bartrom, 28, revealed she was among those who died in the crash. Bartrom's mother told ABC Arizona that the young woman, a registered nurse who loved skydiving and adventure. The aircraft hit the ground by the intersection of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road, in a rural area by the Eloy Municipal Airport According to a witness, the balloon was 'shapeless' and 'deflated' before it came crashing down Thirteen people had been in the balloon - eight skydivers, four passengers and a pilot - according to Eloy Mayor Micah Powell The aircraft plummeted to the ground around five miles north of the city of Eloy in Pinal County. Katie Bartrom was among the four dead, her mother revealed The 28-year-old (pictured here during an unrelated skydiving trip) was the first victim to be publicly named Eloy Police Chief Byron Gwaltney told reporters the balloon came from outside the city and the skydivers intended to touch down at the Eloy Municipal Airport, just down the road from the scene of the accident. 'The incident appeared to occur very quickly,' he added, calling it 'an absolute tragedy' for the community. A witness who saw the last 10 seconds of the balloon's descent described it as shapeless, deflated and coming straight down, Eloy Mayor Micah Powell said. The eight skydivers leaped from the aircraft before the incident, leaving five people on board. Gwaltney added: 'What we know at this point is the skydivers were able to exit the balloon without incident and completed their planned skydiving event, and then shortly thereafter something catastrophic happened with the balloon causing it to crash to the ground.' One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other three died at a hospital. Another passenger remains in critical condition at a Phoenix-area trauma center. 'Out of respect for their privacy, the names of the victims are being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin,' the Eloy Police Department said in a press release. 'The Eloy Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of those involved in this heartbreaking incident.' The skydivers jumped from the aircraft before the accident to complete their 'planned skydiving event,' Gwaltney said Four passengers and a pilot were on board at the time of the accident Federal agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration arrived on scene to investigate Flyover video from FOX 10 Phoenix shows the balloon crumpled in the dirt near the intersection of Sunshine Boulevard and Hanna Road. Trucks arrived on scene to tow the gondola away, hoisting it by crane onto a trailer. Investigators could be seen walking across the face of the mangled balloon and folding it up before carrying it away. Federal agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration continue to look into the incident. An NTSB spokesperson said preliminary information shows that the balloon crashed following an 'unspecified problem' with its envelope. Donald Trump was tucked away inside his Des Moines for the first half of Monday, dispatching an army of MAGA supporters from Congress to help rally Iowans to the caucuses. Temperatures were hovering around 2 degrees when Trump left his Des Moines hotel, but with a warning in effect, the wind chill made it feel like -14. Trump wore his regular wool overcoat, although longtime aide Dan Scavino posted a modified image of the former president bundled up in a parka urging Iowans to get to the caucuses. Trump had his political surrogates around the state, after a blizzard sidelined his Saturday rally. Several of them posed for quick videos in front of Iowa's snowy terrain, including Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Johnson, who cleared some snow that was blocking a Trump road sign. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is also here campaigning for Trump, posted images along with his wife, Ginger, in Fort Dodge. 'This Floridian man is freezing his a** out here in Iowa but we are going to win these caucuses for President Trump,' he said in an online posting. 'This Floridian man is freezing his a** out here,' said GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, who traveled with his wife, Ginger, in support of Donald Trump Candidate for U.S. Senate Kari Lake arrives at the caucus night party hosted by Donald Trump Former Arizona candidate for governor Kari Lake, who was snowed in like most Iowans when the blizzard slammed into the state Saturday, is also out campaigning for Trump, as is Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Lake, Gaetz, Greene, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan all campaigned for Trump at a Fort Dodge brewery. Trump is the hands-down leader when it comes to congressional endorsements, although President Joe Biden has tried to use some of his 'ultra MAGA' supporters against him. Bundle up! Trump aide Dan Scavino posted an altered image of Trump wearing a parka in the snow and urged Iowans to caucus Monday night Rep. Ronny Jackson posted an image of himself in the snow by a Trump sign Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Trump supporters visted a brewery in Fort Dodge for Trump The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll was conducted Jan. 7-12 with 705 likely Republican caucus goers. Its margin of error is plus-minus 3.7 percentage points Donald Trump has been taking potshots at 2024 Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy since Saturday when the tech entrepreneur handed out 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek' T-shirts Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been traveling with endorsers of his own, including Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. With his backers out on the hustings, Trump used his online platform to try to knock down rival Vivek Ramaswamy in hopes of scoring an overwhelming polling win. 'A VOTE FOR VIVEK IS A WASTED VOTE,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, in an all caps post. 'I LIKE VIVEK, BUT HE PLAYED IT TOO 'CUTE' WITH US. 'CAUCUS TONIGHT, VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP, BUILD UP THE NUMBERS!!' He also took on Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. 'Nikki Haley can never win in the General Election because she doesn't have MAGA, and never will! Ron DeSanctimonious, at least, is MAGA-Lite,' Trump wrote, using his insult for DeSantis. 'Remember, I think MAGA is almost ALL of the Republican Party.' Then he called Haley a 'globalist RINO.' 'It's not going to happen for her, or DeSanctimonious!' he wrote. 'Vivek Votes are wasted, should come to 'TRUMP.' MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!' Haley's campaign pushed back, saying his superpac has been distributing mailers in New Hampshire saying 'Nikki Haley is a BIG supporter of Trumps MAGA agenda.' DeSantis did a round of TV interviews, and blasted Trump for 'trashing' Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has endorsed him. 'I always like being the underdog. I mean, that's been true,' he said on Fox News. A four-year-old autistic boy missing in the Alabama woods for more than three days was miraculously found by a Good Samaritan who believed that he was sent by God to save the youngster. Phenix Wilkerson was reported missing about 12.30pm on Friday in the area of Sid Bush Road in the small town of Clayton in Barbour County, located in southeast Alabama. The red-headed, hazel-eyed boy - wearing no shoes and only a tee shirt and sweatpants - wandered away from his family's camper when his mother, Shyanne Ray, went to visit family nearby and discovered her son had vanished when she returned, AL.com reported. Search crews and volunteers facing inclement weather conditions went searching for the boy, who is non-verbal. Around 3.15pm Sunday, nearly 50 hours after the boy had first gone missing, Good Samaritan Markeith Williams found little Phenix in the woods. 'God sent me to do that,' Williams said. Phenix Wilkerson, 4, was reported missing about 12.30pm on Friday in the area of Sid Bush Road in the small town of Clayton in Barbour County, located in southeast Alabama Williams, who joined the search with other volunteers, said he was searching for the boy in a different direction than the other crews were looking in. 'I had my auntie, shes an evangelist, pray for me before we left,' he said, according to AL.com, 'because I said it wasnt going to work if she didnt.' The volunteers started to venture into the woods, but about two miles in people started to go in their own directions, the 25-year-old mechanic said. Williams, who was looking for the boy with his wife, said he was about 60 feet away when he spotted him. 'I went and hollered and everyone ran over,' he recalled. 'He was just looking scared, and he went to cry, but when he seen we werent going to hurt him.' Williams said while the boy was barefoot, he still had on the same clothes he wore when he went missing Friday. 'Everybody just took off running to where he was,' Williams recalled, according to the news outlet. Search crews and volunteers facing inclement weather conditions went searching for the boy, who is non-verbal. Around 3.15pm Sunday, nearly 50 hours after Phenix had first gone missing, Good Samaritan Markeith Williams found him in the woods Phenix during the rescue was held by law enforcement officers who wrapped him in a warm blanket and carried him out of the woods Barbour County Sheriff Tyrone Smith said he almost gave up hope that little Phenix would not be found until the miracle happened. Once Phenix was located, one of the officers picked him up and held him close. A volunteer placed a warm coat and blanket on him, as another placed socks over his bare feet. The boy, who was given water, appeared calm as one of the searchers held his hand. One of the officers carried Phenix to the top of the hill where he where he was placed in an ATV and driven to an ambulance that was waiting, as per AL.com. Sargent Jeremy Burkett, a spokesperson for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said the boy had encountered a night of rain and two nights of freezing temperatures, but appeared 'in good physical health. Paramedics flew him to a nearby hospital for evaluation. 'I wouldnt want to speculate one way or the other about any potential charges,' Burkett said, adding the investigation is ongoing. Williams told the news outlet, as he smiled from ear to ear, that he was 'thankful he could be part of the happy ending.' Two British brothers have admitted stealing iconic Ming dynasty porcelain worth millions of pounds from a Swiss museum in a daring heist. Prosecutors said the men were part of a gang of three who broke into Fondation Baur, a museum of Far Eastern art in Geneva, in June 2019. The thieves escaped with a bowl and two 14th Century vases worth 3.5 million. Stewart Ahearne, 45, and his brother Louis, 35, from south-east London, admitted their involvement when they appeared before a panel of three judges at the Palais de Justice in Geneva on Monday. They faced charges of theft, trespass and damage to property. Two British brothers have admitted stealing iconic Ming dynasty porcelain worth millions of pounds from a Swiss museum in a daring heist Stewart Ahearne, 43, and Louis Ahearne, 33 (pictured) are said to be part of a gang of professional thieves Swiss authorities said the thieves, wearing masks and gloves, broke into the museum at night by smashing a pane on the front door before shattering a display case. Father-of-five Stewart Ahearne, represented by lawyer Sylvain Zihlmann, admitted hiring a Renault Captur car from Avis at Geneva Airport to use in the robbery. But whilst he 'took full responsibility' for his actions he denied involvement in the planning of the heist. 'I went into the museum. I stole some stuff. Any organisation, anything to do with the artwork I didn't know nothing,' he said. He said he was 'used as a pawn, like in a game of chess'. He said: 'I was asked to come to Switzerland to do some driving. The story, the scenario changed with the third person. He is not someone you can say no to. He is not a very nice person. My role was I was used. 'I got a phone call telling me my brother was in debt and that I was needed to bring back some stuff. Alarm bells started ringing. My instinct as an older brother was to protect my brother.' Father-of-one Louis Ahearne, represented by lawyer Cedric Berger, said he had agreed to be part of the heist 'to clear a debt'. He said: 'I was paid to be a front man to clear a debt. In the [CCTV] video I am the third person [going into the museum] with no crowbar and no sledgehammer.' He told the court he had carried out a reconnaissance of the museum in the days before the raid. The court heard the trio visited Geneva four months before the robbery. A general view of the Museum of Far Eastern Art. Swiss authorities say the culprits were wearing masks and gloves when they broke into the museum The brothers said they thought it was a holiday but Stewart Ahearne said he 'put two and two together' after the theft. 'It was so the third person could do some scouting,' he said. The court heard that the brothers travelled to Hong Kong shortly after the raid to sell the stolen bowl to an auction house for 80,000. Despite being sold it has subsequently been returned to the museum. The Metropolitan Police and Swiss law enforcement carried out an undercover operation targeting those trying to sell one of the vases. It was recovered in October 2021 and returned to the museum. Three men Mbaki Nkhwa, 47, Kaine Wright, 26, and David Lamming, 31, were convicted last year in connection with the theft. In July 2020, police received call from an auction house saying that an unknown person who knew of the vase's whereabouts had emailed to seek a valuation. The Met traced the IP address for the email account to Lamming's home. Officers posed as prospective buyers when the vase went up for sale, agreeing a price of 450,000. This led to a meeting in a central London hotel with Nkhwa who was then arrested at the scene. Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, from the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command, said: 'These convictions are the result of four years' work crossing international boundaries and involving collaboration between many internal and external partners. 'The organised crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offences internationally and that there would be no comeback. They were mistaken.' Police are offering a 10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the third stolen item, a Ming Dynasty cup. Stewart and Louis Ahearne were extradited to Switzerland in December 2022 where they have since been held in Champ-Dollon prison. Patrick Monney, the president of the court, will sentence the men on Tuesday. President Joe Biden's job approval rating has dropped to a low for any president in the past 15 years, according to a poll published Monday. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found Biden had an approval rating of just 33 percent, while 58 percent of respondents said they did not approve of his performance. That is four points below his standing in September, the last time the poll was conducted. It makes him less popular that Donald Trump, his likely presidential election opponent, who hit 36 percent approval at the lowest ebb of his time in office. And it is the lowest mark for any president since George W. Bush plunged the depths from 2006 through 2008. President Joe Biden went to Philadelphia on Monday to mark Martin Luther King Jr Day. A new poll shows his approval rating at a record low of 33 percent The numbers make him the least popular president since George W. Bush The poll was conducted from Jan, 4 to 8, among a random national sample of 2,228 adults. It shows just how much work Biden has to do ahead of the election. His only consolation is that he led the likely Republican candidate on a key electability question. Some 41 percent said he was 'honest and trustworthy' while only 26 percent said the description applied to Trump. However, Biden fares worse when it comes to questions of physical and mental ability. Only 28 percent said the president had the mental sharpness needed, down from 32 percent last year, and the same proportion said he was in good enough physical shape, down from 33 percent. In contrast, Trump has the mental sharpness for the job, according to 47 percent, a seven-point drop from last May. Some 57 percent say he has the physical strength, down from 64 percent last May. Economic concerns have long been the main factor undermining Biden's approval rating. Just 13 percent of Americans said they had become better off since Biden took office, with 43 percent saying they are not as well off. However that marks a slight improvement from the 37-year-record set last year when 44 percent said they were not as well off. Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren does not believe members of Congress and their staffers are paid enough and wants additional funds to flow to federal workers. The salary of a member of Congress is $174,000 and has been so since 2009. Warren believes that this is not enough despite her salary being four times larger than the median U.S. workers' salary, which is around $40,000, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 'Everyone working in government should be paid more: members of Congress and their staffs,' the Massachusetts Democrat told Business Insider. 'Congress should not be the plaything of multimillionaires and billionaires who've already secured their fortunes and don't care about earning a living to support their families,' she said. Warren believes that a pay increase for members of Congress and their staffs would help the government attract and retain more qualified employees. Warren believes paying members of Congress more would help them with costs unique to the job, like paying to maintain residences in D.C. and their homes states The Massachusetts senator thinks a raise will attract more qualified workers to jobs in public service At the end of 2022, the House passed a rule allowing members to be reimbursed for the cost of lodging, food and travel while on official business in DC. The reimbursement could increase members' pay by up to $34,000. 'I understand that no one wants to waste taxpayer dollars, but Congress needs to be more realistic about what it takes to attract the top people to public service across the board, and how to keep them engaged throughout their careers,' Warren said. Despite her push for more pay, financial disclosures filed by Warren show that she made over $443,000 in book sales in 2022, more than twice that of her senate salary, Business Insider reported. Republican lawmaker Patrick McHenry similarly suggested in an interview with The Dispatch that the compensation for members of Congress should be increased in order to draw 'credible people to run for office.' 'Most of us live on the salary. And then, you know, the very wealthy few end up dominating the news because of their personal stock trades, when most of us don't have wealth,' he added. Sen. J.D. Vance would rather increase member of Congress' staff budgets to provide more money for employees rather than bumping members' salaries The Republican from Ohio strongly agrees that paying congressional staffers more will help keep public servants from fleeing to the higher paying jobs offered by the private sector Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who McHenry may have been referencing, raised the maximum annual rate of pay for staff to $212,100 in 2022. That was the third time the 83-year-old San Francisco representative increased staff pay. Other Republicans, meanwhile, oppose increasing the salary of members of Congress. 'My view is that we should have substantially larger budgets,' Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance told Business Insider. Increasing members' budget could give them the ability to pay staff appropriately since senior staff are 'almost always gonna get poached by a lobbying firm because we can't possibly compete with their salary.' Republican Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona told Business Insider he wished members were paid based on their work, adding that 'right now we would pretty much be paid zero.' 'And the reality is, we're still paid better than most Americans,' he added. The sister of a young doctor stabbed to death after a home invasion has said her grief has turned to anger as she begs the 'cowards' responsible to come forward. Ash Gordon, 33, was killed after a gang of thugs broke into his Sargent St home, in Doncaster in Melbourne's east, during the early hours of Saturday morning. He had chased them out of his house and pursued them in his car to Elidon St, about 500metres away, where both he and the intruders exited their vehicles and a fight erupted. Dr Gordon was stabbed several times in the fight which ultimately cost him his life. His sister Natalie Gordon appeared on Sunrise on Tuesday morning where she expressed her heartache. 'I think it's been for me anger the entire time. I'm just obviously devastated but so angry that anyone could do this to not only my brother but any person, any human being,' she said. Ash Gordon (above) was killed during a home invasion in the early hours of Saturday morning Dr Gordon's sister Natalie said while brother was the youngest of five, everyone in the family looked up to him Dr Gordon's family gathered outside his home on Monday and were seen taking away his clothing Ms Gordon said her little brother had 'a big personality with a large heart'. 'His presence was known everywhere,' she said. 'He had a cheeky grin, a charm and charisma about him that had everyone wrapped around his little finger. 'He was the absolute apple of all of our eyes. He was the centre of our family and he was the youngest of five but we all looked up to him.' Dr Gordon's attackers remain on the run and no arrests have been made. Frightened neighbours had called police after hearing the commotion and Dr Gordon's body was discovered a short time later. Dr Gordon's girlfriend has told police his attackers stole a few items from the house, including laptops and shoes. Ms Gordon said knowing her brother, she wasn't surprised to hear he had tried to get back his and his housemate's belongings back from the thugs. She and her family are now hoping those responsible for her brother's death will hand themselves in. 'Wear the consequences and let us punish you,' she said. 'Because you'll never imagine what we're feeling, what we're going through. You have taken away a wonderful doctor, a caring man and the best little brother. 'Don't be a coward now.' Dr Gordon's family gathered outside his home on Monday and were seen taking away his clothing, with Ms Gordon making the same plea for his attackers to come forward. Dr Ash Gordon's housemate Tristen Standing (left) comforted the dead man's sister Natalie Gordon (left) as she spoke to reporters on Monday, alongside her sister Tammy Gordon (right) and George Charalambous (centre) 'Mum and dad are just muddling their way through the days at this point in time. His girlfriend is heartbroken,' she told reporters. 'It is an absolute disgrace to mankind to do something to someone so, so wonderful. 'The world is a worse place now because he has been taken not only from us but the wider community.' Dr Gordon's father was seen with a stethoscope draped around his neck as the family collected his belongings. Housemate and close friend Tristen Standing said Dr Gordon was a 'brave man' who 'didn't think twice' about chasing the intruders out of the house. 'He was just a protector,' he said. 'He looked after his people. He didn't think about himself.' Dr Gordon studied medicine at university before opening his Richmond-based cosmetic clinic Redefine Aesthetics, which specialises in skin health, wellness and anti-ageing. His sister described her younger sibling as a very 'patient and loving' person who 'poured his heart and soul' into his work as a doctor. Germany's fears that Russia could launch an all-out war are justified, according to the United States Army's former European commander, who believes Putin will do the unthinkable if he suspects NATO are unprepared. Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges says he believes that, if nations don't take the threat of Russia 'seriously' and act in 'alliance', then World War Three could develop in just 18 months. His comments come after secret documents from the German Ministry of Defence outlined a step-by-step doomsday guide on how Russia could escalate the conflict in Ukraine to an even bigger battle. The leaked plans, published by German newspaper Bild, reveal in detail the path to a Third World War with Putin using Belarus as a launching pad for an invasion - as he did in February 2022 for his war in Ukraine. Kevin Ryan, a retired US Army Brigadier General, agreed that the threat was real, adding that NATO 'not getting ready' could 'invite' a war. The release of the terrifying documents come just days after Sweden's civil defence minister warned that his country could soon face the prospect of war and urged citizens to join voluntary defence organisations in preparation for a Russian attack. Ben Hodges, who commanded the US Army in Europe between 2014 and 2018, said the plans outlined by Germany demonstrate that they are taking the threat 'seriously' Germany is preparing for Vladimir Putin 's forces to attack NATO in 2025, according to leaked secret plans But Ben Hodges, who commanded the US Army in Europe between 2014 and 2018, stressed that the prospect of an all-out war would only happen if Russia sensed that NATO weren't prepared or unified. He said: 'They [Russia] only respect strength. If they sense any weakness then they will continue to move forward. 'If they did it, it would be because they made the assessment that we were not ready or unified inside the alliance or that we did not have adequate ammunition or the ability to move fast enough. But if we are prepared, they still have a long way to go.' He added that although it may seem 'scary', the plans outlined by Germany demonstrate that they are taking the threat 'seriously'. 'The best way to prevent a war from ever happening is to demonstrate that youre prepared for it', he said. 'The UK has always been aware of the threat from Russia but now Germany are realising that this is something thats only going to get worse if theyre not prepared. So readiness - with all the right equipment and capabilities - is exactly what nations should be doing. And Germany is doing that.' He added: 'If the civilian leadership doesnt think theres a threat, they wont be able to move quickly enough. Our leaders should talk to us like adults. It doesnt mean you're a scaremongerer, it means you're taking precaution, which is exactly what we should be doing.' Indeed, Germany's defence leaders are also taking the threat from Moscow seriously, with the Bundeswehr preparing for a hybrid Russian attack on NATO's eastern flank by the summer of 2025. The secret 'Alliance Defence 2025' document details how Russia will mobilise another 200,000 soldiers in Russia before launching a spring offensive against Ukrainian forces in Spring this year. Mr Hodges added that in its current state, he believes the Kremlin aren't strong enough to gather the military and equipment they need to pursue an all-out war. 'The Kremlin, right now, don't have the ability', he said. 'But if we fail to help Ukraine then that could change. And then it's a very real possibility'. The leaked documents outline that by June, amid dwindling Western support and weaponry, Russia would achieve success on the battlefield and make significant advances through Ukraine. The secret 'Alliance Defence 2025' document details how Russia will mobilise another 200,000 soldiers in Russia before launching a spring offensive against Ukrainian forces in Spring this year Ukrainian soldiers on the frontline take part in a medical training in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on January 14 Russian and Belarusian tanks attend joint exercise on 21 February 2022 in Belarus - a day before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to leaked plans, Russia could use Belarus as a launching pad again - but this time to attack NATO allies Taking advantage of this success, Putin would in July launch cyber attacks in the Baltics at the same time as inciting violence in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by claiming that ethnic Russian minorities are being targeted. This tactic has already been used by Putin's cronies to justify their attack on Ukraine in 2014 and again in 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Clashes would occur in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as a result of Russia's interference and Putin would use this as an excuse to launch a large-scale exercise with 50,000 Russian troops sent to Belarus and western Russia by September. A month later, Putin would go one step further and move troops and medium-range missiles to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which is nestled in between Poland and Lithuania. At the same time, Putin and his cronies would continue their sabre-rattling and claim that NATO is preparing to attack Russia and a threat to their national security. But Putin's main aim will be to attack a narrow strip of land known as the Suwalki Gap. Poland and Lithuania have fought for control of the area, but today it is part of Poland and is the only land border between mainland Europe and the Baltic States. Even a small attack on the area - sandwiched between Poland, Lithuania and Kaliningrad - could cause huge problems for NATO and potentially spiral into a Third World War. Fears of a Baltic invasion have risen since the Ukraine war began, and if Putin were to attempt it then blocking the Suwalki Gap would likely be his first move, as detailed in the leaked secret documents. Though thousands of NATO troops, including UK soldiers, are currently deployed to the Baltics, they are only intended as a 'tripwire' force. Their role is to hold up any invading force until the main NATO army can arrive. By December this year, Moscow would dispel fake propaganda about a border conflict and 'riots with numerous deaths' in the Suwalki Gap, according to the documents. But Putin's main aim will be to attack a narrow strip of land known as the Suwalki Gap. Poland and Lithuania have fought for control of the area, but today it is part of Poland and is the only land border between mainland Europe and the Baltic States Russian and Belarusian rocket launchers attend joint exercise on 17 February 2022 in Belarus - a day before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to leaked plans, Russia could use Belarus as a launching pad again - but this time to attack NATO allies A Ukrainian serviceman of 2 battalion 92nd brigade fires a 120-mm mortar towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position near Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on January 12 NATO troops during an exercise in Poland in May 2023 And taking advantage of the chaos that will ensue if President Joe Biden is defeated in the presidential elections with the US left without a leader for a few weeks, Putin would begin his attack on NATO soil. Shortly afterwards, during an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council, Moscow accuses the West of preparing to attack Russia according to the documents. READ MORE: Ukraine downs two Russian military command and reconnaissance planes in huge blow for Putin Advertisement According to the doomsday scenario, NATO would convene a special meeting in January 2025 at which Poland and the Baltic states report an increasing Russian threat and plead for help. But Russia would take advantage of the choas and by March 2025, the Kremlin would move even more troops towards the Baltics and Belarus. By the end of the month, Putin would have accumulated 70,000 soldiers as part of two tank divisions, mechanised infantry division and a division headquarters. Two months later, in May 2025, NATO would reconvene again to discuss the mounting Russian threat to its security and decide on 'measures for credible deterrence' in an effort to stop any Russian attack on the Suwalki Gap from the direction of Belarus and Kaliningrad. On an undisclosed date named 'Day X', NATO would deploy 300,000 soldiers - including 30,000 from Germany - to its eastern flank to defend against an impending Russian attack, according to the leaked documents. It's unclear from the documents if Russian would be deterred by the deployment of NATO forces as the scenario ends 30 days after Day X. A German Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Bild they did not want to comment on the specific NATO defence scenario but said: 'Basically, I can tell you that considering different scenarios, even if they are extremely unlikely, is part of everyday military business, especially in training.' The release of the terrifying documents comes as the Estonian Prime Minister warned Europe has between three and five years to prepare for Russia to return as a serious military threat on NATO's eastern flank. Kaja Kallas told The Times: 'Our intelligence estimates it to be three to five years, and that very much depends on how we manage our unity and keep our posture regarding Ukraine. 'Because what Russia wants is a pause, and this pause is to gather its resources and strength. Weakness provokes aggressors, so weakness provokes Russia.' The warning comes just days after Sweden's civil defence minister warned his country could soon face the prospect of war. In a rousing speech that took note of his country's hotly anticipated accession to NATO this year and ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, Carl-Oskar Bohlin called on ordinary citizens to ask themselves 'who are you if war comes?'. Speaking at Sweden's annual 'Folk och Forsvar' (Society and Defence) conference in Salen a week ago, the minister said: 'It is human to want to view life as you wish it was, rather than as it actually is. 'For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immovable constant is conveniently close at hand. But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time,' Bohlin said. Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin speaks during the Society and Defence National Conference in Salen, Sweden, 07 January 2023 Swedish Army armoured vehicles and tanks participate in a military exercise called 'Cold Response 2022', gathering around 30,000 troops from NATO member countries as well as Finland and Sweden, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine Within a day of his speech, Sweden's mental health helplines were flooded with calls from youths scared by the prospect of war. Children's rights organisation Bris said its phone operators reported a huge uptick in the number of callers worried about war coming to Sweden. It comes as Britain's Defence Secretary Grant Shapps announced today that the UK will send 20,000 armed forces personnel to one of NATO's largest exercises since the Cold War. The deployment, which Shapps characterised as the UK's biggest to NATO in four decades, is aimed at 'providing vital reassurance' over the 'menace' posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin following his invasion of Ukraine, Shapps said. The British personnel - from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Army - will deploy across Europe and beyond for the military alliance's latest 'Exercise Steadfast Defender', alongside personnel from 31 other member countries and Sweden, which is a candidate to join the transatlantic alliance. 'Today's NATO is bigger than ever but the challenges are bigger too,' Shapps said in a wide-ranging speech in London, in which he warned 'the international rules-based order' was facing rising dangers. 'And that's why the UK has committed... the totality of our air, land and maritime assets to NATO', he went on. 'In 2024 I am determined to do even more and that's why I can announce today the UK will send in some 20,000 personnel to lead one of NATO's largest deployments since the end of the Cold War.' The UK contingent will include fighter jets and surveillance aircraft, the navy's most advanced warships and submarines, and a full range of army capabilities, including special operations forces. London will send a so-called Carrier Strike Group - which features its flagship aircraft carrier and F-35B fighter jets and helicopters - to the exercises in the North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea. Meanwhile some 16,000 soldiers will be deployed across eastern Europe from next month to June, taking with them tanks, artillery, helicopters and parachutes. Shapps used his most high-profile speech since being appointed to the post in August to argue that the post-Cold War 'peace dividend' has ended and Western allies must face down foes including China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. 'It's been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism,' he said, adding that NATO's adversaries 'are more connected with each other' than ever and Western allies 'stand at a crossroads'. 'Our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers, old enemies are reanimated, battle lines are being redrawn, the tanks are literally on Ukraine's lawn and the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core.' Shapps also addressed the joint UK-US strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen last week. The Huthis have repeatedly attacked shipping in the Red Sea in recent months, in protest at the war in Gaza. The UK minister said the strikes were intended 'as a single action'. But asked if further military action was planned, he replied: 'I can't predict the future for you.' 'We will not put up with a major waterway... being closed on a permanent basis' to international shipping, Shapps added. A Brazilian influencer known for her insane weight loss transformation has died. Mila De Jesus, 35, died on January 12 after suffering from a suspected cardiac arrest. 'It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Mila de Jesus this Friday,' an Instagram post read. 'In this moment of pain, respect family and friends and we will express our respect to Mila who will miss her a lot.' The weight loss influencer leaves behind her husband, George Kowszik, and four children. It's unclear what led to her cardiac episode. Brazilian influencer Mila De Jesus, 35, died on January 12 after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest. De Jesus announced last October that she had psoriasis De Jesus became famous after getting a gastric bypass surgery on October 17, 2017. She became highly active on social media and has nearly 60,000 followers De Jesus shot to fame on social media after undergoing gastric bypass surgery on October 5, 2017. She celebrated the weight loss anniversary by sharing a post with her nearly 60,000 Instagram followers. De Jesus described the surgery as a decision that changed her life - as she shared before and after pictures of herself. She announced she had been battling psoriasis since July back in October. Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes a rash with itch and scaly patches. 'I've been dealing with this situation, 80 percent of my body taken, between doctors, medicines, ointments, and breathing deeply..,' she wrote in an Instagram post. De Jesus hardly spoke about her skin disease and continued to only post photos of family members and of herself. The influencer created her last Instagram post on January 7 and had photos and videos of her and one of her children. Since her death, social media users have posted heartfelt comments on the influencer's tribute photo created by her daughter. De Jesus leaves behind her husband, George Kowszik, and four children. Her last Instagram post she made before her death features one of her sons Various Brazilian influencers have commented on the Instagram announcement of De Jesus' death and have sent their condolences to her family Brazilian influencer Flavia Calina called De Jesus 'a very very special and very loved person,' and wrote, 'May God comfort your hearts!.' 'Still can't believe it - May God comfort the hearts of the whole family,' wrote Bazilian-American internet personality Camila Coelho. Other influencers who offered their condolences include Bruna Tavares, Ale Castro, and Carolina Lima. Kowszik's only Instagram post is of him and De Jesus created on April 9, 2023, and users have begun offering their condolences on his post. A US Navy captain has been suddenly and mysteriously relieved of command of a guided missile submarine. Captain Geoffry Patterson was summarily stood down as commanding officer of the USS Georgia by Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan on Friday. The navy did not give a reason for his sudden sacking, saying only it was 'due to loss of confidence in his ability to command'. 'Navy commanding officers are held to high standards of personal and professional conduct,' the navy said. 'They are expected to uphold the highest standards of responsibility, reliability, and leadership, and the Navy holds them accountable when they fall short of those standards.' Captain Geoffry Patterson was summarily stood down as commanding officer of the USS Georgia Standing down an officer for that reason is commonly the line given when the navy doesn't want to explain why they were dismissed. Submarine Group Ten, of which the USS Georgia is part, revealed Captain Patterson was under investigation, but wouldn't say more. 'As a matter of policy, the Navy does not comment on ongoing investigations and does not speculate on any administrative and/or disciplinary actions,' it said. The USS Georgia is one of four nuclear-powered guided missile submarines in the navy, able to carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. They are often also used to support special forces in covert missions by ferrying them to their destinations. All four were originally Ohio-class submarines armed with nuclear-capable ballistic missile, but were converted at least 15 years ago. Captain Patterson rose to commanding the USS Maryland (pictured at the time), an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, until June 2017 and took over the USS Georgia's Blue Crew in June 2022 The USS Georgia is one of four nuclear-powered guided missile submarines in the navy, able to carry up to 154 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles Captain Christopher Osborn will take over as commanding officer with Captain Patterson relieved of duty. Guided missile submarines have two crews that alternate. Captain Patterson commanded the Blue Crew and Captain Osborn the Gold Crew. Captain Patterson began as an enlisted sailor before getting a degree in mechanical engineering and naval science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He later earned a master's degree from the US Naval War College in national security and strategic studies. He rose to commanding the USS Maryland, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, until June 2017 and took over the USS Georgia's Blue Crew in June 2022. A second Woolworths store has been graffitied as the fallout over the company's decision not to stock Australia Day merchandise continues. The Woolworths in Cleveland Central Shopping Centre in Brisbane's south east, was scrawled with graffiti on Saturday. 'Boycott Woolies now... people power... boycott WW' and 'Aussie Aussie Oi Oi' were the messages left on the storefront. Staff at the store were filmed cleaning off the spray paint, according to 7News. 'There's no reason for vandalism in any circumstance,' a spokesperson for Woolworths said. It came two days before another Woolworths around 30km away was similarly vandalised. The Woolworths in Cleveland Central Shopping Centre in Brisbane's south east, was scrawled with graffiti saying 'Boycott Woolies now... people power... boycott WW' and 'Aussie Aussie Oi Oi' on Saturday morning (pictured) The Metro store in Teneriffe was closed on Monday morning after vandals spray-painted the words '5 days 26 Jan Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Woolies f*** u' on its facade. The words 'Boycott Woolies' were also spray-painted on the supermarket's entrance doors. Three Queensland Fire and Emergency Services also attended the scene after the vandals set off a flare under the store's door, triggering the fire alarm. Police have released CCTV footage of the incident and on Tuesday morning revealed they have arrested and charged a man over the incident. Police will allege around 5am, the 40-year-old man set off a flare at the business, causing the fire alarm to be activated. He has been charged with one count each of wilful damage and wilful damage by graffiti and is expected to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on February 21. Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia no one was hurt as the vandalism occurred before the store opened. 'Thankfully no team members or customers were injured as this occurred before the store opened,' a Woolworths spokesperson said. 'We're grateful to the police and fire brigade who attended. There's no reason for vandalism and we'll continue to liaise with Queensland Police.' Woolworths announced last week it would no longer sell specific Australia Day merchandise due to a 'gradual decline in demand' for the products. The supermarket giant, which also owns Big W stores, confirmed in a statement that items related to January 26 celebrations will not be stocked on shelves. 'There has been a gradual decline in demand for Australia Day merchandise from our stores over recent years,' Woolworths said. It came two days before another Woolworths around 30km away was similarly vandalised. Police have released CCTV footage of the incident (pictured) and are investigating after a flare was set off at the store's entrance The Metro store in Teneriffe was closed on Monday morning after vandals spray-painted the words '5 days 26 Jan Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Woolies f*** u' on its facade (pictured) 'At the same time there's been broader discussion about 26 January and what it means to different parts of the community. 'We know many people like to use this day as a time to get together and we offer a huge variety of products to help customers mark the day as they choose.' 2GB host Ray Hadley launched a scathing attack against the supermarket's CEO Bradford Banducci following the news. He called out Mr Banducci by using a sexual euphemism to describe his treatment of farmers while making 'record profits'. 'Worry about your staff, your customers and your supplies and stay out of everything else,' he said on Monday. 'You're a supermarket, you sell bread, fruit, frozen food and veggies but apparently not Australia Day memorabilia.' Aldi Australia and Kmart also joined Woolworths in its decision not to stock any Australia Day merchandise this year. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the decision was a 'disgrace' and called for a boycott of the store. QUESTION Did Thomas Jefferson invent the swivel chair? In addition to being a statesman, diplomat and the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was known for his inventions. Jefferson invented a wheel cipher, or Jefferson disk, a mechanical encryption device. He also invented a polygraph, an early photocopying machine, and made several important agricultural innovations, such as improving the mouldboard plough. Jefferson was the inventor of the oldest known swivel chair. While drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 at Graff House in Philadelphia, Jefferson was in the habit of sitting on a mahogany Windsor chair, also known as a comb-back chair. At this time, Jefferson collaborated with an unknown carpenter to modify the Windsor into a revolving chair that would increase his working efficiency, allowing him to access his library and writing desk without getting up. Diplomat and the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was known for his inventions Jefferson invented a wheel cipher, or Jefferson disk, a mechanical encryption device. He also invented a polygraph, an early photocopying machine, and made several important agricultural innovations, such as improving the mouldboard plough. Jefferson was the inventor of the oldest known swivel chair The swivel mechanism was incorporated into a double-layered seat that rotated on a central iron spindle and on rollers made of window sash pulleys set between the two seats. Thanks to these rollers, the seat could rotate smoothly. When Jefferson returned to Monticello, his home in Virginia, he took his furnishings with him. The revolving Windsor was greatly modified, probably by John Hemmings, Jeffersons enslaved joiner. The chair was lowered to match the height of a long upholstered bench called a Windsor couch. When pulled up against the swivel chair, the two pieces together created a chaise longue that Jefferson could use to alleviate back pain. In 1838 the chair was gifted to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia and remains on display at the societys museum. Evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin had a hand in evolving the chair into something resembling the modern office chair. In the 1840s, Darwin put wheels on his chair so he could speed between books and specimens in his laboratory. The modern office chair was created by Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1900s. In 1904, Wright designed a partially height-adjustable and tilting swivel chair with wheels. This design was made to complement the design of the Larkin Administration Building (erected 1904-06) in Buffalo, New York. Louise Cram, Cannock, Staffordshire. QUESTION What are the best examples of back slang used by Victorian criminals? Although this coded language was associated with criminals, it originated with Londons costermongers street merchants who sold fruit in the Victorian era. It has also been used by soldiers, labourers, shopkeepers and public school boys. The rule was to spell a word backwards and then employ the pronunciation approaching the closest to that often impossible arrangement of letters. A view of Fleet Street towards Ludgate Hill Circus and St Paul's Cathedral, London, circa 1885 The costermongers called it kabgnals and an example that we still use is yob instead of boy. These yobs would engage in yob-gab (boys talk). Yobs on-doog (up to no good) might be talking about nammos (women) or taunting the slop or the esclop (police). Henry Mayhew, in London Labour And The London Poor, recorded, I wish Id been there to have had a shy at the esclops. They might go down the oozeboo (boozer) for a top of reeb (a pot of beer); this might cost a Netgen (for ten, and gen, a shilling). Keith Woodman, London N13. QUESTION Did drinking milk cause an evolutionary change in the human genome? Mammals are, in part, defined by the presence of mammary glands, specialised organs that allow females to produce milk to feed their young. The process required newborns to break down lactose, the only carbohydrate found in milk, into smaller, digestible molecules. Historically, that enzyme, lactase, switched off once a person grew into adulthood, meaning the great majority of adults were lactose intolerant. However, 10-20,000 years ago, there was a dramatic evolutionary shift, where lactase persistence (LP) the ability of adults to digest the lactose in milk was developed widely across certain human populations. Mammals are, in part, defined by the presence of mammary glands, specialised organs that allow females to produce milk to feed their young Today, about a third of humans have developed LP. The frequency varies greatly, from just 5 per cent in Native Americans and East Asians to 11-32 per cent in Central Asia and almost 100 per cent in people of northern European descent and some populations from West and East Africa, and the Middle East. About 10,000 years ago, in what is now Turkey, humans were starting to milk the first domesticated cows, goats and sheep, and mutations near the gene that produces the lactase enzyme became increasingly frequent. We now know that a single genetic variant (13910*T) on the human genome marks the distribution of LP. Just why this genetic switch took place is uncertain. One theory is that it was a response to famine or plague. Some researchers have suggested that milk provided a better alternative to contaminated water, others that milk fat gave people a fertility advantage. Dr Ian Smith, Cambridge. QUESTION Would it be possible to make an entire album of songs inspired by motorbike crashes? Further to the answer that featured classics such as Leader Of The Pack and Bat Out Of Hell, I would like to mention a couple more. Elton John named Song For Guy in tribute to a 17-year-old courier biker who died while taking tapes across London. The other was a comic song by Tony Robinson and Julia Hills from the 1990s show Who Dares Wins. It was a spoof on the Shangri-Las song called The Electric Leader Of The Pack, in which Tony led a gang of rockers on Sinclair C5s. It featured a slow-motion crash into a milk float. Danny Darcy, Aldbourne, Wiltshire. A former immigration detainee has been arrested and charged after allegedly breaching the conditions of his visa. The Sudanese-born man, 37, was one of more than 140 people released into the community in late 2023 after the High Court ruled indefinite detention was unlawful. He's accused of failing to comply with a residential curfew on January 12. The man was charged on Monday and was expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court the same day. A former immigration detainee has been arrested and charged after allegedly breaching the conditions of his visa (pictured is Villawood Immigration Detention in Sydney) He is facing a maximum of five years behind bars and a $93,000 fine. The landmark High Court ruling in early December overturned 20 years of legal precedent to rule indefinite detention unlawful when there was no prospect of resettlement. It sparked fierce political debate, led to the government to quickly introduce legislation to monitor the individuals and to establish a new preventative detention regime in a bid to return some to custody. Multiple other former detainees have been arrested for failing to meet visa conditions. Reading the findings of the latest review into the Rochdale child sex abuse scandal evokes two intense emotions pity and rage. Pity for the poor, vulnerable girls as young as 12 who were preyed upon, horrifically abused, and passed around by vile paedophile gangs. And rage that those charged with keeping them safe, principally the police and social services, failed so lamentably to protect them over almost a decade. Despite countless opportunities to end their ordeal and bring their rapists to book, the police either lacked the will or simply looked the other way. It was almost as if these girls, predominantly white and many from broken homes, were somehow culpable in their own suffering. As if they didn't really count as victims. Police launched their first investigation into grooming in Rochdale (pictured) in 2007 Ex-detective Maggie Oliver (pictured) resigned from Greater Manchester Police over its handling of child sexual exploitation cases Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (pictured) has rightly called for a culture change in the police to prevent such outrages happening again. It must begin with an understanding that all victims deserve the same compassion and respect Political correctness also played its part. As the perpetrators were overwhelmingly of Pakistani origin, the police and council feared accusations of racism if they came down hard on the grooming gangs. Some of the detail in yesterday's report is beyond distressing. Girls plied with drink and drugs, kept in cages and made to bark like dogs, or dress as babies. READ MORE - What was the Rochdale grooming scandal? Hundreds of vulnerable children were targeted by mainly Pakistani men and lured into abusive sexual relationships while police were accused of failing to protect them Advertisement Police secretly taking the aborted foetus of a 13-year-old grooming victim to test for DNA yet failing even to charge the man who impregnated her. It's true that thanks largely to two brave whistleblowers, some of these sorry excuses for men have thankfully been tried and convicted. But the report identifies 96 who could remain a risk to children and says even this is 'only a proportion' of the total numbers involved in the abuse. It is a tale of incompetence, neglect and betrayal. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has rightly called for a culture change in the police to prevent such outrages happening again. It must begin with an understanding that all victims deserve the same compassion and respect. Never again can young girls be treated as lesser beings because they are poor or in care. Equally, child sex abusers must be subjected to the full force of the law, regardless of race, colour or creed. And if these wronged girls are to have any real justice, every one of their attackers still at large must be identified and caught. Having failed so badly in the past, the police must now make amends. See sense on Rwanda A slightly mysterious opinion poll published yesterday will have made painful reading for the Prime Minister. Commissioned by a group of unnamed Tory donors and based on a massive sample of 14,000 respondents, it predicts a Tory election wipeout comparable to their drubbing in 1997. The release was timed to coincide with the committee stage and third reading of the Rwanda Bill, and part of a bid to persuade the PM to toughen it up as rebels on the Right of the party are demanding. A slightly mysterious opinion poll published yesterday will have made painful reading for the Prime Minister They believe that in its current form the Bill allows cross-Channel migrants too much scope for protracted legal challenge to their removal to the African country. Rishi Sunak is reluctant to make radical changes, insisting the Bill will achieve its objective of finally getting Rwanda flights off the ground. He stressed yesterday that it would allow ministers to ignore the European Court of Human Rights if it tried to block them with so-called pyjama injunctions. In the interests of party unity, the rebels must park their differences and get behind their leader in these critical months before the election. One clear message from the poll is that the failure to control immigration is a major reason why voters are abandoning the party. Driving the Rwanda legislation through Parliament could help reverse that slide. Two women have been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after one is believed to have set the other on fire. Police were called to Middlesex Crescent in Shepparton, north of Melbourne, about 6:30pm on Monday after reports a 20-year-old woman had been set alight. Police believe a 33-year-old woman, understood to be known to the victim, had set the woman on fire. She had initially fled from the scene before being found by police shortly after. A spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria told Daily Mail Australia both women were airlifted to the Alfred Hospital, south of Melbourne's CBD. A 33-year-old woman has been taken to hospital under police guard after setting a younger woman on fire in Shepparton, Victoria, on Monday night (stock image) The 20-year-old was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition having sustained 'serious' injuries to her upper body (stock image) The 20-year-old is fighting for her life in a critical condition after suffering injuries to her upper body. The older woman was taken under police guard in a critical condition having similarly sustained upper body injuries. Detectives from the Arson and Explosives Squad have been dispatched to the scene to determine what caused the fire. Anyone who witnessed the incident or with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers. Teachers striking at a 34million newbuild school in Wales have claimed they are treated like 'punchbags' by pupils and are being forced to lock their office doors to protect themselves from violent teenagers. A staggering 136 exclusions have taken place at the 1,100 pupil Pencoedtre High School in Barry, South Wales since September when the new year began. London-based architects designed the school, with the violence being blamed on its new layout - featuring large open balconies around a central 'heart space' dining hall, main hall and courtyard. According to The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), the open-plan design has been feeding into the bad behaviour. Teachers said the central location of the school's 'Successful Futures Centre' enables big groups of children to interact, causing fights. Pencoedtre High School in Barry, South Wales has an open layout which is being blamed for behaviour issues at the school Teachers said the central location of the school's 'Successful Futures Centre' enables big groups of children to interact, causing fights National executive member of NASUWT, Mark Harris, said: 'The design of the new school buildings is remarkably poor.' Sharron Daly, a union official, claimed staff at the school were striking because 'they feel at the end of their tether' over issues with behaviour from the children. 'The building is not fit for purpose. The physical make-up of the building is not going to help this situation and the situation needs to change,' she said. The school was unveiled by the Labour-run Welsh Government about a year ago, according to The Telegraph. Debra Thomas, interim head teacher at the school, said the building's layout is 'very open' which 'facilitates large groups to form'. Architects HLM designed the school paid for by the Welsh Government. The company previously said: 'The new school will improve the social and cultural well-being of its users and facilitate a larger range of different learning requirements, intertwining both social and educational environments a school for boys and girls to thrive.' A staggering 136 exclusions have taken place at the 1,100 pupil school since the start of the new year in September The open-plan design has been contributing to poor behaviour, according to NASUWT Staff at the school were striking because 'they feel at the end of their tether' over the behavioural issues NASUWT claimed teachers 'dread' working at the school - with 50 serious health and safety incidents reported to have taken place since the start of the academic year. In a joint statement, the Vale of Glamorgan council and the headteacher said: 'Both the council and school are disappointed by this strike action, which comes at a time when Year 11 pupils are sitting important examinations and Year 13 students are preparing for upcoming A-Level exams. 'We are fully aware of the issues affecting staff and are working with the NASUWT to resolve them. 'The work taking place has been discussed with the trade union in regular meetings and includes steps to improve the working environment and update the school's behaviour policy.' Staff at the Welsh school went on strike last Wednesday, with five more days of walkouts set to happen on January 18, 24, 25, 31 and February 1 if matters are not resolved. MailOnline has contacted HLM, Vale of Glamorgan council and the school for comment. It comes after striking teachers who walked out of a Kent academy in a row with authorities over pupil behaviour were slammed by some locals who said they're 'bowing down' to the anti-social children they're supposed to be teaching. National Education Union (NEU) members at Oasis Academy on the Isle of Sheppey joined the picket line last year as they claimed not enough was being done to protect staff from pupil attacks. The troubled school was rated inadequate by Ofsted in August 2022 due to concerns over 'bullying, racism, homophobia, vandalism and pupils' understanding of sexual consent'. The school, which is one of only two on the Isle, denied repeated calls for 10-day suspensions to be handed out to students if they abuse teachers. On Sunday evening, the Cabinet met for a dinner in No10. But while the smoked salmon was delicious, the beef stew hearty and everything was wrapped up by a rich chocolate torte, one item on the menu was more tricky to digest a devastating YouGov poll published that night predicting a Tory wipeout. In an upbeat presentation, strategist Isaac Levido, who masterminded Boris Johnson's 2019 election landslide, insisted there was a way to victory. But to many, the poll's timing appeared curious. The nation would learn of the Tory Party's woes only 24 hours before today's crucial Commons votes on the Rwanda deal. I have established that work began on the poll on December 14, shortly after the Government announced the main 'committee stage' for the revised Rwanda deal would be held today. The results were released in time to cause maximum impact. On Sunday evening, the Cabinet met for a dinner in No10. But while the smoked salmon was delicious, the beef stew hearty and everything was wrapped up by a rich chocolate torte, one item on the menu was more tricky to digest a devastating YouGov poll published that night predicting a Tory wipeout So who was behind it? The polling cost 70,000 and was commissioned by a previously unknown group, Conservative Britain Alliance. Whoever its members are, they don't like Rishi Sunak and they want to do Labour's job for it by undermining his Rwanda Bill. At Westminster, there was speculation over who had funded this shadowy group. Tory pollster Lord Hayward said: 'I'm suspicious of any poll undertaken or sponsored by an organisation that has no apparent footprint on any website. I can't find anything.' Yet one Tory group that welcomed the poll was the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) set up by businessman Lord Cruddas in July 2022. Significantly, CDO chief executive Claire Bullivant said: 'With Rishi at the helm we face catastrophic defeat. Our members want a new leader who is properly Conservative. Yes, our party will look stupid for five minutes, but who cares? We have to do what we can to stop Starmer getting into No10.' In an upbeat presentation, strategist Isaac Levido, who masterminded Boris Johnson's 2019 election landslide, insisted there was a way to victory Can the poll really have been an attempt to replace Rishi with a leader from the Right? Lord Frost, the former Brexit Secretary who is on the MP candidates list, wrote in yesterday's Telegraph that he had been responsible for 'shaping and analysing the [poll] figures'. Yet I am told that Frost, a critic of Sunak, did more than just look at the poll results he also approached prominent Tory donors for financial support. Frost, who insists the Tories have to be 'as tough as it takes on immigration', told YouGov to direct media inquiries to him. But he did not respond to calls yesterday. Rishi's Rwanda deal is facing a three-pronged assault: From the Tory Right who feel it is not strong enough, from Tory 'wets' who dislike the idea of shipping migrants to Rwanda, and from the Opposition. The poll and Frost's call to arms were intended to stiffen the sinews of Tory 'Spartans' who want the Government to stop migrants appealing against deportation and keep the European court out of the process. Lord Frost, the former Brexit Secretary who is on the MP candidates list, wrote in yesterday's Telegraph that he had been responsible for 'shaping and analysing the [poll] figures' As if on cue, it emerged at the weekend that Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch went to No10 to call for a ban on migrants' appeals. She was rebuffed. 'How did that leak just before the poll came out?' asked a Sunak loyalist, who said Badenoch had a 27,000 majority and will not lose her seat. The Tory charge to toughen the Rwanda deal is being led by the European Research Group. Its leader Mark Francois has a 30,000-strong majority, so he is also safe. On the Tory Left, the likes of ex-Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland are implacably opposed to writing European judges out of the picture. His 6,600 majority will be swept away if the poll is right. 'He's a principled lawyer who thinks he's going to lose, so wants to ensure he's seen doing the right thing for his legacy. He's not alone,' said the Sunak supporter. Last month, Lord Frost said Tory MPs had to consider whether the current leadership could win. 'If they don't, they shouldn't be resigning themselves to it they should be doing something about it.' In other words, he wants a leadership challenge. He clearly hopes the poll and the Rwanda row will kick that off. But does Britain really want another Tory leader or would it only deepen the predicted electoral calamity? Beloved reptile influencer Brian Barczyk has died following a year-long battle with stage-four pancreatic cancer. The social media star, 54, who built a legion of over 1.6 million Instagram followers with his enthusiasm for cold-blooded creatures, died Monday in Michigan. In a heartbreaking post from his account shared by his company, The Reptarium, Barczyk was described as having 'touched innumerable hearts and minds globally.' The sad news comes days after the environmentalist shared a gut-wrenching 16-minute final goodbye to his fans, where he admitted of his cancer diagnosis, 'we really thought we could beat this.' Beloved reptile influencer Brian Barczyk, 54, passed away on Monday following a year-long battle with stage four pancreatic cancer The reptile influencer shared a heartbreaking 'goodbye' video with fans last week, after he entered hospice care but heartbreakingly admitted of his cancer diagnosis, 'we really thought we could beat this' Tributes have flooded in for Barczyk, who was described by his loved ones as having a 'fervent passion for reptiles and wildlife, along with his steadfast dedication to education' The influencer became known among the wildlife community for his high-energy videos and connection with an array of tropical animals, as his obituary paid tribute to his 'fervent passion for reptiles and wildlife, along with his steadfast dedication to education.' 'Our deepest sympathies are with Brian's family, his friends, and all those whose lives he has touched,' the statement continued. 'We've lost an exceptional individual a visionary, mentor, and friend. For those of us who had the privilege of working alongside him, Brian's absence leaves an immeasurable void. 'As we navigate this difficult time, we find comfort in the memories and the lasting light of Brian's work. He will be deeply missed but indeed, never forgotten.' Barczyk's website added that his 'mission went far beyond a simple fascination with reptiles; he was a true advocate for sparking curiosity, respect, and understanding towards all facets of nature.' 'His unparalleled ability to nurture an appreciation for the animal kingdom was extraordinary. Brian's enthusiasm wasn't just contagious; it was transformative, turning fear into fascination and wonder. 'In mourning Brian, we are also celebrating an extraordinary life. His invaluable contributions to herpetology, the lives he profoundly enriched, and the lasting positive impact he made on the world, will resonate for generations to come.' The obituary also included a final quote from the wildlife enthusiast: 'Be kind to someone, and I will see you in the next one.' He thanked his millions of fans in his emotional goodbye, saying his path to social media fame was 'an amazing journey and one that has changed my life' The influencer became known among the wildlife community for his high-energy videos and connection with an array of tropical animals It comes days after Barczyk's fans received a solemn final YouTube video after he entered hospice care, in a video titled: 'This is Goodbye.' He opens the sad video by welcoming his fans back to the vlog for the last time - after doing it over 2,000 times throughout his stint as a reptile influencer. 'It's been an amazing journey and one that has changed my life,' he said in the emotional video. He paid tribute to his fans, known as the 'reptile army', as the video played a montage of highlights from his career - namely connecting with reptiles. 'This last year has been difficult with my cancer, with the ups and downs of treatment,' he said. 'We really thought we could beat this.' When he entered hospice care over a week ago, he told his fans not to worry as he 'had Jesus' with him and he was prepared to 'spend eternity in heaven.' 'I'm going to be able to look down on the legacy, I'm going to be able to look down on my family, and everyone who I love. I'm the lucky one,' he told fans. 'I'm ready, guys. It was a tough year,' he said through tears. 'It was so painful, the pain was incredible, the sickness was incredible, the treatment was incredible, everything about it was so bad.' The wildlife enthusiast received the devastating stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis almost a year ago Following news of his death, Barczyk's heartbroken fans saluted his career and the profound impact he had on millions. Marlon Grennan, a dog influencer with 1.3 million followers on Facebook, responded: What an amazing soul he was so much joy he brought to so many! My deepest sympathies goes out to the family and friends rest easy Brian your legacy will live forever! We will always be watching.' Another fan said: 'Rest in peace Brian, you'll always be in the hearts of the millions of people you've inspired to love animals, including mine. Thank you for everything!' 'I'm glad he's finally not in anymore pain.. What a strong soul. Rest in peace Brian,' concluded another. There is a sound the Conservative benches make when our armed forces are in action. It is quite low baritone, not basso profundo and something between a grunt and a growl. When, as happens, Leftists rise to express pacifist sentiments, it swells to irked scorn. Sir Keir Starmer, hearing that noise in the Commons during Rishi Sunak's statement on the Red Sea attacks, narrowed his eyes with wary curiosity. To one such as Sir Keir, steeped in north London socialism, martial patriotism is an alien emotion. It is something he will never feel in his soul, though he has been told it makes electoral sense. He studies it as a tourist, landing in Chengdu, will read a Mandarin phrasebook, out of necessity. Sir Keir, who claims to be a born-again centrist, tells us he is now a man of the world; yet his backbenchers still dream of international daisy chains. Despite their leader expressing stilted support for whacking Houthi militants in Yemen he uttered the words as our Chengdu tourist might ask a policeman for directions Labour backbenchers made plain their unhappiness. Zarah Sultana (Lab, Coventry South) and Apsana Begum (Lab, Poplar & Limehouse) were openly indignant that Mr Sunak had ordered the Royal Navy and RAF to defend themselves and protect shipping. Ms Sultana directed her staccato oratory at the Prime Minister and demanded a ceasefire in Gaza. Sir Keir Starmer , hearing that noise in the Commons during Rishi Sunak's statement on the Red Sea attacks, narrowed his eyes with wary curiosity Sir Keir, who claims to be a born-again centrist, tells us he is now a man of the world Mr Sunak briskly suggested she should instead encourage Islamist terrorists to lay down their weapons. For this he was accused, by the former anti-Semite Naz Shah (Lab, Bradford West), of 'an Islamophobic trope'. Ms Sultana, for her part, gasped and gaped at Mr Sunak as if he had just swiped her last Rolo. Ms Begum had earlier accused Mr Sunak of causing an 'escalation' in Middle Eastern violence and failing to 'build any political support' in the 'parliamentary community'. Odd to think Limehouse was once noted for its political intellectuals. Did Bozo Begum not notice that her own party leader had just expressed support for the Government's military response? Did that not constitute significant 'political support'? The Tory military machine made its baritone mooing sound and Mr Sunak visibly drew strength from it. He will never be a war-like figure, for his left knee jiggles too much. A properly bellicose PM, high on the fumes of war planes, would adopt a squarer stance at the despatch box. Yet he had his arguments about the logic and legality of the military action capably arrayed. Apsana Begum had earlier accused Mr Sunak of causing an 'escalation' in Middle Eastern violence and failing to 'build any political support' in the 'parliamentary community' Repeatedly he explained that 'the risks of inaction' were considerable. The Houthis needed to be shown that they could not consider 'British vessels and British lives to be fair game'. It is unlikely many voters will disagree with Mr Sunak on this, whatever Sir Keir's lot might think. Oh, what contortions we had as Labour MPs, Lib Dems, Scots Nats, Plaid Cymru and that posh woman from the Greens flexed every cognitive sinew to oppose our own government and side with our country's enemies. Why weren't we following the rule of international law? (Er, we were). Why weren't we giving more money to Yemen? (How, asked Mr Sunak, do you propose to pay for it?) Why had he not come to the Commons last Thursday to get its consent for the attacks? (Because, you never know, word might have leaked back to the Houthis and they might have hidden that cruise missile launcher the RAF just destroyed). The Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, seen for the first time since his Post Office tribulations, looked miserable. A total wreck, poor man. But Layla Moran (Lib Dem, Abingdon) was full of it. She was furious Mr Sunak had not consulted her before letting the Navy fire back at the Houthis. She made a long, noisy point of order about it. Round Yemeni camp fires, as they suck their sheeps' eyes and dip their fingers into broiled goat innards, they'll be saying, 'that Moran lady, she speaks for us!' Rishi Sunak last night declared for the first time he was ready to overrule European judges on Rwanda. The Prime Minister, who faces a rebellion by dozens of Tory MPs today, said he was determined to end the 'legal merry-go-round' that has prevented any migrants being sent to the east African state. But MPs on the Right of the party continued to warn he would fail unless he strengthened his flagship legislation with some even saying they could help Labour vote it down if he refused, plunging the Government into crisis. In a major blow, Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson said last night he would side with the rebels, despite strenuous efforts by Downing Street to keep him on board. Minutes later, fellow deputy Brendan Clarke-Smith said he would also join today's revolt. The Prime Minister, who faces a rebellion by dozens of Tory MPs today, said he was determined to end the 'legal merry-go-round' that has prevented any migrants being sent to the east African state A handful of ministerial aides have been placed on resignation watch by Conservative whips. Almost 60 Tory MPs, including leading figures Liz Truss, Suella Braverman and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, have signed a series of amendments designed to toughen the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which will be debated by MPs this afternoon. Proposals include preventing the European Court of Human Rights from issuing last-minute injunctions to prevent flights taking off. Mr Sunak insisted yesterday the measure was unnecessary as the legislation already gave ministers the power to overrule so-called Rule 39 injunctions from Strasbourg. In a significant intervention, he also confirmed for the first time that he was ready to use the power, if necessary. 'I would not have put that clause in the Bill if I was not prepared to use it,' he said. 'I won't let a foreign court stop us from getting flights off.' Last night, in a sign of the pressure No 10 is under, Tory campaign chief Isaac Levido rounded on the organisers of a poll suggesting the party will suffer a 120-seat election defeat unless it toughens its stance on issues such as immigration. In a briefing to Tory MPs, Mr Levido warned the party would 'fall if it is divided' following projections of a 1997-style victory for Labour later this year. But MPs on the Right of the party continued to warn he would fail unless he strengthened his flagship legislation with some even saying they could help Labour vote it down if he refused, plunging the Government into crisis In a further olive branch to the rebels, No 10 said Eurosceptic immigration minister Michael Tomlinson would be put in charge of responding to any interventions from the Strasbourg court. Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs, welcomed Mr Sunak's clarification that he was willing to overrule the Strasbourg court, but said it 'has to be in legislation'. The Rwanda scheme was blocked by the Supreme Court in November after judges accepted claims from campaigners that the country was not safe, as asylum seekers could theoretically be returned from there to their home country to face torture. The Rwanda Bill will declare in law that the African nation is a safe country and prevent the courts examining the principle of the scheme. But to the dismay of Tory rebels, it will not prevent individual appeals by those threatened with deportation. Mr Anderson's decision to side with the rebels leaves the PM facing a dilemma over whether to sack him from his role as deputy Tory chairman. Mr Anderson said he had signed several rebel amendments tabled by Mr Jenrick and veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash, adding: 'I will vote for them.' One senior Tory said the PM 'does not want to lose' the straight-talking former miner. But others believe it would be untenable to allow him to stay if he voted against the Government. Key rebel proposals include banning migrants from making individual legal claims against deportation to Rwanda, blocking injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights and disapplying all human rights laws. Mr Sunak said he was 'happy to have a dialogue with anyone who thinks they might have an idea that will improve the effectiveness of the Bill'. A general view of the European Court of Human Rights building According to The Times, Mr Sunak will draft in 150 tribunal judges and free up courtrooms to fast-track migrant appeals against being deported to Rwanda. The PM said his plan was based on fairness, adding that the deaths of five migrants in the Channel over the weekend showed that the 'compassionate thing to do is to tackle illegal migration'. He added: 'We're a country where we play by the rules, we put in our fair share, and we wait our turn. Illegal migration undermines that sense of fairness.' Whitehall sources said the PM was unlikely to accept any amendments because of fears that toughening the Bill further would break international law. Labour has said it will vote against amendments from the Tory Right, meaning they have no chance of passing without Government support. Rebel MPs will then face the choice of backing down or voting against the Bill when it has its final Commons vote, probably tomorrow. Tory moderates on the other wing of the party have said they could oppose the legislation if it is strengthened further. Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said: 'There are a large number of Conservatives on the One Nation side who think the Bill has gone as far as they are comfortable with or even a bit further, in my case and our view needs to be heard.' Nikki Haley thanked her family, including her husband Michael who is on deployment in Africa, and God for support as she closed out in a third place finish after the Iowa caucuses. 'When you go through something like this, you can't do it unless you have a faith. And God is so good,' she told supporters. Haley congratulated Trump on his win and went on to describe the 11 'amazing' months she had in Iowa over the course of her campaign. 'If you look at how we're doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina and beyond...I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,' she said to loud cheers. Haley is the favorite narrowly behind Trump in New Hampshire, which holds its primary a week from Tuesday on January 23. 'Tonight I will be back in the great state of New Hampshire. And the question before Americans is now very clear: Do you want more of the same? Or do you want a new again generation of conservative leadership?' she questioned. Her adoring fans started a chant of 'Nikki, Nikki, Nikki' following heavy applause. 'This campaign is the last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare,' the 2024 hopeful continued. 'Trump and Biden both lack a vision for our country's future,' Haley stated. 'Because both are consumed by the past. By investigations. By vendettas. By grievances. America deserves better.' 'We deserve a new direction under new conservative leadership,' she continued. The 'guybrator' began life at a trade show in Las Vegas, with its founder manning a one-man stand and wondering whether anyone would buy the product. The jet black, Darth Vader-esque sex toy for men has now sold two million and is available on every continent. It has been life-changing for people with spinal injuries and men who have had prostate cancer, enabling some people to have their first orgasms in decades. The device's zany founder, Adam Lewis, has had a long obsession with creating sex toys for men, which started as a youngster when he experimented sexually with a vacuum cleaner. But times have changed since then, he told DailyMail.com: A lot of people dont realize how scientific the sex toy industry is today. Pulse creator Adam Lewis (Hot Octopuss) Its very much about sexual health: its no longer a seedy back-alley industry. Its also hi-tech: we had waterproof devices long before the phone industry did. The $100 Pulse vibrator works by delivering highly targeted oscillations (slower, bigger vibrations) to the frenulum on the penis, or the 'bridge' of tissue connecting the head of the penis to the skin. It was something that we never expected: the whole premise of our project was to create a sex toy, Lewis said. The product was adapted from a medical device that was used to allow men to have children after spinal cord injuries, and Lewis aimed to create a consumer version. He found that for many people with medical problems, the product was life-changing. We got this huge reaction from the therapeutic space within the first six months, and it wasnt something we had targeted at all, he says. It can be used when the penis is flaccid, making it a revolutionary device for men who have had prostate cancer and had their prostate removed, which often leads to erectile dysfunction. He said: There are a whole raft of people out there who have some kind of ailment that prevents them from getting an erection. Before our product, they couldn't have an orgasm. For people in wheelchairs, the Pulse means that they can have orgasms without relying on carers, and Lewis said that he has had many letters saying that people who never thought they would orgasm again can now experience pleasure. Lewis, from the UK, came up with the idea of his guybrator more than a decade ago while lying awake after a house party - and got up at 3am to write a business plan. or people with erectile problems, it is life-changing (Hot Octopuss/Pulse) I always wanted to have my own business, whatever it was, he says. I wanted to be the master of my own destiny. The idea sounded ridiculous, Lewis admits, because the sex toy industry was so focused on women at that time. But he added: All ideas are ridiculous, until you have a go and prove that they are not ridiculous. Lewis said: We wanted to create a male sex toy that was different to everything currently on the market. I had an idea, and two vibrating sex eggs and a sock. 'I contacted a few design agencies to help turn this into something tangible - and most of them ran for their lives. As he researched the topic, Lewis said he was amazed when he discovered that there were no real male sex toys, and everything was a masturbation sleeve or blow up doll - with no unique technology, and all based on the familiar up-and-down movement. or people with erectile problems, it is life-changing (Hot Octopuss/Pulse) Lewis came across a medical report about how vibratory stimulation was used to allow men with spinal cord injuries to father children, and had been used successfully for 10 years to make men ejaculate in surgical theater for a specific goal. Lewis said: The medical devices werent using vibrations at all, they were using oscillations. 'Rather than vibrate, it used a disc that went up and down like a piston, creating this tap tap tap sensation. The amplitude (the amount the disc traveled) was key. Lewis said: Around two-and-a-half millimeter was the ideal amplitude. Most vibrators have very low amplitude, and thats true for any sex toy currently that has a motor with an offset counterweight. Vibrations aren't that great for penises. It has to be oscillations. That was a big watershed moment, he said. It validated my ideas, and it was a proven medical procedure. Lewis said that he contacted a Danish medical supplier, and licensed the technology, and realized very quickly that he needed to speak to people who knew the market. One sex toy expert turned to Lewis and said that he was skeptical, because the toy was counterintuitive to how men had masturbated since the Stone Age and said, You are looking to reinvent male masturbation, but admitted, If you can make it work, it would be fantastic. When Pulse initially launched, Lewis had no idea if it would succeed (Hot Octopuss) The product uses oscillations rather than vibrations (Hot Octopuss/Pulse) Lewis made contact with U.S. industry expert Shaye Saldana - meeting her at a truck stop in California - and she agreed to be the companys brand manager. Lewis said that this was a crucial step towards conquering the all-important American market. Developing the product was more difficult than Lewis had anticipated, taking more than three years. Lewis said: By the time the product was ready to launch, everyone was quite familiar with us, and so when we did launch we were able to launch incredibly quickly, we had been speaking to retailers for years. A key step in the process was coining the term guybrator, Lewis said. Everyone knew what we had invented. It just sparked a storm. Its only in retrospect you realize how unusual and how lucky we were that everything just fell into place. We just thought it was normal. The company has now created a Duo version for couples, where both partners can experience vibrations. He said: It brings this intimacy and the ability to make love, again, into relationships where the man couldn't have an erection and thought that the cup of thought that that kind of intimacy and, and shared pleasure was lost to them.' For a day, I let company reps pitch me on every single one I encountered at CES From sex toys to creepy AI talking heads, the CES tech show never fails to disappoint in terms of novel gadgets. This year, electronics giants like LG and Samsung focused a lot on their transparent TV screens and their futuristic tech for cars, but out on the show floor, there was a heavy focus on home cooking, health, and pets. DailyMail.com looked for all the gadgets that claimed to be the world's first - a claim that seemed to be plastered across every other booth at the consumer electronics show. Here are the 13 most interesting and surprisingly useful 'world's firsts' that we saw: A TV and streaming service made especially for dogs Dogsplay is a TV made specifically for dogs. The top-tier monthly subscription includes content personalized for your dog, using cameras embedded in the unit to determine what the dog pays most attention to 'Dogs are lonely when they're home alone,' a representative for the company Dogsplay told DailyMail.com. Many dog owners switch on the TV for their animal to watch while they're gone. Dogsplay has made a TV just for dogs that plays content with adjusted color to compensate for dogs' red-green colorblindness, and adjusted sound to account for the higher-frequencies they can hear. It's already available in Korea, and it will be available in the US in January. The unit costs about $800. Because dogs can also see a higher framerate than people can, the company upped the framerate so the display won't look like it is flickering. Dogsplay also creates its own content, videos of dogs playing and other stimulating videos, on the platform the company calls DogFlix. Thirty videos are included for free with the device, and for $5 a month owners can stream unlimited videos. For 10$, you can get AI-powered recommendations based on what your dog pays the most attention to. Trippy 'drug-free' microdosing headband The Vizr is like a 'brain massage,' the company said. It uses pulses of light to trick your brain into seeing patterns and colors that aren't there As I approached the booth for Vizr, a CES attendee was already there testing the company's product. He was lying back on a patio lounger, covered in a blanket, with big noise-canceling headphones on and a headband device that flickered lights over his closed eyes. A sign at the booth read, 'World's first drug free microdosing technology.' I had to try it. Soon I was lying back and closing my eyes, and a Vizr employee was placing a blanket over me as nine LED lights played over my eyes. My brain began to fill in the blanks and imagine that these lights were colors. Not long into the seven-minute experience, I was seeing pulsing spirals and tunnels of colors and shapes. Gentle music played all the while. It was a psychedelic experience without drugs. As the test session ended, nature sounds brought me back to reality. I felt relaxed, like I had been meditating for 20 minutes or so. Part of how it works, according to a Vizr employee, is that your brain doesn't know what to do with the light data coming through your closed eyelids. In an attempt to make sense of it, your brain starts to perceive colors and shapes that aren't there. 'We're taking you on a brainwave journey,' he told DailyMail.com. And it all happens just through the nine flickering lights, flashing all at once or in patterns. The device will cost $440 when it's available in late January. An associated app controls the lights and plays the accompanying music. Real-time auto-translating headphones The Mymanu Clik Pro earbuds can display translations for about 50 different languages on the charging case, and play them into your ears in real time For anyone who's dreamed of having a personal interpreter, Mymanu's Clik Pro earbuds will translate for you in real time. They'll even work without an internet connection, a company representative told DailyMail.com. 'You can store up to 10 languages on the device, but you have access to 50-plus languages,' she said. Let's say you arrive in a foreign country on a trip, and you lose wifi as soon as you leave the airport. You don't speak the local language, but you need to tell a taxi driver how to get to your hotel. When someone speaks to you while you're wearing the earbuds, a translation appears on a screen on the side of the charging case, and their message plays through the earbuds in your language. And when you speak back to them, your message will appear on the screen in their language and play through a speaker - no phone required. They are the company's newest earbuds. They sell only on the company's website and cost $399. A wireless TV (and yes, it's REALLY wireless) The Displace uses an active vacuum pump to keep it attached to the wall. It can run for 180 hours on a single charge, the company claimed Displace is a TV that is actually truly wireless - unlike LG's 'wireless' TVs that have to be plugged in to an electrical outlet. You can mount it on the wall with the integrated vacuum suction cups, prop it against a tree outside, whatever you want. Using four hot-swappable lithium-ion batteries, it can run for 180 hours on full brightness, about 6 hours a day for a month. Active vacuum pumps hold the 20-pound Displace TV on the wall. If the TV loses power, the mounting plate will adhere itself to the wall and gently lower the TV to the ground on a bungee cord When the batteries die, users can pop them out the side of the screen one by one, and each battery will charge in 5 hours. While one battery is out, the TV still runs on the others. And the internal backup batteries still give 12 hours of viewing. The 55-inch OLED 4K model weighs 20 pounds and costs $3,999, and the 27-inch model weighs 10 pounds and costs $1,999. A new model, the Flex, charges wirelessly on a stand and costs $5,999. The company is taking pre-orders for this newest model and aims to ship in June or July, company representatives said. The suction cup mount uses an active vacuum pump, but if it detects that the wall has cracked, or if the device runs out of power, it will deploy emergency adhesive pads to the wall and rappel safely to the floor on a bungee cord. Self-refilling coffee machine that pulls water from air The Kara Pod is a coffee machine and water dispenser that refills itself by pulling moisture from the air Kara launched its new device at CES this year, boasting the world's first coffee machine that doesn't need to be refilled. Using silica desiccant, the same material in the little packets in shoeboxes that say 'DO NOT EAT,' the machine pulls moisture from the air. It then heats the silica to evaporate the water out and collect it. This process can generate 3.2 liters per day - seven bottles of water or 18 cups of coffee - a Kara representative told DailyMail.com. It costs $299 and can dispense coffee, hot water, or room temperature water. It is compatible with Nespresso pods. Smart multi-keg home tap OnTap Eco is probably more for restaurants or serious home brewers, but for those who can use it, it saves lots of space OnTap Eco is a smart tap. This internet connected tap can dispense drinks from up to 16 different kegs, automatically cleaning itself in between to ensure no cross contamination, CEO Connor Kudirka told DailyMail.com All the different kegs feed into a manifold inside the machine that switches between them like a telephone switchboard, cleaning out whichever ones aren't in use with an internal supply of water. The company will start out by selling kegs of cold brew coffee - about $20 a gallon - and water, which will be delivered to the door in some select California and Arizona markets. But for restaurants, which seem to be its primary customer, the company advertises that it can be used for beer, kombucha, or anything else that can be served on tap. The company is currently taking pre-orders for a $25 deposit. Smart mosquito repellant diffuser Reptik's smart mosquito repellant diffuser will be available in the US by the end of the year and cost less than $150, the company's CEO told DailyMail.com Made with an undisclosed plant from Senegal, Reptik's patent-pending mosquito repellant works to keep mosquitoes away for longer than DEET, the main ingredient in most mosquito repellants, the company claimed. Its new product is a smart diffuser for the repellant, shaped like a dragon's egg. A miniature version of the diffuser connects to it wirelessly and measures the local humidity, temperature, and concentration of carbon dioxide - how hospitable the environment is to mosquitoes. Based on these measurements, the device meters out the right amount of repellant, company representatives told DailyMail.com. One percent of mosquito repellant in the air is enough to keep them away, he said. Headquartered in the south of France, Reptik is intended to address increased mosquito populations in that area and others. The plant the repellant is based on had been traditionally used in Senegal to keep mosquitoes out of people's homes, and insect pests away from crops, said Reptik CEO Doudou Tamba. But because the repellant formula is undergoing patent review, he would not disclose the its contents. The European patent is expected to be secured by the summer, he said, and the product will be available in the US by the end of the year. It will cost less than $150, Doudou said. AI-powered grill that cooks a steak in under 2 minutes The Seer grill is an AI grill powered by propane infrared burners. The company claims it can cook a steak in under two minutes The Seer grill can cook a 1-inch-thick ribeye in a minute and 45 seconds, the company claims. Inside the countertop device, two grills clamp your steak vertically while gas-powered infrared burners heat it from either side. Select the type of meat and how done you want it on the screen, and the grill starts cooking. It measures the thickness and weight of the meat, taking these dimensions into account. An inserted meat probe measures the steak's internal temperature and feeds it back into the algorithm that adjusts heat, cook time, and the distance between the burners and the meat. It costs about $3,500, but the grill is not yet cleared for use in the US. So the company is offering $1,000 off for customers who pre-order with a $100 deposit. They expect to have the grill on sale around October of 2024, a company representative told DailyMail.com Magsafe earbuds with an ultra-thin case The magsafe case for the Artronic airbuds can be charged with a standard USB-C. Future versions will include a larger battery pack The magsafe case for Harmony Studios' Artronic wireless ear buds is less than half an inch thick. And if you have a magsafe phone case, it will snap into place and hold on tight. The Artronic magsafe earbuds are the first of their category, a company representative told DailyMail.com. They're not yet for sale, but they will cost about $99 when they are available. The company used CES as an opportunity to solicit feedback on its product, he said. One thing future models may have is a larger battery pack to recharge the phone. Dog food taste testing kit SaladPet is a home test to determine which types of food your dog likes. It takes two sessions, and it costs about $25 The first year or two of owning a dog can be hard. It can't tell you which foods it prefers, so many owners end up guessing. To address this problem, Korean startup Limpid has launched the world's first pet food taste testing kit called SaladPet The kit includes seven different types of dog food developed by the company, each with unique characteristics. 'One is chicken-based, one is beef-based, also variations in kibble sizes are included as well,' CEO Sangbum Park told DailyMail.com. An associated app, walks users through the taste testing process: Over the course of two feedings, they record which foods the dog eats, in which order, and how much they finish. 'At the end you get to know which kind of meat source your dog likes, if it likes duck, beef, more than chicken and salmon,' Park said. 'Also, curiosity level and appetite level of your dog, and its preferred kibble size.' The app recommends commercially available pet foods that fit the bill - including the company's own brand. It currently sells in Korea for about $25, and will launch this spring in the US for that price or slightly higher, Park said. Computer monitor that helps dyslexic people read The Lili monitor flickers to force dyslexic people's eyes to focus, overcoming the problem of dual-dominance At CES this year, French company Lili announced it is launching the world's first computer monitor specifically for dyslexic people. Most people have one dominant eye, which they unconsciously favor over the other. But research has shown that people with dyslexia actually have two dominant eyes, causing an overlap of images in the brain when they read. This makes it difficult for them to read and understand letters. In most people, one eye is dominant, but when dyslexic people view words on a page or screen, they may see a blurry or doubled image. To address this, the Lili monitor flickers a little bit to force the user to refocus their vision. This flicker rate is adjusted by slowing down the screen's refresh rate below a normal 120 hertz, and it can be tweaked until the user starts to see words clearly. For most people, this is between 60 and 120 hertz of frequency, Lili's managing director Bertrand Descours told DailyMail.com. The 27-inch monitor costs about $428, and Lili is currently taking preorders through crowdfunding site KissKissBankBank. They plan to start shipping the monitors in June, Descours said. Stackable portable chargeable batteries The Yooatom Origin 800 is a powerstation that can be charged by your own solar panels, or by plugging it into your household outlet For anyone who wants to generate their own power, or just have some juice on the go, the world's first modular powerstation lets you charge batteries and carry an outlet with you. The Yooatom Origin 800 powerstation has multiple battery cylinders in its power stack, which can be added, subtracted, and swapped out depending on how much power you need for a given day. Company representatives said it's meant for camping, flying drones, or even shooting movies - anything that requires mobile electricity. With 200 watts of solar power from your own panels, or plugged into a regular home outlet, the setup charges in 1.9 hours. It can fully charge a laptop 1.4 times or an iPhone 6.4 times, and power a movie projector for 2.5 hours. The Origin 800 starts at $519. Fitness tracker that says how much to feed your dog Ilume's pet health system tracks how much exercise your dog gets and adjusts its feeding accordingly For anyone who's concerned about their dog's health, Ilume has the world's first 'all-in-one pet health system.' Its main function is to measure your dog's activity and calculate how much food it needs at each meal. Using an accelerometer tag that you place on the dog's collar, it tracks their activity throughout the day. Based on the dog's breed and age, as well as what kind of food you use, an app calculates how much food the dog should need at each meal. The smart bowl will signal with a light when you have put enough food in. On a day when it ran around for hours, it will suggest more food. And on a day when the dog just lies around the house, it will suggest less. Over time, it learns your dog's habits and predicts when it needs to adjust, company representatives told DailyMail.com. For example, it may learn that on weekends and sunny days your dog runs around a lot more than on weekdays or stormy days. The device also tracks things like scratching, vomiting, and changes to how the dog walks or runs. These aren't for diagnosis, but just to raise a flag if you should get the dog checked out. The device is about $300, and the subscription service costs $5 a month. It is currently sold direct to consumer from the Australian company, which was looking for US distributors at CES. One of Britain's most notorious invasive species - the American Mink - could soon be eliminated from the UK after a successful trial. American Mink is a relentless killer which has decimated wildlife wherever it goes - slaughtering sand martins, kingfishers, lapwings, frogs and toads. But it has been water voles - the lovable inspiration for Ratty in Wind in the Willows - who have suffered particularly badly at its teeth and claws. Water vole numbers have plunged by 96 per cent since 1950 -when the mink first began to flourish in the wild. American Mink is now present in most areas of the UK and Ireland. One of Britain's most notorious invasive species - the American Mink - could soon be eliminated from the UK after a successful trial American Mink is a relentless killer which has decimated wildlife wherever it goes - slaughtering sand martins, kingfishers, lapwings, frogs and toads Now a four-year project has successfully eliminated mink from East Anglia, and plans are afoot to expand the eradication of them across the UK. The Waterlife Recovery Trust, who have spearheaded the project, believe that the writing could now be on the wall for Britain's 100,000-strong wild mink population. It would mark the end of a reign of terror on wildlife wrought by the mink since it was first imported to Britain in the 1920s, when it was reared in fur farms for its chocolate-brown pelts but soon escaped. Releases by animal rights activists in the 1970s are also thought to have swelled the American mink's numbers and previous efforts to control the creature have been in vain. The Waterlife Recovery Trust said almost 6,000 km2 of East Anglia was free of American Mink, and numbers of water voles and birds were beginning to bounce back. The Trust said that the 'sheer scale of this trial shows that a mink-free Britain is now a realistic dream, and that American mink can potentially be removed from Europe too, putting this unique trial on the world conservation stage'. The latest attempt to eliminate the creatures began in 2019. American Mink is now present in most areas of the UK and Ireland An army of volunteers used 441 'smart' cage traps on floating rafts which attract mink with pungent scent lures. When they capture an animal, they alert the volunteer with an electronic signal. The volunteer then attends. Other animals or birds caught in the trap are released, but mink are killed by an airgun pellet in the head. Norfolk and Suffolk, were a good test for the trial, being surrounded by the North Sea on two sides, preventing mink recolonising the area. In October 2023 the trial was found to be successful, as the team found no evidence of mink reproduction during the 2023 breeding season. Now, the WRT plans to roll out this methodology across Britain. Professor Tony Martin, Chair of the Waterlife Recovery Trust said: 'Until now, the complete removal of American mink from Britain has been an impossible dream, but the success of this trial offers hope that a century of catastrophic damage to precious native wildlife can be brought to an end. READ MORE - Horrifying truth of fur industry revealed in footage from largest ever undercover investigation involving dozens of farms where animals engaged in cannibalism, had limbs gnawed off and were left with maggot-infested wounds Advertisement 'It's now a race against time to eradicate mink before they wipe out the last of our water voles and drive the final nail into the coffin of seabird colonies already hammered by avian influenza.' 'Our dedicated volunteers, partners and professional team have together achieved a conservation goal of international importance, but this is just the start. The challenge now is to roll this work out across the country, bringing together the resources and energy of everyone with an interest in healthy waterways and a thriving waterside ecology to fix this problem once and for all. 'With mink in our countryside, the sad reality is that something is going to die - either a relatively small number of introduced predators or millions of native creatures every year, in perpetuity. The choice is ours, but to sit on our hands and do nothing condemns the millions. 'We now have a golden opportunity to fix a problem we've inherited and not simply pass on an even more impoverished natural world to the next generation. Nature has a remarkable ability to bounce back, given half a chance. Let's give it that chance.' Now the trust is expanding the trial to cover an area from the Thames to mid-Lincolnshire and the charity has received 500,000 funding from Natural England for the project. Dr Julie Hanna, Principal Adviser: Species Conservation Strategies Pilots, Natural England, said: 'Natural England is pleased to be supporting Waterlife Recovery Trust as we develop a pilot Species Conservation Strategy for water vole with partner organisations. 'The trial results are encouraging and we hope will help recover water vole populations, and benefit other species which have been affected by American Mink.' Artificial intelligence may soon affect more than half of all jobs in the UK, a new study from the IMF has warned. Across the world, 40 per cent of all occupations are likely to be affected by AI. But in advanced economies like the UK, the impact is expected to be even more pronounced, with 60 per cent of all workers feeling the impact. The IMF warns that, even where AI's effects are positive, computer automation is likely to drive wealth inequality. Highly paid professions will see AI boost their wages while lower paid roles are at a significant risk of pay cuts and lay-offs. A new study from the IMF has found that AI like OpenAI's chat GPT could affect 60 per cent of all jobs in the UK and more than 40 per cent of jobs worldwide What jobs are most likely to be negatively impacted by AI? In the UK the jobs that are most exposed and 'least complementary' to AI are: Clerical support workers (e.g. secretaries) Technicians (e.g. teachers and administrators) Professionals (e.g. lawyers and scientists) Services and sales workers (e.g. baristas and shop assistants) Advertisement The explosive development of AI over the last few years has been frequently compared to the Industrial Revolution for its potential to impact employment. However, unlike the creation of the steam engine, AI threatens to replace highly skilled intellectual labour. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF and co-author of the study, says: 'We are on the brink of a technological revolution that could jumpstart productivity, boost global growth and raise incomes around the world. 'Yet it could also replace jobs and deepen inequality.' Previous studies of AI's impact on employment have focused on how 'exposed' a job is to AI. This refers to how many tasks that make up a job could be carried out by artificial intelligence. This new study splits jobs into three categories: jobs that are not exposed to AI, jobs that are exposed but will be helped by AI, and jobs that are exposed and will not be helped by AI. For example, clerical workers such as secretaries and clerks are very likely to be replaced by AI because most of their could be done by machines. This means that they have high exposure and low 'complementarity'. Managers, such as chief executives and hospitality managers, will almost all be affected by AI but these effects will be overwhelmingly positive as their roles are complemented rather than replaced by computer automation (stock image) This graph shows how exposed different types of job are to AI and how well AI complements that profession. Jobs that are exposed but complemented by AI are shown in dark red, jobs that are exposed but not complemented are shown in orange and jobs that are not exposed at all are shown in blue Which UK jobs are most likely to be helped by AI? In the UK the jobs that are most exposed to and most complemented by AI are: Managers (e.g. hospitality managers and chief executives) Professionals (e.g. lawyers and scientists) Technicians (e.g. teachers and administrators) Services and sales workers (e.g. baristas and shop assistants) Advertisement Judges, on the other hand, are also highly exposed to AI because a lot of the textual analysis involved in their job could be automated. But, since we are not likely to replace judges with computers, AI is likely to make them more productive rather than replace them. In the UK the job categories most likely to be affected by AI, positively or negatively, are professionals, managers, and clerical support workers. However, it is clerical support workers and technical service roles that are most likely to be replaced by AI. Professionals and managers, although they are very likely to be impacted by AI, are more likely to be impacted positively. These findings echo a previous study from the Department for Education which found that white-collar professionals were most likely to be replaced by AI. The study found that accountants, consultants, and psychologists were among the professions most likely to be pushed aside by computers. Sports players, roofers, and steel erectors on the other hand were considered the least at risk from AI. The red section of the graph shows the proportion of jobs that will be improved by AI, while the pink section shows jobs at risk of being replaced Which UK jobs are least exposed to AI? In the UK the jobs that are least affected by AI, positively or negatively, are: - Elementary occupations (e.g unskilled manual labour) - Skilled agricultural workers (e.g. farmers and forestry workers) - Machine operators (e.g. drivers) - Craft and related trade workers (e.g. joiners, electricians, and plumbers) Advertisement According to the IMF, these differences are likely to increase inequality in the UK and abroad. Ms Georgieva says: 'We may see polarization within income brackets, with workers who can harness AI seeing an increase in their productivity and wagesand those who cannot falling behind.' The research warns that occupations with high exposure are likely to see reduced wages and loss of jobs. Jobs that have high exposure and high complimentarity however will see their wages increase as they become more productive with AI. Since the jobs best placed to make the most of AI are already higher paid this is likely to increase the wage gap between the best and worst off in society. 'In most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a troubling trend that policymakers must proactively address to prevent the technology from further stoking social tensions,' says Ms Georgieva. The study also found that women and those with college educations will be most positively affected by AI. In the UK (far left), women are more likely to be affected by AI than men and are more likely to be positively affected. In this graph, dark red shows the proportion of jobs that have high exposure and high complementarity while light red shows jobs at risk of being replaced by AI Clerical roles, such as data entry and secretarial work, are also very exposed to AI but are extremely likely to be replaced as the tasks involved can easily be undertaken by machine learning (stock image) These trends will be echoed on the international stage as the economies best-placed to harness AI will see rapid growth, leaving poorer countries behind. The report found that only 26 per cent of jobs in low-income countries are exposed to AI due to a higher proportion of people working in manual labour and agriculture. In India for example, over two-thirds of all jobs are unaffected by AI. While this means that the population is unlikely to lose their jobs to computer automation, it also means that the economy-boosting effects of automation are likely to be limited. On the IMF's ranking of AI preparedness a measure of how well a country's policies prepare it to make the most of AI Singapore and the US come out on top. Britain comes in at fifth, only slightly behind Japan and Germany, while India and other emerging economies trail behind. Ms Georgieva says: 'It is crucial for countries to establish comprehensive social safety nets and offer retraining programs for vulnerable workers. 'In doing so, we can make the AI transition more inclusive, protecting livelihoods and curbing inequality. Which jobs are most likely to be replaced by AI? Risk Ranking (out of 365) Job title 1 Management Consultants and business analysts 2 Financial Managers and directors 3 Chartered and certified accountants 4 Psychologists 5 Purchasing managers and directors 5 Actuaries, economists and statisticians 6 Business and financial project management professionals 7 Finance and investment analysts and advisers 8 Legal professionals n.e.c. 9 Business and related associate professionals n.e.c. 10 Credit controllers READ MORE: Alaska Airlines 1282 passenger had his shirt sucked off his body Passengers aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 likely would have died if the door came off while it was flying at normal cruising altitude, according to one expert. Physics professor Arun Bansil at Northeastern University said depressurization of the cabin at 40,000 feet would have caused all 177 people on board to lose consciousness in just 10 seconds. Instead, disaster was averted because the plane was only six minutes into its journey and was still rising while at an altitude of around 16,000 feet. Officials are now investigating the disastrous incident on January 5 that left terrified passengers fearing for their lives. The Boeing 737 Max 9 plane was only minutes into its flight from Portland, Oregon, to California when the unused exit door blew open and detached. The Boeing 737 Max 9 plane was only minutes into its flight from Portland , Oregon , to California when the unused exit door blew open and detached. Pictured, interior view from after the accident showing the missing door plug and damaged seats READ MORE Passenger on Alaska Airlines 1282 took a SELFIE moments after his shirt was sucked off his body Jack, 15, was sat by the door of Alaska airlines flight 1282 when it was blown out at 16,000ft and had his shirt sucked off Advertisement Although no-one was killed, some passengers had clothes ripped off as the cabin pressure was lost at 16,000 feet dubbed a 'depressurisation emergency'. As Professor Bansil explains, the higher the altitude, the lower the air pressure. Low air pressure means the surrounding air is less dense and therefore contains less oxygen which is why we get altitude sickness when we're up a mountain. Maintaining a higher pressure in the aircraft cabin is crucial to ensure people on board can breathe properly and don't pass out. The danger is, the difference in pressure between the outside and inside of the cabin increases with altitude, because the pressure in the pressurised cabin is kept constant. 'If a chunk of the fuselage blows off, the higher-pressure air in the cabin gushes out like when a filled balloon is punctured resulting in a depressurisation emergency,' Professor Bansil told Northeastern Global News. 'When the cabin depressurises, the air pressure and, with it, the oxygen pressure in the cabin drops, which makes it harder for the lungs to supply adequate amounts of oxygen to the blood. 'This leads to dizziness and deterioration of cognitive abilities, and eventually to unconsciousness and death.' At 16,000 feet, it takes around 30 minutes for people to 'lose their ability to function' due to the lack of oxygen and that's without oxygen masks deploying. The flight that was set out to arrive at Ontario International in California turned back around after the plug door came off on the night of January 5 The Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport on Friday night after a large section of the aircraft blew out in mid-air READ MORE Shocked passengers reveal horror on board Boeing 737 Max after window blew out mid-flight Emma Vu took to TikTok after surviving the horror Alaska Airlines flight 1282 Advertisement But at 40,000 feet, it's more like 10 seconds meaning they have less time to react and fatalities are more likely. 'The physiological effects of rapid depressurization at 40,000 feet are far more severe,' the academic said. 'Passengers will lose their ability to function usefully in about 10 seconds at 40,000 feet if oxygen masks are not deployed, and death will follow soon thereafter.' Considering it takes as little as 10 minutes for a plane to reach full altitude of between 33,000 and 42,000 feet, it could have been a deadly event had the door come off a few minutes later. The first six minutes of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland to Southern California's Ontario International Airport with 171 passengers and six crew members on board went by without incident. The Boeing 737 Max 9 was about halfway to its cruising altitude and traveling at more than 400mph. Flight attendants had just told the 171 passengers that they could resume using electronic devices in airplane mode, when suddenly a 2-foot-by-4-foot piece of fuselage covering an unoperational emergency exit behind the left wing blew out. The oxygen masks dropped immediately and a flight attendant was reported walking down the aisle toward the affected row, leaning forward as if facing a stiff wind. Pictured, investigators with the door plug recovered from the backyard of a home in Cedar Hills, Oregon Then flight attendants began moving passengers from the area where the blowout occurred, including a teenager called Jack whose seatbelt stopped him from being sucked out of the plane. According to another passenger, Kelly Bartlett, the sound of the wind was so loud they couldn't hear any of the captain's announcements. But the flight attendants 'really responded well' and it felt like 'just a normal descent' as the plane made an emergency landing back at its place of origin, Portland International Airport. After landing, paramedics come on board and helped a few people who had 'minor injuries', before everyone else got off the plane, Mrs Bartlett recalled. Two days later, the National Transportation Safety Board recovered the door in the backyard of a suburban home in Portland, while mobile phones that were still on were also recovered. The Federal Aviation Administration said it has notified Boeing that it's conducting an investigation to determine if the firm 'failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design' and were 'in a condition for safe operation'. The discovery of an ancient civilisation deep in the Amazon rainforest has been likened to finding 'El Dorado' by the man who first detected it almost 30 years ago. In a new report published last week, archaeologists revealed their findings: a 2,500-year-old lost civilisation of farmers made up of the largest and oldest network of pre-Hispanic cities ever found in the Amazon - and even jugs containing beer. The vast site, which covers over 385 square miles, was long hidden by the jungle in the Upano valley on the foothills of the Andes mountain range in eastern Ecuador. That was until almost three decades ago when Stephen Rostain, an archaeologist at France's CNRS national research centre and the lead author of the new study, found traces of the civilisation and began excavating in the valley. But it would be another decade or two until Rostain and his team would learn of the true scale of the site. In 2015, a new laser technology changed everything for them, and allowed them to reveal just how far the civilisation stretched. The discovery of an ancient civilisation deep in the Amazon rainforest has been likened to finding 'El Dorado' by the man who first detected it almost 30 years ago. Pictured: A Lidar image provided by researchers in January 2024 shows rectangular platforms arranged around low squares and distributed along wide dug streets in the Upano Valley in Ecuador The ancient depths of the Amazon rainforest were once assumed to be an almost inhospitable place, only traversed by the most seasoned hunter-gatherers. However, over the past two decades, archaeologists have unearthed remains of enormous earthworks, pyramids and networks of roads stretching from Bolivia to Brazil - proving this assumption to be false. This has proven that the region was home to large and complex societies long before European colonists arrived in South America. Now, there's evidence of another human civilisation - the oldest yet to be found in the Amazon - in Ecuador's remote, sparsely populated Morona-Santiago Province. The settlements are reported to be at least 2,500 years old - more than 1,000 years older than any other known complex Amazonian civilisation. The scale of this urban development - which includes earthen homes, ceremonial buildings and agricultural draining - has never been seen before in the Amazon, Rostain told France's AFP news agency. 'It is not just a village, but an entire landscape that has been domesticated,' he said. 'It was a lost valley of cities. It's incredible.' Speaking to AFP, he added that the find was like discovering 'El Dorado'. Rostain began excavating in the Upano Valley nearly 30 years ago, where his team focused on two settlements called Sangay and Kilamope. They found mounds situated around central plazas, pottery decorated with paint, as well as large jugs containing the remains of the traditional maize beer chicha. Carbon dating found that the sites were occupied from around 500 BCE to around 300 and 600 CE, Science reports on the study's findings. This image provided by researchers in January 2024 shows a main street crossing an urban area, creating an axis along which complexes of rectangular platforms are arranged around low squares at the Copueno site An aerial view of a site in the Amazon rainforest shows some of the mounds up-close. At ground level, they appear fairly unremarkable, but the Lidar scans revealed a vast civilisation However, while excavations were revealing details about these previously unknown peoples, they were still some way off understanding the full scale of the site. 'I knew that we had a lot of mounds, a lot of structures,' Rostain told Science. 'But I didn't have a complete overview of the region.' That's when the new technology came in. In 2015, Ecuador's National Institute for Cultural Heritage funded a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) scan of the valley. Specially-equipped aircraft soared over the valley while Lidar scanners bounced lasers off the jungle below, measuring their return path. This revealed topographic features that had been otherwise invisible to archaeologists under the trees, Science reports. Scans of the valley allowed researchers to reconstruct the ancient sites below. To their surprise, they found more than 6,000 earthen mounds, rectangular earthen platforms which served as the base of homes for the 'Upano people'. Rostain and his team could also see the connections between the various settlements, and also uncovered many more they were not aware of before. Their findings have now been revealed in the new report, almost ten years after the Lidar scans were carried out over the Amazon. The report says they found five large settlements and ten smaller ones across one 115-square-mile area of the Upano Valley. Each was densely packed with both residential and ceremonial buildings, the report states, according to Science. Among the cities, they found rectangular fields as well as nearby hillsides where the Upano people planted crops, and wide, straight roads connected the cities, while the cities themselves featured streets between houses and neighbourhoods. On the floors, the researchers found 'all the domestic remains one would see in a home - fireplaces, large ceramic jars for beer made out of corn, grinding stones, seeds, tools,' Rostain said. The ancient depths of the Amazon forest were once assumed to be an almost inhospitable place, only traversed by the most seasoned hunter-gatherers. However, recent discoveries have shown this not to be the case, with scientists suggesting tens of thousands could have lived in the civilisation that was discovered almost three decades ago and recently mapped Remarkably, the cities are all criss-crossed by large, straight streets - 'just like in New York,' Rostain added. 'The road network is very sophisticated. It extends over a vast distance, everything is connected. And there are right angles, which is very impressive,' Rostain told the BBC, saying it's much harder to build a straight road in such a landscape. Some cities have a large central alley where people from the surrounding villages gathered, Rostain said, comparing these streets to those of the ancient Teotihuacan city in modern-day Mexico. Rostain speculated that several thousand people could have attended such ceremonial events, though further analysis is being carried out to estimate how many people lived in the region. Some of the mounds are up to 33 feet tall, suggesting they were not homes but communal areas for rituals or festivals. The small fields show that the agrarian society 'took advantage of the smallest empty space to ensure it bore fruit,' Rostain said. All these accomplishments would have needed leaders, planning, engineers to plan the roads, he suggested. What happened to the previously unknown Upano people - so named by the researchers - is not known. Researchers also do not yet know how many people lived in the valley, but co-author Fernando Mejia, an archaeologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, told Science that he believes the discovery 'is just the tip of the iceberg'. Some scientists believe it may have been home to a population in the hundreds of thousands, according to the BBC - comparable to the estimated population of Roman-era London, Britain's largest city. 'This shows a very dense occupation and an extremely complicated society,' said University of Florida archaeologist Michael Heckenberger, who was not involved in the study. 'For the region, it's really in a class of its own in terms of how early it is.' Jose Iriarte, a University of Exeter archaeologist, said it would have required an elaborate system of organised labour to build the roads and thousands of earthen mounds. 'The Incas and Mayans built with stone, but people in Amazonia didn't usually have stone available to build - they built with mud. It's still an immense amount of labor,' said Iriarte, who had no role in the research. The details of the peoples' culture is also unknown, but is becoming clearer. Construction on the first mounds is thought to have begun between 500 BC and 300-600 AD, around the time of the Roman empire. Other large villages discovered in the Amazon date from between 500-1,500 AD, according to the study published in the journal Science on Thursday. Pictured: One of the dig sites in the Ecuadorian region of the Amazon rainforest But this network of cities is 'much older and much bigger,' Rostain said. The discovery shows that 'there were not only hunter-gatherers in the Amazon, but also complex, urban populations,' he added. Rostain said that 'a certain Western arrogance' had long deemed it impossible that - prior to European colonisation - people in the Amazon were capable of building such a complex society. 'It's time to reconsider this disparaging view of the people of the Amazon.' NASA has finally pulled back the curtain on what could be the first supersonic aircraft to take to the skies for over 20 years. Dubbed 'son of Concorde', the agency's new 100-foot-long plane called X-59 is capable of cruising at 937 miles per hour faster than the speed of sound. If cleared for commercial travel, $247.5 million jet could fly from London to New York in under four hours, but crucially without giving off a noisy 'sonic boom' like Concorde did. The X-59's engine sits in the upper section of the craft to instead produce a quieter 'thump' compared to Concorde, the last supersonic aircraft to fly. The X-59s thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and breaks up the shock waves that usually result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom. Dubbed 'son of Concorde', the agency's new 100-foot-long plane is capable of cruising at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 miles per hour What is a sonic boom? In a conventional supersonic aircraft, shockwaves from the nose, cockpit, inlets, wings and other features come together as they move through the atmosphere into strong shocks emanating from the nose and tail. These are known as bow and tail shocks, respectively. As these shockwaves pass over the ground, air pressure rises sharply, declines, then rises rapidly again. It's this that produces the classic 'double-bang' sonic boom. Reshaping the aircraft to produce a longer, more slender shape is the best way to generate shockwaves of lower, more equal strength that do not form into such strong bow and tail shocks. NASA and other organisations are working on creating shapes to reduce sonic booms. Stretching the nose to break the bow shock into a series of weaker shockwaves is particularly effective. This lowers and spreads that initial pressure peak and softens the first bang of the sonic boom. Advertisement X-59 has been developed by American aerospace firm Lockheed Martin after being awarded the $247.5 million design contract by NASA in 2016. The two partners unveiled the futuristic new plane at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division in Palmdale, California on Friday. 'This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team,' said NASA deputy administrator Pam Melroy. 'In just a few short years we've gone from an ambitious concept to reality. 'NASA's X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time.' Due to X-59's odd configuration, the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraft and the craft does not have a forward-facing window. Instead, engineers developed what's called the 'eXternal Vision System', a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit. According to NASA, the aircraft is set to take off for the first time later this year, followed by its first quiet supersonic flight. Engineers will conduct several of the aircraft's flight tests at Skunk Works before transferring it to NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in California that will serve as its base of operations. Ultimately, the X-59 project aims to cut out the noisy sonic booms that echoed above cities in the era of Concorde, while travelling at Mach 1.4 speeds. A sonic boom happens when the shock waves from an object travelling through the air faster than the speed of sound merge together before they reach the ground. NASA's and Lockheed Martin's X-59 experimental supersonic jet is unveiled during a ceremony in Palmdale, California, on January 12, 2024 The X-59s thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom Due to this configuration, the cockpit is located almost halfway down the length of the aircraft and does not have a forward-facing window. Instead, the Quesst team developed the eXternal Vision System, a series of high-resolution cameras feeding a 4K monitor in the cockpit X-59 QueSST: Key specs Length: 99.7 feet (30 metres) Wingspan: 29.5 feet (9.0 metres) Max. airspeed: Mach 1.42 (937 mph) Program cost: $247.5m (187.5m) Advertisement Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, about 110 decibels, like the sound of an explosion or a thunderclap. The loud booms that rang out whenever a Concorde broke the sound barrier were often described as unsettling by members of the public, which meant it never replaced conventional aircraft. X-59, meanwhile, is designed to stop shockwaves (triggered by the movement of air particles when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier) from merging. NASA hopes to reduce the sound of the sonic boom to a quiet thump, similar to the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance or a neighbour closing their door. Once NASA completes flight tests this year, the agency will fly the aircraft over cities across the US, which are yet to be selected. It will collect feedback about the sound the X-59 generates and how people perceive it before providing the data to the Federal Aviation Administration. When cleared for commercial travel, X-59 QueSST could fly from London to New York in just three hours without giving off a loud sonic boom like Concorde did during its 27-year history X-59 has been developed by American aerospace firm Lockheed Martin after being awarded the $247.5 million design contract by NASA in 2016 The aircraft, a collaboration with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, is the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission X-59 is part of NASAs Quesst mission, which focuses on providing data to help regulators reconsider rules that ban commercial supersonic flight over land. For 50 years, the US prohibited such flights because of the disturbance caused by the loud sonic booms to communities below. It was why Concorde was largely restricted to flights over the Atlantic namely Paris to New York and London to New York. The legendary plane was the worlds first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Concorde was the worlds first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its landing gear still extended over the Cotswolds town of Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 20, 1996, during the annual RAF Fairford airshow No government or manufacturer has since been able to build a commercial plane that can travel faster than the speed of sound. Many of the reasons for the demise of Concorde were high fuel costs, concern over its noise and a preference for lower fares over speed. It wasn't the first plane to break the sound barrier, however; that achievement was managed by the Bell X-1, piloted by Chuck Yeager, in October 1947. The legendary rocket engine-powered aircraft, designed and built in 1945, achieved a speed of 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) per hour. Another new supersonic craft also being dubbed the son of Concorde Boom Supersonic's Overture is also gearing up for its debut flight. However, Boom Supersonic is yet to unveil a working full-sized version of its rival to X-59. The innocent table salt you add to your meals is teaming with microplastics, according to a study that comes a week after bottled water was found to be loaded with the toxins. Researchers at Indonesia's Andalas University sampled 21 table salt brands, finding each contained tiny fragments of plastic, fibers, films and pellets. The molecules have been linked to the development of cancer, heart disease and dementia, as well as fertility problems. The innocent table salt you add to your meals is teaming with microplastics, according to a study The team detected up to 33 particles per kilogram, meaning people consume more than 1,000 microplastics annually. The recommended intake of table salt for Americans is about seven grams a day. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than five millimeters in length. Most come from single-use plastics such as bottles and food packaging, which degrade slowly. Studies show that microplastics are everywhere even in the snow at the top of Mount Everest but scientists are most concerned with microplastics in food, water and the air around us. 'Salt can be contaminated by water taken from the sea to make the salt, which may contain microplastics, organic matter, and sand particles, as well as during its manufacture,' reads the new study published in the Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management. The study was conducted with popular table salt brands purchased in Indonesia. However, the country exports most of its sea salt to the US, Singapore and the Czech Republic, according to global export data company Volza. The team set out to see if table salt used by most people worldwide was tainted with the tiny plastics and purchased 21 brands from markets and supermarkets. Researchers at Indonesia 's Andalas University sampled 21 table salt brands, finding each contained tiny fragments of plastic, fibers, films and pellets Researchers have not shared the brand names 'to maintain privacy,' they shared in the study. Microplastic extraction was done by weighing 50 grams of salt from each package and then combining it with water to remove organic impurities. The remaining samples, housed in a flask, were placed on a hot plate and stirred with 300 revolutions per minute at 149 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. The sample was cooled at room temperature and stirred with 300 revolutions per minute until the salt completely dissolved. The team then looked at what was left in the flasks through a microscope, identifying four types of microplastics based on shape, size and color. 'This study successfully identified four different forms of microplastics contained in all 21 salt samples, of which fragments are the most common (67.49 percent), followed by fibers (23.82 percent), films (6.08 percent), and pellets (2.61 percent) as secondary components,' the study reads. The study also identified four types of polymers: polyethylene (34.62 percent), polypropylene (30.77 percent), polyethylene terephthalate (15.38 percent), and polyester (3.85 percent) 'The morphologies of microplastics show variations across different brands of salt.' The team found the tiny particles appeared as black, blue, yellow, red and transparent - black was the most dominant color. The study also identified four types of polymers: polyethylene (34.62 percent), polypropylene (30.77 percent), polyethylene terephthalate (15.38 percent), and polyester (3.85 percent). Polyethylene (PE) is a synthetic resin, and polypropylene (PP) is a robust, heat-resistant plastic. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used in clothing fibers and containers for liquids and foods, and polyester is a man-made fiber material. The US also imports salt from Spain, which was also found to have microplastics. A study conducted by the University of Alicante in 2017 found there are up to 280 molecules per kilogram of salt from the European country. Would you kill for a trip to Scotland? It seems many would. Worldwide Google searches for 'flights to Scotland' have rocketed back to pre-pandemic levels for the first time during the first week of January, following the return of the hit BBC reality show The Traitors, filmed near Inverness. Travel information site Places To Travel analysed Google search data and found searches were up by 55 per cent when compared to the average volume from the previous five years. It marks the first time demand has been this high since Covid lockdown measures were instated in the UK in early 2020. A spokesperson for Places to Travel commented: 'You may think it's a coincidence that demand is returning to natural levels over time. But Google data clearly shows a bump in searches for flights during the same timeframe of The Traitors returning to our screens. It also happened last year when the first season aired.' The reality series, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, depicts 22 strangers fighting to win up to 120,000 in a Scottish castle by back-stabbing and lying to one another. Three competitors are chosen as the titular 'Traitors' and secretly conspire to 'murder' the other 19, referred to as the 'Faithfuls'. Worldwide Google searches for 'flights to Scotland' have rocketed by 55 per cent following the return of the hit BBC reality show The Traitors, filmed near Inverness and presented by Claudia Winkleman (above) Searches for Ardross Castle (above) - the grand Scottish castle at which the show is filmed - and 'The Traitors' have spiked simultaneously Loch out, theres a killer about: The second season of The Traitors UK is currently airing The series, produced by the BBC, is hugely popular, attracting an average audience of 5.4million during the first season. The second season is currently airing, and seems to again be spurring demand for a Highland getaway: searches for 'Ardross Castle' - the grand Scottish castle at which the show is filmed - and 'The Traitors' have spiked simultaneously. Indeed, searches for 'Ardross Castle' - a 19th-century castle in the Scottish Baronial style - have surged by 4,500 per cent compared to the previous five-year average. Searches peaked during the weeks in which season one and two premiered. In addition to mind games, contestants partake in a series of physical challenges and 'escape room' style competitions, which serves to showcase the spectacular Scottish scenery of the Highlands. Ardross Castle is surrounded by more than 100 acres of land, up to the River Alness. Ardross is also the setting of the US version of The Traitors, which launched on the streaming platform Peacock in 2023, hosted by Alan Cumming. It features various celebrity contestants. The Traitors depicts 22 strangers fighting to win up to 120,000. Three competitors are chosen as the titular 'Traitors' and secretly conspire to 'murder' the other 19, referred to as the 'Faithfuls' The US Traitors is also filmed at Ardross Castle (interior pictured above) and features celebrity contestants. This season features former speaker of the house John Bercow (pictured above, third from right) and is currently screening on Peacock The States' second season debuted on January 12. It features former speaker of the house John Bercow and Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu. Over the past 30 days, search interest for the terms 'flights to Scotland,' 'Ardross Castle,' and 'The Traitors' came from the same countries: the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the United States. The Places To Travel spokesperson added: 'TV tourism is becoming more common, with viewers wanting to visit the filming locations of their favourite shows. It's effective because the locations are carefully selected for the show, but they aren't being directly advertised, so users don't feel like they are being sold to. 'It seems to be driven by a desire to immerse themselves in the filming location of the show, or it could just be that the program has inspired people to travel somewhere they've never considered'. The show has also boosted train travel, with Trainline reporting a 25 per cent increase in bookings to Inverness in January 2023 compared to January 2022. Sakshi Anand, VP of Growth and UK GM, from Trainline said: 'We know a cultural phenomenon like The Traitors can influence where people decide to travel. With season two in full swing, now is the time to book your train tickets to Inverness, as we are confident it will become a trending destination once again for 2024. Arriving by train is the perfect way to take in the stunning countryside of the Scottish Highlands.' Air New Zealand is now the safest airline in the world, according to analysis by a leading aviation group. Australian-based company AirlineRatings.com publishes its list of the world's safest airlines annually. The site assesses the flight records of 385 carriers, as well as account audits from aviation governing bodies, crash and serious incident records, safety initiatives, pilot training, fleet age and more. Last year's number one airline, Qantas, has slipped to the number two slot, overtaken by Air New Zealand in 2024 by what the site calls 'an incredibly close' margin. In a list of the 25 safest full-service airlines worldwide, British Airways comes 15th, up two spots from last year's 17th place. At number 10 is Alaska Airlines, the highest-ranked American carrier (the ranking was decided before the January 5 flight 1282 door blowout). The USA made a strong showing overall: alongside Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines (21st), American Airlines (22nd), and United Airlines (25th) all qualified for the top 25. Though Delta Air Lines, which was number 20 in 2023, has dropped out of the top 25 for 2024. AirlineRatings.com has ranked the top 25 safest airlines in the world 2024. Analysing the flight histories of 385 carriers, the site names Air New Zealand as the safest full-service airline worldwide Rivalry for excellence: Qantas and Air New Zealand often jockey for the top spot. Qantas slips to No.2 in 2024, having been awarded the crown in 2023 TOP 25 SAFEST FULL-SERVICE AIRLINES FOR 2024 1. Air New Zealand 2. Qantas 3. Virgin Australia 4. Etihad Airways 5. Qatar Airways 6. Emirates 7. All Nippon Airways 8. Finnair 9. Cathay Pacific Airways 10. Alaska Airlines 11. SAS 12. Korean Air 13. Singapore Airlines 14. EVA Air 15. British Airways 16. Turkish Airlines 17. TAP Air Portugal 18. Lufthansa/Swiss Group 19. KLM 20. Japan Airlines 21. Hawaiian Airlines 22. American Airlines 23. Air France 24. Air Canada Group 25. United Airlines Source: AirlineRatings.com Advertisement AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas noted that Air New Zealand 'has a firm focus on safety and has excelled across the broad safety spectrum right down to the smallest detail'. Qantas and Air New Zealand often jockey for the top spot - Air New Zealand was previously named the world's safest airline in 2022, while Qantas nabbed the accolade in both 2023 and 2021. Since 2013, Air New Zealand has been named the safest carrier in the world seven times. Praise for the airline came with recognition that the New Zealand landscape provides particularly challenging weather environments for pilots. For example, Wellington Airport is regularly named as one of the windiest in the world, as we've reported. After the top two, the rest of the top 10 safest airlines ranking comprises Virgin Australia (third), Etihad Airways (fourth), Qatar Airways (fifth), Emirates (sixth), All Nippon Airways (seventh), Finnair (eighth), and Cathay Pacific Airways (ninth). Editor Geoffrey Thomas was keen to point out that 'the safety margins between the top 25 airlines are very small'. He added: 'Our top 25 safest airlines are all standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation, and launching of new aircraft.' British Airways comes 15th, up two spots from last year's 17th place At number 10 is Alaska Airlines, the highest-ranked American carrier (the ranking was decided before the January 5 flight 1282 door blowout) TOP 20 SAFEST LOW-COST AIRLINES FOR 2024 1. Jetstar 2. EasyJet 3. Ryanair 4. Wizz 5. Norwegian 6. Frontier 7. Vueling 8. Vietjet 9. Southwest 10. Volaris 11. Flydubai 12. AirAsia Group 13. Cebu Pacific 14. Sun Country 15. Spirit 16. Westjet 17. JetBlue 18. Air Arabia 19. Indigo 20. Eurowings Source: AirlineRatings.com Advertisement In addition to evaluating the safest full-service airlines in the world, AirlineRatings.com also published a list of the 20 safest low-cost carriers (see boxout), with budget Australian airline JetStar nabbing the number one spot. British stalwart easyJet is named the second safest of the cheap carriers, just ahead of Ireland's Ryanair at number three. Of the list of 20 low-cost carriers named, Mr Thomas said: 'These airlines all have an excellent safety culture and a low incident rate.' AirlineRatings.com explains that it does not consider phenomena such as bird strikes, turbulence injuries, weather diversions and lightning strikes to produce its lists as carriers have no control over such events. On the complex issue of incidents, Mr Thomas said that all airlines have incidents every day, and many are aircraft or engine manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. 'It is the way the flight crew handles these serious incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one,' Mr Thomas said. Nicole told DailyMail.com she had no idea what the series was before filming The Oppenheim Group agent, 37, appeared in Nathan Fielder's show in her 20s Selling Sunset's Nicole Young has finally confirmed she once made a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the comedy series Nathan for You after eagle-eyed fans were left guessing when a resurfaced clip was circulated online. Before getting her brokers license with the Oppenheim Group, the 37-year-old luxury real estate agent worked as a model and made appearances in commercials. Earlier this week eagle-eyed fans were also wondering whether she starred in docu-comedy Nathan for You after a clip from season two was circulated online and appeared to show her dressed in a swimsuit. In the 2014 episode, titled Taxi Service; Hot Dog Stand, Nathan, who is played by Nathan Fielder, tries to get press for a taxi company and goes out of his way to defend a hot dog stand's reputation. Selling Sunset star Nicole Young has confirmed to DailyMail.com that she made a cameo in the comedy series Nathan for You in her 20s The luxury real estate agent appeared in the second season of the comedy series in 2014 Nicole appears for a few seconds as a model who is roped in to dupe a man into believing he is the eatery's 10 millionth customer and has won a lobster lunch at sea when in fact he is being set up as punishment for feigning a doctor's appointment and skipping the line at a hot dog stand. Dressed in a tiny pink bathing suit, she rides in a limo alongside the line cutter and a topless male model. When the trio's vehicle pulls up to the dock, she is then seen escorting the unsuspecting man to the boat. While Nicole does not have any lines, she does clap animatedly when the man expresses how excited he is to be rewarded with the extravagant meal. Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, Nicole revealed that her agent had booked her for a part on the show although she admits she was completely unfamiliar with it before getting to the set. She said: 'I had never heard of Nathan for You prior to showing up on set that day and frankly, I'm still not sure what the show is all about. 'I received a call from my agent the day prior who said she had booked me for a job and that was all the information I had. 'I imagine my facial expressions during the episode are pretty entertaining because even while we were filming, I had no idea what was happening! Nicole starred as a model in the seventh episode of season two, appearing for just a few seconds Speaking to DailyMail.com, Nicole said: 'I imagine my facial expressions are pretty entertaining because even while we were filming, I had no idea what was happening!' 'I kept thinking, 'is this real? scripted? am I being punked? Are we punking someone else? It was an interesting day to say the least!' Nicole added: 'Funny enough, from my short stint of commercials and modeling I did back in my 20s, this Nathan for You job is the only thing I still get residual checks from.' Fans had been busy speculating whether she really was the woman in the scene on Reddit, with one user asking: 'Pretty sure I just caught Nicole as the boat model on Nathan for You season 2 episode 7, but I looked through the credits and they have a Nicole Kristin without a picture. 'Is this her middle name? Has this been mentioned?' Responding to the thread, one wrote: 'Never thought I'd see Nathan for You and Selling Sunset intersect.' A third said: 'Oh my gosh I would have never guessed that was her she looks so different. Love Nathan for You and I've seen the episode, so random!' Nathan for You is an docu-comedy television show starring Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder. The reality star revealed she still receives residual pay from her stint on the docu-comedy Nicole has been part of the Selling Sunset cast since the Netflix show's sixth season Nathan for You, starring Nathan Fielder, ran for four seasons on Comedy Central The series premiered on Comedy Central in February 2013 and ran for four seasons until November 2017. Nathan played a fictionalized off-kilter version of himself, in which he would try to use his business background and life experiences to help struggling companies and people, frequently offering them outlandish strategies, parodying the methods of marketing and management consultants. The series won Best Comedy/Variety Sketch Series at the 71st Writers Guild of America Awards in 2019. In 2014, Canadian comic Nathan spoofed the public in Los Angeles after opening a parody cafe called Dumb Starbucks. After several days of speculation, the buzz-generating cafe, which used the same logo as the global coffee giant, was revealed as a publicity stunt. Calll The Midwife Rating: Michael McIntyre's Big Show Rating: Stick-in-the-muds are usually right. We're told to 'embrace change' and 'move forwards', but the thing about moving forwards is you can never see where it will end. The redoubtable Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) pulls a face at the mention of 'progress' like a woman who has found a kipper in the washing basket disgusted, cross and incredulous all at once. She confronted the naive and idealistic Pupil Midwife Rosalind Clifford (Natalie Quarry), in Call The Midwife (BBC1), and gave her a piece of her mind. The trainee wanted to hand out leaflets, campaigning for better pay. 'As far as I'm concerned,' huffed Nurse Crane, 'nursing is a calling. Not a career. And any suggestion that we are financially motivated will undermine our patients' trust in us.' What would she make, half a century later, of nurses on picket lines or junior doctors staging cynical walk-outs to undermine the government, playing politics at the expense of patients' lives? It would break her heart. The redoubtable Nurse Crane, played by Linda Bassett (pictured centre) pulls a face at the mention of 'progress' like a woman who has found a kipper in the washing basket The cast of BBC1's Call the Midwife which has been running since January 2012 There's a contradiction at the core of Call The Midwife. Writer Heidi Thomas has progressive instincts, a certainty that better medicines and social care will improve the world by helping to eradicate disease and poverty. But with fierce honesty, the series also shows that many well-intentioned changes only make life worse. Slum clearance, a theme of recent episodes, can leave people homeless, and high-rise concrete complexes built on the cheap are prone to many dangers. This time, one storyline centred on black mould caused by damp in the walls, still a plague today. The best solution Thomas can offer is a call to community spirit one of the priceless British traditions that 'embracing change' and 'moving forwards' has sadly stripped away. Now in its 13th year, Call The Midwife has seen so many varieties of medical crisis that only the improbable ones remain. That leaves it at risk of becoming a Doc Martin pastiche, where a patient's mild symptoms accelerate into near-fatal complications, and only the diagnosis of an exceptionally rare disease can save them. Dr Turner, played by Patrick McGann (Heidi's real-life husband), saved one woman by recognising the signs of porphyria. If he ever fancies taking over Doc Martin's old practice in Portwenn, he can test himself on even stranger ailments: Kawasaki disease, birdshot chorioretinopathy and Guillaume Barre neuropathology were among the oddities identified in the Cornish population. Chef Tom Kerridge was serving up dishes with equally peculiar names, as Michael McIntyre's Big Show (BBC1) returned for a new run. Michael McIntyre's Big Show (BBC1) returned for a new run In one of the comedian's madly convoluted pranks, Michael raided the home of ardent home cook Shaun, to steal a few of his many pre-cooked meals from the freezers. Shaun's partner Darren, who was privy to the joke, treated him to a meal at Kerridge's Michelin starred restaurant in London's Corinthia hotel, where they sampled taster dishes such as 'Toulouse sausage cassoulet' and 'DIY surprise' concoctions remade from Shaun's own food and served to resemble daintily pretentious nouvelle cuisine. There's a streak of cruelty in all pranks, and the more complicated the set-up, the more the sting will hurt. Shaun took it in good part but I felt sorry for him as he tucked unawares into his own reheated lasagne, and blurted: 'Horrible! Like it's been made badly on purpose.' The gags are funnier when celebs are the victims. Dermot O'Leary's list of phone contacts reveals he knows everyone in the business, which is no shock, and former Spandau Ballet star Tony Hadley could hardly sing for laughing at the trick played on him. Sheer Gold! Tracy Grimshaw is reportedly making a TV comeback after leaving A Current Affair. The TV veteran, 63, is rumoured to be set to host a series called Do You Want To Live Forever? according to TV Blackbox. But some Aussies have slammed the presenter's rumoured new project, insisting she is not suitable for the role. 'Let someone else have a go,' one person commented. 'Time to bring in some new 'talent' instead of rehashing the old, and put the right people in the right shows,' another said. Aussies slam Tracy Grimshaw's television comeback amid rumours she is set to host a series called Do You Want To Live Forever? 'Isn't it time for some new blood?' one questioned while another person said: 'Please go away. You have had your day disappear into the sunset.' 'Not a fan,' one person insisted. 'When do these TV people realise enough is enough? Give younger people a go. They certainly have talent, energy, good looks and what it takes to entertain,' one wrote. Despite the backlash, some Aussies defended Tracy and said they'd love to see her back on television screens. 'I for one will be glad to see her back on TV, she is a great presenter,' one wrote. 'Tracy good luck with whatever you choose to do,' another said as one commented: 'What is wrong with people and their very nasty comments!' Some people have slammed the presenter's rumoured new project, insisting she is not suitable for the role The Channel Nine docuseries Do You Want To Live Forever? was announced at the network's upfronts last September. According to TV Blackbox, Grimshaw will be announced as host at a media event in Melbourne on January 19. Do You Want To Live Forever? will examine if we really can wind back our biological clocks, analyse the secrets of living younger longer according to Nine's press release. It will also star Dr. Nick Coatsworth, who guides six Aussies on a powerful journey to stop the clock and turn back time. Tracy stepped away from ACA in 2022 with former Today co-host Ally Langdon filling her seat from January last year. Tracy stepped away from ACA in 2022 with former Today co-host Ally Langdon filling her seat from January last year Body positive influencer Karina Irby has launched into a blistering rant about the daily troubles she experiences as a business owner. The Moana swimwear designer, 33, shared a post to Instagram on Sunday complaining about her customers, claiming they 'always find something to be upset about.' 'I'm feeling completely defeated and drained this afternoon. There are days where I question why I invest so much of my life into my business,' she began. 'It seems I can never do anything right, no matter what I do. I create designs people specifically ask for, but they don't seem to appreciate them.' Karina then revealed she felt 'targeted' by hurtful trolls who had never even met her in person. Body positive influencer Karina Irby (pictured) has launched into a blistering rant about the daily troubles she experiences as a business owner 'People have always taken it upon themselves to target both me and my business from day one. They have never even met me, their entire perception of me is based on what they see online.' She concluded by saying that she was okay if people didn't like her so long as they left her alone and demanded the trolls stop their hurtful attacks. 'I understand not everyone will like me and I'm okay with that. I wish they would have that understanding too, as it might stop them going out of their way to spread lies and create drama in my business. I have the receipts,' she added. Irby also complained about the level of dedication owning your own business requires. 'If I manage to make more money, it all goes towards bills. When the income isn't enough, I sacrifice sleep,' she wrote. The Moana swimwear designer, 33, shared a post to Instagram on Sunday in which she detailed the constant struggle she faces from upset customers Karina is known for her body positivity posts and the empire she has built around selling cheeky bikinis. In 2011, Karina founded her swimwear label Moana Bikini, which has gone on to become a household name for women across Australia. Last year, Irby was left humiliated when she was judged over a skin condition while receiving a pedicure. Karina vented her frustration in a lengthy Instagram post, revealing she can never do enough to please her demanding patrons The bikini designer has been open about the battle she's fought with eczema her entire life, leaving her skin marred by scars and 'patches of white skin'. In an emotional Instagram video, she said she was now 'feeling great' about her body and wanted a pedicure - something she has previously avoided because of her skin. Unfortunately, rather than boosting her confidence, Karina's bravery was met with judgement from her pedicurist. 'I've got lumps, bumps, scars, like I get it, I look different. But this lady looked at me like I was pure disease,' the blonde beauty said in an emotional video. Irby concluded by saying that she was okay if people didn't like her so long as they left her alone and demanded the trolls stop their hurtful attacks Karina is known for her body positivity posts and the empire she has built around selling cheeky bikinis. In 2011, she founded her swimwear label Moana Bikini, which has gone on to become a household name for women across Australia Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little are rumoured to be set to join the cast of I'm A Celebrity Australia. As speculation continues over a romantic entanglement between the pair, it seems Channel 10 could be looking to capitalise on fan interest in the attractive HIT radio duo. The network is 'open to the idea' of a double act in season 10, with viewers expected to tune in to watch their chemistry unfold, reported Woman's Day on Monday. The source went on to say Carrie, 43, is also 'itching to get back on TV screens' after she left The Project in November 2022. Since the blonde bombshell split with her husband Chris Walker, rumours have been swirling that she's dating Tommy, 38, the co-host of her drive program the Carrie and Tommy Show. Carrie Bickmore, 43, (right) and Tommy Little, 38, (left) have set tongues wagging once more as the radio co-stars are said to be starring in I'm A Celebrity Australia Fans have begged the couple to confirm their alleged romance, with interest intensifying after they enjoyed a break in France together. Early last year, they hosted their HIT FM radio show from the city of love, which had fans convinced they are romantically involved. Carrie announced her split from her partner of eleven years last year, while Tommy has reportedly been single since his breakup with girlfriend Natalie Kyriacou in 2021. As speculation continues over their rumoured romance, it seems Channel 10 could be looking to capitalise on fan interest in the attractive HIT radio duo Tommy rushed to the mother-of-three's side last January when she confirmed her split, leading insiders to speculate their friendship could evolve into something more. In recent months, Tommy has shared several gushing tributes to Carrie on Instagram, and in one post called her the 'best in the business' who 'lifts up everyone around her and makes them look good'. Ahead of her last day on The Project in 2022, Tommy also treated the blonde to a private helicopter ride across Melbourne. The network is 'open to the idea' of a double act in season 10 , with viewers expected to tune in to watch their chemistry unfold, reported Woman's Day on Monday He is often seen close to her at glitzy events, including the 2022 Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs), where he didn't leave her side even as guests got up from their tables and mingled with others. The duo are also regularly posing for cosy selfies on social media, which has prompted curious fans to question whether romance is on the cards. Their professional relationship began in 2016 when Tommy joined Carrie on the panel of The Project. A year later, the pair began co-hosting HIT Network's Melbourne drive show in 2017, and immediately gained a cult following thanks to their organic banter. The worlds so-called super election year, in which over 50 countries are scheduled to go to the polls, has been inaugurated in Taiwan with a consequential presidential and legislative election. The ruling Democratic Progressive Partys (DPP) candidate William Lai Ching-te prevailed, but the party lost its legislative majority and a significant amount of support. Against this backdrop, a new era of instability lies ahead for Taiwan and the security situation around East Asia. William Lai Ching-te, a longtime member of the DPP with a long career as a bourgeois politician in Taiwan, was the unopposed nominee of the DPP to succeed incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen. Lai is the undisputed leader of the DPPs dominant New Tide faction, with deep ties to the main conservative capitalist class of Taiwan. He had previously come into conflict with the liberal-leaning President Tsai, but the latter was forced to concede to Lai becoming her vice president in the 2020 election. In this years campaign, Lai promised to be the continuity candidate for the Tsai government, which had leaned sharply towards US imperialism against Chinese ambitions to annex Taiwan. This is the primary difference between the DPP and the other major party of Taiwan, the KMT. Other than this, the two parties hold identical pro-capitalist policies at a time when Taiwan becomes ever more enmeshed in the worldwide capitalist crisis. Whilst Lai took a comfortable lead over his main competitor, the KMTs nominee Hou You-yi, the result shows a slump in support for the DPP as a whole. Compared to his predecessor Tsai, who won by 8.1 million votes in 2020, the biggest vote win since Taiwan became a bourgeois democracy, Lai won by 5.5 million, a slump of 2.6 million votes. In fact, the combined vote of both of the partys major competitors the KMTs Hou and the insurgent populist Ko Wen-je added up to around 8.2 million votes. A month ahead of the election, Hou and Ko were in negotiations for an electoral alliance that ended in an acrimonious public breakdown. Had it materialised, however, Lai would have lost the election by a landslide. Had an electoral alliance materialised, Lai would have lost the election by a landslide / Image: Central News Agency The DPP, after two terms of government with a majority in the Legislative Yuan (Taiwans parliament), is entering a third term without a majority. Now they have to face a legislature that contains opposition parties KMT and Ko Wen-jes Taiwan Peoples Party (TPP), both of which gained seats and who hold a combined majority, should they choose to cooperate. The Lai government will be a minority government facing a combative legislative branch. The DPPs defeat in the legislature is justly deserved. After eight years of majority, they have delivered none of the progressive reforms they promised, and instead faithfully carried through many of the previous KMT governments plans for counter-reform on wages, working hours, welfare, etc. that is, attacking the interests of the working class. In the past, the DPP wooed the support of the workers as the progressive, pro-Taiwan alternative to the capitalist, establishment, China-aligned KMT. They proceeded to expose their bourgeois character by doing more of the same, opening the eyes of many workers and youths in Taiwan in the process. In these conditions, the William Lai government holds none of the shine of Tsai Ing-wens progressive image, and has lost control of the Legislative Yuan. With only the executive branch under his control, Lai cannot rule as the DPP has in the past. Whether on foreign policy or domestic, wherever he is at odds with the opposition, deadlock will ensue. William Lai himself is far from a beloved figure among the workers and youth. As both the mayor of Tainan and then the Premier under Tsai Ing-wen, he was reviled for his arrogant and brutal posture in carrying out the will of the ruling class. With low wages having long plagued Taiwanese workers, Lai once advised underpaid care workers to treat their gruelling conditions as earning good karma. As this brutal executive of the capitalist class steps forward to take reins of the state against the backdrop of worsening social crises, Lai will attract fiery anger from the masses who have few illusions in him. This is the perspective that revolutionary communists in Taiwan should prepare for. The meaning of Ko Wen-je Lai hardly has cause for celebration. But does this mean that the KMT has gained a new lease of life? The answer is no. In fact, Hou You-yis vote of 4.6 million is even less than the 5.5 million votes the KMT candidate Daniel Han Kuo-yu scraped in the last election. Han himself was a surprise rising star within the KMT, modelled on the style of Donald Trump, who at one point appeared to be able to defeat Tsai. That was before the 2019 Hong Kong mass movement against the CCP cut across his rise, reminding the Taiwanese electorate of the threat of Chinese imperialism. Hou is a mealy-mouthed former police chief with a past of persecuting democratic activists against the old KMT dictatorship / Image: This time around, Hou, a consensus candidate, is a mealy-mouthed former police chief with a past of persecuting democratic activists against the old KMT dictatorship. Although Hou attempted to temper the KMTs image as the pro-China party, he failed to fool the absolute majority of Taiwanese society, which firmly refuses to unify with China on the present capitalist basis. After all, the official name of the KMT remains the Chinese Nationalist Party. In the Legislative Yuan, the KMT certainly gained more seats at the expense of the DPP, but they still have not gained a majority in Taiwans 113 seat legislature, holding only 52 seats. Nothing is surprising here. The KMT is continuing its decline as a major force in Taiwans bourgeois politics, its support having been gutted and having never recovered since the mass Sunflower movement of 2014 against the previous Ma Ying-jeou government. As the crisis of world capitalism has sharpened the conflict between US and Chinese imperialism, and Taiwan rapidly became a potential flashpoint between the two, the KMTs pro-China position became untenable among a population that is sharply against the CCP regime in China. For years, the KMT descended into an internal crisis, producing no few bizarre characters that were roundly rejected by the Taiwanese masses. This can only continue. The chief difference in this election lies in the performance of Ko Wen-jes Taiwan Peoples Party. Though in the presidential election Ko himself came a distant third place (still gaining 3.7 million votes), his party doubled its vote share (to 22 percent) in the at-large legislative election, securing his partys 8 seats in the Legislative Yuan. As neither the DPP nor the KMT gained a majority, the TPP is now kingmaker in the legislature. Ko Wen-je is a relative newcomer to bourgeois politics. Before standing for the capital Taipeis mayoral election in 2014, he was a widely renowned surgeon, specialising in organ transplantation. When he emerged on the political arena, he characterised himself as deep green (i.e. extremely pro-Taiwanese independence), and more liberal and progressive, standing as an Independent, although allied to the DPP. As he took reins of the capital, he soon revealed himself to be a right-wing, petty-bourgeois reactionary, only interested in personal power. He tossed out his Taiwanese Independence stances in favour of the slogan, One Family Across the Strait. Meanwhile, he enforced the same pro-capitalist policies that both the KMT and DPP city governments had previously carried out against the working class. The hitherto reliable, clear-minded doctor showed himself to be like the rest of the politicians, with frequent misogynistic, homophobic and other reactionary gaffs. In 2019, Ko founded the Taiwan Peoples Party as the vehicle for his future presidential ambitions. Other than wielding the slogan reject Blue (KMT) and Green (DPP), the founding principles of the TPP were a laundry list of amorphous platitudes about being as people-centred, professional, and value-driven. Ko became an unfortunate conduit for the desire for an alternative / Image: Ko Wen-je Youtube Unlike the historic Taiwan Peoples Party, which was a mass workers-farmers party that struggled against Japanese colonial rule in the 1920s, the TPP of Ko is a band of disaffected third-tier former DPP and KMT politicians, who found a new home in the party. Its bourgeois character was shown in its early ties with Taiwans richest man and Foxconns infamous CEO Terry Kuo. This time Kos running mate is Cynthia Wu Hsing-ying, heiress of Taiwans Shin Kong Conglomerate and former aide to the UKs Tory MP Peter Lilley. She is regularly the subject of ridicule for speaking Mandarin Chinese with a heavy American accent, having been born and raised in the USA. Still, given that the Taiwanese masses are growing tired of the capitalist two-party system that has done nothing for them, Ko became an unfortunate conduit for the desire for an alternative. In the run-up to the election, Ko galvanised significant support from the youth, to the point that both the DPP and KMT campaigns largely conceded the youth vote to Ko. His campaign rallies had an almost messianic atmosphere, with large contingents of adoring supporters. Unlike the KMT and DPP crowds, they were not there in exchange for free bento boxes. This was something different. Although Ko appears to command the attention of large layers of youths, the revolutionary communists of Taiwan organised as The Spark have steadfastly warned against any illusion in him and his party. Many advanced youths and workers also see through him. The most militant trade unions in Taiwan have also declared their opposition to the demagogic Ko Wen-je on account of his terrible track record of anti-working class policies. But now, despite failing to win, Kos party is now the kingmaker. As a totally unprincipled careerist, he keeps a close eye on the mood in society and will say almost anything to climb the ladder. In relation to China, although he largely appears to be conciliatory and willing to distance Taiwan from the US, he has also called for an A4 Movement, named after the mass struggle in China that forced the CCP to end their draconian lockdowns in 2022. This kind of language is unacceptable to the CCP, and the latter does not control Ko the way they do the KMT. This leaves more room for illusions in Ko to persist in the coming period, until he finally ends up in a position that exposes him like the KMT and DPP before him. Internationally speaking, Ko and the TPP are nothing new. They are but the Taiwanese iteration of mass disaffection against the capitalist establishment, expressed in the absence of a socialist alternative. In many ways, the TPP is like Italys Five Star Movement, which channelled the Italian masses anger against the deteriorating capitalist system in that country. Like the Five Star, the TPP will not succeed in becoming a stable fixture of Taiwans bourgeois democracy, and will dissipate as quickly as it came when the masses step up to confront the system themselves in the next period of turmoil in Taiwan and the world. The first shot in a world on the edge After having been largely ignored by the worlds bourgeois media, this years presidential election in Taiwan has gathered significant attention from the international ruling class on all sides. They are chiefly interested in how the election will impact perspectives for future conflict between the US and China, especially since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. US imperialism breathed a sigh of relief as Taiwan remains under the control of pro-US forces that will not step out of the bounds of their wishes. Although William Lai long ago was a fervent champion of Taiwans de jure independence, his time as a bourgeois politician has led him to significantly temper his stance, to the point that he once raised the slogan closer to China, love Taiwan as Tainans mayor to halt conflicts with China. In his victory speech as president-elect, he promised to maintain the status quo. When Washington asks Lai to jump, he will ask, how high? / Image: Lai Ching te, Twitter Lais moderation closely follows the position of US imperialism. Lais long time at the top of state and the DPP establishment also forged a strong and direct line to the US. Thus, when Washington asks Lai to jump, he will ask, how high? The US will have a reliable hand in Taiwans government as it continues to pressure China short of igniting a war. The real question is how stable the US itself will be in the coming period, with a senile, barely coherent president Biden who, by all accounts, has a real chance of losing his own upcoming election to Donald Trump in November. Alongside this, we have the rising class struggle, with significant interest in Marxist ideas developing among the youth. For Communist China, on the surface this election would appear to be a humiliating rebuke. Yet the CCP has surely anticipated this result, with the polls having long shown that the DPP could win by some margin. They have prepared for this in official propaganda, with the usual belligerent rants about unifying the fatherland. Further affronts against Taiwan and the US, such as sending fighter jets to intrude on Taiwans airspace, will surely continue. Since Lais term cannot be inaugurated until May, we can expect China to display more shows of force, especially in the next few months. However, at the present moment, China chiefly aims in doing so to distract its own masses from their own social crises through nationalist posturing. It is not prepared to go to war over Taiwan just yet. That said, the impending period will see sharp and sudden changes, especially in this super election year, in which the fate of many governments hangs in the balance. Nothing rules out surprising developments that may upend all of ruling classes calculations. If, somehow, China is driven to take a step against Taiwan that qualitatively goes beyond those it has taken in the past, then its first targets would be the territories of Kinmen and Matsu, two islands off the coast of China under Taiwans control, but with a small population that largely consider themselves Chinese and separate from Taiwan. Taking these islets would be as smooth as Putins annexation of Crimea, and if it was done, there would be little that Taiwan or the US could do. For a revolutionary communist alternative The Marxists of The Spark and the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) have steadfastly explained that no bourgeois politicians can solve the crisis of capitalism for the working class. Any political change without the actual participation of the workers can only be superficial and fleeting. Over the years, many of our predictions came true, including the emergence of the small liberal, progressive Third Force parties in 2014, who have been completely wiped out in this election. In the meantime, the ruling class of all shades will maintain the very same oppressive and deteriorating conditions for the workers and youths. The deep desire for an alternative persists, and it is now being partially taken advantage of by Kos TPP. It is clear that the masses are tired of the bourgeois parties who row over cross-strait issues while ignoring their daily concerns. As The Economist observed: Nearly half of Taiwans voters are concerned about the possibility of a war with China in the next five years, according to a survey by Commonwealth, a Taiwanese business magazine. Yet voters biggest priority is economic development, outweighing both national security and cross-strait relations, the same survey found. This prioritising of economic issues is even stronger among voters under 40. A real alternative can only be forged on the basis of a mass workers party, which differs from the traditional political parties in Taiwan in that it is not a mere electoral front operated by a band of activists, but a membership party with active participation of rank and file members to control the partys policies, maintaining a clear class perspective. Only such an organisation could meaningfully inspire the involvement of larger layers of workers and youths in politics, combatting the traditional clientele networks through which the bourgeoisie usually mobilises the votes in the country. A workers' party requires a programme, which poses the question of workers taking over society, an internationalist solution of uniting with Chinese workers to end the CCP, and kicking out US imperialism / Image: own work The forging of such a party is the responsibility of Taiwans trade union leaders, the most advanced of which are clearly centred in Taoyuan around the Taoyuan Industrial Union. They must send cadres around the country to connect with like-minded elements, to strengthen the labour movement as a whole in preparation for a new age of onslaught presided over by William Lai. The coming period necessarily entails that the workers of Taiwan can no longer afford not to have their own class party. Unfortunately, while leading members of the militant trade unions have, once in a while, suggested the formation of a mass workers party, they are yet to act on their words. They still have illusions in reforming rather than abolishing capitalism, which is why they view the building of a class party as a secondary question. But material conditions are deteriorating far faster than they realise for the general working class of Taiwan, and if the labour movement fails to provide a political alternative, then someone else will, and they are unlikely to provide anything remotely progressive. The forging of such a party also requires a consistent, clear, revolutionary and communist programme, which poses the question of workers taking over society, and an internationalist solution of uniting with Chinese workers to end the CCP, and kicking out US imperialism. Only such a programme can extract Taiwan from the endless fog of war, and secure the livelihoods of the Taiwanese working masses, making them masters of their own destinies. This is the only programme that can inspire and attract larger layers of people who are looking for a workable alternative to the status quo. The revolutionary communists of The Spark, supporters of the IMT in Taiwan, are working to build our forces based upon such a view and strategy. We invite every worker and young person who wants to win a real future for themselves to join us in building our forces and in building a revolutionary communist voice within the Taiwanese labour movement. Michelle Pfeiffer made the rare move of posing with her seldom seen sister Lori Ann Pfeiffer, 58, on Sunday. The 65-year-old Michelle shared the caption 'Sister vacay.' They were on a private jet when the star took the selfie. The two have another sister, TV star Dedee Pfeiffer, and a brother named Rick. Lori took a stab at acting - she worked on three films - but then moved behind the camera. She is married to Jude Cole, a composer and sound engineer. They wed in 1993 and have two kids: sons Jesse and Ethan. Michelle Pfeiffer made the rare move of posing with her seldom seen sister Lori Ann Pfeiffer, 58, on Sunday. The 65-year-old Michelle shared the caption 'Sister vacay.' They were on a private jet when the star took the selfie Lori, who was born in Orange County, California along with her three siblings, did do some Hollywood work. She was a production assistant on Into the Night. The beauty also acted in three films: The Adventures of Ford Fairlane with Ed O'Neil, The Sky Is Falling starring Teri Garr, and the 2014 short Less. This comes after Dede made a rare red carpet appearance in June 2023 at the Race To Erase MS gala at the Fairmont Hotel in Los Angeles. The beauty is best known for her work in several horror films. She began her career appearing in films include Vamp, The Allnighter and The Horror Show. Pfeiffer later starred as Cybill's daughter, Rachel, in the CBS sitcom Cybill and as Sheri DeCarlo-Winston in the sitcom For Your Love. When at the star-studded gala - which also saw Denise Richards, Kathy Hilton, Cheryl Burke and Jonathan Cheban as guests - Dedee wore her hair up and added glasses, making her difficult to recognize. Pfeiffer's younger sister Dedee Pfeiffer made a rare appearance in June at the Race To Erase MS gala at the Fairmont Hotel in Los Angeles Cute gal: When at the star-studded gala, Dedee wore her hair up and added glasses, making her difficult to recognize The sisters are pictured hosting the 8th annual Pink Party to benefit Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Program in Santa Monica in 2012 She has an interesting family. Dedee is the younger sister of Michelle. Michelle is a prolific performer whose screen career spans over five decades. Michelle became one of Hollywood's most bankable stars during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as one of the era's most popular sex symbols. Pfeiffer has received three Academy Award nominations to date: Best Supporting Actress for Dangerous Liaisons (1988), and Best Actress in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) and Love Field (1992). One of her first big films was Grease 2 but she made her boldest impression with Al Pacino in Scarface in 1983. Pfeiffer also played the world's favorite big screen Catwoman with 1992's film Batman Returns. She worked with Angelina Jolie in Maleficent 2. Michelle - full name is Michelle Marie Pfeiffer - seen in February Big film: Pfeiffer as Elvira Hancock, Al Pacino as Tony Montana and Steven Bauer as Manny Ribera in Scarface, 1983 Michelle seen in an Instagram post from last week And she has a Marvel following thanks to 2015's Ant-Man, 2018's Ant-Man And The Wasp and this ear's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Her other hits include Dangerous Minds (1995), One Fine Day (1996) and What Lies Beneath (2000). Michelle was married to actor Peter Horton in 1981. Horton directed Pfeiffer in a 1985 ABC TV special, One Too Many, where she played the high school girlfriend of an alcoholic student (Val Kilmer). In 1988, Pfeiffer had an affair with John Malkovich, her co-star in Dangerous Liaisons, who at the time was married to Glenne Headly. In 1993, Pfeiffer married television writer and producer David E. Kelley. He is best known for producing Doogie Howser, M.D., Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Goliath, Big Little Lies, and Big Sky; seen in 2022 Pfeiffer and Horton separated in 1988, and were divorced two years later. Pfeiffer then had a three-year relationship with actor/producer Fisher Stevens. In 1993, Pfeiffer married television writer and producer David E. Kelley. He is best known for producing Doogie Howser, M.D., Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Goliath, Big Little Lies, and Big Sky. Saffron Barker suffered a horror ski accident during the first day of her family trip to the Alpes in France on Sunday. The former Strictly star, 23, took to social media to reveal she had to be rescued by an emergency ski team on the slopes. The influencer posted a video on her Instagram and TikTok of her getting taken back to her hotel by ski patrols. She insisted a 'story time is needed' to explain how and what happened before the accident struck. Making light of the situation, Saffron captioned her post: 'Well this isn't how I planned to use this sound, story time is needed.. #skifails' Saffron Barker, 23, suffered a horror ski accident during the first day of her family trip to the Alpes in France on Sunday The former Strictly star took to social media to reveal she had to be rescued by an emergency ski team on the slopes Despite her incident, Saffron appeared to be in great spirits as she continued to share gorgeous snaps from her trip. Her Strictly partner AJ Pritchard, 29, who she performed on the show with in 2020, took to the comments to wish her well. Other pals of the beauty also gushed to the comments, with Tallia Storm writing: 'Noooo saff!!! Sending love but also you do look chic. love u xx' Saffron jetted off to the French Alpes with her brother Jed and his girlfriend Imogen Thomas. Earlier in the day, Saffron posted some glammed-up photos of her matching outfits alongside Imogen. She wore a matching black and white checkered set, while donning Prada boots and a Dior handbag. Saffron recently made her public debut with Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit as the couple made their first appearance as a couple together at the Wonka premiere in November 2023. The pair cut a smart figure as they got suitably glammed up for the evening. She insisted a 'story time is needed' to explain how and what happened before the accident struck The influencer posted a video on her Instagram and TikTok of her getting taken back to her hotel by ski patrols Her Strictly partner AJ Pritchard, 29, who she performed on the show with in 2020, took to the comments to wish her well Other pals of the beauty also gushed to the comments, with Tallia Storm writing: 'Noooo saff!!! Sending love but also you do look chic. love u xx' Saffron jetted off to the French Alpes with her brother Jed and his girlfriend Imogen Thomas (left) Saffron recently made her public debut with Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit as the couple made their first appearance as a couple together Saffron put on a classy display as she showcased her enviable curves in a figure-hugging black dress which was adorned with elaborate silver embroidery. The blonde bombshell flaunted her ample cleavage in the gown as she posed with her arm around the sportsman. Louis, 22, looked incredibly dapper as he gelled his dark hair back and donned a navy suit with black lapels and a black tie. Meanwhile Saffron paired the dress with some arm length black gloves, while her shoes were hidden by the train of her dress. Sofia Vergara opened up about what life has been like in the past six months since legally separating from her second husband Joe Manganiello after seven years of marriage. 'I've been moving on,' the 51-year-old America's Got Talent judge told CBS Sunday Morning of her divorce. 'You're out there [in the public eye] and people know that's part of being a celebrity. I knew [the press attention] was gonna happen. You can't hide those things.' Sofia continued: 'It wasn't bad. I think, you know, I have to say the press was very respectful and very nice. And I thought that they were gonna invent more things, and you know how it usually is. I was surprised and, you know, they, they kind of just said what it was and, and that was it.' The 47-year-old Deal Or No Deal Island host hired powerhouse divorce attorney Laura Wasser to sort out his prenuptial agreement with Vergara, and he got custody of their 11-year-old Chihuahua Bubbles - according to TMZ. Sofia Vergara opened up about what life has been like in the past six months since legally separating from her second husband Joe Manganiello after seven years of marriage (pictured in 2020) The 51-year-old America's Got Talent judge told CBS Sunday Morning of her divorce: 'I've been moving on' Joe evidently wanted children while the Colombian bombshell didn't, having welcomed her 32-year-old son Manolo during her two-year marriage to high school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez, which ended in 1993. It's shocking that Manganiello and never fully discussed the topic considering Sofia was locked in a highly-publicized, five-year legal battle against her ex-fiance Nick Loeb over their two female frozen embryos. And while The Kill Room actor has been canoodling fellow Pennsylvanian Caitlin O'Connor as far back as early August, Vergara enjoyed a rebound fling with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman. The first sign of trouble happened in June when the former couple put their seven-bedroom, 11-bathroom Beverly Hills marital mansion on the market for $18M. The Walmart collaborator has certainly been keeping the divorce off her mind by busying herself with the press tour for Andres Baiz's six-episode series Griselda, which premieres January 25 on Netflix. Sofia - who also executive produced the project - donned a prosthetic nose and brow as well as 'horrible' fake teeth in order to more authentically portray the Colombian cartel leader Griselda Blanco. 'For me, as a woman, I was like fascinated. Like, how did she become even more ruthless was more horrific than any man?' Vergara marveled. 'I wanted to her to be like Tony Soprano. I wanted her to be a character that people didn't hate even though [she] was a bad guy.' Sofia continued: 'You're out there [in the public eye] and people know that's part of being a celebrity. I knew [the press attention] was gonna happen. You can't hide those things. It wasn't bad. I think, you know, I have to say the press was very respectful and very nice' The 47-year-old Deal Or No Deal Island host hired powerhouse divorce attorney Laura Wasser to sort out his prenuptial agreement with Vergara, and he got custody of their 11-year-old Chihuahua Bubbles (pictured May 6) Joe evidently wanted children while the Colombian bombshell didn't, having welcomed her 32-year-old son Manolo (L, pictured in 2022) during her two-year marriage to high school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez, which ended in 1993 It's shocking that Manganiello and never fully discussed the topic considering Sofia was locked in a highly-publicized, five-year legal battle against her ex-fiance Nick Loeb (L, pictured in 2014) over their two female frozen embryos And while The Kill Room actor has been canoodling fellow Pennsylvanian Caitlin O'Connor (L, pictured January 6) as far back as early August, Vergara enjoyed a rebound fling with orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman The Walmart collaborator has certainly been keeping the divorce off her mind by busying herself with the press tour for Andres Baiz's six-episode series Griselda, which premieres January 25 on Netflix (pictured Saturday) Sofia - who also executive produced the project - donned a prosthetic nose and brow as well as 'horrible' fake teeth in order to more authentically portray the Colombian cartel leader Griselda Blanco Vergara marveled: 'For me, as a woman, I was like fascinated. Like, how did she become even more ruthless was more horrific than any man? I wanted to her to be like Tony Soprano. I wanted her to be a character that people didn't hate even though [she] was a bad guy' The first-ever billionaire female criminal was known as the Cocaine Grandmother, the Black Widow, and the Queen of Narco-Trafficking before being gunned down, age 69, in 2012 The four-time Emmy nominee recalled: 'My brother [Raphael] was killed during that time. My brother was part of that business. I know what it feels like. I know what the world is' The first-ever billionaire female criminal was known as the Cocaine Grandmother, the Black Widow, and the Queen of Narco-Trafficking before being gunned down, age 69, in 2012. 'My brother [Raphael] was killed during that time,' the four-time Emmy nominee recalled. 'My brother was part of that business. I know what it feels like. I know what the world is.' Sofia has also signed on to resume her duties as judge of the 19th season of America's Got Talent, which premieres this summer on NBC. In 2021, The Cinemaholic reported that Vergara earns $10M per season. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart radiated happiness as they arrived to the 29th Critics Choice Awards arm-in-arm on Sunday night. The Star Wars actor, 81, looked handsome in a classic black tuxedo on the red carpet in Santa Monica, where he held hands with his wife of almost 24 years, Calista Flockhart, 59. The Ally McBeal actress wore a gorgeous, sleeveless gown featuring a floral print in a slightly deeper shade of purple. The mom-of-one accessorized her violet frock with sheer black opera-length gloves and wore her hair pulled back with face-framing tendrils. The actor received the Career Achievement Award later in the night, and teared up during his speech as he thanked his wife. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart have defied the odds in two ways the length of their Hollywood marriage and their age difference Ford's AppleTV+ show, Shrinking, is nominated for Best Comedy Series and he earned an additional nod for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Paul Rhoades. The longtime couple stayed glued to each other as they walked the red carpet and at several points stopped to look adoringly at each other. Later in the night the Indiana Jones star gave wife Calista a tender kiss before he made his way to the stage to accept his Career Achievement Award. Calista was also seen with tears in her eyes as she watched the actor pay tribute to her in his speech, after getting a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd. 'I'd like to thank my lovely wife,' he said, as his voice broke. 'She supports me when I need a lot of support and I need a lot of support.' 'I'm really happy to be here tonight to see what our business is turning into and all of the talented people that are getting opportunities that probably would not have existed in the early part of my career,' he went on. 'I'm very happy about that. I'm here because of a combination of luck and the work of wonderful directors, writers, film makers.' The Hollywood icon continued: 'I feel enormously lucky. I'm happy for this honor and appreciate it very much.' 'I'm grateful for all of the fine actors that I have worked with.' The Star Wars actor, 81, looked handsome in a classic black tux on the red carpet of the Critic's Choice Awards where he held hands with his wife of almost 24 years, Calista, 59 The Ally McBeal actress wore a gorgeous violet, sleeveless brocade gown featuring a floral print in a slightly deeper shade of purple The longtime couple stayed glued to each other as they walked the red carpet and at several points stopped to look adoringly at each other Critics Choice 2024 WINNERS: AT A GLANCE FILM Best Picture: Openheimer Best Actor: Paul Giamatti - The Holdovers Best Actress: Emma Stone - Poor Things Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. - Oppenheimer Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Jo Randolph - The Holdovers Best Acting Ensemble: Oppenheimer Best Director: Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer Best Comedy: Barbie Best Song: 'I'm Just Ken' - Barbie Barbie was given Best Comedy in an impromptu segment as director Greta Gerwig (left) and star Margot Robbie accepted the honor TELEVISION Best Drama Series: Succession Best Actor in a Drama Series: Kieran Culkin - Succession Best Actress in a Drama Series: Sarah Snook - Succession Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Billy Crudup The Morning Show Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki The Crown Best Comedy Series: The Bear Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White - The Bear Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Ayo Edebiri Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ebon Moss-Bachrach The Bear Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Meryl Streep Only Murders in the Building Best Limited Series: Beef Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Steven Yeun - Beef Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Ali Wong - Beef Advertisement He wrapped up his speech saying: 'I'm deeply happy to have had the opportunities that I have had and I'm grateful. Thank you. I won't take any more of your time. Thank you.' While introducing Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold compared the actor's legacy to a 'hypergiant star.' 'A hypergiant is so big that 5 billion of our suns can be contained within it, and they're so weighty that they pull other heavenly bodies toward them,' he said. 'Of course, Harrison Ford is a star, but I submit tonight that he is a variable hypergiant.' He went on, 'A star so big, he contains multitudes. A star so unique he attracts other stars, a star so bright he has warmed each of our lives in this room, in our audience and, likely, on this planet.' Mangold then gave a rundown of Ford's 55 feature films including Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, The Fugitive, Presumed Innocence, American Graffiti, Working Girl, Air Force One, calling his characters 'unforgettable, and utterly human.' Over his illustrious five-decade career Harrison has captured audiences with his roles, including in the iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Before Ford was introduced to the stage by Mangold, host Chelsea Handler took to the stage and joked that Ford has been 'revving up my hormones since I hit puberty at the age of 8.' Earlier in the night, she addressed the Blade Runner star and Robert De Niro, 80, in her opening monologue, while talking about her preference for older men. Ford teared up while receiving the Career Achievement award at the ceremony The Indiana Jones star was supported by wife Calista, who gave him a tender kiss before he made his way to the stage Calista was also seen with tears in her eyes as she watched the Star Wars actor pay tribute to her in his speech 'I'd like to thank my lovely wife,' he said, as his voice broke. 'She supports me when I need a lot of support and I need a lot of support' 'I'm really happy to be here tonight to see what our business is turning into and all of the talented people that are getting opportunities that probably would not have existed in the early part of my career,' he went on He wrapped up his speech saying: 'I'm deeply happy to have had the opportunities that I have had and I'm grateful. Thank you. I won't take any more of your time. Thank you' While introducing Ford, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold compared the actor's legacy to a 'hypergiant star' Flockhart looked every inch the proud wife as she watched Harrison's speech The pair have been married since 2010 Earlier in the night Calista was seen laughing during Chelsea Handler's opening monologue after the comedian called her husband a 'smokeshow' 'I prefer my men old and hot men who have been alive since the railway was invented. Speaking of which, Robert Deniro and Harrison Ford are here. I'm looking at the two of you.' 'I don't know which one of you is more of a smokeshow, but you both have been so hot for decades and just keep getting hotter. It's enough already.' 'I know you're both spoken for, so I'm not hitting on you. But I am hitting on you,' she added, while Harrison's wife Calista laughed. Ford and Calista met at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards. He proposed to her over Valentine's Day weekend in 2009, and they married in 2010, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are the parents of son Liam, 22, whom Flockhart adopted before meeting Ford. The actor later adopted him as well. Ford has been married a total of three times. His first wife was Mary Marquardt, to whom he was wed from 1964 until their divorce in 1979. The former pair share two sons, Benjamin, 57, and Willard, 54. He was later married to late screenwriter Melissa Mathison from March 1983 until their divorce in 2004. They share son Malcolm, 36, and daughter Georgia, 33. Glamorous media personality Carrie Bickmore was left fumbling for the delete button recently when she accidentally posted a makeup-free selfie online. The Hit FM radio star, 43, shared more than she hoped to when she uploaded a reel of summery bikini snaps to her Instagram Stories just a few weeks ago. The typically glammed-up television presenter quickly deleted the photo. The candid selfie was only visible to her followers 'for about 10 seconds', one keen-eyed social media user told Daily Mail Australia. It comes after it was revealed the media personality is 'itching' to get her face back on television - and I'm A Celebrity Australia may be her way in. Glamorous media personality Carrie Bickmore, 43, (pictured) was left fumbling for the delete button recently when she accidentally posted a makeup-free selfie online The Hit FM radio star, 43, shared more than she hoped to when she uploaded a reel of summery bikini snaps to her Instagram Stories just a few weeks ago Carrie and her Hit FM co-star Tommy Little are rumoured to be joining season 10 of the Channel 10 reality show this year. As speculation continues over a romantic entanglement between the pair, it seems the network could be looking to capitalise on fan interest in the attractive radio duo. The network is 'open to the idea' of a double act in season 10, with viewers expected to tune in to watch their chemistry unfold, reported Woman's Day on Monday. The source went on to say Carrie is also 'itching to get back on TV screens' after she left The Project in November 2022. Since the blonde bombshell split with her husband Chris Walker, rumours have been swirling that she's dating Tommy, 38, the co-host of her drive program The Carrie and Tommy Show. Fans have begged the couple to confirm their alleged romance, with interest intensifying after they enjoyed a break in France together. Used to posting the perfect snaps of her flawless visage, Carrie wasted no time deleting the unflattering photo she accidentally posted of herself Early last year, they hosted their HIT FM radio show from the city of love, which had fans convinced they are romantically involved. Carrie announced her split from her partner of eleven years last year, while Tommy has reportedly been single since his breakup with girlfriend Natalie Kyriacou in 2021. Tommy rushed to the mother-of-three's side last January when she confirmed her split, leading insiders to speculate their friendship could evolve into something more. Michael Hutchence's daughter Tiger Lily and her new model boyfriend Ben Archer put on a loved-up display as they celebrated New Year's Eve in Perth earlier this month. Tiger Lily, 27, and the aspiring filmmaker, 26, who have been quietly dating since June last year, packed on the PDA as they prepared to ring in 2024 together. The brunette left little to the imagination in a black sheer dress and cardigan as she shared a passionate kiss with her beau before they joined friends to celebrate. British model Ben wore light blue jeans, a buttoned shirt and a pair of black boots for the occasion. The couple were all smiles as they walked hand in hand to the party in Fremantle. Michael Hutchence's daughter Tiger Lily put on a loved-up display with her new model boyfriend Ben Archer as they celebrated New Year's Eve together in Perth Tiger Lily, 27, and the aspiring filmmaker, 26, who have been dating since June last year, packed on the PDA as they prepared to ring in 2024 together They were later seen holding several bottles of alcohol as they walked down the street, with Ben in a white singlet after removing his shirt. According to Woman's Day magazine, Tiger Lily and Ben have been 'inseparable' and also celebrated Christmas together. 'His family adore her and she loves that they're so normal compared to hers,' a source told the publication last week. 'Things are getting very serious between them. Everyone's expecting an engagement announcement any day now.' In July, Tiger Lily made her feelings clear when she declared 'I love you' on an affectionate birthday post Ben made for her on Instagram. Tiger Lily left little to the imagination in a black sheer dress and cardigan British model Ben wore light blue jeans, a buttoned shirt and a pair of black boots for the occasion The couple were all smiles as they walked hand in hand to the party in Fremantle Another photo saw Tiger Lily leaving flirty comments underneath his modelling photos. 'Fit. I love you naked,' she wrote, to which he cheekily replied: 'Make out with me?'. Tiger Lily then quickly replied: 'Yes!'. According to the insider, Ben has 'completely swept her off her feet' and he's 'everything she wants in a man'. The couple are understood to have recently taken the next step in their relationship after Tiger Lily flew Ben to Perth to meet her family. 'Ben's completely disarmed her and for the first time she can see a future of weddings, babies and something she's never had - a family... Taking him to Perth was a big step,' the insider added. They were later seen holding several bottles of alcohol and walking along the street, with Ben in a white singlet after removing his shirt According to Woman's Day magazine, Tiger Lily and Ben have been 'inseparable' and celebrated Christmas together In July, Tiger Lily made her feelings clear when she declared 'I love you' on an affectionate birthday post Ben made for her on Instagram Tiger Lily was previously romantically linked to Aussie musician Nick Allbrook, but the pair called it quits after six years in April last year. According to reports in 2020, Tiger Lily and her former partner were engaged after she was seen sporting a ring on her wedding finger. Tiger Lily was just 16 months old when her father Michael killed himself in a Sydney hotel room in 1997 at the age of 37. Her mother Paula overdosed on heroin at her home in Notting Hill, London, less than three years later. She was 41. The devastating circumstances that left Tiger Lily an orphan led to Paula's ex-husband Bob Geldof stepping in. He adopted Tiger Lily, and raised her as his daughter alongside his three daughters from his marriage to Paula; Peaches, who sadly passed away in 2014, Pixie and Fifi Trixibelle. According to the insider, Ben has 'completely swept her off her feet' and he's 'everything she wants in a man' Tiger Lily was last seen performing on stage in Perth at two separate venues in 2020, where she sang and played piano with a guitarist. Her life is a paradise of surfing, meditation and yoga a world away from the gritty celebrity scene enjoyed by her late parents. Born Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, she was always known as Tiger Lily but today prefers to use the name Heavenly. Film-maker Richard Lowenstein, who met with Tiger Lily in 2019, claims all she inherited from her rock star dad Michael Hutchence was an old guitar. The one thing she is, I believe, quite disturbed about is that there doesnt seem to be any legal acknowledgement or even financial acknowledgment that she is her fathers daughter. The entire estate has vanished,' he said. The couple are understood to have recently taken the next step in their relationship after Tiger Lily flew Ben to Perth to meet her family I was saying to her, Maybe its still going to come to you when youre 25, but she just stopped laughing and said that shes given up on that now. Its literally gone. Hutchences estate and his trust was controlled by his former lawyer, and Tiger Lilys godfather, Colin Diamond, who has said that Hutchences wealth was eaten up by partying, gifts and huge legal bills, meaning he died penniless. Lowenstein added: She met up with [him] and he handed her an envelope with 500 (AUD $900) in it and said: There you go, that will tide you over. I think Bob shook his head in horror and they both just walked out. Lowenstein said that he was pleased to have been able to give her an acoustic guitar which had belonged to her father, which left her incredibly thrilled. Tiger Lily was just 16 months old when her father Michael killed himself in a Sydney hotel room in 1997 at the age of 37 Rebecca and Chris Judd found themselves in an awkward position on Sunday as the pair were seated next to an ex bikie at the 2024 Australian Open. The WAG and her retired AFL player husband, both 40, looked uncomfortable sitting next to former Mongols chapter boss Toby Mitchell. Now an influencer and personal trainer, Toby, 50, was all smiles as he snapped a photo of himself sitting in $8,000 seats next to Melbourne's top socialites. Dressed in an extremely tight $1,060 Versace polo shirt, the ex bikie flaunted his numerous tattoos as Chris gave a tight smile for the Instagram photograph. Meanwhile, Bec appeared completely uninterested in the colourful guest and occupied herself with her mobile phone rather than posing for the snap. Rebecca (left) and Chris Judd (right), both 40, found themselves in a very awkward position on Sunday as the pair were seated next to former Mongols chapter boss Toby Mitchell (second right) at the 2024 Australian Open Bec appeared completely uninterested in the colourful guest Chris and Bec were gifted the incredible court-side seats as guests of Piper-Heidsieck. However the coveted seats can also be purchased by members of the public, with prices starting at $8000. Toby was the Victorian president of the Mongols before he was booted out of the club in April 2022. He has survived two attempts on his life, having been gunned down outside of Doherty's Gym in Brunswick in 2011. He was hit three times in the hip and back in the botched assassination attempt. Toby lost a kidney, his gall bladder and a section of his liver in the brazen attack, which to this day has never been solved. Chris and Bec were gifted the court-side seats as guests of Piper-Heidsieck, while Toby bought his way into the coveted viewing area. Pictured with influencer Tammy Hembrow In 2013, while still recovering from the Brunswick shooting, Toby was shot in a second attack. He was travelling to Melton to the Bandidos-affiliated Diablos' clubhouse, unaware a hit squad was on his tail. Gunman from two vehicles peppered Toby's car with bullets. Out of the 30 bullets police later found at the scene, just one had clipped Toby in the arm. Naomi Watts cheered on her husband Billy Crudup from the comfort of her couch as he won a Critics Choice Awards on in Los Angeles on Sunday. The 55-year-old took home the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on The Morning Show. The actress, who recently attended an afterparty at the Chateau Marmont, skipped the event but tuned in to watch with Mark Ruffalo's wife, Sunrise, 'We loved watching you @MarkRuffalo and Billy Crudup,' she wrote. Watts also added a short text graphic to her first post to express that she was 'so proud' of Crudup. The Mulholland Drive star wore a graphic-printed light gray crewneck sweater as she watched the awards show. Naomi Watts showed her support for her husband, Billy Crudup, as he attended the Critics Choice Awards from the comfort of her couch . She was joined by Mark Ruffalo's wife Sunrise She shared a snap of Billy accepting the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on The Morning Show Naomi and Billy are seen earlier this month The actress and the actor initially met in 2009, when they both took part in a charity event in New York City. At the time, Watts was romantically involved with Liev Schreiber, with whom she shares their children Sasha, 16, and Kai, 15. Crudup was formerly linked to Mary-Louise Parker, with whom he shares a son named William, 20, and he also dated Claire Danes. The actress split from her former partner in 2016, and she subsequently costarred with the Watchmen actor in the Netflix series Gypsy, which was released in 2017. The pair were reported to have begun a relationship in July of 2017, and they were first spotted in each other's company in February of 2018. The performers went on to make their red carpet debut during the 2022 SAG Awards. Watts and Crudup shocked many when they announced that they had tied the knot in June of last year. A source recently spoke to People and told the media outlet that the pair 'have a fun relationship...Naomi always smiles with Billy.' Watts and Crudup shocked many when they announced that they had tied the knot in June of last year; they are seen in 2022 The insider went on to speak about how the performers had quickly grown comfortable with one another. 'Their relationship is a love story. They have the most amazing chemistry. He makes Naomi laugh like no one else,' they said. The source then expressed that Watts was in good hands with the Hello Tomorrow! star. They stated that the actress 'deserves love and happiness. Billy has been so good to her. He's an amazing partner.' Rorie Buckey has revealed how she will be spending Valentine's Day with her boyfriend Robert Irwin. The 19-year-old told her Instagram followers she'll be enjoying a romantic dinner with her beau at his family's establishment Warrior Restaurant & Bar. Rorie shared a photo of the restaurant's post announcing its 3-course Valentine's Day dinner package. 'Valentine's Day at Warrior. See you there,' she wrote. Rorie is currently enjoying a romantic snow trip together with Robert in Canada. Rorie Buckey has revealed how she will be spending Valentine's Day with her boyfriend Robert Irwin On Sunday, the Wildlife Warrior, 20, took to Instagram to share photos and footage from his trip. In one photo, Robert can be seen posing alongside an oversized stuffed bear, dressed in winter gear. He also shared a video of him soaking up the scenic views of the snowy landscape, with snow-capped trees and mountains in the background. Another clip sees an excited Robert trying his luck at snowboarding down a mountain. Robert also shared candid moments of the couple taking a break, sipping on hot drinks, while huddled together in the cold. The 19-year-old revealed on Instagram, she'll be enjoying a romantic dinner with her beau at his family's establishment Warrior Restaurant & Bar Robert and Rorie went Instagram official in August, after months of rumours they were dating. Rorie reportedly completed an Irwin-approved 'wildlife warrior boot camp' before she and Robert became an official couple. Woman's Day claimed last month that Rorie had to win over the family by having a willingness to get out into nature. The pair are currently in a long-distance relationship, with Robert based at Australia Zoo in Queensland while Rorie is in Perth. It comes as Rorie is currently enjoying a romantic snow trip together with Robert in Canada Robert is also reportedly planning to pop the question to his girlfriend. According to New Idea magazine, he could propose when his girlfriend visits him in Africa while he films I'm A Celebrity. 'Everyone is convinced he is aiming to pop the question when they're in Africa,' an insider said. 'Robert is crazy about her and is planning something unforgettable when he formally proposes. They both know it is part of their plans so he's been dreaming up special ways to make it a surprise.' The source went on to say Robert and Rorie are taking their relationship 'very serious' and have been planning a future together. On Sunday, the wildlife warrior, 20, took to Instagram to share photos and footage from his trip Robert and Rorie, who is the niece of legendary Australian actor Heath Ledger, have plenty in common and both grew up in the public eye after suffering the devastating loss of a family member. Heath was at the top of his Hollywood career when he was found dead in January 2008 following an accidental prescription drug overdose. Robert's father Steve Irwin, known to the world as the 'Crocodile Hunter', died aged 44 on September 4, 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray. Robert also shared candid moments of the couple taking a break, sipping on hot drinks, while huddled together in the cold She is in Australia for the first time in four years to celebrate her health brand WelleCo's 10th anniversary and to show boyfriend Doyle Bramhall her hometown. But according to a new report, Elle Macpherson and her musician beau may also be Down Under to scope out wedding venues. New Idea reports that the couple, who have been dating for over a year, have their eye on Australia for a potential 'destination wedding'. 'Elle can't wait to be a bride again and she's found the perfect man in Doyle,' an 'insider' allegedly told the publication. 'They are crazy about each other. They're incredibly laidback and he's come along at the most perfect time in her life.' According to a new report, Elle Macpherson and her musician beau Doyle Bramhall are looking at wedding venues while they in Australia The source went on to say that 'Doyle's been completely swept away by the Aussie lifestyle'. While neither Elle, 59, or Doyle, 55, have confirmed an engagement, the supermodel is often seen with a thick gold ring around her left ring finger. Daily Mail Australia have reached out for comment. Whether the wedding rumours are true or not remains to be seen, but the couple appear to be having a blast in Australia either way. New Idea reports that the couple, who have been dating for over a year, have their eye on Australia for a potential 'destination wedding' They're have been spotted taking in Sydney's most beautiful sights together as Elle, nicknamed 'The Body' in 1989, gives the rocker a tour of her home. Elle and her partner, who previously dated Renee Zellweger, were seemingly swarmed by paparazzi last week as they headed into the Crown Sydney hotel. But the star was busted for staging her own shoot - with Married At First Sight villain Harrison Boon spotting the supermodel with the photographers outside the venue. 'Elle can't wait to be a bride again and she's found the perfect man in Doyle,' an 'insider' allegedly told the publication The reality star posted a video of Elle in action to his Instagram Stories, revealing she and her new boyfriend repeated their walk into the venue several times. 'They did this cringe walking in thing about 250 times no exaggeration,' Harrison wrote in his caption. Elle was photographed beaming at cameras as she held hands with Doyle on her way into Crown Sydney. In Harrison's video, she is seen circling and doubling back before approaching photographers a second time. Those whom the gods seek to destroy, they first make mad. Never hate your enemy. It affects your judgement. (Michael Corleone in The Godfather) On the morning of 12 January 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, launched a series of cruise missile and airstrikes against Yemen. The assault was announced in a blaze of publicity. It was presented to the public as an isolated action in response to alleged Houthi aggression against international shipping in the Red Sea. This is false on two counts. Firstly, the argument deliberately propagated by western propaganda, that the attack on Yemen was an isolated incident a flash of lightning from a clear blue sky is a deliberate lie. The fact of the matter is that there has been a spate of airstrikes carried out by the Americans and Israelis against targets in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria especially the last-named country in the last few weeks. But all this was kept shrouded in secrecy. The attack on Yemen was merely the culmination of these aggressive acts. Moreover, it forms part of a pattern of aggression that has not yet reached its ultimate target. There is another, even more blatant falsehood, namely, that this action had nothing in common with the Israeli attacks, which have resulted in over 23,000 mainly civilian deaths in Gaza. This point has been particularly emphasised by the British Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister, David Cameron, who accused Iran, which backs the Houthis, of being a malign actor in the region. Camerons comments are merely a pathetic echo of those of his boss in Washington. Lord Cameron is admirably equipped to play the role of the loyal manservant / Image: Number 10, Flickr Lord Cameron is admirably equipped to play the role of the loyal manservant. His upper-class accent and impeccable manners are a tolerable imitation of Reginald Jeeves, the butler in PG Wodehouses novels. That accurately represents the real role of British imperialism in the world today. Reduced to the position of a second-rate power, Britain is compelled to play the humiliating role of a servile manservant, faithfully following the orders of his master at every step. Since Joe Biden had already said that he would not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary, Camerons servile endorsement was completely superfluous. Nevertheless, the loyal butler hastens to say, Amen. And he, in turn, is immediately followed by the comically mis-named Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer. This lackey loses no time to pronounce the words which one has come to expect from the leader of the British Opposition: Me too. Some MPs timidly complained that they were unable to debate the air strikes before they occurred. But these pathetic whimpers were soon brushed aside by the deafening chorus of support for the warmongers. After all, what price is parliamentary democracy, when the interests of US imperialism are at stake? Nothing to do with Gaza? The argument that this attack has nothing to do with Gaza is a blatant lie. The Houthis have made it abundantly clear that their attacks on shipping were in response precisely to the Israeli massacre of civilians in Gaza, and that they will continue until medical and food aid is permitted to reach the battered and traumatised population of that unhappy region. All this has been ignored by the West, and this is no accident. Neither was it an accident that the USA did not see fit to go to the UN Security Council to ask for the green light to commence the bombing of what, after all, is supposed to be a sovereign nation. Joe Biden and his administration have acted as the conscious accomplices in what the South African government has characterised as an act of genocide / Image: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, Wikimedia Commons Ever since the start of Netanyahus bloody war on the people of Gaza, Joe Biden and his administration have acted as the conscious accomplices in what the South African government has characterised as an act of genocide. In the Security Council, the Americans have consistently vetoed every attempt to impose a ceasefire upon Israel. That is the reason why on this occasion they avoided a veto on their own act of aggression against Yemen by the simple expedient of ignoring both the toothless United Nations and what is laughingly referred to as international law. Bidens blindness There have been many times in world history when events have spiralled out of control because of miscalculations on the part of rulers and governments. And the present regime in Washington is characterised by a degree of shortsightedness and ignorance that is astonishing, even by recent American standards. Joe Biden has consistently revealed himself to be a man who lacks the slightest grasp of the niceties of international policy and diplomacy. He is blinded by the delusion that America enjoys such overwhelming economic and military power that it can afford to ignore such details, relying exclusively on naked force to impose its will on the rest of the world. It is true that America remains by far the richest and most powerful nation on earth. But this power is by no means unlimited, and its limitations are being cruelly exposed by every passing day. Biden is a sad remnant of the era of the Cold War, when the USA was confronted by the power of the Soviet Union. With the collapse of that power, a section of the American ruling clique was captivated by the illusion that the United States, as the sole remaining superpower, could impose its will on everybody else without much difficulty. At that time, the former Soviet Union was in a state of prostration, unable to assert itself on the world stage and led by the likes of Boris Yeltsin, a drunken comedian who behaved like a servile lackey, always ready to dance to Washingtons tune, like one of the dancing bears in an old Russian fairground. But history moves on and much has changed since those days. Russia today is no longer weak and impotent. True, it is a capitalist country run by a voracious and corrupt oligarchy with a gangster standing at its head. But weak and defenceless it certainly is not. The Kyiv regime and its backers in NATO have been defeated / Image: The White House, Wikimedia Commons The Americans already had a lesson in that respect in Syria, where they suffered a humiliating defeat. But they do not seem to have drawn the necessary conclusions from that experience. They deliberately pushed Ukraine into a senseless war with Russia, which could easily have been avoided had they accepted the fact that Ukraine could not join NATO. Instead, they encouraged Zelensky to engage in a conflict that he could never win. Now the result is clear to everybody. The Kyiv regime and its backers in NATO have been defeated. The continuation of this bloody conflict can only mean further terrible destruction and deaths on a vast scale. But the end result is inevitable. Yet Joe Biden and his clique are hell-bent on fighting to the last drop of Ukrainian blood. Bidens policy is not driven by logic but by obsessions and hatreds that he has carried over from the Cold War. This is very clear every time he speaks about Putin. He seems incapable even of pronouncing the name without spitting. For Joe, the whole thing has become personal. But this is hardly the way in which foreign policy is conducted. Mr Biden could do a lot worse than following the advice of the Mafia Godfather Don Corleone, who admonished one of his followers with the words: Dont hate your enemy. It can affect your judgement. This is quite an accurate assessment of the stupid way in which foreign policy has been conducted in Washington for quite some time now. The Americans have shown a complete inability to accurately judge the character, competence and intelligence of their opponents on a world scale. But to underestimate the enemy is always a bad policy. Ever since the beginning of the Ukrainian war, western propaganda has consistently underestimated the ability of Russia to wage war, while systematically exaggerating the fighting potential of the Ukrainians. The result of this foolishness is now clear for all to see. What next? Instead of learning from their mistake in Ukraine, they are now repeating it, on a far bigger, and potentially more disastrous scale in the Middle East. The declared aim of Washington, in excusing their military intervention in the region, has consistently been to prevent an extension of the conflict in Gaza. But the latest action has exposed this claim as entirely hollow. Let us follow the facts of the case, and see where this leads us. The Houthis are a very formidable enemy: a well-disciplined, tough and battle-hardened force / Image: public domain The Americans have boasted about the devastating results of the air attacks that were alleged to have hit numerous targets in Yemen with missiles and bombs. But what effect will this raid have in practice? Will it serve to deter the Houthis from carrying out further attacks on shipping? The answer was delivered immediately in a defiant reply by the Houthi militia leader, who threatened a strong and effective response. The Americans clearly imagined that the Houthis would be a relatively easy target. This was a very bad mistake on their part. The Houthis are a very formidable enemy: a well-disciplined, tough and battle-hardened force that has been involved in constant fighting for decades. For the past nine years, they have stood fast against the Saudi Air Force, armed and equipped by the Americans with the most up-to-date planes and missiles. The Saudis have repeatedly bombed their bases and massacred huge numbers of civilians, both with bullets and bombs, and also by a deliberate policy of starving them to death through a savage policy of economic blockade. Yet in spite of all this, the Houthis continued to fight on, defeating the enemies and winning control over the north west of the country, including its capital Sana'a. Such a determined force is not likely to be deterred from pursuing its objectives by a few American and British bombs and missiles. The Houthis clearly have the support of the mass of the population. This was amply demonstrated by the huge demonstration of hundreds of thousands of angry Yemenis that followed the attack by US and British forces. The idea that an aerial bombardment could somehow intimidate these people was obviously based on a serious miscalculation. The result has been the opposite to what was intended: to stir up the masses and to harden the resolve of the leaders, who have sworn to take revenge on the aggressors. What form will this revenge take? Attacks on US military bases and installations throughout the region? That is inevitable. Attacks on US and British warships? It is hard to say, but it seems doubtful that the Houthis possess sufficient military skills or equipment to do this with any degree of success. But further attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea? That is an entirely different matter. These attacks are well within the capability of the Houthis, as we have seen. They will naturally continue, and even be intensified. The United States has carried out other strikes in Yemen, further ratcheting up tensions and bringing the risk of a wider extension of the war ever closer. But no amount of aerial bombardment can prevent the Houthis from disrupting shipping in the Red Sea. In a very short space of time, the complete futility of these attacks will stand exposed. The US will appear to be weak and impotent in the face of a poor and backward country. So, what then? The United States has carried out other strikes in Yemen, further ratcheting up tensions / Image: public domain This brings us to the heart of the matter. The real target is not Yemen, or Lebanon, or Syria, or Iraq. It is Iran, which the American imperialists have considered for a long time to be the source of all their problems in the Middle East. It is no accident that they persist in referring to the Houthis as mere proxies of Iran. They constantly repeat the argument that behind their actions lies the hidden hand of Teheran. While it is true that Iran supports the Houthis, it by no means follows that the latter are mere proxies, or that Teheran can order them to do whatever it decides. Even if they wanted to exercise pressure, the aggressive actions of Israel and the United States in Gaza provides them with absolutely no reason to do so. Nevertheless, the United States and its allies continue to point the finger of blame at Teheran. This cannot be an accident. The stage is being systematically prepared for aggressive actions against Iran, which would have the most serious consequences throughout the Middle East and beyond. It may be argued that the consequences of such an action for US imperialism would be extremely serious. It would inevitably lead to attacks against every US base in the region, as well as oilfields, businesses and other American interests. All this is true, and there must be opposition to such a move in Washington possibly even from elements in the Pentagon itself. But this does not at all mean that such an action is ruled out. Although they are currently bogged down in a fatal quagmire in Ukraine, which has severely sapped their resources and reduced their military stockpiles to dangerously low levels, they are now preparing to land themselves in an even bigger mess. The attack on Yemen has further inflamed the anger of the masses in every country of the region. This angry mood was sufficiently inflamed even before this. But now the whole region is a huge powder keg, waiting to explode. Other countries are already getting drawn into the fray: Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. But there is no longer a single stable regime in the whole region. Lord Cameron cautioned it is hard to remember a more unstable, dangerous and uncertain world. He is not wrong. But by their actions, British and American imperialism are busy throwing fuel on the fire. The people of the Middle East and the entire world will ultimately pay the price. Former Hi-5 star Courtney Clarke has joined the cast of Home and Away. The Australian actress, who currently appears on the Paramount+ series Paper Dolls, is set to to move into the fictional town of Summer Bay in the coming weeks. According to 7News, Clarke has been working close with Ada Nicodemou, James Stewart and Matt Evans and was welcomed with open arms on set. 'I remember having no idea how the ship ran because it's such a longstanding show, there are all sorts of things regarding how they shoot,' she told the publication. 'Ada was great, she was cracking jokes between every take and I remember thinking that she seemed so relaxed.' Former Hi-5 star Courtney Clarke has joined the cast of Home and Away. The Australian actress is set to to move into the fictional town of Summer Bay in the coming weeks 'It wasn't until we got in the car to travel back from a shoot that I realised she was doing it all to make me feel comfortable,' continued Courtney. When asked to dish some gossip about her character, the Paper Dolls star remained tight-lipped. Courtney made headlines back in October, when it was revealed she was dating former Home and Away bad boy Lincoln Younes. Courtney made headlines back in October, when it was revealed she was dating former Home and Away bad boy Lincoln Younes (right) The couple were photographed holding hands together in April and have been seeing each other quietly. Lincoln and Courtney are understood to have met last year while filming the Paramount+ biopic, Last King of The Cross. Lincoln plays the lead role of John Ibrahim in the series. The 10-part series tells the story of brothers John and Sam Ibrahim, who are prominent figures in the Kings Cross nightclub district. Ryan Gosling gave the sweetest shoutout to his longtime love, Eva Mendes, and their two daughters at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Saturday. As he accepted the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, the La La Land star, 43, reflected on meeting the actress, 49, on set of The Place Beyond the Pines while costarring as love interests Romina and Luke. While alluding to the gritty drama that brought them together in 2011, the Barbie actor gushed about how landing the role ultimately led him to meet his soul mate. 'Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children,' Golden Globe winner said. He continued: 'I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream.' Ryan Gosling gave the sweetest shoutout to his longtime love, Eva Mendes, and their two daughters at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Saturday night Gosling adorably went on to say that he was 'not prepared' to receive the honor, which has only been bestowed to 15 other people. 'It's hard to imagine being at a point in my career where I'm standing up here tonight,' Gosling said. '... It's just that it's Kirk Douglas. He's one of the first true icons of cinema ... he is completely and utterly in the class of his own, and I'm just Ken?' Gosling added: 'Up until this point, I've only ever thought about just how much cinema had done for me. I had never really thought about what I've done for cinema, as far back as I can remember.' The father-of-two went on to credit his mother, Donna, for finding his 'weak spot' in acting as a child and homeschooling him for a year to show him 'how to create' his 'own story.' 'That open door wasn't an elevator that went straight to the top, but I was able to help my mom pay the rent. And by playing other people, I was learning who I was in the process,' Gosling recalled. While speaking about Barbier director, Greta Gerwig, Gosling marveled at how she 'never let the importance' of their film 'cloud what was truly important.' 'Even though she was making one of the biggest films of all time against all the odds in the world, she never allowed the weight of the task to steal the joy away from the moment,' he praised. Gosling also acknowledged his early influences in film, from actors Charlton Heston, Yul Brenner, Goldie Hawn, to directors Cecil B. DeMille, Garry Marshall, and Stanley Kubrick. As he accepted the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, the Golden Globe winner reflected on meeting the actress, 43, on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines (seen in 2013) Pictured while costarring as love interests Romina and Luke in their gritty drama, which was released in 2012 Gosling's remarks about his partner and their family come after talking about taking time away from the spotlight following the birth of their second child. 'I wanted to spend as much time as I could with them,' he told GQ's Global Summer issue in March of his decision to prioritize time with his children and Mendes over work. Gosling, a former Disney star, embarked on a relationship with Mendes, 49, after the pair played troubled lovers in critically acclaimed 2012 drama The Place Beyond The Pines. The role served as a personal turning point for Gosling, and he admits the prospect of parenthood didn't cross his mind until he met the Latina actress, who is seven-years his senior. 'I wasn't thinking about kids before I met her, but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn't want to have kids without her,' he recalled. 'And there were moments on The Place Beyond the Pines where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn't really want it to be pretend anymore. I realized that this would be a life I would be really lucky to have.' The couple's first child, Esmeralda, was born in 2014, with Amada following two years later as Gosling's career reached a mainstream peak with starring roles in musical epic La La Land and comedy crime drama The Nice Guys. The following year he would play legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong in biopic First Man before sidelining his career to spend more time with his family - a decision that he admits changed his attitude towards work. 'I dreamed of one day making movies, and now, movies have made my life a dream,' he gushed (seen in 2012) 'I treat it more like work now, and not like it's, you know, therapy,' he said. 'It's a job, and I think in a way that allows me to be better at it because there's less interference.' Back in 2020, she explained to her fans on Instagram that she's 'always had a clear boundary when it comes to' posting about her 'man' and kids. 'I'll talk about them of course, with limits, but I won't post pictures of our daily life,' she made clear. The couple have never confirmed that they are married, but she has a tattoo on her wrist that says 'de Gosling' and referred to him as her husband during an interview on Today Australia. Over the summer, Gosling said it meant 'everything' to him to have Mendes' support. Lisa Wilkinson was making the most of the summer on Monday. The television star stepped out at Newport in Sydney's Northern Beaches kitted out in a wetsuit. The 64-year-old showed off her youthful figure as she took a refreshing dip in an ocean pool. Lisa went makeup free for the swim, and emerged from the water looking relaxed and cheerful. She later donned a straw hat and sunglasses and dried herself with a blue and white striped towel. Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) was making the most of the summer on Monday The television star stepped out at Newport in Sydney's Northern Beaches Lisa stayed sun safe and was kitted out in a wetsuit It comes after Lisa bid farewell to 2023 with an emotional message. The television personality shared a smiling selfie to Instagram on New Year's Eve along with a cheerful caption. 'Farewell 2023. Wishing you all a new year filled with abundant love, peace, and the warm embrace of all those who mean the most to you,' she wrote. It comes after news that Lisa wants to make a return to TV screens following months of inaction and five tedious weeks spent in a courtroom, sources say. The 64-year-old showed off her youthful figure as she took a refreshing dip in an ocean pool Lisa went makeup free for the swim and had her dark hair down She emerged from the water looking relaxed and cheerful It comes after Lisa bid farewell to 2023 with an emotional message The television personality shared a smiling selfie to Instagram on New Year's Eve along with a cheerful caption 'Farewell 2023. Wishing you all a new year filled with abundant love, peace, and the warm embrace of all those who mean the most to you,' she wrote It's recently been claimed that Lisa wants to make a return to TV screens following months of inaction and five tedious weeks spent in a courtroom, sources say The Channel 10 star and former darling of breakfast TV is keen to get back to delivering more 'blockbuster interviews' in the New Year, friends told the Weekend Australian. Wilkinson quit The Project last November and despite remaining on the Ten payroll until the end of 2024, she hasn't appeared on the channel for 13 months. Despite her lengthy hiatus from the network, Wilkinson has remained in the public eye through her role in a highly-publicised defamation trial. Bruce Lehrmann is suing Network 10 and Wilkinson over an interview with Brittany Higgins that was broadcast on The Project and online. The Channel 10 star and former darling of breakfast TV is keen to get back to delivering more 'blockbuster interviews' in the New Year, friends told the Weekend Australian Wilkinson quit The Project last November and despite remaining on the Ten payroll until the end of 2024, she hasn't appeared on the channel for 13 months Despite her lengthy hiatus from the network, Wilkinson has remained in the public eye through her role in a highly-publicised defamation trial Bruce Lehrmann is suing Network 10 and Wilkinson over an interview with Brittany Higgins that was broadcast on The Project and online Friends of Wilkinson say her court appearances have played in her favour by giving the TV star 'a constant stream of publicity' 'Yes, she's been off air for a while but I don't think anyone will have forgotten her,' former Seven and Nine executive Peter Meakin told the Weekend Australian Network Ten maintains they are in talks to develop 'other projects' with Wilkinson In the final five weeks of the court's sitting year the defamation case has played out before the court. Justice Lee has reserved his decision in the matter. Friends of Wilkinson say her court appearances have played in her favour by giving the TV star 'a constant stream of publicity'. 'Yes, she's been off air for a while but I don't think anyone will have forgotten her,' former Seven and Nine executive Peter Meakin told the Weekend Australian. 'I'm sure her loyal followers will remain loyal.' Channel Ten, which is owned by Paramount, unveiled its 2024 content line-up at its Upfronts event last week and Wilkinson was not featured. Network Ten maintains they are in talks to develop 'other projects' with Wilkinson. She later donned a straw hat and sunglasses and dried herself with a blue and white striped towel Lisa carried a pair of white sneakers in her hand Chloe Brockett has been banned from a trip to Bali after causing an explosive feud with her TOWIE cast members. The Only Way Is Essex star, 23, who was suspended from the ITVBe reality show last year after she was violent towards two co-stars, is said to be 'gutted' to be missing out. ITV bosses reportedly do not 'trust' the TV personality which is why they have excluded her from the filming trip in Bali, which will air in March. A source told The Sun: 'Chloe Brockett hasn't been invited to join the rest of the cast when they film their group trip to Bali to kick off the new series in March. 'Bosses toyed with the idea, as they know she makes good telly, but ultimately they didn't feel they could trust her not to misbehave and they couldn't risk anything derailing things while they are filming in an expensive overseas location.' Chloe Brockett has been banned from a trip to Bali after causing an explosive feud with her TOWIE cast members The Only Way Is Essex star, 23, is said to be 'gutted' to be missing out from the lavish trip as ITV bosses reportedly do not 'trust' her following her past behaviour Chloe's future on the series is 'still up in the air' after her suspension and she is 'hoping to be invited back' when the cast return to filming in Essex. The source continued: 'Execs still haven't made the final decision on whether she will return. 'She may well show up later in the series, but she will definitely not be heading to the Indonesian island with her pals. Chloe's gutted, but she's just hoping she'll be invited back once filming resumes in Essex.' Chloe was suspended from TOWIE last year after she allegedly threw three tumbler glasses at her co-star Roman Hackett during a heated argument while filming in Essex. At the time, the cast of the ITV series were said to have been 'appalled' by Chloe's behaviour and called for her to be axed from the show permanently. A TOWIE spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline at the time: 'Chloe Brockett will not be returning to filming for the remainder of the series.' 'Most of the cast are absolutely appalled by Chloe's behaviour and do not believe she should be allowed to come back,' a source told The Sun. 'They are grouping together and discussing how they will not shoot scenes with her in the future and want her to be axed from the show for good.' Chloe was suspended from TOWIE last year after she allegedly threw three tumbler glasses at Roman Hackett during a heated argument while filming in Essex A source said: 'Bosses toyed with the idea, as they know she makes good telly, but ultimately they didn't feel they could trust her not to misbehave' The source added: 'They believe it's a bad look for the show to allow someone back into the cast with a history of violence and, to be frank, the majority of them wouldn't feel safe filming with her in the future. If she can do this twice, they believe she is capable of it again.' Chloe was said to have apologised to Roman after the incident. It wasn't the first time Chloe had lost her temper after she threw an ice bucket at co-star Ella Rae Wise in April 2022. Chloe launched a Grey Goose cooler at Ella during an argument, however she missed and instead hit Rem Larue's cousin in the face, leaving her bleeding. The injured woman then had to be held back by other partygoers as she seethed with anger and attempted to reach the reality star. After flying off the handle Chloe was pinned to the ground by security to diffuse the situation. Kyle Sandilands has poached one of The Project's most prized employees. The radio host announced on The Kyle and Jackie O show that he had obtained the Channel Ten show's guest booker, Kirsten Maree. Kristen has consistently brought massive names to The Project, including The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith, Billie Eilish, the Kardashians, Lizzo, Dolly Parton, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran. Kyle said on Monday's show that he was waiting to make the announcement until he had secured 'the right person'. He admitted however that while he is no fan of The Project, he admired the A-list bookings Kristen was able to secure. Kyle Sandilands has poached one of The Project's most prized employees. Pictured with co-host Jackie 'O' Henderson 'You know how I hate The Project only because of the woke bulls**t,' Kyle said. '[But] we've stolen her from The Project. She was the guest booker. And let me tell you if The Project did anything right... Kyle then introduced Kristen and said he had already given her a difficult task - booking Jennifer Lopez, AKA JLo. 'I was hoping to have JLo on day one!' a very perky Kristen said. The radio host announced on The Kyle and Jackie O show that he had obtained the Channel Ten show's guest booker, Kirsten Maree (pictured) Kyle then confessed that he refused to get up early on a Saturday to actually do the interview with Jennifer and the interview was 'on pause'. The shock jock has unleased tirades about The Project in the past. Last year, he unleashed a torrent of abuse against Steve Price over The Project star's sneer at his move into the Melbourne market. Price, 68, called Sandilands, 52, a 'grubby buffoon' on The Project after the radio star and Jackie 'O' signed a historic 10-year $200million deal with KIIS FM. Sandilands responded with an astonishing spray at the media veteran calling him 'a gronk' and 'a piece of s**t'. Kyle left an expletive-filled voicemail for Price during the show, beginning the rant: 'Hey you piece of s**t, we've spoken before, last night you forgot that you're not allowed to mouth off about me.' He went on to tell Price his comments were 'disappointing' and told him to 'feel free to play this [voicemail] on tonight's Project.' It was recently confirmed that Robert Irwin would be joining Julia Morris as co-host on the new season of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! after Chris Brown quit. And on Monday, Channel 10 didn't hold back as they introduced the wildlife warrior as the new co-host in a campy all-singing, all dancing first-look trailer. The trailer begins with Julia sitting on a golden throne in the jungle on the phone with a list of requirements on what her new co-host must meet. 'Haha, yes... well he has to be blond and funny, actually an interest in animals might be refreshing,' she teases while smirking at the camera. The 20-year-old is then seen channeling his inner Tarzan as he swings into shot. Channel 10 didn't hold back as they introduced Robert Irwin as the new co-host of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in a campy all-singing, all dancing first-look teaser The trailer begins with Julia Morris sitting on a golden throne in the jungle on the phone with a list of requirements on what her new co-host must meet 'Did somebody say wildlife expert?' he asks, while holding a plush crocodile. 'Just think of what we could do, Remember I was born in Australia Zoo, I may be only 20, But I come from wildlife royalty,' he then sings. 'I speak snake, and I speak spiders. I've had my shots for hepatitis,' he goes on before flaunting his biceps. The 20-year-old is then seen channeling his inner Tarzan as he swings into shot 'Did somebody say wildlife expert?' he asks, while holding a plush crocodile The wildlife warrior is then seen breaking into song and dance 'I've got bloody truckloads of enthusiasm,' he continues, to which a reluctant Julia says, 'We're going to have to do something about that fashion'. Irwin's khaki outfit then transforms into a dapper blue suit. 'This is where I'm meant to be, this job is my destiny,' he concludes before Morris finally caves in and says, 'You had me at wildlife'. 'Just think of what we could do, Remember I was born in Australia Zoo, I may be only 20, But I come from wildlife royalty,' he then sings 'I speak snake, and I speak spiders. I've had my shots for hepatitis,' he goes on before flaunting his bicep 'I've got bloody truckloads of enthusiasm,' he continues, to which a reluctant Julia says, 'We're going to have to do something about that fashion' Irwin's khaki outfit then transforms into a dapper blue suit The wildlife warrior star then begins to breakdance while crowds cheer on 'This is where I'm meant to be, this job is my destiny,' he concludes before Morris finally caves in and says, 'You had me at wildlife' Back in October, Daily Mail Australia revealed that the wildlife warrior is set to pocket almost half a million dollars for his month-and-a-half-long foray into the wilds of South Africa. According to a well placed source at Channel 10, Irwin 'will earn over $430,000' from his six-week stint in the jungle, and they think he will be 'worth every cent'. Given Robert's magnetic appeal and the adoration he commands from fans around the globe, the investment is poised to pay off handsomely for the network. 'His pairing with the witty and ever-entertaining Julia [Morris] has all the makings of a dynamic duo, promising viewers an unforgettable experience,' said the source. I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! returns to TV on March 27 on Channel 10. John Bercow has claimed his background in British politics has left him well versed in 'backstabbing' and 'deception' on the US version of The Traitors. The former Speaker of the House of Commons and member of Parliament bragged about his skills to other contestants on the latest series of the hit reality show over the pond. The 60-year-old, who resigned as Speaker in 2019 and has since been embroiled in a bullying row over his treatment of staff while in Parliament, has described himself on the show as a 'retired politician'. While Mr Bercow has not been chosen as one of the eponymous 'Traitors' on the programme, he has generated suspicion from some of his fellow contestants after suffering 'breathing difficulties' which he blamed on asthma. He is not the only familiar face on the US version of the hit BBC show, with Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu also taking part at the programme, which is filmed at the same Scottish castle as the UK version. John Bercow, pictured here on Season 2 of the US version of The Traitors, has boasted his background in politics has left him with 'a knack for detecting who is trying to lie' Mr Bercow, pictured here blindfolded with his fellow contestants, said he is well versed in 'backstabbing' and 'deception' The controversial former Speaker, who has been branded a 'serial bully' by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, introduced himself to a US audience in recent weeks. READ MORE HERE: The Traitors' Anthony SCREAMS and falls off his chair after learning the identities of the three traitors following his shock banishment Advertisement In the first episode when the contestants introduced themselves, he was asked by Johnny Bananas, known for The Challenge, 'You were a member of Parliament?' Mr Bercow admitted he was and when the show cut to his confession, he said: 'I'm a retired politician. 'Backstabbing, deception are all parts of the politician's life. 'Over the years, I've developed a knack for detecting who, frankly, is trying to deceive, to cheat, for material gain.' He was also seen belting out the word 'order' in a scene reminiscent of his time in Parliament, much to the amusement of his fellow contestants. In one clip the former MP is seen taking a tumble a a group of competitors run through the castle grounds, while in another he declares he is 'girding my loins for battle'. The premise of the show is showcasing celebrities competing for a prize. People are randomly, and secretly, selected as 'traitors' and it is up to the rest of the contestants to work together to figure out who they are. If any traitors make it to the end of the show, the faithful members lose out while the 'evil' competitors win all. Mr Bercow, pictured here with fellow contestant Phaedra Parks on the show, has already raised suspicions of some participants Mr Bercow admitted he was a former UK politician and later in his confession revealed it could help him in the competition The former Speaker, pictured here between Peter Weber and Janelle Pierzina, has not been selected as a traitor Mr Bercow was not chosen as a traitor, but instead, Dan Gheesling from Big Brother, Phaedra Parks from The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Parvati Shallow from Survivor were selected. But Mr Bercow generated suspicion from his other contestants with Big Brother's Janelle Pierzina grilling him at one point. He was called out because he was having 'breathing difficulties' but the former Speaker said he was just asthmatic. READ MORE HERE: Claudia Winkleman 'is tipped as a future replacement for Graham Norton after filming secret chat show pilot' Advertisement Janelle said to Johnny Bananas and Phaedra Parks: 'I was sitting next to that John guy and he starts hyperventilating. 'It was not asthma. I'm asthmatic, too.' Janelle also said if she died it would be Mr Bercow who did it because she called him out publicly. She said: 'If I get murdered tonight, it's because I'm the only one sitting next to him that heard that. 'I'm telling you guys right now. Like, if I'm gone, you have to vanish him.' Mr Bercow defended himself and insisted that all their votes should be based on real evidence. Later in the show, the vast majority of the players picked trans-star Peppermint - who appeared on Ru Paul's Drag Race - as their choice for traitor. But some voted for Mr Bercow and The Challenge star Trishella Cannatella. None of the contestants who were accused were actually selected as a traitor. Peppermint was voted off and some the contestants complained about feeling 'guilty', especially Trishella who helped get the Drag Race star removed with her accusations. Mr Bercow high fives Mercedes 'MJ' Javid as heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder exits a vehicle Participants on the second season of the US version of The Traitors stand on the steps of Ardross Castle in Scotland How far Bercow goes in the show remains to be seen, as he continues his post-Parliamentary career. It was revealed last year that he could have made more than 25,000 selling personalised messages on video chat platform Cameo, with some people paying up to 83 for a message from him. Mr Bercow, who has been shameless in shouting his 'Order' catchphrase for private profit, was permanently barred from getting a pass for the parliamentary estate last month after an investigation into bullying while he was speaker. READ MORE HERE: Where is The Traitors season 2 filmed? The idyllic UK location and home of the BBC reality show hosted by Claudia Winkleman that fans can rent for ONE milestone occasion revealed Advertisement He refused to say sorry to the victims of his bulling and insisted he had been stitched up by the Establishment because he was a Parliamentary 'reformer'. The ex-Commons Speaker was censured for mistreating staff during his decade-long tenure, including explosive tantrums and rages. But rather than apologising he painted himself as the victim in an 800-word diatribe sent to reporters. The 59-year-old blasted the findings of a report by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and an Independent Expert Panel that recommended he be barred from Parliament. He described it as a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'. And he vowed to circumvent the ban, saying he would continue to attend 'with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public'. Asked on BBC Radio 4's The World At One in March 2022 if he had apologised to three former aides for making their work life a misery, he said: 'No I most certainly haven't, because, very simply, I don't believe in faux apologies. I didn't bully anyone. 'I absolutely accept that under the system passed by the house, the IEP has a right to make a decision. But I do not have to accept that its decision is right. It isn't, I don't. And for that reason I am most certainly not apologising. Kathryn Stone, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, upheld 21 out of 35 counts brought by Lord Lisvane (left), the former clerk of the Commons, and former private secretaries Kate Emms (right) and Angus Sinclair In an astonishing 800-word rant, Mr Bercow (pictured with wife Sally in 2019) blasted the decision, saying it was a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'. 'I fought for change, I was a consistent reformer. I drove through a programme of innovation in the chamber, across the parliamentary estate and in our relations with civil society. I didn't bully anyone and no court other than a kangaroo court would find that I did.' In a report published this morning, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, found him guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019. Among his tyrannical behaviour were episodes where he threw a mobile phone so that it shattered over a secretary, and berated another by calling them 'f*****g stupid'. In another tirade the now 59-year-old, once branded a 'stupid, sanctimonious dwarf' by a minister, was described as 'physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping'. Parts of the story are loosely inspired by the author's own childhood experiences Pipped to become Netflix's most successful Australian series to date, Boy Swallows Universe has become a hit among streamers since its release this month. Adapted from Trent Dalton's iconic novel, Boy Swallows Universe is an extraordinary tale that explores the trials and tribulations of two brothers - Eli and August - who grow up in 1980s suburban Brisbane. The seven part series was released in full on January 11, and plenty of the platform's subscribers have already binged their way through all seven-plus hours - hailing the show as 'beautiful and brilliant.' Staying true to its Aussie roots, the series stars an A-List lineup of Australian actors, including Phoebe Tonkin as Frances Bell, Eli's mother, and Vikings star, Travis Fimmel, as her drug-dealing partner Lyle Orlik. The troubled tale first tugged at the heartstrings of many Australians when the book was released in 2018 - with particular elements of the story revealed to be loosely inspired by some of the author's very own childhood experiences. Adapted from Trent Dalton's iconic novel, Boy Swallows Universe is an extraordinary tale that explores the trials and tribulations of two brothers who grow up in 1980s suburban Brisbane Trent Dalton (L) and Felix Cameron (R), who plays Eli Bell, pose for photographs during the Netflix global premiere of Boy Swallows Universe on January 09 2024 in Brisbane, Australia (Photo: Getty) READ MORE: Phoebe Tonkin turns heads in a stunning gown at the Boy Swallows Universe premiere alongside Travis Fimmel and Simon Baker Advertisement Speaking to the Townsville Bulletin in July 2018, Trent recalled that he himself grew up with two unconventional male role models. One was his criminal stepfather, and the second was a family friend, Arthur "Slim" Halliday, who was a convicted killer and prison escapee notoriously known as 'The Houdini of Boggo Road.' Describing his stepfather as the 'first man I ever truly loved,' Trent, as a boy, would look up to the man he called 'Dad' - despite his shady, dark doings as a criminal. Trent would often ask his stepfather with burning curiosity about his associates, but was told that he would only find out once he had turned a particular age. However, when his stepfather was taken away by police, the novelist began to funnel his desire to find out more about his father figure's secret life into writing a book, based on 'answers that never came.' Dubbed 'Houdini,' Arthur Halliday became notorious for escaping prison twice in the 1940s and his later conviction in 1952 for murdering a taxi driver on the Gold Coast by beating him with a pistol. As a young boy, Trent was unfazed by his past, describing the family friend as the 'funniest, kindest old bloke.' Now a contented suburban grandmother in her late 60s, the author's fiercest love was for the woman once entangled in that dark and violent world - his mother. Author Trent Dalston revealed that he grew up with two unconventional male role models: his criminal stepfather and a family friend who was a convicted killer The author's fiercest love was for the woman once entangled in that dark and violent world - his mother, starring Phoebe Tonkin as the fictional Frances Bell in the Netflix show Trent's three real-life older brothers, Joel, Ben and Jesse, have been merged into one older brother in the show: August Bell, who does not speak and writes prophetic messages in the air READ MORE: Travis Fimmel looks VERY different to his days as a Calvin Klein model as he sports shaggy beard and 80s attire while filming Boy Swallows Universe Advertisement Trent said: 'She inspired the character Frankie Bell and I don't have enough words in the book to go on about all the things my mum survived, things that other people would have succumbed to.' Meanwhile, Trent's three older brothers, Joel, Ben and Jesse, have been merged into one fictional older brother in Boy Swallows Universe: August Bell, who does not speak and writes prophetic messages in the air. But there were also elements in the show where the novelist has created situations that did not actually occur to add something unique. For example, the retro red telephone that features in a number of pivotal scenes Eli and August's house is one of the mystical touches in the novel and TV series - but the author explains it encompasses many true events that lead the story's plot. He told the Bulletin: 'Across a period of about 15 years, I kind of saw a mess of drug abuse, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and anxiety. All I'm doing in the 407 pages is fantasising about who's on the end of that phone line.' Netflix fans have called for a second season of a new crime drama after its January 11 release. Polish thriller Forst has been hailed a 'must-watch', with viewers to the streaming giant saying a second season 'must happen' after the 'craziest cliff-hanger' ending. Detective Forst is a tale of the titular character's maverick approach to investigating a brutal murder, which sees him taken off the case. After he is suspended, he takes the matter to a journalist to continue the investigation. One review of the show on X, formerly known as Twitter, read: 'The antagonist (actor Borys Szyc) is the superstar of this series: a classic, brooding male detective type that we see in many crime dramas, but this title character really works much better than we expected. An absolute must-watch!' Netflix fans have called for a second season of new crime drama Forsrt after its January 11 release (Detective Forst played by Borys Szyc, pictured) Viewers described the six-part series as 'must-watch' and demanded a second season Wiktor Forst and his and his unlikely colleague Olga Szrebska [Zuzanna Saporznikow] try to uncover the murderer by casting an eye on previous unsolved killings, but with the detective also on the wrong side of the law, there is plenty of jeopardy. The ending left many eager for a sequel with other viewers writing: 'Actually really enjoyed #detectiveforst wasn't expecting that ending will there be a season 2?... 'I just watched #detectiveForst on #Netflix and I really need to talk about the ending which is crazy!!! Please tell me there will be a season 2... 'Just watched Detective Forst on Netflix. Lawddd, they know how to do murder series... ' Idk if I can handle detective forst on Netflix. Ooo lord... 'How is #detectiveforst not trending?' The six-part show was based on six books telling the story of the title character by Remigiusz Mroz, so perhaps there is inspiration already for a second season of the Netflix original series. The author, 36, is certainly involved in the series, credited as a writer but also having made a cameo in the series as the original victim - only seen as a corpse. Jacqueline Jossa showcased her sensational figure in a ribbed taupe lounge co-ord as she posed up a storm in a park for a photoshoot on Monday. The actress, turned heads in the off the shoulder long sleeved top which she teamed with a pair of matching wide legged trousers. Jacqueline, who recently revealed she has been in therapy for the past 14 years in a bid to deal with her crippling anxiety, flashed her toned abs as she lifted her top. She looked incredible in the cosy number as she let her long brunette waves tresses fall over her one shoulder. The EastEnders actress, who recently returned to her role as Lauren Branning, seemed in high spirits as a pal snapped pictures on an iPhone while someone else held up a light. Jacqueline Jossa showcased her sensational figure in a ribbed taupe lounge co-ord as she posed up a storm in a park for a photo shoot on Monday The actress, turned heads in the off the shoulder long sleeved top which she teamed with a pair of matching wide legged trousers Jacqueline later slipped into a stylish black co-ord which matched the previous one she was wearing. The mother-of-two donned a pair of white slip on fluffy shoes with the tracksuit set as she beamed for photos outside a lavish house. Ahead of her third outfit change, Jacqueline was spotted having her hair and make-up touched up by her team. She changed into a black sweatshirt which she teamed with matching jogging bottoms and white trainers. The soap star placed her hand on her hip as she posed up a storm in front of a white wall. The shoot comes after Jacqueline said she has learned many techniques over the years to help her deal with negative thoughts after first attending a session aged 17. Telling The Sun: 'You want someone to talk to, so I've always been really open to it and it's always been part of my life. I dip in and out of it whenever I need to'. Jacqueline also said how she worries and overthinks situations but it's possible to simply let them 'wash away' - four years after husband Dan Osborne's cheating confession. Jacqueline recently revealed she has been in therapy for the past 14 years in a bid to deal with her crippling anxiety She looked incredible in the cosy number as she let her long brunette waves tresses fall over her shoulder The EastEnders actress, who recently returned to her role as Lauren Branning , seemed in high spirits as a pal snapped pictures on an iPhone while someone else held up a light Jacqueline later slipped into a stylish black co-ord which matched the previous one she was wearing The mother-of-two donned a pair of white slip on fluffy shoes with the tracksuit set She beamed for photos outside a lavish house 'We don't have to worry too much about what everyone else is thinking about that one little thing that we did that probably hasn't crossed anyone else's mind'. 'You can learn from it. You can move on from it and then you can let it wash away.' In 2020, former TOWIE star Dan admitted he had cheated on Jacqueline, with whom he shares daughters Ella, seven, and Mia, four, but insisted that they had moved past it and went on to renew their wedding vows. Telling The Sun at the time that he had 'made mistakes' and done things he should not have but denied some of the allegations made against him. In the candid chat with the publication, Dan failed to clarify which cheating rumours were true, with the couple having been rocked by many over the years. Most notably Dan was accused of cheating with Love Island star Gabby Allen in 2018, something they've both insisted wasn't true. The couple faced cheating claims once again after it was alleged Dan engaged in a threesome with his Celebrity Big Brother co-stars Natalie Nunn and Chloe Ayling, which he denied. It comes after EastEnders fans finally saw the long-awaited return of Jacqueline as Lauren Branning on New Year's Day as she was arrested in a shocking drugs twist. After a six-year absence, Lauren is making a permanent return to the Square in a dramatic storyline, after deciding to get back in touch with her ex Peter Beale. Viewers saw Lauren has relocated to Paris with her son Louis to join her cousin Penny, but in Monday's episode began to pine for her ex. Ahead of her third outfit change, Jacqueline was spotted having her hair and make-up touched up by her team She changed into a black sweatshirt which she teamed with matching jogging bottoms and white trainers The soap star placed her hand on her hip as she posed up a storm in front of a white wall Jacqueline was all smiles as she chatted to her glam team She showcased her sensational figure in the matching set as she posed with her hands in her pockets The soap star's team used a tripod to capture photos and videos in the outfits The shoot comes after Jacqueline said she has learned many techniques over the years to help her deal with negative thoughts after first attending a session aged just 17 Telling The Sun : 'You want someone to talk to, so I've always been really open to it and it's always been part of my life. I dip in and out of it whenever I need to' Jacqueline also said how she worries and over thinks situations but it's possible to simply let them 'wash away' - four years after husband Dan Osborne's cheating confession She said: 'We don't have to worry too much about what everyone else is thinking about that one little thing that we did that probably hasn't crossed anyone else's mind. You can learn from it. You can move on from it and then you can let it wash away' In 2020 former TOWIE star Dan admitted he had cheated on Jacqueline, with whom he shares daughters Ella, seven, and Mia, four, but insisted that they had moved past it and went on to renew their wedding vows Lauren had previously vowed she would never speak to Peter again after discovering Cindy Beale was still alive, but rang her ex to reveal she would be coming back to Albert Square. Penny quickly agreed to join Lauren, but became uneasy after being approached by a mystery woman. It was then revealed that Penny had been tasked with transporting drugs back to the UK by the mystery woman, and they were planted in Lauren's bag. After heading to the airport, Lauren was stunned when she was arrested by police, after sniffer dogs were alerted to the package. The episode ended on a shocking cliffhanger, with Lauren clueless about how she would be released from police custody. Speaking ahead of her return, Jacqueline said: 'It's strange because being back at EastEnders feels exactly the same and really different all at once! It's amazing to be back, and personally, it's been the perfect time for me to return. 'I've loved every minute so far, and it feels like coming home. What's different is that there's a whole new Square set, as it's been rebuilt since I worked here before, and there are a bunch of new people to get to know. 'I feel like I've bonded with them already, and it's only been a little while, but it's amazing how quickly you feel like family with people here'. The film, directed by Takafumi Ota, who is known for works such as "Documentary Battle of Okinawa: The Untold Memories of Sorrow" and "The Battle of Okinawa for Maidens - The Record of the Shirakaba Student Corps," delves into issues faced by Okinawa, including the Henoko base, the International University helicopter crash, and the concerns and crashes associated with the Osprey aircraft. The trailer features footage of the Osprey and includes words from former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who engaged in a dialogue with Ota. "Okinawa Rhapsody" will begin its nationwide release starting February 3rd at Tokyo's K's cinema and other theaters. The narration for the film is provided by Tomoko Saito and Toshiyuki Kubaba. Source: Natalie Shirley Ballas defended Strictly's Giovanni Pernice as she appeared on Monday's Lorraine. The show's head judge, 63, called the dancer, 33, an 'absolute gentleman' amid his feud with his former partner on the series Amanda Abbington. Amanda recently claimed that show left her with PTSD and reportedly demanded footage of their rehearsals together. The Sherlock actress, 51, is said to have sought legal advice over the dancer's alleged behaviour towards her and believes video footage could 'back up' her claims. Speaking on Lorraine Shirley said in response to the recent revelations: 'I've known Giovanni for many years and he is an absolutely splendid teacher. Shirley Ballas defended Strictly's Giovanni Pernice as she appeared on Monday morning's Lorraine The show's head judge, 63, called the dancer, 33, an 'absolute gentleman' amid his feud with his former partner on the series Amanda Abbington 'My only ever experience with him is he is an absolute gentlemen. He gives 100%. 'Strictly and shows like that they are tough shows so you know when you sign up for that kind of thing. It's quite difficult to do the show.' It comes after last week Amanda revealed she was 'sent death threats' by Strictly Come Dancing fans in a new interview. The star was paired with Giovanni but quit the BBC One programme mid-series last year citing 'personal issues'. It was then revealed she had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following her stint on the show. Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Amanda gave her thanks to both her fans and fellow Strictly stars for their support. She explained: 'I was diagnosed with mild PTSD after Strictly for several reasons and I told a few people about that, in the utmost confidence, among other things that were happening in my life at the time both professionally and personally.' Amanda continued: 'I'm very sorry that people felt the need to send me death threats, threaten my children and bring up my past, healthy relationship with an ex-partner as an indicator of my current mental health. I wish those people well.' Amanda recently claimed that show left her with PTSD and reportedly demanded footage of their rehearsals together Speaking on Lorraine Shirley said in response to the recent revelations: 'I've known Giovanni for many years and he is an absolutely splendid teacher' Shirley continued: 'My only ever experience with him is he is an absolute gentlemen. He gives 100%' It comes after last week Amanda revealed she was 'sent death threats' by Strictly Come Dancing fans in a new interview She has two children with her actor ex Martin Freeman, a daughter Grace, 15, and son Joe, 17. Recently it was claimed the show left her with PTSD and demanded footage of rehearsals to highlight the Italian's 'tense' and 'full-on' training methods, which allegedly caused her much grief. Amanda left Strictly during week five in October and failed to return for the final, where eliminated celebrities took part in a group dance. Amanda was praised by the judges for her performances on the show but it was claimed she was struggling behind the scenes. After her departure, it was alleged she struggled with Giovanni's 'militant approach to training', with her time on the show said to have been 'plagued by difficulties'. An inside source told The Telegraph: 'It could be that she didn't know what she let herself in for. 'He [Giovanni] was quite tough and she found that difficult. If she wasn't very well, that wouldn't have helped.' They continued: 'She was with a partner that had a certain training style that she couldn't cope with. Whether that came to a head or whether there's something else going on I don't know.' It has been reported that she is seeking footage of their rehearsals to back up her claims as she seeks legal advice. An on-set source told The Sun: 'The BBC have received a request for the footage they hold of Amanda and Giovanni. It is known as a data subject access request. 'There is a feeling that the recordings will lift the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes on Strictly. Things in rehearsals can become very tense. 'Giovanni is a perfectionist and he can be incredibly full-on.' A friend of Amanda told the publication it has taken her months to recover from her Strictly experience and she has needed therapy. They said: 'Amanda has been left broken and saddened by the whole experience. She has needed therapy and was left in shock by the behaviour she was exposed to. 'Everyone else was having a fabulous time, but she was really stressed by having to spend eight hours a day with Giovanni. She spent a lot of time crying and couldnt sleep or eat properly.' The pal added that Amanda found the negative response she got on social media for not mentioning Giovanni in her exit statement difficult, but insisted her family and friends had been there to support her. It was reported she had quit the show after clashing with Giovanni, but she dismissed claims of a fallout at the time. Sources at the BBC are ready to fight the Sherlock star over her claims the show had traumatised her, saying that at the time she told them she was quitting due to a different medical reason. A source told the Mail: 'Amanda's reason for quitting Strictly was an entirely different one to her PTSD. 'She told production of a totally different medical condition and they [were] hugely supportive of her and did all they could to help. 'Nobody seems to quite understand what is going on here.' It is understood that first BBC chiefs knew about her PTSD was late last year when they received a request for the tapes. There is added confusion because Amanda quickly shot down suggestions made before the show aired in September that she and Giovanni had fallen out. On Instagram, she dismissed the claims as 'bulls****' and told people to, 'Shut up, it's b******s.' During broadcasts, she and the Italian dancer who has worked on the show since 2015 were seen hugging and appearing to be friends. One Strictly source said: 'All you'd see at the studio were the pair of them hugging and kissing.' Twinkle-toed star Giovanni was also reportedly only given the news of Amanda's exit a few hours before the official statement was released. A source told the Daily Star: 'Amanda didn't tell Giovanni she had decided to quit the show. The first he heard was a call from a producer. 'This has really annoyed him. He's barely heard from her for 10 days. She hasn't been replying to messages or telling him what's happening. 'He's been complaining about it to friends. He's frustrated. He is worried the drama will be damaging for his career and make him look bad.' However, according to reports, BBC bosses are sticking behind Giovanni in the wake of the feud. According to The Sun, bosses arranged a call between Giovanni's management and Strictly executives where they offered him their full support and checked in on his mental health. Giovanni is understood to have been assured that his place on the show is secure. A source said: 'It's no secret Gio and Amanda had a tricky relationship but there are two sides to every story. Amanda left Strictly during week five in October and failed to return for the final, where eliminated celebrities took part in a group dance According to reports, BBC bosses are sticking behind Giovanni in the wake of the feud, checking on his mental health and assuring that his place on the show is secure Bosses arranged a call between his management and show execs to discuss recent coverage and make sure he was OK as obviously he's faced a hell of a lot of stick over the past couple of months. 'The feeling is he is a tough taskmaster, but hasn't bullied or abused anyone. The BBC see him as a key face of Strictly and will do all they can to support him.' The BBC broke their silence on the bombshell accusations last Monday, with a spokesperson releasing a new statement that read: 'The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows. 'Strictly Come Dancing has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.' Sofia Vergara exuded glamour as she arrived at the Good Morning America studios in New York on Monday. The Modern Family star, 51, looked chic in a black midi-pencil skirt and cropped blazer, showing her sultry side by flashing her underwear in a lace see-through top. The actress paired the stylish look with black stilettos and wore her chocolate brown locks in loose waves down by her shoulders. The television stat's appearance comes after she opened up about what her life has been like for the past six months since legally separating from her second husband Joe Manganiello after seven years of marriage. 'I've been moving on,' she told CBS Sunday Morning of her divorce. 'You're out there [in the public eye] and people know that's part of being a celebrity. I knew [the press attention] was gonna happen. You can't hide those things.' Sofia Vergara exuded glamour as she arrived at the Good Morning America studios in New York on Monday The Modern Family star, 51, looked chic in a black midi-pencil skirt and cropped blazer, showing her sultry side by flashing her underwear in a lace see-through top Sofia continued: 'It wasn't bad. I think, you know, I have to say the press was very respectful and very nice. 'And I thought that they were gonna invent more things, and you know how it usually is. I was surprised and, you know, they, they kind of just said what it was and, and that was it.' Joe hired powerhouse divorce attorney Laura Wasser to sort out his prenuptial agreement with Sofia, and he got custody of the former couple's 11-year-old Chihuahua Bubbles - according to TMZ. The Magic Mike actor was said to have wanted children while the Colombian bombshell didn't, having welcomed her 32-year-old son Manolo during her two-year marriage to high school sweetheart Joe Gonzalez, which ended in 1993. Sofia was previously locked in a highly-publicised, five-year legal battle against her ex-fiance Nick Loeb over their two female frozen embryos. Joe has since been canoodling with fellow Pennsylvanian Caitlin O'Connor as far back as early August, while Sofia enjoyed a rebound fling with orthopaedic surgeon Justin Saliman. Sofia has certainly been keeping the divorce off her mind by busying herself with the press tour for Andres Baiz's six-episode series Griselda, which premieres on Netflix on January 25. The actress paired the stylish look with black stilettos and wore her chocolate brown locks in loose waves down by her shoulders The television stat's appearance comes after she opened up about what her life has been like for the past six months since legally separating from her second husband Joe Manganiello The former couple parted ways last year after seven years of marriage (pictured in 2020) Sofia wowed in two more outfits that day - a black trench coat worn over jeans along with a chic white look teamed with a winter jacket She strode out wearing a pair of black footwear with a pointed toe The Sopranos' creator David Chase has shared his pessimism about the television industry, claiming the golden age that he helped usher in is over after 25 years. Chase told The Times that show creators are once again being asked to dumb things down, as viewers increasingly want to be able to follow their content while also looking down at their phones. The 78-year-old, whose HBO masterpiece is widely credited for paving the way for other critically-acclaimed shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, said the television industry is now where it was 25 years ago. 'That was a 25-year blip' Chase said of the last two decades of scripted TV. ' Im not talking only about The Sopranos, but a lot of other hugely talented people out there who I feel increasingly bad for.' Chase added: 'Were going back to where I was... Theyre going to have commercials... And Ive already been told to dumb it down.' The Sopranos' creator David Chase has shared his pessimism about the television industry, claiming the golden age that he helped usher in is over after 25 years Chase's HBO masterpiece is widely credited for paving the way for other critically-acclaimed shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad. He is seen with the late James Gandolfini in 2007 The Sopranos ran for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, culminating with a controversial ending that is still discussed nearly two decades later The TV legend said executives have already told him that a show he's working on about a prostitute forced into witness protection is 'too complex.' 'Who is this all really for?' Chase bemoaned to the The Times. 'I guess the stockholders?' Chase then explained: 'As the human race goes on, we are more into multitasking. We seem to be confused and audiences cant keep their minds on things, so we cant make anything that makes too much sense, takes our attention and requires an audience to focus. 'And as for streaming executives? It is getting worse. Were going back to where we were.' Chase spoke to The Times to note the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos' premiere, but the writer said a funeral would be more appropriate than a celebration. 'It is a funeral,' Chase said of the era of critically-acclaimed shows filling up TV screens. 'Something is dying.' The stars of HBO show were out in force last Wednesday night when they attended the hit show's 25th anniversary party in Little Italy, New York. Lorraine Bracco, 69, who played Tony Soprano's long-suffering psychiatrist, Jennifer Melfi, was one of the stars in attendance. Lorraine was seen posing with casting director Georgianne Walken, wife of Christopher Walken, who enjoyed minor roles in the original series, which was broadcast on HBO from January 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007. Gandolfini's son Michael also hit the event with his girlfriend, Australian actress Mia Healey. The Sopranos ran for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, culminating with a controversial ending that is still discussed nearly two decades later. HBO announced earlier this week that they are releasing an exclusive 25th Anniversary Collection including over five hours of new content. The collection will include 15 deleted scenes, three of which have never been released. There will also be over five hours of behind-the-scenes featurette content available to stream on Max, along with the entire six-season run. Jodie Foster has branded her latest on-screen persona the 'Alaska Karen' as she made her debut as Detective Liz Danvers in season four of True Detective on Sunday. The actress, 61, is joined by Kali Reis (as Evangeline Navarro) to form True Detective's first all-female leading duo, as they solve a mystery of vanishing researchers over a 24-hour time-frame. HBO's description says that the pair 'will have to confront the darkness themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.' According to People, she told the Los Angeles premiere last week: 'Liz Danvers is awful. She is [an] "Alaska Karen". No two ways about it. 'She's an awful, awful character. But you see why.' Jodie Foster has called her latest on-screen persona - Detective Liz Danvers (pictured) - the 'Alaska Karen' as she made her debut The 61-year-old actress said that the character is 'awful' as she spoke at the show's premiere in Los Angeles on January 6 True Detective: Night Country follows Detective Danvers and her sidekick Evangeline Navarro (played by Kali Reis, left) as they attempt to solve the disappearance of eight researchers at the Tsalal Arctic Research Station in Ennis, Alaska The new, six-part season of the Emmy-winning show follows Detective Danvers as she attempts to figure out what happened to eight missing men who worked at the Tsalal Arctic Research Station in Ennis, Alaska. Teasing her favorite part of the new season, which she also executively produced, the Taxi Driver star added that her favourite part of the crime drama is its finale. Following the premiere, True Detective: Night Country received mixed reviews, but many still praised the opening. And Jodie reckons they get better as they get further on, with a 'great trajectory'. Detective Danvers is not her first big role as a member of the force, having portrayed FBI student Clarice Starling in her Oscar-winning performance in The Silence Of The Lambs. Foster admitted that the two are very much not alike. While in Danvers we see someone who has stayed the course in her profession, Jodie suggested: 'I think Clarice probably wouldn't have ended up continuing to be an FBI officer. 'I just feel like someday she would've quit and maybe worked in a soup kitchen or something.' Episode two of True Detective's fourth season will air on January 21, with the remaining four continuing to be released every Sunday. Tommy Fury was hit for six on Monday after leaving a local shop to discover a parking ticket slapped across his car windscreen. The professional boxer had parked his gleaming Mercedes G Wagon outside a jewellery store in leafy Wilmslow, but an eagle-eyed traffic warden put more than a ring on it while he was away from the 180,000 vehicle. Fury, 24, looked bemused after spotting the unmistakable yellow ticket-sleeve attached to his windscreen as he made his way back onto the street, where he posed for snaps with waiting fans. The younger brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was without influencer fiancee Molly-Mae Hague and their young daughter Bambi during the incident. The family have only just returned to Manchester following a sunshine break in the Maldives, where they spent new year enjoying endless sunshine and panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Tommy Fury was hit for six on Monday after leaving a local shop to discover a parking ticket slapped across his car windscreen The professional boxer had parked his Mercedes G Wagon outside a jewellery store in leafy Wilmslow, but an eagle-eyed traffic warden put more than a ring on it while he was away The ticket didn't stop Fury posing for snaps with fans during his appearance in Wilmslow Wilmslow high street proved to be memorable for different reasons, with a chastened Fury removing the parking ticket and climbing back behind the wheel before setting off. Fury and Hague, whose relationship has been scrutinised over recent months, let their hair down at the 4,300 a night Ritz-Carlton hotel during their time in the Maldives. The waterfront pad featured a private pool, with a double bed sun lounger and a king-size bed overlooking the Maldivian sea. It also boasted a stunning interior, a mini-bar, a huge walk in wardrobe and a stone-washed bathtub. The holiday came after questions were asked of Fury's extroverted behaviour during a recent trip to Dubai without his family. Hague was understood to be 'mortified' by his raucous behaviour and was subsequently spotted with and without her 600,000 engagement ring on multiple occasions. Fury returned to Cheshire after jetting to Abu Dhabi for the Grand Prix. The former Love Island contestant has since shared with fans on her YouTube account that 'things aren't always going to be perfect', while also admitting 'she'll be back soon' on her social media to fans, following the ongoing speculation. The younger brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was without influencer fiancee Molly-Mae Hague and their young daughter Bambi during the incident Accompanied by a friend, Fury was seen removing the parking ticket before climbing back into his car She told followers: 'Guys, I don't really know what to come on here and tell you right now. I know how bad I look. Trust me, however bad I look, I feel 20 times worse.' She continued: 'I have been going through it in more ways than one. 'I am hoping, in say about a week, I might be in a place mentally, physically emotionally where I can start filming some proper content for you guys again and get back on my channel. 'So please bear with me, I am really desperate to come back to you guys. I love you guys and I will speak to you very soon.' Hague is believed to have told her husband-to-be that he needs to change his ways, with a source admitting she 'has made no secret of the fact she doesn't like it when Tommy parties too hard'. The couple met on the 2019 series of Love Island, where they finished in second place to winners Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea. Fury was venturing out after returning from a sunshine family holiday in the Maldives Fury and Hague, whose relationship has been scrutinised over recent months, let their hair down at the 4,300 a night Ritz-Carlton hotel during their time in the Maldives Sharing a glimpse into their most luxurious trip yet, the couple took to Instagram to show off their private ocean pool villa Coronation Street villain Dom Everett is set for a shocking return to the ITV soap just two months after his dramatic exit. Dom, who is played by Darren Morfitt, was spotted filming at the soap studio in Manchester on Monday confirming his comeback. The surprise will cause major drama for at least three residents, one of which was initially very glad to see the back of him at the end of last year. Dodgy Dom is the estranged father of Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) and left the cobbles to go and live in Germany following a showdown with Elizas grandad Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows). Stu paid Dom 10k in exchange for him not being in Elizas life, but it now looks like he's gone back on the deal. Coronation Street villain Dom Everett is set for a shocking return to the ITV soap just two months after his dramatic exit Dom, who is played by Darren Morfitt, was spotted filming at the soap studio in Manchester on Monday confirming his comeback Stu had been desperate to be a part of his granddaughter Eliza's life ever since he first met her last year. The Speed Daal chef took the young girl in after her mother Bridget Woodrow, (Beth Vyse) was thrown in prison for the murder of Charlie Walters. However, Eliza quickly became curious about her father Dom and managed to track him down online. The par met and started a father daughter relationship but when Eliza told Stu she wanted to live with Dom, Stu was left completely devastated. Stu paid off Dom and Eliza was upset after her father left with no explanation or goodbye. Stu left Dom a message telling him that his daughter was devastated that he had left and that the deal might have been a huge mistake. ITV fans will have to wait and see if this is why Dom has really returned to the cobbles and it could be as early as March he is back on TV screens. Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm. Dodgy Dom is the estranged father of Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) and left the cobbles to go and live in Germany following a showdown with Elizas grandad Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows) Ferne McCann has opened up on her relationship with her fiance Lorri Haines, revealing the couple sleep in separate beds and have no plans to tie the knot any time soon. The Only Way Is Essex star, 33, and the entrepreneur, 32, who share daughter Finty, six months, began dating in 2021 and got engaged seven months later in July 2022. Ferne has admitted that the pair's relationship has changed since welcoming their baby girl, who joins Ferne's other daughter Sunday, six, from her previous relationship with Arthur Collins, an acid attack criminal. Speaking to OK! magazine, she explained that they now sleep in separate bedrooms to cope with Finty's infrequent sleeping routine. The reality star admitted the arrangement means their sex life has taken a hit, but insisted that having their own beds was 'honestly perfect'. Ferne McCann has opened up on her relationship with her fiance Lorri Haines, revealing the couple sleep in separate beds and have no plans to tie the knot any time soon The Only Way Is Essex star, 33, and the entrepreneur, 32, who share daughter Finty, six months, began dating in 2021 and got engaged seven months later in July 2022 Ferne has admitted that the pair's relationship has changed since welcoming their baby girl, who joins Ferne's other daughter Sunday, six, from her previous relationship with Arthur Collins Ferne confessed: 'I honestly love it. There are times where I can be quite needy and be like, "You don't love me any more, I need you in the bed". 'But I much prefer it and I don't know when we're going to go back to sleeping in the same bed! 'The last few nights we've been watching Beef on Netflix in bed and having really nice chats and he goes off into his bed. It's honestly perfect.' Discussing the impact on their chances of getting intimate, she admitted: 'I'll be completely honest with you, it's not very often at the moment. 'When we first met, we were having sex five times a week, twice a day sometimes. It is not that at all.' She continued: 'I think with the baby we're focused on different things. We find the time when we need to. We both work from home during the days...' Ferne also revealed that the pair are not in a rush to tie the knot, saying she thinks they will opt for a long engagement instead. She said: 'I'm looking at my vision board right now and there's not one wedding veil in sight. Maybe I need to put something on there so that we do get married eventually. She explained that they now sleep in separate bedrooms to cope with Finty's infrequent sleeping routine, insisting having their own beds was 'honestly perfect' Ferne also revealed that the pair are not in a rush to tie the knot, saying she thinks they will opt for a long engagement instead 'I just feel like we're going to be engaged for a really long time. We're committed to each other; I don't feel like we need to be married right now.' Lorri proposed to Ferne 18 months ago, with the romantic scenes being aired on her ITVBe show, Ferne McCann: First Time Mum. He got down on one knee on raised wooden platform on an idyllic beach in France surrounded by flowers, after asking Ferne's grandad Frank for his permission. Ferne previously said that she wanted an 'intimate' wedding surrounded by their children, but her plans have changed since welcoming Finty. Last month, she admitted to MailOnline that her and Lorri haven't begun planning for the big day and even suggested they could elope to Las Vegas instead. She explained: 'We're just enjoying the engagement and the baby. We haven't really started planning it yet. 'You never know what's going to happen. I might end up falling pregnant again, or we might end up eloping and getting married in Vegas. It's just life.' Lorri proposed to Ferne 18 months ago, with the romantic scenes being aired on her ITVBe show, Ferne McCann: First Time Mum Eva Longoria Baston donned a sophisticated look for the 35th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival screening of her feature directorial debut Flamin' Hot inside the Mary Pickford Theater in Cathedral City, CA on Sunday. The 48-year-old actor-director dressed her petite 5ft2in figure in a grey-long-sleeve top tucked into slightly darker grey trousers and black heels selected by stylist Maeve Reilly. Eva's longtime hairstylist/BFF Ken Paves coiffed her middle-parted, layered shoulder-length locks for the film festivities. Make-up artist Elan Bongiorno brought out Baston's brows, lashes, and lip-lined nude pout. 'I'm so excited. I love this festival. I came last year as one of the 10 directors to watch, but our film hadn't come out yet,' the ninth-generation Texan gushed. Eva Longoria Baston donned a sophisticated look for the 35th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival screening of her feature directorial debut Flamin' Hot inside the Mary Pickford Theater in Cathedral City, CA on Sunday 'So it was like, "You guys, wait until you see this film!" So to finally be here a year later with the film has been really fun. And to be with your colleagues and other filmmakers, it's been really a treat for us and an honor.' Eva was joined at the event by her actors Jesse Garcia and Annie Gonzalez, who portrayed the Frito-Lay janitor-turned-Flamin' Hot Cheetos inventor Richard Montanez and his wife Judy Montanez. Baston and her cast members proceeded to watch their 98-minute biopic on the 'biggest screen we've seen it on' and took part in a post-screening Q&A. Flamin' Hot - now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ - currently has a 69% critic approval rating (out of 127 reviews) and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The PG-13 movie also features Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh, Pepe Serna, Bobby Soto, Jimmy Gonzales, Brice Gonzalez, Vanessa Martinez, Fabian Alomar, Mario Ponce, and Hunter Jones. The Golden Globe nominee will next play travel writer and married mother-of-two Val Garcia in Marvin Lemus' road trip remake of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - which will stream on Disney+ this year. The Mexican-American adaptation of Judith Viorst's 1972 children's book also stars Thom Nemer, Cheech Marin, Cristo Fernandez, Harvey Guillen, Jesse Garcia, Paulina Chavez, and Rose Portillo. When asked why she didn't cast her own five-year-old son Santiago Enrique Baston in the leading role, Eva scoffed to E! News on January 4: 'Absolutely not. He is such a diva. He's not cooperative. Doesn't take notes. Talks back.' The 48-year-old actor-director dressed her petite 5ft2in figure in a grey-long-sleeve top tucked into slightly darker grey trousers and black heels selected by stylist Maeve Reilly Eva's longtime hairstylist/BFF Ken Paves coiffed her middle-parted, layered shoulder-length locks for the film festivities Make-up artist Elan Bongiorno brought out Baston's brows, lashes, and lip-lined nude pout The ninth-generation Texan gushed: 'I'm so excited. I love this festival. I came last year as one of the 10 directors to watch, but our film hadn't come out yet. So it was like, "You guys, wait until you see this film!" So to finally be here a year later with the film has been really fun. And to be with your colleagues and other filmmakers, it's been really a treat for us and an honor' Eva was joined at the event by her actors Jesse Garcia (R) and Annie Gonzalez (M), who portrayed the Frito-Lay janitor-turned-Flamin' Hot Cheetos inventor Richard Montanez and his wife Judy Montanez Baston and her cast members proceeded to watch their 98-minute biopic on the 'biggest screen we've seen it on' and took part in a post-screening Q&A Flamin' Hot - now streaming on Hulu and Disney+ - currently has a 69% critic approval rating (out of 127 reviews) and an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes The PG-13 movie also features Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh, Pepe Serna, Bobby Soto, Jimmy Gonzales, Brice Gonzalez, Vanessa Martinez, Fabian Alomar, Mario Ponce, and Hunter Jones The Golden Globe nominee will next play travel writer and married mother-of-two Val Garcia in Marvin Lemus' (L, pictured February 15) road trip remake of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - which will stream on Disney+ this year The Mexican-American adaptation of Judith Viorst's 1972 children's book also stars Thom Nemer, Cheech Marin, Cristo Fernandez, Harvey Guillen, Jesse Garcia, Paulina Chavez, and Rose Portillo When asked why she didn't cast her own five-year-old son Santiago Enrique Baston in the leading role, Eva scoffed to E! News on January 4: 'Absolutely not. He is such a diva. He's not cooperative. Doesn't take notes. Talks back' (pictured December 31) Baston welcomed her first child during her seven-year marriage to third husband Jose 'Pepe' Baston, whom she originally met at LACMA in 2013. The L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador is also stepmother to the 55-year-old Televisa president's three children - Natalia, 27; and twins Mariana & Jose, 20 - from his first marriage to Natalia Esperon. Unfortunately, the former couple's son Sebastian tragically died days after birth back in 2003. Eva is also set to executive produce and star in Apple TV+'s six-episode dramedy Land of Women, which is based on Sandra Barneda's 2014 novel. Baston portrays Gala, who is forced to flee her New York home with her mother and teenage daughter to Northern Spain after her husband implicates the family in financial improprieties Ramon Campos and Gema R. Neira's series - which will film in both English and Spanish - also features Santiago Cabrera, Gloria Munoz, Amaury Nolasco, and Victoria Bazua. Maya Jama will make her grand entrance to the South African villa in Monday night's Love Island All Stars. The exciting new series, which kicks off at 9pm, with see former Love Island stars return to the villa for a second chance at finding love. But as Maya, 29, steps into the villa to greet the celebrities, she drops a bombshell announcement, before making a jaw-dropping departure until she returns later in the episode. As Maya struts into the Villa she says: 'Oi Oi, hello All Stars.' As she joins the Islanders over at the iconic fire pit, Maya asks: 'Obviously this is Love Island All Stars so things have got to be a little bit different haven't they. Maya Jama, 29, will make her grand entrance to the South African villa in Monday night's Love Island All Stars The exciting new series, which kicks off at 9pm, with see former Love Island stars return to the villa for a second chance at finding love 'Well, I wonder who out of you fancies each other already? Boys come and stand with me. 'Girlies, in a minute I am going to ask you to stand next to the boy that you fancy the most. It doesnt matter if more than one of you stands next to the same boy but you have to make your decision right now. Off you go!' As the girls decide which boy they fancy, one lucky star proves to be quite a hit as he is chosen by three lucky ladies. Before Maya heads off after making her grand debut to Love Island All Stars, she announces that the public will decide who is coupled up with who. Maya says: 'The decision of who you couple up with is not down to any of youit is down to the public. 'They have already voted for who will couple up with who and I will be back later tonight to reveal the results of the public vote.' Maya looked nothing short of sensational in first look snaps from the Love Island All Stars opening episode, which airs on Monday evening. The host, 29, sizzled in a very racy sheer dress with plunging neckline as she posed at the show's sun-soaked South African villa. But as Maya steps into the villa to greet the celebrities, she drops a bombshell announcement, before making a jaw-dropping departure until she returns later in the episode As she joins the Islanders over at the iconic fire pit, Maya asks: 'Obviously this is Love Island All Stars so things have got to be a little bit different haven't they. 'Well, I wonder who out of you fancies each other already? Boys come and stand with me' She adds: 'Girlies, in a minute I am going to ask you to stand next to the boy that you fancy the most. It doesnt matter if more than one of you stands next to the same boy but you have to make your decision right now. Off you go!' As the girls decide which boy they fancy, one lucky star proves to be quite a hit as he is chosen by three lucky ladies Before Maya heads off after making her grand debut to Love Island All Stars, she announces that the public will decide who is coupled up with who Maya says: 'The decision of who you couple up with is not down to any of youit is down to the public. 'They have already voted for who will couple up with who and I will be back later tonight to reveal the results of the public vote.' Maya's outfit hugged every inch of curvaceous figure with floral embellishments strategically placed to retain her modesty. The look also featured a saucy thigh-high split and teased a glimpse of her lingerie beneath as she completed the ensemble with silver strappy heels. The new series feature singletons from previous seasons as they continue their quest to find their dream partner. Maya has been making the most of her time off ahead of the series starting as she posed in some sexy swimsuit snaps for her Instagram on Thursday. The presenter flaunted her incredible curves in a cut-out black one-piece as she posed up a storm. Her ample assets and toned abs were on display as she worked all her best angles by the pool. She wore her long dark tresses in beachy waves and went makeup free to show off her natural beauty. The star penned in her caption: 'Everything's better in the sunshine.' Maya looked nothing short of sensational in first look snaps from the Love Island All Stars opening episode, which airs on Monday evening The host sizzled in a very racy sheer dress with plunging neckline as she posed at the show's sun-soaked South African villa The new series feature singletons from previous seasons as they continue their quest to find their dream partner Maya has said she will host Love Island for as long as it remains on screens - calling it her favourite job ever. The TV presenter became the face of the ITV2 dating show when former host Laura Whitmore left in 2022 after three series. With the show set to air its first ever All Stars season, Maya is already looking ahead at what's to come. Speaking to The Sun, she said: 'I'll stay for as long as it's going. It's been fun actually. It's been my favourite job ever.' As well as being host, Maya also turned casting agent this year as she helped producers choose the line-up. She recommended they ask Hannah Elizabeth from season one to return for another shot at love, a decision which has paid off as she agreed to take part again. However the spin-off Aftersun will not air, meaning Maya can stay out in South Africa for the show's entirety rather than having to jet back to London. She said of the shake-up: 'I'm doing interviews as soon as they leave... with this new exit interview format, I feel like you'll get the raw emotion. I'm really excited about that actually'. Maya has been making the most of her time off ahead of the series starting as she posed in some sexy swimsuit snaps for her Instagram on Thursday She put her incredible figure on display as she worked all her best angles by the swimming pool Elsewhere, Maya promised she has some 'good looks' in store for when she enters the villa after wowing viewers with her previous racy ensembles. She said: 'My hair is getting lighter and lighter in the sun. I have the pool to myself, today is a day off before you ask. Love Island is starting soon though! Topping up my tan!' LOVE ISLAND: ALL STARS AIRS TONIGHT AT 9PM ON ITV1, ITV2, ITVX AND STV Advertisement Delilah Hamlin set pulses racing on Monday as she slipped into a tiny bikini during her Mexico getaway. The 25-year-old model wowed in the black-and-white two-piece swimsuit while frolicking in the surf and sand with friends in the beachside town of Tulum. The daughter of reality TV star Lisa Rinna and actor Harry Hamlin looked in her element as she showed off her toned physique and took a dip in the ocean. Wearing sunglasses, she got cozy with her 25-year-old actor boyfriend Henry Eikenberry. They were seen cuddling up as they relaxed on beach towels. Later, the pair wrapped their arms around each other, taking shelter from the sun and chatting in the outdoor lounge, complete with a bar and DJ. Delilah Hamlin set pulses racing on Monday as she slipped into a tiny bikini during her Mexico getaway The daughter of reality star Lisa Rinna and actor Harry Hamlin looked in her element as she showed off her toned physique and took a dip in the ocean The cute pair certainly looked chummy as they returned to their beach towels and looked captivated with each other during their conversation. The beauty appears to be making the most of her winter break, as she studying at New York University as a criminal psychology major. She also has a part-time job to earn her pocket money - she works as a successful model. Delilah told W Magazine that she was surprised that she took up modeling. 'I never really thought about it, but Instagram kind of just made it happen,' she said. 'I was posting pictures of myself, and an agency was like, ''We want to represent you." And that's kind of how it happened,' she added. The Tulum trip paints Delilah as living her best life and continuing to focus on the health issues she spoke out about last year 'I haven't really spoken on my health lately & if you're new here you're probably confused but for the past few years I've been struggling with autoimmune/ chronic illness issues that I've been silently battling and overcoming,' she penned on Instagram at the time. The 25-year-old model wowed in the black-and-white two-piece swimsuit while frolicking in the surf and sand with friends in the beachside town of Tulum Delilah caught a nap on the gorgeous white sands Her flawless physique was on display as she stepped into the water while putting her hands on her neck Delilah held her sunglasses in her mouth as she enjoyed the waves Delilah looked every inch the cover model in her chic two-piece as she held onto a gray towel She included a photo of herself with an IV inserted into her arm courtesy of Dripp IV Therapy, which offers drips for immunity support and overall hydration. She continued, 'It's definitely been tough mentally alongside physically. I've kind of kept quiet because I don't want to be put in a 'sick' role. 'I've faced a lot, overcome a lot, and I know that I'm going through this for a reason and that reason is to share what I've gone through and what I've learned with you.' Delilah has had quite a few issues in recent years including multiple stints at rehab as well as fighting off Lyme disease, Epstein-Barr, encephalitis, and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections, according to Vanity Fair. The final disorder, also known as PANDAS, led to extreme bouts of anxiety which Hamlin said led her to accidentally overdosing on Xanax. She got cozy with her 25-year-old actor boyfriend Henry Eikenberry The cute pair certainly looked chummy as they returned to their beach towels The lovebirds made sure their spots on the beach were comfy Wearing sunglasses, she got cozy with her mate, cuddling up to him as they relaxed on beach towels Delilah wore her trademark sandy blonde tresses pulled back in a bun She said that her 'body was dependent on it because of how much the doctor had prescribed,' which left her feeling totally 'hopeless' and 'helpless.' Though she's since deleted the posts, Delilah shocked fans when she appeared to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccine was the root of many of her health problems. She clarified at the time that she was 'in no way an anti-Vaxxer' but that she believed the vaccine caused autoimmune diseases in her body to 'flare up.' In the December 2022 issue of Flaunt magazine, Delilah spoke about getting sober and how a scary bout of seizures the previous year inspired the decision. 'My sobriety is something I'm very grateful for. It also got really misconstrued,' she told the outlet. 'I haven't really spoken about why I became sober. 'I chose to be sober because of the seizures that I was starting to have because of brain inflammation. 'I've been a year and some months sober from alcohol and other things. I don't think about it. I love this lifestyle.' The rising model also shared in the Flaunt cover story about launching her singing career. The beauty enjoyed a refreshing beverage on the sands Here she talked to her boyfriend and another man in colorful shorts The Beverly Hills native said: 'I've always loved singing. I was in choir, musical theater, and doing vocal lessons at a young age. 'I thought that I was gonna go into R&B, but I think music is a journey and my genre might change in the future,' she added. 'Who knows? As of now, we're going with "ethereal pop" - I've made that up.' She continued, 'I'm currently working on an album. I believe you will be hearing a single first, hopefully, at the top of next year.' TOKYO, Jan 15 ( News On Japan ) - Hikaru Utada has announced the release date of her Greatest Hits album "SCIENCE FICTION" for April 10. The album will feature a total of 26 tracks, including the theme song "Naniiro Demonai Hana" for the currently airing Fuji TV Monday night drama "Kimi ga Kokoro wo Kureta Kara," as well as newly recorded versions of her hit songs "Addicted To You," "traveling," and "Hikari." In addition to previously released tracks, the album will also include a new song (title to be determined) and the album edit of "Somewhere Near Marseilles Marseilles Hen" as a bonus track. The full schedule for Utada's nationwide tour "SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024," her first in approximately six years, has been revealed. The tour will kick off at Marine Messe Fukuoka on July 13 and 14, and will conclude at the K Arena Yokohama in Kanagawa on August 31 and September 1, comprising a total of 14 performances. The Greatest Hits album will include a serial number for a special lottery to win tour tickets. Additionally, the tour's official app "Hikaru Utada Tour Official" has been launched, with tickets available through a lottery system on the app. Source: Natalie Love Island All Stars contestant Georgia Harrison has revealed the one deal-breaker she has when it comes to finding romance with a man. The reality star, 29, originally took part in series three of Love Island in 2017 but is looking for love once again in the All Stars version of the show. In Monday's launch episode of the programme, she will be seen having a flirty chat with Chris Taylor, 33, and revealing the one important thing she looks for in a man - fame. While Georgia insists she does not need a partner who is well known, she admits she wants someone who will be comfortable attending glitzy events with her such as star-studded premieres. And, with Chris having already appeared on Love Island series five in 2019 and popping up in last year's hit Barbie movie, he certainly has Georgia's required credentials with his experience in the spotlight. Love Island All Stars contestant Georgia Harrison has revealed the one deal-breaker she has when it comes to finding romance with a man In Monday's launch episode of the programme, she will be seen having a flirty chat with Chris Taylor, 33, and revealing the one important thing she looks for in another man - fame According to The Sun, Georgia tells Chris: 'I don't need to be with someone who is necessarily famous but they have to be willing to be connected to me because I'd love to have someone I can go on the red carpets with.' He replies: 'Would you not prefer to have a boyfriend who is not in that at all?' Georgia continues: 'Well, no because I've done that and it wasn't good.' Chris adds: 'They terrify me (red carpets). I get weird.' Georgia jokingly claps back: 'Oh, shut up. You love it. We saw you at the Barbie premiere.' On Monday, for the first time singletons from previous seasons will return to the villa as they continue their quest to find their dream partner. Host Maya Jama is returning to present the show in South Africa, while the social media ban is also being lifted. Last year, ITV bosses banned the stars' loved ones from handling their accounts to 'to shield them from the adverse effects of social media'. On Monday, for the first time singletons from previous seasons will return to the villa as they continue their quest to find their dream partner However, Maya revealed on This Morning earlier this month, that the rule has been changed this season, meaning the contestants' friends and families can post on their behalf. Another change coming this winter is that there will be no Aftersun spin-off show, with a new interview segment instead. Maya will now speak to the contestants immediately after they are dumped in a brand new set next to the villa, in order to capture their 'raw emotion' in the moment. Speaking about the change, Maya said: 'With this new exit interview format, I feel like you'll get the raw emotion. I'm really excited about that actually. 'Ill be there as soon as they get out there will be no time for them to think about it we just go straight into the questions. Im not a tough presenter. But Ill ask the questions that people want to know.' In a bid to make the show even more exciting and unique, producers have teased even more twists and shock moments. The biggest surprise shake-up is that Casa Amor has been axed for the first time in seven years. The second villa has been a highlight of the recent series of the show, seeing the boys and girls separated into two villas with a new group of bombshells to tempt them away from each other. Host Maya Jama is returning to present the show in South Africa where the cast will enjoy the warm summer weather The All Stars series has been reduced to five weeks long, instead of the usual eight, meaning the Casa Amor twist has been dropped as there's not enough time. Executive producer Mike Spencer told The Mirror: 'Casa Amor, as we know and love it, doesnt really work for a five week run because you need time to bed in, get to know each other, see if they are for you and if you want to switch it up. 'I think you dont need the element of bringing a massive influx of new islanders in. That is good for an eight week run but you dont need it for this. This is going to be more intense and people will fall for each other quicker.' He also revealed that this series will have lots of other twists instead, to ensure the Love Island veterans don't know what's coming. He said: 'We have got to be reactive. These islanders have done it all before so we have to be one step ahead of them. This give us the chance to shake it up and bring new islanders into the mix in new ways.' Mike then teased: 'We have four hidden single beds in the lounge, so make of that what you will.' There will also be changes made to the biggest episodes - the launch night and the grand final - with no reunion show either. Mike said: 'Its fair to say episode one has some really fresh format. Its different. We know the background of what each person has been going in since their series so we thought about that when we were putting this together. 'Were not going to do the challenge stage either that will be rested this season - but the in villa tasks will continue. 'This is a great time to test things and test the format. The show has been on for ten series weve tried to evolve it, especially the last couple of series. 'Shock twists worked for the audience last series and we're looking what else we can do. The final we are also going to tweak. We wont have a reunion show. So the final will answer the questions from fans and retell the stories of the series.' The show legends returning this year so far are confirmed to be Liberty Poole, Georgia Harrison, Chris Taylor, Hannah Elizabeth, Kaz Kamwi, Georgia Steel, Anton Danyluk, Demi Jones, Luis Morrison, Toby Aromolaran, Mitchel Taylor and Jake Cornish. The first series of Love Island All Stars kicks off on Monday evening at 9pm on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX. Molly-Mae Hague has discussed having a big family with fiance Tommy Fury, as they marked a milestone moment with baby Bambi on Monday. The former Love Island star, 24, candidly spoke about motherhood in her latest YouTube vlog. She told her followers: 'Less than two weeks now until Bambi turns one and no other stage compares to this one. 'I know you might judge me for saying this but if I could have a baby and it come out how Bambi is now, like this stage and age, I would have a million babies. I am so obsessed with this stage. The pros are so much more than the cons at this stage. 'This is my motherhood ere, this is what I dreamt motherhood would be like. I am enjoying being a mum so much at the minute.' Molly-Mae Hague has discussed having a big family with fiance Tommy Fury, as they marked a milestone moment with baby Bambi on Monday The former Love Island star, 24, candidly spoke about motherhood in her latest YouTube vlog Elsewhere, Molly-Mae shared a sweet clip to Instagram of Bambi brushing her teeth for the first time Molly-Mae added: 'I just feel really grateful I'm in a really good place. But of course the ups and downs come fast.' Elsewhere, Molly-Mae shared a sweet clip to Instagram of Bambi brushing her teeth for the first time. The influencer has recently returned home from a luxury trip with her fiance Tommy, 24, and their daughter Bambi. The young family began their trip in the Maldives, where they spent New Year's before finishing it in Dubai. Molly revealed the luxury holiday was originally just supposed to be a romantic getaway for her and Tommy, as the pair struggle to find time to spend together just the two of them. She confessed that since Bambi was born in January 2023, the couple haven't had any 'adult intimate nice quality time together', but still opted to bring Bambi along. The family flew in first class and when they reached the Maldives, they stayed at the 4,300-a-night Ritz-Carlton, a global luxury hotel and resort chain. Their waterfront pad featured a private pool, with a double bed sun lounger and a king-size bed overlooking the Maldivian sea. The influencer, 24, has recently returned home from a luxury trip with her fiance Tommy Fury , also 24, and their daughter Bambi The trip comes after the pair sparked worry among fans late last year following Tommy's wild nights out, also in Dubai The trip comes after the pair sparked worry among fans late last year following Tommy's wild nights out, also in Dubai . Amid claims she was 'mortified' by his partying behaviour , Molly-Mae was spotted with and without her 600,000 engagement ring on and off on multiple occasions. However it seems the couple have put all that behind them as they looked relaxed and in love in all photos and videos. Molly-Mae and Tommy met on the 2019 series of Love Island where they finished in second place to Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea. Nicole Eggert was spotted for the first time in public since revealing her breast cancer diagnosis. The Baywatch alum, 52, cut a casual figure in an olive green hoodie and ripped denim pants as she made her way to a Jersey Mike's sub sandwich shop in Los Angeles on Monday. The star carried a beverage and a sandwich bag while walking the sidewalk in a pair of trendy Converse sneakers. She traded in her spectacles for a set of designer shades at one point, as she rocked a chic crossbody bag for her low-key ensemble. The outing follows the news that Nicole's celebrity friends have contributed to help her reach a $100,000 goal on GoFundMe, covering the increasing medical expenses. Nicole Eggert was spotted for the first time in public since revealing her breast cancer diagnosis in LA on Monday Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills Kyle Richards contributed $1,000, while RHONY alum Bethenny Frankel put in $500. Mindy Molinary, a good friend of Nicole and the one behind the GoFundMe for her cancer treatment, shared on the page that the actress is going through some financial challenges. 'It's been a long time since Charles in Charge and Baywatch,' she wrote, referencing Nicole's shows. 'As a single mom, she's had to struggle financially to raise her two daughters. She still has a little one at home and she is terrified of not being able to afford the treatments and surgery necessary while also keeping a roof over their heads.' Mindy added that Nicole has 'lost both her parents and doesnt have any family to lean on or help her with this situation.' The actress, who made her first public appearance in 18 months last year in June, opened up about her health battle during an interview with People published last week. After gaining 25 pounds and experiencing left breast pain since October, the actress underwent a mammogram and three biopsies, leading to a diagnosis of stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer. 'It really was throbbing and hurting,' Nicole explained. 'I immediately went to my general practitioner and she told me I had to immediately go get it looked at.' The Baywatch alum, 52, cut a casual figure in an olive green hoodie and ripped denim pants as she made her way to a Jersey Mike's sub shop Nicole revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last month, and admitted that the 'journey's been rough for me' After gaining 25 pounds and experiencing left breast pain since October, the actress underwent a mammogram and three biopsies, leading to a diagnosis of stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer The star notably portrayed the role of Roberta "Summer" Quinn on the hit series, Baywatch, for its third and fourth seasons; seen with Pamela Anderson (right) in 1992 However, she added, 'the problem was I just couldn't get an appointment. Everything was booked. So I had to wait until the end of November to get it done.' Nicole admitted, 'This hasn't been a breezy sail through life. I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.' She went on to say that her ext steps involve surgery to remove the cancer, along with chemotherapy and radiation. She also mentioned it was unclear if the cancer has spread. The mother to daughters Dilyn, 25, and Keegan, 12, confessed that her greatest fear is not being there for her children in the future. Love Island All Stars viewers were left shocked by Hannah Elizabeth's unreogniable appearance as she made her epic return to the ITV series on Sunday. The 33-year-old, who won first series in 2015, was one of the first to enter villa as she showed off the results of her 'Bratz doll' facial surgery - after heading to Turkey for the procedure in November 2022. The stunner entered the villa in a skimpy green bikini as she showed off her incredibly smooch visage as well as her surgically enhanced assets. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer wrote: 'Hannah is too heavily augmented I'm sorry but she looked 10x better pre surgery'. While a second commented: 'Hannah looks soooo different'. Love Island All Stars viewers were left shocked by Hannah Elizabeth's unreogniable appearance as she made her epic return to the ITV series on Sunday Hannah, who won first series in 2015, was one of the first to enter villa as she showed off the results of her 'Bratz doll' facial surgery (Right, pictured in 2015) Another said: 'Hannah wtf have you done to your face girl?'. And: 'She's lovely but Hannah looks ridiculous, too much work'. For the first time singletons from previous seasons will return to the villa as they continue their quest to find their dream partner. Host Maya Jama is returning to present the show in South Africa, while the social media ban is also being lifted. Last year, ITV bosses banned the stars' loved ones from handling their accounts to 'to shield them from the adverse effects of social media'. However, Maya revealed on This Morning earlier this month, that the rule has been changed this season, meaning the contestants' friends and families can post on their behalf. Another change coming this winter is that there will be no Aftersun spin-off show, with a new interview segment instead. Maya will now speak to the contestants immediately after they are dumped in a brand new set next to the villa, in order to capture their 'raw emotion' in the moment. Hannah (L) entered the villa in a skimpy green bikini as she showed off her incredibly smooch visage as well as her surgically enhanced assets Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter , one viewer wrote: 'Hannah is too heavily augmented I'm sorry but she looked 10x better pre surgery' Speaking about the change, Maya said: 'With this new exit interview format, I feel like you'll get the raw emotion. I'm really excited about that actually. 'Ill be there as soon as they get out there will be no time for them to think about it we just go straight into the questions. Im not a tough presenter. But Ill ask the questions that people want to know.' In a bid to make the show even more exciting and unique, producers have teased even more twists and shock moments. The biggest surprise shake-up is that Casa Amor has been axed for the first time in seven years. The second villa has been a highlight of the recent series of the show, seeing the boys and girls separated into two villas with a new group of bombshells to tempt them away from each other. Hannah gushed about looking like the plastic doll (left) after heading to Turkey for the procedure in November 2022 (right before surgery) Hannah pictured on Love Island series one in 2015 The All Stars series has been reduced to five weeks long, instead of the usual eight, meaning the Casa Amor twist has been dropped as there's not enough time. Executive producer Mike Spencer told The Mirror: 'Casa Amor, as we know and love it, doesnt really work for a five week run because you need time to bed in, get to know each other, see if they are for you and if you want to switch it up. 'I think you dont need the element of bringing a massive influx of new islanders in. That is good for an eight week run but you dont need it for this. This is going to be more intense and people will fall for each other quicker.' Love Island fans were left fuming after exes Liberty and Jake were coupled up following a vote by viewers on Monday, branding it 'messy'. Fans had already pleaded with the beauty to 'stay away' from her former flame as they endured an awkward reunion earlier in the episode. The couple were left stunned to discover they had been paired up and quickly shot down any idea of rekindling the romance when asked by host Maya Jama. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer wrote: 'Jake and Liberty... another year I can't have faith in the British public'. And: 'I knew this was going to happen, the public are actually so messy for coupling up Jake and Liberty'. Love Island fans were left fuming after exes Liberty and Jake were coupled up following a vote by viewers on Monday, branding it 'messy' Fans had already pleaded with the beauty to 'stay away' from her former flame as they endured an awkward reunion earlier in the episode And: 'Of course we as the public would put Jake and Liberty because we love the drama'. While someone else added: 'Pairing Liberty with Jake is so cheeky'. The pair were stunned to be reunited in South Africa after bringing a surprise end to their romance in the villa in 2022. Liberty was left openmouthed as she was faced with her ex-boyfriend Jake walking through the door. She admitted they hadn't spoken for two years and could only say 'Oh my God' as he came bounding into the South Africa villa. Yet luck was on Liberty's side as the awkward reunion with her ex was interrupted by the arrival of her best friend Kaz Kwami who entered the Villa with 'Messy' Mitchel Taylor. Asked if he'd be causing any drama this series after his famous love triangle with Abi Moores and Ella Barnes, Mitch insisted he wasn't there to stir and was simply looking for love. Regardless fans quickly took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to plead with Liberty to avoid falling back into old habits. The couple were left stunned to discover they had been paired up and quickly shot down any idea of rekindling the romance when asked by host Maya Jama Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer wrote: 'Jake and Liberty... another year I can't have faith in the British public' One posted: 'They didn't even give Liberty time to settle in. Sent Jake straight in. Living for the awkwardness already,' while another added: 'Liberty needs to just push Jake in the pool.' 'This is uncomfortable, Liberty still has hurt in her eyes man, that poor lass,' a third added. One fan pleaded: 'LIBERTY STAY AWAY,' while another shared: 'Liberty's face when she saw Jake, lmao.' Liberty and Jake were originally favourites to win the seventh series of Love Island, but broke up and quit the show just days before the final after Movie Night revelations rocked their romance. The pair were stunned to be reunited in South Africa after bringing a surprise end to their romance in the villa in 2022 Liberty was left openmouthed as she was faced with her ex-boyfriend Jake walking through the door, admitting they hadn't spoken in two years Upon her All Stars casting, Liberty admitted it might be 'awkward' coming across an ex-boyfriend in the South African villa, ahead of her face-to-face reunion with Jake. Host Maya revealed on This Morning earlier this month, that the rule has been changed this season, meaning the contestants' friends and families can post on their behalf. Another change coming this winter is that there will be no Aftersun spin-off show, with a new interview segment instead. Maya will now speak to the contestants immediately after they are dumped in a brand new set next to the villa, in order to capture their 'raw emotion' in the moment. Speaking about the change, Maya said: 'With this new exit interview format, I feel like you'll get the raw emotion. I'm really excited about that actually. 'Ill be there as soon as they get out there will be no time for them to think about it we just go straight into the questions. Im not a tough presenter. But Ill ask the questions that people want to know.' In a bid to make the show even more exciting and unique, producers have teased even more twists and shock moments. Regardless fans quickly took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to plead with Liberty to avoid falling back into old habits The biggest surprise shake-up is that Casa Amor has been axed for the first time in seven years. The second villa has been a highlight of the recent series of the show, seeing the boys and girls separated into two villas with a new group of bombshells to tempt them away from each other. The All Stars series has been reduced to five weeks long, instead of the usual eight, meaning the Casa Amor twist has been dropped as there's not enough time. Executive producer Mike Spencer told The Mirror: 'Casa Amor, as we know and love it, doesnt really work for a five week run because you need time to bed in, get to know each other, see if they are for you and if you want to switch it up. 'I think you dont need the element of bringing a massive influx of new islanders in. That is good for an eight week run but you dont need it for this. This is going to be more intense and people will fall for each other quicker.' He also revealed that this series will have lots of other twists instead, to ensure the Love Island veterans don't know what's coming. He said: 'We have got to be reactive. These islanders have done it all before so we have to be one step ahead of them. This give us the chance to shake it up and bring new islanders into the mix in new ways.' Mike then teased: 'We have four hidden single beds in the lounge, so make of that what you will.' There will also be changes made to the biggest episodes - the launch night and the grand final - with no reunion show either. Toby Aromolaran, Mitchel Taylor, Chris Taylor, Jake Cornish, Luis Morrison and Anton Danyluk were the boys returning to the villa Mike said: 'Its fair to say episode one has some really fresh format. Its different. We know the background of what each person has been going in since their series so we thought about that when we were putting this together. 'Were not going to do the challenge stage either that will be rested this season - but the in villa tasks will continue. 'This is a great time to test things and test the format. The show has been on for ten series weve tried to evolve it, especially the last couple of series. 'Shock twists worked for the audience last series and we're looking what else we can do. The final we are also going to tweak. We wont have a reunion show. So the final will answer the questions from fans and retell the stories of the series.' Upon her All Stars casting, Liberty admitted it might be 'awkward' coming across an ex-boyfriend in the South African villa, ahead of her face-to-face reunion with Jake. She shared: 'It's always going to be awkward isn't it, it's always going to be weird seeing someone that you've been with getting with someone else. 'I wish my exes nothing but the best. I'm going to be focused on my own journey so if it was to happen I won't be worrying about them - so I'll stay focused on my goal, which is to find love.' She expressed her desire to find someone new, saying she wants to 'have fun and meet a lovely boy' but admitted she has 'tunnel vision' when it comes to love. 'I've grown so much as a person since I was first on the show, so I'm excited for people to see that. I'm a lot more confident in who I am and sure about exactly what I want from a relationship. I just want to have fun and meet a lovely boy,' she said. 'I always wear my heart on my sleeve but seem to end up getting hurt. I often say I'll have my guard up but I'll probably get in there and fall in love after a week. I'm always just quite tunnel vision when it comes to love, if I really like someone I can't multitask!' However, Jake brushed off any potential drama between the pair as he insisted there was no 'bad blood' between them, despite their shock on-screen break-up. 'Well there is only one and that's Liberty. We never ended with any bad blood between us and everything happens for a reason. We just become two different people in the end,' he said. Of his return, he added: 'I have definitely matured in the two years since first being on the show. I look at things differently and respond differently. 'When it comes to people's opinions, I don't sit on the fence anymore. That is my way of life now, so I will take that into the Villa.' Love Island All Stars viewers have admitted they are rooting for Chris Taylor and Liberty Poole to get together. The pair met in the South African villa as the show legends both joined the line-up of the ITV spin-off show, as former contestants return for a second chance at love. In Monday's debut episode, the Islanders all returned to the villa and came face-to-face, with Chris and Liberty being among the first stars to walk through the doors. And fans were quick to spot there was 'chemistry' between the pair within minutes of them meeting, as they rooted for them to couple up. When asked what her type is, Liberty hilariously said she is looking for a funny man who is up for 'random s**t' like spontaneously doing a 'roly-poly'. Love Island All Stars viewers have admitted they are rooting for Chris Taylor and Liberty Poole to get together She said: 'You've got to laugh with them otherwise it's just too boring. I want someone who does random s**t,' to which Chris said: 'Does random s**t?' Liberty then clarified: 'Yeah like let's do a roly poly randomly, the chemistry is either there or it's not.' Viewers couldn't help but point out that her type sounded a lot like Chris, who is known for his humorous personality, funny TikTok videos and lighthearted banter. They wrote: 'Why did Liberty just describe Chris; 'There's VIBES between Chris and Liberty I see it;' 'I'm here for Chris and Liberty cracking on;' 'I feel like Chris and Liberty could be cute;' 'Need Chris and Liberty to be coupled up! two of my favourite islanders;' 'Liberty and Chris would be a dream couple, we need to start manifesting;' Liberty telling Chris, who loves roly-polying, to his face that she wants to go out with someone who will do a roly-poly.' During the first recoupling, Chris then proved to be the most popular of the boys as most of the girls showed their interest in him. Host Maya shook things up in the villa as she asked the girls to stand by the boy who they were most interested in - with Hannah Elizabeth, Georgia Harrison and Kaz Kamwi all standing next to Chris, while Liberty went for Mitch Taylor. Chris, who was famously friend-zoned six times during the ninth series of Love Island, asked Maya if it was a 'joke' as he appeared baffled by his popularity. The pair met in the South African villa as the show legends both joined the line-up of the ITV spin-off show, as former contestants return for a second chance at love Fans were quick to spot there was 'chemistry' between the pair within minutes of them meeting, as they rooted for them to couple up after Liberty described her type Georgia previously revealed that she would be interested in getting to know Chris as she said she hoped he would appear in the villa ahead of the show's debut. When asked who she might have her eye on, she shared: 'Chris Taylor, he's hilarious and the main thing I'm attracted to is a man who can make me laugh. 'What a fun guy and like I said, I'm looking for someone to TikTok with so I reckon he'd be game for that sort of stuff!' During the launch show, Liberty also awkwardly came face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend Jake Cornish, who she met on series seven of Love Island. The couple were fan favourites to win the 2021 series, but shockingly split just days before the final, then quitting the show. However, Liberty was left openmouthed as she was faced with her ex Jake walking through the door. She looked stunned and admitted they hadn't spoken for two years and could only say 'Oh my God' as he came bounding into the South Africa villa. Yet luck was on Liberty's side as the awkward reunion with her ex was interrupted by the arrival of her best friend Kaz Kwami who entered the Villa with 'Messy' Mitchel Taylor. Fans quickly took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to plead with Liberty to avoid falling back into old habits. During the first recoupling, Chris then proved to be the most popular of the boys as Georgia Harrison, Kaz Kamwi and Hannah Elizabeth all showed their interest in him Liberty also awkwardly came face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend Jake Cornish , who she met on series seven of Love Island She looked stunned and admitted they hadn't spoken for two years and could only say 'Oh my God' as he came bounding into the South Africa villa One posted: 'They didn't even give Liberty time to settle in. Sent Jake straight in. Living for the awkwardness already,' while another added: 'Liberty needs to just push Jake in the pool.' 'This is uncomfortable, Liberty still has hurt in her eyes man, that poor lass,' a third added. One fan pleaded: 'LIBERTY STAY AWAY,' while another shared: 'Liberty's face when she saw Jake, lmao.' Upon her All Stars casting, Liberty admitted it might be 'awkward' coming across an ex-boyfriend in the South African villa, ahead of her face-to-face reunion with Jake. Sebastian Stan was dressed in costume as a younger version of former President Donald Trump while on set of his upcoming film The Apprentice in Toronto, Canada. Just one month after he was spotted transformed into the politician, who is the first and only president in American history to be impeached twice, the Marvel star, 41, turned heads for his uncanny resemblance to the controversial businessman. As he stood outside the front of The Commodore hotel, Stan was unmissable with his wispy blonde wig, made to resemble Trump's infamous hairdo, and paisley-striped tie, tucked under his beige trench coat. In the 1970s, Trump and the Hyatt Corporation bought the Commodore hotel, which later became the large Grand Hyatt hotel, next to Grand Central Terminal on 42nd Street. Sebastian Stan was dressed in costume as a younger version of former President Donald Trump while on set of his upcoming film The Apprentice in Toronto, Canada Just one month after he was spotted transformed into the politician, who is the first and only president in American history to be impeached twice, the Marvel star, 41, turned heads for his uncanny resemblance to the controversial businessman Trump, at 33, in 1980 In his book, The Art of the Deal, he described the property's lobby as 'so dingy it looked like a welfare hotel.' 'There were thousands of well-dressed Connecticut and Westchester commuters flooding on to the streets from Grand Central Terminal and the subway stations below. The city was on the verge of bankruptcy, but what I saw was a superb location,' he recalled of his decision to add the hotel to his real estate portfolio. The Once Upon a Time actor walked with his hands buried into his pockets as he made his way over to talk to director Ali Abbasi. Production on The Apprentice began in late November. The film follows Trump in the '70s and '80s as he attempts to establish his real estate empire on the back of his father Fred Trump's properties. The Apprentice is being directed by the Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, who shot the critically acclaimed Persian-language crime thriller Holy Spider (2022). Succession star Jeremy Strong, who will portray disgraced and eventually disbarred lawyer Roy Cohn, will be prominently featured as the younger Trump's mentor, Roy Cohn, who came to prominence and initial infamy as the chief counsel of Senator Joseph McCarthy. He was later disbarred in 1986 for defrauding a dying client. As he stood outside the front of The Commodore hotel, Stan was unmissable with his wispy blonde wig, made to resemble Trump's infamous hairdo, and paisley-striped tie, tucked under his beige trench coat In the 1970s, Trump and the Hyatt Corporation bought the Commodore hotel, which later became the large Grand Hyatt hotel, next to Grand Central Terminal on 42nd Street In his book, The Art of the Deal, he described the property's lobby as 'so dingy it looked like a welfare hotel' 'There were thousands of well-dressed Connecticut and Westchester commuters flooding on to the streets from Grand Central Terminal and the subway stations below. The city was on the verge of bankruptcy, but what I saw was a superb location,' he recalled of his decision to add the hotel to his real estate portfolio Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova, 27, will play Trump's late ex-wife Ivana Trump. Variety initially reported that the film's title would be The Student, adding that a logline for the forthcoming film described it as 'an exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit. 'It's a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of an American dynasty. Filled with larger than life characters, it reveals the moral and human cost of a culture defined by winners and losers.' The screenplay for the film was penned by writer Gabriel Sherman, who authored the 2014 book The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News and Divided a Country. The Once Upon a Time actor walked with his hands buried into his pockets as he made his way over to talk to director Ali Abbasi Production on The Apprentice began in late November The film follows Trump in the '70s and '80s as he attempts to establish his real estate empire on the back of his father Fred Trump's properties The Apprentice is being directed by the Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, who shot the critically acclaimed Persian-language crime thriller Holy Spider (2022) The book was subsequently adapted into the 2019 Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice. Stan is surging professionally, having garnered nominations for an Emmy and Golden Globe after playing the role of Tommy Lee in Hulu's Pam & Tommy, which hit Hulu in 2022. Last year, Stan was in multiple movies, including Dumb Money, Sharper and Ghosted. Stan, who has also been seen in multiple MCU films playing Bucky 'Winter Soldier' Barnes, is the latest in a line of performers who have played Trump. Few of those have been for dramatic productions, with the most recent being Irish actor Brendan Gleeson in the 2020 Showtime miniseries The Comey Rule. Trump has been spoofed for decades on NBC's Saturday Night Live, with actors including Alec Baldwin, Darrell Hammond, Jason Sudeikis, Taran Killam and the late Phil Hartman playing the role at different points. Trump remains battling multiple legal cases in multiple states as he remains the favorite to garner the Republican presidential nomination next year. Terri Irwin is best known for her conservation work at Australia Zoo and spends most of her time dressed in her modest khaki uniform. But the 59-year-old looked completely unrecognisable as she underwent a very glamorous makeover back in 2002 for a photo shoot for New Idea magazine. The sexy shots showed Terri looking like a Hollywood bombshell in busty evening gowns and diamond jewellery. Terri swapped her usual barefaced appearance for dramatic makeup and a voluminous blow-dried hairstyle. Fans were left stunned by the mother-of-two's look after the resurfaced photos were shared to Instagram account Big Nostalgic Energy. Irwin fans went wild as Terri looked completely unrecognisable in a saucy resurfaced photo shoot from 2002 'She is beauty, she is grace, she is Miss Crikey mates,' one person wrote. 'It's giving Jackie Collins - like big glamour 80s/90s and I'm here for it! All hail mother of crocodiles,' another said. A third commented: 'Wow! Housewives of Beerwah!' It comes one month after Terri paid a sweet tribute to her husband Steve Irwin on Christmas Eve. The conservationist posted a photo to Instagram showing her late husband posing alongside their two children, Bindi and Robert. The sexy shots showed Terri looking like a Hollywood bombshell in busty evening gowns and diamond jewellery The family are pictured, all smiles while posing with newborn Robert. 'December 2003. Best month. Best Christmas. Best family. Cherish every moment,' Terri captioned the post. Steve and Terri Irwin met in 1991 when she visited Australia Zoo while on a holiday from the US and they married the following year. It comes one month after Terri paid a sweet tribute to her husband Steve Irwin on Christmas Eve Steve tragically died when a stingray barb pierced his chest on September 4, 2006, while filming near Batt Reef, Queensland, in his native Australia. He was just 44-years-old at the time. Terri famously took over Australia Zoo after being widowed with the couple's two children. Irwin and her children Bindi, 25, and Robert, 19, have worked hard in the years since Steve's passing to keep his conservation legacy alive. Jeremy Renner dropped in on Instagram on Monday to share a milestone with his 21.2 million followers. The 53-year-old actor who admitted he was 'nervous' to return to work uploaded a photo of himself from one year ago, the day he arrived home from the hospital after a near-fatal snow plow accident. Posting the image in his Stories, he wrote, 'My friend reminded me I got home from ICU a year ago.' He was dressed in a light gray T-shirt and darker gray shorts as he stood in what appeared to be a physical therapy facility. Renner added underneath the photo that he is a 'lucky man...' Jeremy Renner dropped in on Instagram on Monday to share a milestone with his 21.2 million followers he arrived home from the ICU one year ago after surviving a snow plow accident He shared the same photo on his Instagram grid along with a heartfelt note He shared the same photo on his Instagram grid along with a heartfelt note. Engaging his supporters, he wrote, 'I was reminded that love, good will, hard work and a legion of good humans are getting me through every day thank you, bless you . And as always, I hold my promise to be better, be stronger, and grow to surpass potential. Bless you all.' It comes after last week the star admitted he is 'nervous' to return to acting. He took to Instagram to confirm he was back to working on his Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown and noted that he was also excited to be back on set. 'Day one on set,' he wrote in a caption alongside a selfie, adding, 'Nervous today.' He also said that he was doing it all for his fans. 'Hope this works out that I can ACTUALLY pull this off for our production and more importantly the fans,' he continued. On the same day, he also shared a joint post with the official Instagram account of his thriller series announcing that production began. The photo showed him posing in a suit alongside text that read: 'THE MAYOR IS BACK.' Jeremy recently admitted he was 'nervous' to return to work filming Mayor of Kingstown Renner had his chest crushed and his upper torso collapsed when he was pulled under a seven-ton snow plow at his Lake Tahoe property hours after the new year in 2023 On New Year's Day in 2023, Renner was plowing snow around his neighborhood in Mount Rose, Nevada when he stopped to help a family member whose car was stuck. His 14,000-lb industrial vehicle ran him over, breaking more than 30 of his bones and leaving him with a collapsed lung. 'I've lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience,' he said in an interview with ABC News last April. 'But I've been refueled and refilled with love and titanium.' He said that while in critical condition he wrote a goodbye note to his family on his phone, and wondered to himself: 'What's my body look like? Am I just going to be like a spine and a brain like a science experiment?' Doctors rebuilt his rib cage with metal, and used metallic plates to put his eye socket back together. He now has a titanium rod and screws in his leg. Romeo Alexander of Bachelor Nation fame is officially off the market. The reality star - a former contestant on The Bachelorette and Bachelor In Paradise - announced his engagement to girlfriend Caroline Sullivan last month. 'We're engaged!' he captioned snaps taken from the moment he dropped down to one knee in Central Park. Romeo, 34, met his fiancee at Brooklyn's Dumbo House in February 2022 and it didn't take long for Caroline to suspect she had met 'the one', according to People. She texted her friends later that night, 'I just met husband.' Romeo Alexander of Bachelorette fame has announced his engagement to Caroline Sullivan Alexander had first walked into Soho House for dinner before running into Sullivan at coat check and chatting with her. The exclusive members-only club ended up being 'too crowded' for dinner, so he left. But just 15 minutes he returned: 'I actually ended up leaving, but I turned around as I was halfway down the block and went back to talk to her more,' he explained. Alexander 'danced all night' with Sullivan before she set jetted off for Europe the next day. They went out on their first date two weeks later, and over a year later Romeo proposed in Central Park. 'I was completely shocked!' Sullivan told People of the proposal. 'Romeo told me we were going to dinner at a nice restaurant near Central park, and that I had to wear something fancy. My sister was in town and leaving that day, so he suggested we show her around the park before dinner. 'When we got to the location, this amazing photographer (Sarah) was pretending to do a photo shoot and generously asked us if we wanted a picture! That is when he dropped down on one knee. It was perfect.' Now the couple are eyeing a 2025 wedding in the world capital of love, Paris. 'We have started thinking about a Paris wedding in early 2025, and are looking for a wedding planner,' Sullivan said. Alexander competed for Michelle Young's heart on The Bachelorette back in 2021 Sullivan suspected right away she had met her future husband after their initial introductions at the Soho House The couple are eyeing a 2025 wedding in the world capital of romance, Paris 'We have so many beautiful memories together in France, with his family. Romeo is half French so it just feels right to have our wedding there! I havent even begun to think about details yet, but I know it will be a big wedding!' Romeo rose to fame competing for Michelle Young's heart on The Bachelorette in 2021. He only made it to week four, but received another chance at love on Bachelor In Paradise. Ishikawa, Jan 15 ( NHK ) - Two weeks have passed since a massive earthquake struck central Japan on New Year's Day, killing 222 people. Twenty-two people are still missing. Search operations are continuing but they are being hampered by bad weather. At one point police had to call off the search due to snow. They now plan to use heavy equipment to search for the missing at landslide sites where they have found what appear to be human remains. Ishikawa Prefecture says over 400 people in more than a dozen communities remain cut off due to blocked roads. Water and power are unavailable for hundreds of evacuation sites hosting more than 16,000 people. Fourteen evacuees are now believed to have died from sudden or chronic illness after staying at a temporary shelter. Time seems to have stopped at one area in Wajima, a hard-hit city in Ishikawa Prefecture. Traffic lights crushed under a collapsed building remain just the same as the day the quake hit. Even after two weeks, the full extent of the damage is not yet known. Survivors are facing the challenge of rebuilding their livelihoods. An NHK crew met a woman taking shelter at an evacuation center in Suzu City. They asked her what the past two weeks have been like for her. She said, "It brings tears to my eyes to see how huge the damage is. I recall, this stood here, that one there, we were living our life humbly, doing our best." Key industries in the affected areas have also been severely damaged. The governor of Ishikawa Prefecture said the fishery and agriculture industries suffered widespread damage across a vast area. Ishikawa Governor Hase Hiroshi said more than 80 percent of the fishing ports were damaged because the quake pushed the ground up, breaking ice-making facilities. At least 170 boats were overturned or swept out to sea. There has also been damage to farmland and roads reported in southern parts of the prefecture. The governor said, "We have confirmed farmers have not lost their willingness to resume farming. First of all, we would like to do what we can for farming in the spring and support recovery efforts." Officials say it will take time to fully grasp the extent of the devastation. Molly Mae Hague brushed off concerns about her decision not to put a sun hat on her daughter Bambi. The influencer, 24, has recently returned home from a luxury trip with her fiance Tommy Fury, also 24, and their daughter Bambi. Bambi did not appear to wear any sun hats in pictures shared throughout the trip and Molly-Mae's followers made their concerns known. According to Molly-Mae, fans questioned Molly-Mae on this and the former PrettyLittleThing creative director hit back in a YouTube vlog, posted on Saturday. She said: 'So many comments I get about, "You don't put a sun hat on Bambi, you don't put a hat on her, you expose her to the sun." Molly-Mae Hague laughed off concerns about her decision not to put a sun hat on her daughter Bambi, saying: 'I'd like to know how any mother is putting a hat on their 11-month-old!' The influencer, 24, has recently returned home from a luxury trip with her fiance Tommy Fury , also 24, and their daughter Bambi Molly-Mae took photos and videos throughout the trip, and fans noticed that Bambi did not wear sun hats Molly-Mae asked: 'I'd like to know, how any mother is putting a hat on their 11-month-old? I physically don't understand it. Even one with a string underneath or like a tie. 'She will get so upset when I put one on her, and just cry and cry until I take it off. So yes, this trip we have experienced the hat tantrums.' Comments made about Bambi's headwear were no longer visible at the time of publication. The young family began their trip in the Maldives, where they spent New Year's before finishing it in Dubai. Molly revealed the luxury holiday was originally just supposed to be a romantic getaway for her and Tommy, as the pair struggle to find time to spend together just the two of them. She confessed that since Bambi was born in January 2023, the couple haven't had any 'adult intimate nice quality time together', but still opted to bring Bambi along. The family flew in first class and when they reached the Maldives, they stayed at the 4,300-a-night Ritz-Carlton, a global luxury hotel and resort chain. Their waterfront pad featured a private pool, with a double bed sun lounger and a king-size bed overlooking the Maldivian sea. Molly-Mae asked: 'I'd like to know, how any mother is putting a hat on their 11-month-old? ... She will get so upset when I put one on her, and just cry and cry until I take it off' The trip comes after the pair sparked worry among fans late last year following Tommy's wild nights out, also in Dubai The trip comes after the pair sparked worry among fans late last year following Tommy's wild nights out, also in Dubai. Amid claims she was 'mortified' by his partying behaviour, Molly-Mae was spotted with and without her 600,000 engagement ring on and off on multiple occasions. However it seems the couple have put all that behind them as they looked relaxed and in love in all photos and videos. Molly-Mae and Tommy met on the 2019 series of Love Island where they finished in second place to Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea. Sarah Jessica Parker was seen smoking a cigarette outside The Savoy Theatre in London on Sunday, after Plaza Suite rehearsals. The multi-award-winning actress, 58, appeared relaxed as she puffed away while chatting to her husband Matthew Broderick, 61, who also stars in the show. Sarah wrapped up in a black padded jacket, teamed with blue jeans and heeled ankle boots. Sarah and Matthew play one of three main couples in the Broadway revival of Neil Simon's 1968 play. The couple were originally announced to star in the play back in September 2019, though the opening night was delayed nearly two years due to COVID-19 . Sarah Jessica Parker was seen smoking a cigarette outside The Savoy Theatre in London on Sunday, after Plaza Suite rehearsals The multi-award-winning actress, 58, appeared relaxed as she puffed away while chatting to her husband Matthew Broderick, 61, who also stars in the show They haven't appeared on Broadway since 1995, when Parker took over the Rosemary Pillkington role from Megan Mullally in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The original play debuted in 1968, with this revival the first play from Neil Simon's work since his death in 2018 at 91 years of age. The play is comprised of three acts, each of which follows a different couple who find themselves in Suite 719 at the famed Plaza Hotel in New York City. Simon adapted his play for a 1971 movie starring Walter Matthau and Maureen Stapleton, with a 1987 TV movie version featuring Carol Burnett playing all three female roles, alongside Hal Holbrook, Dabney Coleman and Richard Crenna. Sarah is coming off her hit HBO series And Just Like That... a continuation of the Sex and the City franchise, which was renewed for a third season. It comes after Sarah cut a stylish figure as she posed on the streets of London. The actress looked sensational as she donned a charcoal grey dress underneath a smart grey blazer. Promoting the latest shoes from her brand the SJP Collection, the Sex And The City star posed next to a red telephone box for the snap. Sarah wrapped up in a black padded jacket, teamed with blue jeans and heeled ankle boots Meanwhile, Matthew bundled up in a grey jacket and beanie hat, teamed with joggers Sarah and Matthew play one of three main couples in the Broadway revival of Neil Simon's 1968 play Yet the iconic London sight wasn't the only part of British culture included in the post as fans noticed British bakery chain Greggs had photobombed the snap. Eagle-eyed fans spotted the favourite chain, famed for their sausage rolls, in the background. One wrote: 'Class, GREGGS photobombed the background', while a second laughed: 'I love that this is in london - and a greggs sign is in the shot'. A third added: 'Living for in the same shot as SJPIcons'. Sarah herself didn't seem to notice the bakery chain's appearance as she promoted her shoes. She captioned the snap: 'The new Fawn 70mm in Galaxy fabric. A shoe that has quickly become my trusty sidekick (along with @invivoxsjp, of course!) 'Try her for yourself and youll understand why Available in store and online at sjpbysarahjessicaparker.com! X, SJ'. And while not all fans noticed the home of the iconic sausage roll, others were overjoyed to see Greggs in the background. Another joked: 'Grab yourself a sausage roll!' and another teased: 'Pop into Greggs'. Another wrote: 'This photo is so cool... until you spot the Greggs in the background [laughing emoji].. welcome to the UK!' Sarah Jessica Parker fans have gone wild after noticing a quintessentially British photo bomber in the star's latest Instagram snap on Wednesday Yet the iconic London sight wasn't the only part of British culture included in the post as fans noticed British bakery chain Greggs had photobombed the snap Another added: 'is it wrong that I love this more simply because theres a @greggs_official in the background?! 'I can hear Lorraine now, Ey Tommeh, guess who I served today, served Carrie Bradshaw didnt I! Never guess what she had, bet you a fiver you cant guess - at least thats how it went in my head.' Sarah's black Fishnet Fawn 70mm heels can be purchased over on her website for $395. In the snap the star also held a bottle of Invivo X Sarah Jessica Parker white wine. The star has collaborated with the wine maker in a brand described as: 'New York Sass combined with the world's best wine regions'. Stacey Solomon has teased that she wants to expand her family as she gushed 'being a mother-of-five is her favourite thing in the world' on Monday. The Loose Women panellist, 34, is mother to sons Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, who she has from previous relationships as well as son Rex, four, Rose, two, and baby Belle, 11 months, who she shares with her husband Joe Swash. Joe also has 16-year-old Harry, from a previous relationship with his ex-fiancee Emma Sophocleous. And hinting at more children, Stacey joked 'Joe would get a vasectomy' when he sees her Instagram post, while she claimed 'whatever will be, will be'. Stacey posted a Q&A on her social media to have a catch-up with fans, since she's been struck down ill following her holiday in the Caribbean. Stacey Solomon, 34, has teased she wants to expand her family as she gushed that 'being a mother-of-five is her favourite thing in the world' on Monday Stacey is mother to sons Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 11, who she has from previous relationships as well as son Rex, four, Rose, two, and baby Belle, 11 months, who she shares with husband Joe Swash She was asked: 'Are you finished with having babies or would you like more.' Posting a video of her two youngest children Rose and Belle playing with their toys, Stacey admitted she would never rule out the idea of more kids. She wrote: 'I can honestly say. My favourite thing in the whole wide world is being a mum. I just get so much joy from watching our little ones grow & getting to be a part of their world. 'I would love more. Whatever will be will be. But omg I love them (Joe will be off to get a vasectomy when he sees this).' She recently shared a fresh health update after she had to be rushed to hospital on the last day of her family holiday to Jamaica. The star took to social media on Sunday to reveal she had been struck down by an infection while on her trip. She explained that her fever got so high she had to go to hospital and be treated with oxygen, antibiotics and an IV drip. Speaking to her Instagram followers again on Wednesday, Stacey gave an update, saying: 'I finally feel half human. I have come downstairs - Joe is looking after me. He is making a soup currently. And hinting at more children, Stacey joked 'Joe would get a vasectomy' when he sees her Instagram post, as she claimed 'whatever will be, will be Stacey recently shared a fresh health update after she had to be rushed to hospital on the last day of her family holiday to Jamaica The Loose Women star took to social media on Sunday to reveal she had been struck down by an infection while on her trip 'I have finally come downstairs, it sounds ridiculous but I have felt so rough. I woke up this morning and it was such a nice feeling... 'I felt a little bit normal, it's all I needed, a little bit more human. I don't know how long it'll last so I'm making the most of it. Happy Wednesday. Love you all.' It comes after Stacey said she would be taking things easy for a while after her hospital experience 'scared' her. She had jetted off to the Caribbean with 20 of her family members for a festive break, joined by her husband Joe Swash , their children, Stacey's sister Jemma, her dad David and her nieces and nephews. However, on the day before their flight back home, the mother-of-five fell ill suddenly and her condition only got worse through the evening. She explained: 'We had the worst exit from Jamaica of all time. And I can't even like get over it. Because it doesn't feel real in my head. And today's the first day, I felt like I'm walking around the house and feel normal.' She recalled: 'But anyway, cut a long story short on the day before we were travelling home, I started to feel a little bit 'flu-ey' so I was like oh I'm getting that flu that everyone's got. Annoying. That's alright, we're going home tomorrow, so I'll just get through it, get over it and carry on. 'So I carried on and as the day went on it just got worse and worse. So I was like, "You know what Joe, you take the kids to dinner, I'm just going to go to bed. I don't feel great, I need to sleep this off." Speaking to her Instagram followers again on Wednesday, Stacey gave an update, saying: 'I finally feel half human. I have come downstairs - Joe is looking after me.' She had jetted off to the Caribbean with 20 of her family members for a festive break, joined by her husband Joe Swash , their children, Stacey's sister Jemma, her dad David and her nieces and nephews 'And then he got back from dinner, took one look at me and rang my sister and my mum because he was like she looks a mess. He was like you were sweating and laying there and I was like, "Oh my god". 'So my sister comes into the room and I know it's serious when my sister comes in. Because she's a nurse she's very much like you're fine unless you're not fine and then she'll be like hold on a second. 'So she came in and was like, "We need to sit you up, cool you down, get you some paracetamol". Did all her nursing stuff and every time she checked my temperature, all I remember was her not saying anything and I was like, "Jemma what's happening?" And she was like, "No it's okay!" 'But it weren't. Because afterwards she told me my temperature was going up and not coming down and that is not a good sign.' Stacey continued: 'So they called the medical team inside the hotel and the nurse came down and took one look at me and put an oxygen mask on. 'And then she was covering me in wet towels and my temperature was still too high so she literally said she needs to get to the hospital and get some IV antibiotics and fluids in her and tests.' She began laughing as she concluded: 'So yeah I ended up in hospital in Jamaica. I don't know why I'm laughing but it doesn't feel real. Do you ever have an experience where you're like, did that even happen to me? 'I was perfectly normal, like absolutely fine one minute and then next minute, I'm not joking I was in hospital on an IV drip with an oxygen mask on! I've never had a oxygen mask in my life. I'm so dry from everything and I just feel so gross.' She thanked her followers for messaging her and checking in during her absence and admitted that the experience had 'scared' her so she was going to take it easy for the next few days She later went on her Stories again to reveal it had been an infection, but that she was feeling better with the antibiotics and shared a photo of herself resting with her two dogs, Teddy and Peanut, on her lap Stacey went on: 'So anyway the IV and everything went in and I did start to feel instantly so much better. Still rough as hell but way better than what I was. 'We were there from the night before we were meant to leave until the morning and I was obviously like, "Please let me go home, I don't want to stay here on my own when I'm not well, just let me get home." 'And they got me to a point where they were happy for me to fly home. So I did the flight home. Poor Joe had all the kids for 10 hours! 'And I literally went to sleep as soon as I got home and today is the first day I've started to feel like a normal human again.' She then added: 'I just wanted to update you and I think I'm just going to really listen to my body because I'm one of those people that's like it's fine and then I end up in hospital in Jamaica. 'So I'm not going to do that, I'm going to listen to my body and let myself get well and I'll just have to have Christmas decorations up by February. I'll be that weirdo!' The idea that a person labelled as a terrorist by one may be considered a freedom fighter by another, needs to be discarded The recent events in the Red Sea, involving the targeting of an Israeli ship by Iran-backed Houthi groups, followed by retaliatory actions from Israel, along with airstrikes by the UK and US on Houthi locations in Yemen, have heightened tensions in the region. The support extended by Hamas and Hezbollah to the Houthi group raises concerns about the potential for a significant terrorist threat. Previous Israeli strikes, resulting in the death of IRGC General Sayyed Razi Mousavi and Hamas Deputy Leader Saleh-al-Arouri, added to the delicate situation. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi's efforts to garner support have led to a substantial increase in the frequency of attacks. Additionally, the double blasts in Karman, Southern Iran, on January 3, 2024, resulting in over 85 casualties and 290 injuries, have further escalated the volatile situation. The violence is spreading to Lebanon and Syria, with incidents like the use of Sana, the capital of Yemen, for planting explosive devices at airports in Dubai and Midlands a few years ago. From these recent developments, two key lessons emerge. Firstly, there is a likelihood of a surge in transnational terrorist incidents with far-reaching consequences. Secondly, international terrorism is expanding its influence into sea routes, waterways, international trade, logistics, and economies of targeted nations. The global scenario reflects the ability of modern terrorists to strike accurately at chosen times and locations, signaling the growing influence of terrorism in the political landscape worldwide. Despite increased government efforts, terrorism, both domestic and international, continues to thrive. To address the West Asia issue, collaborative efforts among nations are crucial. A robust international mechanism for dealing with transnational terrorism must be in place. Media plays a significant role, as irresponsible and exaggerated coverage can fuel terrorism and reduce moral opposition to counter-terrorism measures. Failure to diagnose and address terrorism early can have severe consequences for nations. The strategies of imposing arms and economic sanctions on so-called rogue nations have been counterproductive, garnering international sympathy for these nations. While a permanent solution remains distant, a mature understanding of terrorism by powerful nations is essential. Effective preparedness programs at the government level are necessary. Understanding the motivations of individuals involved in terrorism, along with a well-thought-out approach to dealing with incidents and their consequences, is vital. Good intelligence, police work, and collaboration with individuals and groups can significantly contribute to improving security. A high-level intelligence network is crucial to anticipate and counter threats, especially with the increasing nexus between drug smugglers and terrorists. The concept of one man's terrorist being another man's freedom fighter must be discarded. Local cooperation with law enforcement, even at personal costs, is essential. Prompt and strict decisions by nations are necessary for psychological control of terrorists. In a changing environment, security apparatuses and police must diversify activities, bringing together technical and professional expertise. The focus should be on anticipating security needs through specialized courses. Addressing the roots of terrorism and creating general awareness, along with public support against terrorist acts, are essential steps. However, the government's attempt to delegate judgment to police and armed forces must be balanced to avoid diluting benefits and impeding peace and negotiation. (The wrtier is recipient of Bharat Gaurav and Rastriya Gaurav Award is a professor and an expert of strategic affairs, views are personal) NTR Jr's "Devara", "Pushpa 2: The Rule" starring Allu Arjun, and "Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire" featuring Prabhas are part of Netflix's 12 Telugu films slate, which will be available on the streamer in 2024 after their theatrical exhibition. This year Netflix will also be home to other Telugu titles such as "Buddy", "Gangs of Godavari", "Tillu Square", Vijay Devarakonda's 12th film, Nandamuri Balakrishna's 109th movie, separate untitled projects starring Sidhu and Karthikeya as well as the ninth production of Ga2 Pictures. "These movies are scheduled to be available on Netflix this year after their theatrical exhibition, granting fans the opportunity to enjoy them in cinemas initially and then relive the magic of their favourite actors' performances in the comfort of their homes, across the world," a press release said. Monika Shergill, VP - Content, Netflix India, said this year the company is looking forward to making the best of Telugu cinema available to its subscribers. "The 50% YoY (year-over-year) growth in Netflix's South content viewing reflects the strong appeal of our Telugu movie offering. This year's lineup, packed with the best of Telugu blockbuster cinema and industry's biggest stars, is set to captivate audiences worldwide. We're thrilled to bring the finest of Telugu cinema to viewers in India and across the globe," Shergill said in a statement. "Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire", also featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran, hit the screens on December 22. "Devara" is scheduled to be released in cinema halls on April 5, with "Pushpa 2" set to arrive on August 15. Out of the 12 films, "Hi Nanna" is already streaming on Netflix. The film, starring Nani and Mrunal Thakur, released in cinema halls on December 7. In a move that aligns with Ayodhyas burgeoning economic landscape, Bollywood luminary Amitabh Bachchan has reportedly purchased a plot in The Sarayu, a forthcoming seven-star mixed-use enclave slated for a formal launch on January 22. Developed by Mumbai-based The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL), this strategic acquisition by Bachchan underscores the evolving economic dynamics of Ayodhya. The Sarayu, covering an expansive 51 acre, is strategically positioned to capitalise on the cultural and spiritual significance of Ayodhya, particularly with the imminent inauguration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple. Bachchans undisclosed but substantial investment, estimated to be valued at Rs 14.5 crore for a 10,000-square-foot plot, reflects not only confidence in the local economic potential but also a keen appreciation for the towns rich spiritual heritage. Speaking on the investment, Bachchan was reported to have said, I am looking forward to embarking on this economic journey with The House of Abhinandan Lodha for The Sarayu in Ayodhya, a city that holds a special place in my heart. The economic implications of Bachchans involvement in The Sarayu are notable, given the broader context of Ayodhyas infrastructure and economic development since the landmark Supreme Court verdict in 2019. Abhinandan Lodha, Chairman of HoABL, hailed Bachchan as the first citizen of The Sarayu, underscoring the potential economic impact of his association with the project. His investment signifies not only confidence in the citys economic potential but also a deep appreciation for its spiritual heritage, Lodha reportedly said, predicting a transformative effect on The Sarayus global standing. Bachchans focus on the plotted development within The Sarayu, coupled with plans for a five-star palace hotel in collaboration with Leela Palaces, Hotels, and Resorts, positions his investment as a strategic move in Ayodhyas economic resurgence. The entire project, set for completion by March 2028, adds to the economic optimism surrounding Ayodhya, as the city continues to evolve into a destination for both spiritual seekers and discerning investors. As Ayodhya enters a new phase of economic revitalisation, Bachchans investment in The Sarayu not only aligns with the towns cultural renaissance but also underscores the economic potential that Ayodhya holds. The actors foray into this seven-star enclave is poised to be a significant economic catalyst, contributing to the citys economic resurgence on a broader scale. In what could be an advantage for the BJP in the general elections, BSP president Mayawati announced on Monday that her party would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on its own and would consider a post-poll alliance. The announcement by the BSP, though politically expected, will weaken the prospects of the Opposition alliance INDIA Bloc, comprising the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, which was hoping to rope in the BSP for a mega Congress, SP, and the BSP combine to upset the ruling partys tally in the State which sends the highest number of Lok Sabha members. On the other hand, the tussle continues in the larger Opposition Bloc INDIA as the West Bengal Congress has now officially communicated that any truck with the TMC would be suicidal. The BSP is not part of the Opposition INDIA Bloc. Although there have been reports that some alliance members have tried to persuade Mayawati to join the group, the SP has indicated that it is not keen on this. Talking to reporters at the State party office in Lucknow on her 68th birthday, Mayawati also categorically denied reports in a section of the media about her retirement from politics and stressed that she will continue to strengthen the party until her last breath. Mayawati also cautioned her party members against her rival in the State, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, saying he changed colours like a chameleon to mislead them. She said after the Lok Sabha elections, the BSP can join the Government at the Centre on the basis of proper representation to the party. The party will not contest the elections in alliance with anyone, but after the polls, unlike the previous times, the party is no longer going to give free support from outside, the BSP chief said. Regarding the elections, I want to make it clear again that our party will fight the Lok Sabha polls alone on the strength of the poor and marginalised sections, especially Dalits, tribals, Muslims, and people of other religious minority communities. It was on their strength that in 2007, we formed a Government with full majority in Uttar Pradesh by contesting the elections alone. Therefore, keeping in mind the past experience, our party will contest the Lok Sabha elections alone, she said. Rejecting reports of her retirement circulating on social media after she recently made her nephew Akash Anand her political successor, Mayawati said they are fake and have no basis. I will continue to strengthen the BSP until my last breath. Akash Anand was not present at the Press conference. Mayawati clarified that the BSP will keep its distance from all parties having casteist, capitalist, and communal views. If the Lok Sabha elections are held as free and fair as the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections when there were no irregularities or rigging in EVMs, then our party will bring better results by contesting the polls alone, she said. Giving the reason for not siding with any party or alliance in the upcoming elections, Mayawati said, Our party is contesting alone because its leadership is in the hands of a Dalit against whom the casteist mentality of most of the parties has not changed yet. Many parties want to contest elections in alliance with the BSP... But it is very important for us to look after the interest of our party, she said. However, the BSP chief said the support can be extended after the elections if there is proper participation, but this support will not be given for free. She said all the Opposition parties want to keep the BSP away from power by uniting and adopting various tactics. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also said she has received an invitation for the January 22 consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, but a decision on attending it has not been taken yet because of certain party programmes. According to West Bengal Congress sources, the PCC leaders through Congress observer GA Mir communicated to the AICC that either the party should consider going it alone in the State --- which would be better organisationally or consider an alliance with the Left Front. An alliance with the TMC will not only be counterproductive but suicidal, a senior PCC leader said. Mir, who was recently in Kolkata to discuss the preparations of Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is likely to pass through some parts of this State too had met senior PCC leaders like Adhir Chowdhury. While the Left Front has already said there is no question of allying with the TMC, what seems to have jolted the INDIA Block further in Bengal is the TMCs unwillingness to part with more than two seats in the State. The Congress is also peeved with the TMC for asking for seats in Assam in lieu of leaving seats in Bengal. In response to the fervent appeals from pilgrims visiting Gurdwara Sri Patna Sahib, the Railway Board has officially approved the inclusion of a stoppage for the 12317/12318 Amritsar-Kolkata Akal Takht Express at Phagwara railway station. The development is set to take effect from January 15, as announced by the Union Minister of State Som Parkash and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla in separate press statements on Sunday. The decision comes as a significant relief for devotees traveling to and from Gurdwara Sri Patna Sahib, with the stoppage in Phagwara enhancing accessibility and convenience. The revised schedule indicates that the Akal Takht Express will commence its journey from Amritsar, arriving at Phagwara at 7:26 am, making a brief stop until 7:27 am. On its route from Kolkata to Amritsar, the train will reach Phagwara at 3:07 pm, departing at 3:08 pm. The strategic stop at Phagwara holds paramount importance, not only for the local residents but also for pilgrims heading to key destinations such as Varanasi Kashi and Patna Sahib. The inaugural halt at Phagwara is anticipated to be marked by a warm welcome from numerous devotees. A reception committee is gearing up to greet the Akal Takht Express during its first stop at Phagwara on Monday afternoon. The inclusion of Phagwara as a stoppage reflects the railway authorities responsiveness to the demands of the community and their commitment to enhancing the travel experience for passengers, especially those on religious journeys. Hry CM lays foundation stone of new chamber complex for advocates in Karnal Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday laid the foundation stone for a new chamber complex for advocates in Karnal. He also made a contribution of Rs 31 lakh in the complex fund. On the occasion, Karnal District and Sessions Judge Chandra Shekhar welcomed the Chief Minister. Speaking at the event, Khattar said that the Government has provided one acre of land for the construction of new chamber complex, which will have 260 chambers. He also assured that a solution would be found soon to the pending electricity bills of the Bar Association complex. 14th Course at MRS-AFPI: Over 3k appear for entrance exam Chandigarh: As many as 3018 candidates appeared for the entrance exam for the 14th course to be commenced at the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute (MRSAFPI), SAS Nagar (Mohali) on Sunday. Institute Director Major General Ajay H Chauhan conducted surprise inspections at two examination centres in Mohali. Top 150 successful candidates will be called for the final selection process at the later date and 48 candidates will be chosen from across Punjab to undergo training for joining the Armed Forces through National Defence Academy (NDA) or equivalent academies under the watchful eyes of dedicated staff of the Institute. Haryana CM stops at a tea shop in Ambala, interacts with people Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, on his way from Karnal to Chandigarh on Sunday, suddenly stopped at a tea shop at Sultanpur Chowk on Ambala-Chandigarh road and interacted with the people there. He also had tea with them. Notably, people looked happy while interacting with their Chief Minister. At the same time, some youngsters standing there also got inspired by the Chief Minister as he was enjoying tea with them without any security. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also inquired about the well-being of citizens. Punjab petro dealers to hand over memorandum for PMO demanding increase in dealer margins Chandigarh: Petroleum dealers from across Punjab will be handing over a memorandum for the Prime Minister Office (PMO), Minister Petroleum, Petroleum secretary, and chairmans of oil companies through the office of state-level coordinators at Indian Oil Bhavan in Chandigarhs Sector-19 on January 18. Punjab Petrol Pump Dealers Associations spokesperson Monty Sehgal on Sunday said that the petroleum dealers of PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) of Punjab, are deeply aggrieved at the lack of response from the OMCs to heed our several representations regarding the revision of dealer margin. They have demanded an immediate increase in dealer margins by Rs four per litre with immediate effect as an interim relief. City PR professional Ritu Nag receives PRSI National Award-2023 Chandigarh: Ritu Nag, a practicing PR professional consultant of the tricity, has received the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), National Awards 2023, at a function held in New Delhi recently. She received the honours for her contribution to the field of healthcare under the category of Outstanding Initiatives for Promoting Medical and Health owing to her work in various healthcare organizations. Nag has been a recipient of several awards in the past, some of which include the prestigious Chanakya Award for Corporate Branding by Public Relations Council of India Excellence Awards in 2023, the Media Federation of India Award for contribution to the field of Community Welfare in 2019, among many others. 158 cases of electricity theft registered in Haryana Chandigarh: In a joint operation to curb power theft and enforce regulations, Haryana State Enforcement Bureau (HSEnB) and Haryana Power Utilities (HPUs) Vigilance wing on Sunday launched a Special Electricity Theft Checking Campaign, during which, a total of 158 cases of direct thefts and other categories were detected. Senior officials from both agencies led 22 teams comprising 500 police personnel from HSEnB and 70 HPU officers conducted thorough checks uncovering a staggering 158 cases of electricity theft and related offenses. During the campaign, a total of 376 connections or premises were checked, out of which three industrial cases of 34.81 KW, 55 non-domestic cases of 259.19 KW, 66 domestic cases of 197.19 KW, and 2 agriculture cases of 9.02 KW direct thefts were detected. A total of 126 cases of 500.21 KW direct thefts were detected during this checking campaign. Hry Minister participate in special Swachh Mandir campaign Ballabhgarh: Haryana Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma, as part of a special Swachh Mandir (Clean Temple) campaign,on Sunday urged the Ballabhgarh residents to ensure the cleanliness of ancient Pathwari temple in Ballabhgarh. Participating in the cleanliness drive, he urged the city residents that cleanliness would be ensured in all citys temples and religious institutions before January 22. The Transport Minister also announced that via Haryana Roadways buses, Haryana residents would be able to visit the city of Ayodhya for sightseeing after January 22. Farmers appealed to use nano urea, DAP prepared by IFFCO through drones Chandigarh: Haryana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Animal Husbandry Minister JP Dalal on Sunday said that new schemes are being implemented to increase the income and well-being of farmers and livestock owners in the state. Farmers and livestock owners should take advantage of these schemes. He urged farmers to use nano urea and DAP prepared by IFFCO through drones and promote pesticide-free farming. He said that for drone spraying, a nominal fee of only Rs 100 per acre would be charged from the farmers, and the rest of the expenses would be borne by the government. Minister performs 'shram daan' at Balwari Dham Chandigarh: On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, Haryana Cooperation and Public Health Engineering Minister Dr Banwari Lal on Sunday performed 'shram daan' at Shri Sita Ram Temple in Balwari Dham, Rewari district. Besides, he also urged the residents to clean temples, religious places, and pilgrimage sites, as a cleanliness campaign has been launched from January 14 in temples, religious places, and pilgrimage sites across the country, under the Swachhata In view of Simhastha 2028, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav asked the concerning officials of Indore, Ujjain and Dewas to prepare an action plan to purify the Kshipra river. He instructed them to build stop dams at various places to stop dirty water. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav was addressing the high level meeting organized in connection with the development works of Simhastha 2028 and purification of Kshipra at Ujjain